Hey, foodie friends! Today, I’m thrilled to share with you a cherished recipe from the So Radish kitchen—our Vegan Provolone. This star player graced the top of So Radish’s Mushroom Cheesesteak sandwich, a local favorite created with by my husband and me.

The inspiration for this recipe sprouted from The Hidden Veggies’ Smoked Gouda (check it out if you haven’t). Flashback to 2018—this was my first venture into crafting vegan cheese. Amid many cheeses I’ve made since then, this Provolone recipe and its smoked Gouda counterpart have remained a a standard in my mind.

Versatility 

This version of Provolone is delightfully soft, perfect for melting over the savory layers of our Mushroom Cheesesteak. However, like any good recipe, it has room for variations. If you fancy a firmer Provolone, a slight increase in agar agar should do the trick.

For a velvety, ‘wiz’ consistency, dial down the agar agar to 1 ½ tablespoons and, after cooling, transfer it to a squeeze bottle. Voila—your homemade vegan cheese sauce is ready to drizzle over our Mushroom Cheesesteak or pair with crackers.

Ingredients & Equipment

For this culinary adventure, arm yourself with a Silicone Cheese Mold or Silicone Loaf Pan (2-cup minimum capacity), a fine mesh strainer, and the basics—measuring spoons, cups, a saucepan, and a whisk.

Essential ingredients that you may need to purchase include Agar Agar and Nutritional Yeast, alongside the more familiar Tapioca Starch (aka tapioca flour) and liquid smoke (hickory flavor).

Making the Vegan Provolone

1. Prep your cheese molds by giving a light spritz to a silicone loaf pan or dish (approximately 2 cups in volume).
2. Combine coconut milk, water, and all other ingredients in a saucepan. Sift in agar agar and tapioca starch. Stir with a whisk.
3. Set the heat to medium, stir frequently until it boils, then reduce heat to medium to maintain a gentle boil. Whisk constantly for 6 minutes to achieve that velvety smooth consistency and keep the agar agar from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
4. Once the agar agar has done it’s job and the vegan provolone mixture has thickened, pour it into your prepared cheese mold.
5. Let it cool at room temperature, uncovered, for 15 minutes, and then transfer it to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set.

Closing Note

There you have it—an authentic Vegan Provolone experience straight from the heart of So Radish. Try it on our Mushroom Cheesesteak or let your creativity soar.

If you’ve made this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to tag us on social media at @we_make_pretty. Stay tuned for more kitchen adventures! 🌱

Vegan Provolone

This is a soft version of provolone, intended to be melted on top of So Radish’s Mushroom Cheesesteak (a recipe created by my husband and me!). If you would like a more firm version, try slightly increasing the amount of agar agar. If you would prefer a wiz consistency, reduce agar agar to 1½ Tbsp and transfer to a squeeze bottle after cooling.

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Prep Time 3 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Cooling Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Condiment

Cuisine American, Vegan

Servings 10 Servings

Equipment

• Silicone Cheese Mold ( or a glass dish with a min. 2 cup capacity)
• Whisk
• Mesh Strainer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 can Coconut milk full fat (1 ¾ cups)
• ½ cup Water
• 2 Tbsp Agar agar powder
• 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp Tapioca starch aka tapioca flour
• ¾ tsp Liquid smoke hickory flavor
• ½ tsp Lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
• ¼ tsp Garlic powder
• 1 tsp Salt

Instructions

 

• Prepare cheese mold by lightly spraying a silicone cheese mold or other small dish with oil. (Recipe will make about 2 cups of cheese).
• Pour the coconut milk into a large saucepan. Put water into empty coconut milk cans to melt all the remaining coconut milk and add the water to the pan. Add all remaining ingredients to the sauce pan, sifting in the agar agar and tapioca starch. Stir with a whisk.
• Set heat on to medium and stir frequently until it boils. Turn down heat until the cheese sauce is just barely boiling and stir constantly with a whisk for 6 minutes, making sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. The mixture should be very smooth.
• Immediately pour into the prepared cheese mold.
• Let it cool uncovered for about 15 minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to set.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

If it doesn’t fully set, it could mean that it wasn’t stirred well enough and some of the agar agar stuck to the bottom of the pan. If the final consistency is like a thick cheese sauce, not a sliceable soft cheese, then congratulations, you’ve made homemade wiz! Maybe that’s not what you were going for, but it’s still 100% fine. Just add the wiz to a squeeze bottle to squeeze on top of our Mushroom Cheesesteak or on crackers.

Keyword Cheese, Dairy-free, Sandwiches, Vegan Cheese

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!