I Made Vegan Cheese From Cauliflower

[@MerleONeal]

This one was a bit of a wild ride, let me know what you'd like to see next! Couple of thoughts on the recipe (that I initially had included but cut out bc i didn't think anyone would make this lol) 1. you could try adding miso paste (after it's been on the stove so it doesn't cook off) 2. brining the cauliflower ahead of time could help to dilute the cauliflower taste 3. flavoring it with other spices could also cover the cauliflower - liquid smoke (for a smoked gouda vibe), smoked paprika, etc...

[@vegancam]

I'd like to say... 🎶🎵Bill Merle the Science Girl!🎵🎶 *drops the beat*

[@MerleONeal]

@@vegancam oh man i'm not going to be able to resist this in future videos

[@siziaguiar]

I think the recipe was not a very good one to follow/adapt to be vegan to start with... It uses ghee which will already add a lot of the dairy flavor and the gelatin behaves very differently from agar agar when heated up.

[@kayenacur]

Maybe consider a little bit of mustard to give it a more mature cheese taste and cover up the cauliflower more

[@gerdaradu3402]

What if you add 1 cup of soaked cashews instead of the coconut oil, that would dilute the cauliflower somewhat.

[@Maelarix]

The expectations we have for cauliflower are just way too high.

[@ashwinnarasimhan2729]

Yeah I’ve enjoyed the cauliflower crust pizzas I’ve had but I did not like cauliflower rice and this does not look promising

[@akiikimisu8766]

my boyfriend ordered a cauliflower burger once. I told him not to, said just take the beyond, the cauliflower is just a cauliflower fried and dipped in a cool sauce, but is still just gonna taste like cauliflower. He couldn't finish it because it just tasted like cauliflower.

[@Glim246]

Yeah, who needs that much pressure?😂

[@dropthekorpi]

Leave the cauliflowers alone! They've been through enough already.

[@natthecat4330]

I am laughing so hard right now lol 😂

[@sharonknorr1106]

My go to ingredients for "cheese" include nooch, red miso paste (or white, which is milder but not as flavorful), garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, lactic acid and/or vinegar, S&P, varying small amounts of tapioca starch and agar agar, depending on how firm or meltable I want it to be.. I think 100% cauli might be too much, but combined with potato or white beans or cashews, would be very good and more nutritious.

[@chrismraz5007]

Any chance you have a recipe or website recommendation?

[@_DRMR_]

Yes! definitely would add garlic and onion powder. The cashew cheeses have been the best for me so that would be a good addition too. Would like to see a follow-up to this one with some of those ingredients added.

[@bodyofhope]

My go-to when I want cheese sauce is a mild tahini as the base, lemon juice, salt, mushroom powder or sundried tomato paste, (I'm sure msg powder would also work). You can add nooch too- I rarely do. Full disclosure- I'm still vegetarian, and love cheese, but this solves my fatty sharp cheddar cravings. I need the msg in there somewhere, the tang, the fat, and a little bit of funk. Edit: I've learned that making it a little bit spicy makes it taste more like cheese for some reason... maybe add some spice to this cauliflower version and see if you like it any better.

[@brittanydaniels1102]

@@bodyofhope MSG is very bad for you, so I am going to say no to the msg powder.

[@sonialoves444]

is there anything about it that’s cheeselike?? serious question

[@queennyla1]

Bill Merle the Science Girl. 😂🎉

[@MerleONeal]

My new alias

[@steviemack6969]

@@MerleONeal your new handle! 😂

[@pagirl913.]

@Nyla Watson Love it! Lil Merle the science girl!

