This Pistachio and Pomegranate Macadamia Nut Vegan Cheese Ball makes the perfect appetizer for your next holiday party. Serve with fruit and crackers for an impressive plant-based addition to your Christmas charcuterie. Made with just 10 ingredients!
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“I could never go vegan. I just couldn’t give up cheese.”
Raise your hand if you either said or heard someone say this.
This used to be my response to the rare vegan I met back in the late 90s and early 2000s. I honestly believed that vegans just didn’t get it. They obviously never had truly good cheese or they would understand; I felt sorry them – sorry that they were living their life abstaining from this glorious & wonderful food, and for what?
To be radical?
To spark up interesting conversations at parties?
These were seriously my thoughts.
Ah, what a lifetime ago.
What I learned pretty quickly in my vegan journey as that vegans, it turns out, don’t have to give up cheese! There are so many vegan cheeses readily available that are just as good as their cow milk counterparts. And, better yet, tens of thousands of recipes for homemade vegan nut cheeses on the internet!
And, because you can never have too much cheese, I’m adding one more.
Say hello to this Pistachio and Pomegranate Holiday Cheese Ball!
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Macadamia Nuts – For this recipe, you can definitely use cashews if you prefer. However, I recommend a different soft and fatty nut – the Macadamia nut. Macadamia nuts have a festive flair and subtle flavor that pair perfectly with the pistachios and pomegranates in this recipe.
- Garlic
- Nutritional Yeast
- Lemon Juice
- White Miso Paste – Feel free to substitute this with tahini sauce if that’s what you have on hand.
- Vegan Cream Cheese – I recommend either Daiya or Tofutti. You can also make homemade cream cheese.
- Salt
- Coconut Oil – Unfortunately this cannot be substituted with the oils. Coconut oil is solid and provides the necessary texture for this cheese.
- Pistachios
- Pomegranate Arils
- Fresh Mint
Recommended Equipment
You don’t need much to make impressive nut-based cheeses at home. However, you will need a food processor. Having a high-quality food processor is very beneficial for plant-based eating and especially when it comes to nut-based cheeses. You will also need a mixing bowl and basic kitchen utensils, including a sharp chef’s knife and cutting board.. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Cheese
Step One – Blend the Nuts
First, we need to soak the nuts. The nuts should be soaked in distilled water for 4 hours. If you’re in a hurry, you can speed things up by pouring boiling water over the nuts and soaking for just one hour.
Once the nuts are soft, they get blended in a food processor with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, garlic, miso, and, in this case, vegan cream cheese. With the motor running, it’s time to slowly add the melted coconut oil until it’s completely incorporated.
Now we blend. Blend the nut mixture for 5-10 minutes (depending on the strength of your food processor) until it is rich, creamy, and deliciously smooth.
Step Two – Add the Mix-Ins
Next, transfer your smooth cheese into a bowl and add your mix-ins.
That’s your mint, pomegranate, and 1/4 cup of the pistachios (save the remaining pistachios for the outside of your cheeseball).
Step Three – Chill Cheese
At this point our cheese will be fairly soft; we need to let it set in the refrigerator. Loosely shape the nut cheese into a ball and wrap it up in plastic wrap. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until it has hardened enough to finish molding it into a ball.
While your cheese hardens, you can crush up the pistachios in a food processor into a fine crumb.
Serving and Storing
Serving – Once your cheese is firm, you can shape it into a ball, cover in pistachios, and serve. Your vegan cheese can be served with fruit and crackers or as part of a holiday charcuterie board. Serve it as an appetizer with some Christmas Sangria at your next holiday party or before Christmas dinner.
Storing – Store your cheese ball tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Tips and Tricks
- If you’re short on time, you can speed things up by pouring boiling water of the nuts and letting them soak for just one hour.
- A quality food processor is important. You want to get the cheese as creamy as possible and not all food processors can do that.
- Make sure to let the cheese blend for 5-10 minutes in the food processor so that it’s very smooth.
- Feel free to swap out the Macadamia nuts for cashews
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
Pistachio and Pomegranate Vegan Cheese Ball.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Macadamia nuts, soaked for 1 hour
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. white miso paste
- 6 oz vegan cream cheese
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup shelled pistachios, divided
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
Instructions
- Soak Macadamia nuts in distilled water for at least 4 hours. Alternatively, you can pour boiling water over the Macadamia nuts and let them sit for just 1 hour.
- Drain and rinse soaked Macadamia nuts. Place them in a food processor along with garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, miso, cream cheese, and salt. With the motor running, slowly add coconut oil until completely incorporated. Blend for 10 minutes or until mixture is very smooth, scraping down the sides every 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer nut cheese into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup pistachios (roughly chopped), pomegranate arils, and fresh mint. Stir together with a wooden spoon.
- Transfer the dough into a plastic bag or plastic wrap. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until the cheese is firm enough to mold.
- In a food processor, process your remaining 1/2 cup pistachios to a fine crumb. Set aside. One the cheese has hardened slightly, remove it from the plastic wrap and shape the cheese into a ball or rectangle. Coat it in crushed pistachios.
- Serve with fruit and crackers at your next holiday party.
Notes
- If you're short on time, you can speed things up by pouring boiling water of the nuts and letting them soak for just one hour.
- A quality food processor is important. You want to get the cheese as creamy as possible and not all food processors can do that.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Silpa's Kitchen says
Amazing recipe. Can’t wait to try.
Erika says
Do you think hazelnuts or almonds would work in place of the macadamia or cashew nuts? We can’t use those, but hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios and peanuts are OK. ??♀️
Thanks for the recipes—they have been a great find as we move to a more plant-based/vegan lifestyle.
Sarah says
It’s hard to say. You need a fairly soft, relatively flavorless nut for the base of this cheese. I have heard of people making almond base cheeses with success. If you get blanched almonds and soak them for a couple hours longer, it might work just fine. If you try it, let us know how it goes!