Probiotic Dairy-Free Keto Cheese
Jo Harding- Ready in 3d
- 1.5 g net carbs
- 101 kcal
- Serves 16
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These probiotic Macadamia cheeses are a delicious vegan alternative to cheese. What’s more they’re packed full of gut friendly probiotics to help keep your digestive system happy and healthy.
I like to use macadamia over cashew nuts because not only are they lower in carbs but macadamia nuts are one of the few food sources that contain palmitoleic acid (a type of monounsaturated fatty acid that can actually help speed up your metabolism, helping you to burn more calories and lose fat).
Macadamia nuts also naturally curb hunger so you only need a little of this cheese to satisfy your cravings. Whist Macadamia nuts are high in fat, 80% of this is heart healthy monounsaturated fat and much needed anti-inflammatory omega 3. Remember guys, fat should not be feared. On a low carb diet you need fats for energy.
This recipe is inspired by Carla Oats @thebeautychef.
Step-by-step
Soak the macadamia nuts in water overnight (enough to cover them).
Rinse and then drain the macadamia nuts.
Place the macadamia nuts, warm water and probiotics in a food processor or a blender, and blitz until smooth.
Spoon into a glass bowl and cover with a muslin cloth. Secure the rim with pegs.
Leave to culture in a warm spot (not direct sunlight) for 2 days.
After 2 days, add the nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic powder. Mix well.
Place the macadamia mix into the muslin cloth and squeeze out the excess water. Tie up with a piece of string and leave suspended over a bowl for 6 hours to drain and firm.
Line 4 loose bottom mini cake tins with cling film. Spoon in the mix and level.
Refrigerate for 4 hours, up to 2 days until the desired firmness of cheese is achieved (4 hours for a softer cheese, or a day for a firmer cheese).
Remove the macadamia vegan nut cheeses from the tins and cling film and roll in chilli flakes, chopped fresh chives, black pepper or dried rosemary.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, keto crackers or fresh vegetable crudités. Store in fridge, wrapped in cling film for up to 5 days.
Recipe
Probiotic Dairy-Free Keto Cheese
★★★★☆4.4This probiotic macadamia cheese is a delicious dairy-free and vegan alternative to cheese.
- Hands on
- 15m
- Overall
- 3d
- Servings
- 16
- 1.5 g
- Net carbs
- 1.9 g
- Protein
- 9.8 g
- Fat
- 101
- kcal
Ingredients makes 4 cheeses, 16 servings
Instructions
Soak the macadamia nuts in water overnight (enough to cover them).
Rinse and then drain the macadamia nuts.
Place the macadamia nuts, warm water and probiotics in a food processor or a blender, and blitz until smooth.
Spoon into a glass bowl and cover with a muslin cloth. Secure the rim with pegs.
Leave to culture in a warm spot (not direct sunlight) for 2 days.
After 2 days, add the nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic powder. Mix well.
Place the macadamia mix into the muslin cloth and squeeze out the excess water. Tie up with a piece of string and leave suspended over a bowl for 6 hours to drain and firm.
Line 4 loose bottom mini cake tins with cling film. Spoon in the mix and level.
Refrigerate for 4 hours, up to 2 days until the desired firmness of cheese is achieved (4 hours for a softer cheese, or a day for a firmer cheese).
Remove the macadamia vegan nut cheeses from the tins and cling film and roll in chilli flakes, chopped fresh chives, black pepper or dried rosemary.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, keto crackers or fresh vegetable crudités. Store in fridge, wrapped in cling film for up to 5 days.