[@courtneybright9411]

This is the best thing I’ve read all day - thank you Nyla! 🤣🤣

[@phillippinter7518]

I posted the exact same comment and deleted it when I scrolled down and saw someone made that joke first

[@becomingamuse]

Try boiling the cauliflower with a little vinegar or lemon juice. It can help neutralize the flavor. And maybe after boiling it, transfer it to a bowl with some aromatics and pop some foil on so the aromatics can impart some flavor as well. Cauliflower is so strong 😅

[@miss_xandra_mars]

Merle Nye, the chef on the vegan wild ride. Please never stop these videos, they are so entertaining and a great learning tool for someone who wants to try more vegan recipes

[@MerleONeal]

More to come! Glad you like 'em :)

[@MrTrizz]

Great job Merle! I would recommend adding a lil bit of onion powder and maybe garlic powder, so the nooch doesn’t have to do too much of the work

[@bendingriver7101]

I think this would benefit a LOT from adding MSG and yeast extract, maybe sodium citrate so it'll melt better. I'm also curious if you could lessen the lactic acid if you lacto fermented the cauliflower beforehand?

[@ZombicidalMadMom81]

I think vegan cooking is so fun because of the science part, good job Merle! I wonder if you could use potatoes instead of cauliflower; akin to the 'cheap cheese' you made in the Expensive vs Cheap Pizza episode.

[@DettsLife]

Agar Agar’s melting temperature is between 85 and 95 degree celsius so I’m not surprised it would not melt under the toaster oven, whereas gelatin melts at around 30 degrees celsius. Cheese looks quite good though!

[@biancaneves3346]

Butter flavoured coconut oil would do wonders replacing the ghee! I'd add miso paste, tahini and a bit o garlic powder. These usually help bring the cheesy flavour. And about the consistency, you definitely need some tapioca starch in there!

[@biancaneves3346]

With that, I actually have a bomb cauliflower cheese recipe if you want to try it out (tastes a bit like swiss cheese): - 1 cup cooked, drained and mashed Cauliflower - 1/2 cup peeled, cooked and drained mashed Yellow Potato - 3 tbsp Tapioca Starch - 3 tbsp Refined Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp Tahini - 1 tbsp Maple Syrup (don't worry, it will not be sweet) - 2 tsp Miso Paste - 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast - 1 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard - 1/2 tsp Onion Powder - 1/2 tsp Lactic Acid - 1/4 tsp Ground Coriander - Pinch of Turmeric (optional, just for colour) - 1/4 cup of water - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp of Agar Agar The instructions would be similar to what you didi in the video. Blend everything, cook to activate the agar agar, put in a mold and let it solidify.

[@evil1by1]

Uhm have you every had cheese, none of those taste like cheese

[@adriancalisto3409]

I think the reason why it doesn't melt well is because agar agar is not only more firm but much more heat stable then gelatin. Therefore I would recommend lowering the ratio of agar and blending tapioca starch with it (like many vegan cheese does nowadays). Also, I would totally substitute the salt for msg for less sodium and more umami.

[@yankads]

yes!!! msg is a must for vegan recipes that try to replicate meats or dairy

[@Mike-xh9wh]

girl u could make a recipe for concrete and I'd still watch it

[@MerleONeal]

*adds that to my list of ideas*

[@RogerCandoza]

vegan concrete tho

[@unidariaverse]

The original recipe has ghee. I think it’s the key ingredient in changing cauliflower to a cheese-like substance, as ghee is also a dairy product , so cheese and butter are like direct cousins 😁

[@romuniz]

Actually, butter is technically cheese 😁

[@clement9782]

@@romuniz aCkchuLLy 🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓

[@hairyballbastic8943]

@@romuniz I was gonna ask how but that actually makes a lot of sense

[@julieblair7472]

I was always happy with a cheese I made with blended oats and cornstarch, it gelled and remelted just like Velveeta and it was especially great when spiced up for nacho contexts.

[@sofiasol9637]

Omg drop the recipe please!!!

[@julieblair7472]

@@sofiasol9637 just look up something like oat cheese sauce, or oat queso to get started. It's really simple and forgiving, easy to tweak and experiment with, the more flavoring the better. You can make it runny or thick enough to chill and slice.

[@cekane88]

I swear oats are going to save the world

[@IsinMoon]

I make a super tasty vegan cheddar broccoli soup with a cheddar base that’s made of equal parts cauliflower and butternut squash that’s been boiling in veggie stock til tender, and then blended it with a ton of nutritional yeast and some whole roasted garlic cloves too. It’s delicious, and I feel like those flavors would make a great cheddar substitute if blended with agar agar!

