You’re probably thinking: zucchini cheese recipe? Has she lost her mind?? Fortunately, I have not! I’m a huge fan of cheese. It was the absolute hardest thing I had to avoid when I found out I had a couple food sensitivities (gluten, dairy, eggs). When I do cheat and have something with cheese on it, I’m feeling it later that day. I tried some of the dairy-free cheese alternatives in the grocery story, like Diya but the aftertaste was just so bad.
I had given up on the dairy-free cheese alternatives a couple of years ago, but when I saw a pin on Pinterest from Gutsy By Nature that said “Zucchini Cheese (Dairy and Soy Free)” I was super intrigued! How can zucchini and no milk taste like cheese? I immediately ran to the kitchen to try it. It was pretty easy to whip up, but then I had to let it sit for 2 hours to firm up. It was a lonnggg 2 hours. When it was finally time I tried a slice, and was impressed! It was by far the closest dairy-free cheese alternative I had ever tried. I then put it on a piece of gluten-free bread, and put it in the toaster. It melted SO well too!
Whether you eat dairy or not, I’d really encourage you to try this recipe out. There are so many nutrients in it, and you can really fool your brain! Below is my tweaked version of the zucchini cheese recipe (full recipe below):
Start by adding 1 cup of zucchini, cubed and cooked, and a tablespoon coconut oil, and a teaspoon fresh lemon juice to a food processor.
Process until well combined and smooth.
Next, add 2 tablespoons pre-soaked cashews, 1 1/2 tablespoon grassfed gelatin, 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and process until very smooth.
Next, pour the mixture onto a parchment paper-lined baking pan and spread around to an even layer. Place in refrigerator until firm (2 hours) then cut into slices and store in a sealed container of Zip Loc bag in the refrigerator.
This is what it looked like after pulling it out of the fridge, pre-sliced:
Enjoy!
- 1 cup zucchini, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons grassfed gelatin (Great Lakes Gelatin, red can)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons cashews
- 1/4 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
- Dash turmeric
- Dash onion powder
- In a small pot or pan, add the zucchini, cashews, and water and bring to a simmer. Cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain and discard water.
- Transfer the cooked zucchini to a food processor and add coconut oil and lemon juice. Blend well, until completely smooth.
- Add the gelatin, nutritional yeast, cashews, apple cider vinegar, seasonings, and salt. Blend again until very smooth.
- Line an 8x8" baking pan with parchment paper and pour the mixture into the pan and spread in an even layer.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until set. Then, cut into slices.
- Store in a sealed container or Zip Loc bag in the refrigerator.