Nutrition per serving, ¼ of piece
Carbs 6%Protein 8%Fat 86% of calories
- Net carbs
- 1.5 g
- Total carbs
- 3.4 g
- Fiber
- 1.9 g
- Sugars
- 0.7 g
- Protein
- 1.9 g
- Fat
- 9.8 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.6 g
- Calories
- 101 kcal
- Sodium
- 73 mg · 3.18% RDA
- Magnesium
- 19 mg · 4.78% RDA
- Potassium
- 93 mg · 4.66% EMR
Nutrition by ingredient
| Per 1/4 of piece | Net carbs | Protein | Fat | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macadamia nuts | 0.7 g | 1 g | 9.5 g | 90 |
| Probiotics, capsules | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Water, still | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Yeast, nutritional yeast, dried | 0.3 g | 0.8 g | 0.1 g | 6 |
| Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Lemon juice, fresh | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Lemon zest (peel), fresh | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Garlic powder, spices | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Pepper, black, spices | 0.2 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 |
| Peppers, chile (chili), flaked and dried, spices | 0.3 g | 0.1 g | 0.2 g | 3 |
| Chives, fresh | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Rosemary, dried | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 |
| Total | 1.5 g | 1.9 g | 9.8 g | 101 |
Serving size 1/4 of piece
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Nightshade free
- Pork free
- Avocado free
- Coconut free
- Fish free
- Shellfish free
- Beef free
- Pescatarian
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
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Comments & ratings (20)
One day into this process, I "pre"-tasted my cheese, I'm sooo excited for tomorrow!! Lol However, I left the prebiotics & macadamia nuts IN the food processor on the counter to culture...(Figured I'll probably add the salt & lemon & nutritional yeast back in there to mix anyway, so maybe save some dish washing?) But now I'm wondering, will the metal blade will be bad in there? Hope you know the answer! Thank-you
I believe that should be ok as stainless steel (which I assume is the material) is commonly used in fermentation kits.
I am so excited to have found this recipe, thank you so much! I am wondering if the probiotics are really necessary? Have you tried without and/or have you tried to do it with vegan présure (rennet, I think?) instead? Wondering if this would work too!
Hi Tam, to be perfectly honest, this is the only way I have tried and I haven't tried it with vegan rennet. I hope someone else can answer this question. I wouldn't skip the probiotics.
I left it for 60 hours instead of 48 hours and a film of black mold formed on top ruining the whole thing. What a disappointment!
I'm sorry to hear that but is there any reason why you left it for 60 hours?
Hello, thanks for the response. I read that is should be left for 2 days...so 48 hour I guess? Instead I started it on Sunday night, and forgot to get to it until Wednesday early morning instead of Tuesday night. Won’t do that again! Maybe even 48 hours is not necessary?
Yes, that's correct, only 48 hours. I think this also depends on the temperature as I only tested this at about 21-24 C so if your home is very warm (ours was 28-30 C in summer) it will need less time to culture, possibly only 24-36 hours in a very warm room. I hope the next batch comes out great!
It is sad to see such a time consuming recipe last only for 5 days in fridge. Can we add some other ingredients to make it last for atleast 2 weeks?
We put 5 days but I can confirm that it will last for at least a week (in a sealed container). I suppose it could last for longer but you'll need to try and see. You could freeze it.
It seems like a time consuming endeavor for something that can only be stored for 3 days. What is the longest this will keep under refrigeration?
This cheese should actually last for up to 5 days, I think the 3 days was a typo. Thanks for noticing!
Hi Martina,
Awesome recipe. Thanks so much! I'm avoiding yeast (including nutritional yeast) to battle a candida infection. Any suggestions for swaps. Is the nooch just for flavor, or does it affect the curing of the "cheese"?
Thanks!
Andrea
Hi Andrea, it's just for flavour so you can skip it and simply use any of your preferred aromatics (garlic, caramelised onion, etc), spices and/or herbs. I have to admit that the nutritional yeast does make a difference though and you may not be able to achieve that "cheesy" flavour without it.
GREAT RECIPE!, COULD I USE A DIFFERENT NUT LIKE WALNUTS OR PUMPKIN SEEDS, I'M TRYING TO EAT HEALTHY, EVEN THINKING OF GOING DAIRY FREE, IT'S GOING TO BE HARD, I REALLY LOVE CHEESE.
Hi Kelly, you could try other nuts or seeds and I think it's best to use something plain tasting. Maybe blanched almonds or even cashews (cashews in moderation as they are relatively high in carbs). You can find more about dairy here:
Dairy on a Ketogenic Diet: Eat or Avoid?
Guide To Dairy-Free Keto Diet: How to Follow a Low-Carb Diet Without Dairy
Hi
Can it be frozen?
Thanks
I suppose you could but I haven't tried it. I hope others could comment?
Hi,
I am allergic to nuts but can eat peanuts and pistachios, can this cheese made by either?
Safaa
Hi Safaa, I don't think these are good alternatives. Pistachios are relatively high in carbs and both pistachios and peanuts have a strong flavour. If you don't mind that you could give it a try but I assume the taste may be wrong. Ideally you need neutral tasting ingredients. I would give sunflower seeds or hemp seeds a try if you can eat them (soaked just like the macadamias).