[@Roxanna.wez5671]

I would love your recipe if you’d be willing to share it.

[@fajarsetiawan8665]

I suggest adding a quarter block of furu or Chinese Fermented Tofu. It has the funkiness and sharpness that's when cooked quite resembles the taste of cheddar cheese.

[@MerleONeal]

Ohhh I think I've seen that done on Sauce Stache's channel! I'll have to try it

[@fajarsetiawan8665]

@@MerleONeal and White Pepper. I forgot to add.

[@harileksono8516]

Konyaku (konjac) powder is more similar to gelatin than agar agar, so i recommend you use konyaku powder instead of agar agar for substituting gelatin

[@MerleONeal]

Thank you!

[@daruleos]

i've been binging your videos for the past week so seeing this pop up was a blessing!! i'm not even vegan but when i become one i will have a lot of recipes in my arsenal from you

[@MerleONeal]

I'm so glad!

[@smellthedailyfresh]

I was wondering if letting the cut cauliflower sit in a bowl of water/apple cider vinegar, in a covered bowl for a day or so, to let it pickle/ferment, if that would give it more flavor.

[@siddhartha9180]

Thanks for explaining about gelatin

[@jojoKsb]

In Germany we have aged cauliflower camembert in some stores which is insaaaane (called "dr. mannah's creamy"). Thanks for turning that recipe vegan, was hoping for somebody to do that!

[@deliamak]

Would replacing agar agar with tapioca powder work for melting?

[@PaulOuzenne]

Hi, I made the cheese but wanted to know if it could be aged like cheddar cheese.

[@Unknown2Yoo]

That aquafaba recipe for cheese you featured is the best. I even make it with unrefined coconut oil and actually don't get the coconut flavor. I'm too lazy to buy agar agar and lactic acid, so I use cornstarch and lemon juice. The texture isn't quite right, but I frankly don't care. It TASTES like cheese, my dairy-free pizza time is liberated. 🥳 This cheese I KNEW wasn't gonna have any flavor when you put that little bit of salt in it. You're disgusted face is hilarious 😆

[@injunsun]

@Merle O'Neal This Cauliflower cheeze is something relatively new to me, as I tend to see people using nuts. I suggest seeing if you can copy and alter a recipe from YT content provider "Connie's Rawsome Kitchen." She made a bleu cheeze with 100% soaked, raw cashews, inoculated with the actual bleu cheese mold, Penicilium roquefortii, which she sourced as Vegan, and did the traditional thing of flipping it, changing the parchment paper, etc., aging it for a few weeks. She didn't add thickeners nor lactic acid, which I think the latter would have improved it. Me? I cheated. I used 70% cashews, 30% English walnuts, inoculated it with a tiny bit of mold from some dairy bleu I had bought for my husband, and put it in a bowl, trying to flip it, but not really letting it dry out. Mine was great within a couple weeks, but between not having it on parchment paper, not letting it dry, and me sampling it with a spoon, I must have contaminated it, because a month in, it had gone rotten. And yeah, I tried using it up to the point where I just couldn't. I miss the extreme sharpness of Extra Sharp Cheddar, and all of the blue cheeses, as well as the hard Italian cheeses, Asiago, Fontina, Parm and Romano. I won't go back, so I have to figure this out, because those artisinal Vegan cheesemakers, with their apparently flawless versions, aren't sharing their secrets, and I am living on a fixed income, unable to afford $26/pound cheeze.

[@emmmm3561]

lol Merle, I am the same to my cat "she's so excited!" *clearly not excited*

[@queennyla1]

First one, baby! Love you, Merle. Thanks for your work. Keep shining, doll.

