Vegan Cheese Plate

Vegan cheese plate

How to select, present, and enjoy vegan cheeses

Difficulty level: Medium

Cheese plates can be simple or elaborate, with dozens of different cheeses or just a few. There’s no one right way to make them, but these guidelines can help you put together a vegan cheese plate you and your guests will never forget.

Types of Vegan Cheese

The first thing to think about is the different types of cheese. You want to offer a variety of flavors, colors, and textures. So for a really elaborate cheese plate, you would choose at least one cheese in each of the following categories:

  • Cheese base:
     – Nuts (cashews, almonds, macadamia … )
     – Seeds (sunflower, sesame)
     – Tofu
  • Textures: soft, hard, brie-style
  • Tastes: mild, sharp, strong
  • Added flavorings: herbs, spices, pepper

Vegan cheese plateFor example (clockwise from top):

Presentation

Consider varying the presentation of the different cheeses: rounds, slices, cubes, balls, triangles
 

Eat with

Any good cheese plate must be accompanied by bread and possibly crackers as well.
 

Garnish

Jazz up your cheese plate with some edible garnishes:

  • berries
  • cherries
  • dates
  • dried apricots
  • figs
  • grapes
  • nuts
  • olives
  • raisins
  • sun-dried tomatoes
     

Tips

  • Cheeses are best when served at room temperature. Make the cheese plate ahead of time, then keep it in the fridge until about an hour before you eat it.
     
  • If you don’t have a cheese slicer, you can use a potato peeler to cut thin slices of hard cheeses like Parmesan.
     
  • Provide a separate cheese knife for each cheese that needs to be cut or spread, as well as toothpicks for any cubed cheeses.
     
  • Label each cheese. There are neat slate platters available (Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk) on which you can write the name in chalk, or you can just tape a piece of paper on a toothpick and stick it in the cheese.
     
  • Serve alongside a plate of crudités.

 
Vegan cheese recipes

How to make a vegan cheese plate