Sauces & Condiments Italian-inspired

Smoked Vegan Melting Cheese with Cannellini Beans

A stretchy, fondue-like vegan cheese sauce of blended cannellini beans, plant milk and tapioca starch, cooked for a few minutes, with optional smoke.

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Total 20 min
Prep 5 min
Cook 5 min
Marination —
Rest 10 min
Servings 4
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

Cheese base

To finish

Watch the video

Instructions

  1. Put the cannellini beans, plant milk, lemon juice, tapioca starch, olive oil, salt and garlic powder in a blender. Blend until completely smooth. Keep the smoke flavouring aside.

    Smooth pale bean and plant milk mixture swirling inside a blender, seen from above through the lid

  2. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook it on the stove for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens and turns glossy and stretchy like a fondue.

    Thick, glossy vegan cheese being stirred in a dark non-stick pan
    Tip: It starts thin and then thickens quickly. Keep scraping the bottom of the pan so it does not catch. In the video this takes about 3 minutes.

  3. If you are using it, stir the liquid smoke into the cooked cheese: 2 drops are enough.

    A drop of liquid smoke falling from a spoon into the thickened cheese in the pan
    Tip: Add the smoke only after cooking, as the original recipe specifies.

  4. Let it cool slightly until lukewarm before using it. Spread it on toast, as in the video, or use it wherever you want a melting cheese.

    A slice of toasted bread thickly spread with the creamy vegan cheese, held in one hand
    Tip: In the video the bread is toasted in a little oil in a pan while the cheese cools.

Storage & Meal Prep

Keep in a closed container in the refrigerator and use within 3 days. It firms up as it cools.

FAQ

Why tapioca starch?

Tapioca is what makes the cheese stretchy once it is cooked. The original recipe specifically asks for tapioca and no other starch.

Which plant milk should I use?

The recipe calls for a full-bodied, unsweetened plant milk without naming one. The nutrition estimate assumes unsweetened soy milk, so it will differ with another milk. Check the label if you need the cheese to be soy-, nut- or gluten-free.

Is the smoke flavouring necessary?

No, it is optional. Without it you get a mild melting cheese; with 2 drops stirred in after cooking it tastes smoked.

Interactive Nutrition Map

Recipe ingredients

  • cooked cannellini beans110 g
  • full-bodied plant milk250 g
  • lemon juice1 tbsp
  • tapioca starch1 tbsp
  • extra-virgin olive oil2 tbsp
  • salt1 pinch

Per serving

121kcalCalories
4.4gProtein
8.3gCarbs
8gFat
1.9gFiber
Sodium120 mg5% DV
Potassium233 mg5% DV
Calcium102 mg8% DV
Iron1.6 mg9% DV
Magnesium27 mg6% DV
Vitamin C1.4 mg2% DV
Vitamin A38 µg4% DV
Vitamin K5.4 µg5% DV
Folate29 µg7% DV
Vitamin B120.3 µg13% DV

Estimated per serving from ingredients with nutrition data. Ingredients excluded from calculation are not represented. Missing data may understate values. Daily Values (DV) are based on 2,000 calories.

The Story Behind This Dish

This melting cheese starts from an unexpected base: cooked cannellini beans, blended with plant milk, olive oil, lemon and a spoonful of tapioca starch. A few minutes over the heat, stirring all the time, turn the thin batter into a thick, glossy cream that stretches like a fondue.

A couple of drops of liquid smoke, stirred in once it is off the heat, give it a smoked-cheese flavour. Let it cool slightly, then spread it on warm toast or use it anywhere you want a creamy melting cheese.

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