[@fathoniiiiii]

Agar agar is common used in southeast asia. However, we also have other substitute that is more similar to jello. The brand name is Nutrijell (jelly powder). They are available in many flavors and they have plain one. It is so similar to jello, it gives you jiggleth, but vegan bcs it is sourced from konyak or sewaeed (?) Try to find it in Asian Mart or Indonesian Mart. Enjoy your vegan jello🙏🏻

[@fathoniiiiii]

I mean, if the recipe calls for jello, nutrijell will be the closest vegan go to bcs it has the same exact texture as jello

[@Youssii]

The advantage of gelatine over agar agar is that it melts at a much much lower temperature. You could try firm (kappa) carageenan for something that melts at a lower temperature.

[@kristymayo494]

I've got an old school vegan cheese cookbook this recipe reminds me a lot of the ones I tried from that cookbook. It all just kind of tasted like vaguely cheesey jell-o.

[@lucymziri1130]

Your videos always make me happy

[@ambgwin]

I would def taste before I refrigerate or even before adding the agar to make sure the taste is right.

[@DrWakey]

That's the first time ever i've heard someone say gelatine would be made of crushed bones. Afaik gelatine is made from connective tissue and is optained by cooking out skins and gristles.

[@carolmiller5058]

I’m going to make this ,after I steam the cauli I think I will put it in a cloth and wring out as much moisture as I can, hopefully that will eliminate some of the cauli taste, then finish off as you did. I will measure the water that wrings out and replace with broth. I have high hopes for this little beast 😂

[@johnlittle3410]

i wonder if you use a very larg pot and cooked under water not a boil. If that would remove a lot of the caulifower taste?

[@pqrs_987]

3:34 "Billie Merle the Science Gurrl/Girl" also works!

[@dizzy4u]

Some cheese alternatives aren't for vegans or vegetarians.. they're for people who are allergic to dairy.. It's not supposed to be shocking when a recipe isn't vegan or vegetarian.

[@Vanessa-fs7oz]

Have you ever tried Jill McKeever's 5 minute game changing cheese sauce? I thought it was so good, and it's also nut free and made from some fairly cheap ingredients. I've also wanted to play around with the recipe as a base to experiment with and make other cheesy flavor profiles. I'd love to watch you try this recipe!

[@aritergriffande4563]

Gave cauliflower cheese a new meaning

[@phyto.sapien4022]

I know this has nothing to do with the video, but a question is a question. How do you care for your blue star fern, I've seen it in the background of a few of your videos and it looks so healthy!I just picked one up and am nervous to kill it. 😬 any advice anyone has to give would be great!!

[@MerleONeal]

I'm not sure which plant you're referring to but I don't have a blue star fern, ferns tend to be finicky though - I usually avoid them tbh haha

[@sarahdee374]

I make a pretty good pourable cheese sauce, kinda like nacho cheese sauce without spice, so it's pretty versatile. It has cauliflower as one ingredient. That and potato add creaminess. However one thing I don't like is the brassica smell after it's been stored a bit. The cauliflower taste isn't present, but the smell sure is, and that's a turn off for me. So I used a more potato/less cauliflower ratio and that helps. I really wonder how string the smell would be in this one.

[@kiwifeijoa]

Yes, it does taste like cauliflower. Braveness award for trying. I've seen good cheese recipes from Miyoko, Cooking with Plants and Connie's Rawsome Kitchen, Connie is an Italian master of flavours.

[@mohammad-titan]

Watching BF tasty videos, I'm surprised they used gelatin A LOT instead of agar agar... Is agar agar underrated? Here where i live people use agar agar all the time because gelatin isn't widely available and are much more expensive. (And the fact of having to bloom gelatin adds an extra point to agar agar conventionalwise)

[@hisashin14]

I think because the texture is different, gelatin is more jiggly,while agar agar is harder in texture and more common in Asian countries, not so much in the west

[@lyran8947]

You have to add miso paste and some raw onion to blend with the other ingredients. It's gonna taste exactly like cheese

[@jayg1316]

Is cauliflower even needed for this recipe? Like you could substitute anything else, no? Like something neutral like a potato idk

[@ninreck5121]

Bill Merle the science gurl

[@MerleONeal]

missed opportunity there

[@arnaldoalegria2209]

I appreciate your honesty

[@jsnwayne]

Agar agar. So nice they named it twice.

[@mariajesusrodriguez7035]

Have you try it with chickpea ?

[@Allswellthatend5well]

I gave up midway and opted for cauliflower mashed potatoes by adding butter and dijon mustard. Yum.

[@zoegeijsmans9158]

if you heat up somthing with agar agar or gelitine . you get it back to a liqued stage. so no need to redo the whole thing to add spices. just heat it up. no waste.

[@ashleyswatchingtv]

Missed opportunity to say “Bill Merle the science girl.”

[@eLReyyyyyy]

You should try adding annato too, it’ll give it a cheddar color and flavor

[@Imanirose313]

I feel like maybe if you replaced half of the cauliflower with potato or turnips maybe that would help the flavor a lot

[@starkey701]

You don't need to use that much agar powder, there are starches in cauliflower and that will help the thicken process. Also, you can use potatoes with the cauliflower to "fill" the cheese with less cauliflower which would tone down the flavor. Also, you can boil the potatoes with a "cheese" flavored water to get more cheese flavor in the "cheese".

[@user-bv7mk8id5t]

Add white miso, add less cauliflower and use a neutral plant milk. Maybe bake the cauliflower instead of steam? Also I think tapioca gives it that stretch feel along with the agar. That being said I made a cheese sauce with a small amount of cauliflower maybe just a third of it, it was still terrible 🤮! All I tasted was that cauliflower flavor and not the good flavor, but the nasty gassy flavor. I don’t think cauliflower works for a ‘cheeze’ sub in my opinion. I would rather just eat it whole and baked. Best

[@pagirl913.]

Love me some Merle! Hope I love this cheeze as much!

[@hallyuniverse]

I would probably triple the amount of nutritional yeast, double the salt, add garlic powder, onion powder, MSG and if you want to make it yellow like cheddar add some annatto seed colouring (which is what they use in real cheese!).

[@ealpaugh3461]

can you make guac from brussel sprouts?

[@jamiroschwarz9313]

The thumbnail is awesome xD

[@BreweryCalling]

Merle Nye, pwahhahahha. You Crack me up homie, we should go on tour doing vegan standup 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@bazli83]

The lack of fat in cauliflower, doesn't make it a good substitute compared to nut based cheese. I think the ghee, helps a lot in the original recipe because of the taste

[@MerleONeal]

Yeahh I just think cauli wasn't really built to be cheese haha

[@missygretz2116]

Maybe adding Jalapeño or pepper jack flavor would mask the cauliflower more! Or some liquid smoke to make I more of a gouda. I could also see using a ton of herb and less agar to try to replicate a boursin.

[@MerleONeal]

thats a GOOD idea

[@PILOSOPAUL]

how about some acid since cheese is also a bit sour?

[@MerleONeal]

That's why I used lactic acid when I re-vamped it!

[@PILOSOPAUL]

@@MerleONeal Oh I see, i missed that bit haha

[@jasononwenu4531]

Why isn't agar agar used more than gelatin, especially if it's all-natural and potent? Is it more expensive?

[@tulip811]

Of course it's more expensive

[@carnismiscancer2108]

Excellent video Mertle!

[@joeb4142]

A few days ago I was watching a recipe video where the cook lightly toasted the nooch to give it an even cheesier flavor. I haven’t tried this yet but I will next time I’m making vegan cheese.

[@KarlaEmmerson]

Cauliflower is my absolute favorite thing on the planet, I need to make this for salads or just a snack 😱 just need to experiment with substituting coconut oil, it ruins absolutely everything for me

[@mariaf1964]

She said used refined coconut oil because it really has no coconut taste its neutral! I wonder if you could try avocado oil too

[@tenillestewart5370]

Vegan Ghee exists! U have to be able to find it in LA…I’ve seen it in NY

[@athebonnery6101]

You can add more fat so that it melts better in the oven (in the form of oil) and substitute a part of the cauliflower by a more neutral tasting ingredient like potatoes (it would also improve the creaminess of the final product). And that’s coming from a science girl 😅

[@mistythompson1398]

I follow a channel where they use potatoes to make cheese, so I wonder if you did half cauliflower and half potato if that would scale back that cauliflower taste and smell.

[@MerleONeal]

this is a good idea!

[@donnaw4725]

Merle, that photo on this is hilarious. You look like you just ate a bug.

[@Timmymtd]

At my house when there is nutritional yeast in a recipe we double or triple it 😅

[@tdoruignat8839]

Maybe a version will be if you put first cauliflower in owen for a while . Next,before to finish ,add some powder from sesame seeds that was cooked without at temperature . Also, another version it's to add powder from mushroom ,dill ,etc .

[@MerleONeal]

Great idea!

[@saharansnowman95]

If you want a VEGAN Ghee the brand Nutiva has one

[@MerleONeal]

Good to know!

[@Jimoooooo]

You can just use vegetable ghee right ?? Ghee is made of both cow milk and vegetables

[@guro4679]

Why cauliflower tho? Any other liquidy thing will work as well... Cauliflower doesn't have a cheese-resembling flavor. Wouldn't cashew milk produce a cheesier result? Why cauliflower then? Cost? Ingredient availability? Not really asking...just pondering...

[@de_tiny]

bill merle the science GERLE

[@taniaallan5702]

Hmmm maybe miso paste? Sauerkraut brine?

[@Mimibelle0304]

So if this recipe isn’t originally vegan than what is it use for? Vegetarians eat regular cheese

[@Coffeegirl739]

I'm vegetarian. It depends what kind of renner is used but yes, the cheese is probably that 1 thing I couldnt go vegan 😸

[@jerzeys2finest89]

Nice!Can you use this for pizza cheese? Can I skip the white miso and use frozen caulflower?Thnalks!

[@verdad1234]

Miso for umami; apple cider vinegar or pickle brine

[@sotirisgeorgiou]

That was proper myth busting

[@MerleONeal]

thank you so much

[@henriquequeiros4917]

This otta be good xD hahahahaha Thank you Merle!

[@MerleONeal]

Enjoy!!

[@tdoruignat8839]

With gelatin or agar agar,you can make vegan substitute of meat .

[@Tanookicatoon]

1:58 Look at your right elbow. You got ghosts in your kitchen 👻

[@Museislife115]

they have vegetable ghee that is vegan if anyone was wondering

[@jillnlivibum]

Miso?

[@MerleONeal]

i was thinking that could be a good add in, but honestly, i think there are a lot of other vegan cheeses that are just a lot better than this one

[@venithy5749]

I always taste so i know if more spices and salt are needed

[@vaibhav6826]

I think there's a a recipe of vegan ghee somewhere. I saw it on insta

[@faitheasley4348]

you look gorgeous in that polka dot dress!! Thanks for all your effort in trying these things.

[@themoofboof]

What is the point of the original recipe if it still contains dairy? I'm confusion

[@sillylittleboy7791]

i hear nutritional yeast and miso paste helps make vegan cheese taste cheesier, I may try to make it

[@gktte2574]

There is a seaweed base gelatins

[@Sweepout]

if cauliflower can do this potatoes probably could too then couldn't they?

[@jamiecee4960]

Second try reminds me of Velveta texture.

[@DramasArmy]

Merle is would be very cool if we could somehow figure out how to get the vegan milks to turn into cheese. 😁

[@rini6]

Maybe it would melt better with more oil and less agar agar? For now, I’ll stick with premade cheese.

[@jillpenglase2493]

This reminds me of the old school recipes from the pre-Daiya days when anything was better than store bought vegan cheese😂. I made so many agar cheeses in the early 00s😂

[@MerleONeal]

So true, we're spoiled

[@Glim246]

​​@@MerleONeal You have NO idea how spoiled you are. Me back in the day: Buys a box of ground cardboard with spices, mixes it with water and fries it up just to have it fall apart in a million pieces before it gets to the bun. Me today: Pulls up at Burger King's drive thru, orders an Impossible Burger with most of the fixins and drives home to watch a really cool Lady make Vegan cheese from a frickin cauliflower.