Almond Brie: Vegan Cheese that Melts!

This Artisan Almond Brie is the creamiest and tastiest vegan cheese I’ve ever had. If you are wondering if it melts, you won’t be disappointed!

I posted a Vegan Camembert made from cashew earlier this year. There were so people have asked me if the cheese can melt. I was always disappointed to tell them that it didn’t. I made the Vegan Camembert from cashew paste, but it can only be soft enough to spread when heated.

Ever since, I was determined to make vegan cheese that can be melted. I started to research how to make dairy brie online and adapted the ingredients and methods to make my own.

I experimented with a few methods using cashew milk, but wasn’t successful.

It turned out to be too soft and hard to keep it formed. With this reason, I had some unwanted fuzzy mold growing on it and I gave up for a while.

I knew there must be a way to make it work, so I changed my idea of using cashew milk to using almond milk. After a few attempts, I finally got the recipe and method down with an amazing result–it blew my mind.

The taste and the texture is unbelievable. It’s a great combination of salty, tangy and creamy.

The process from start to the day you can eat only takes about 10-12 days depending on how long you want to age it. I personally like to age it for 3 days and the texture is perfectly soft the way I like it.

Although I can’t compare this Almond Brie with dairy brie as the milk is different, I’m confident to tell you that you won’t be disappointed with this recipe!

Ready to impress your loved ones with this Almond Brie? Let me show you how!

Ingredients for making Almond Brie:

2 cups (480 ml) of raw almonds
7 cups (1,680 ml) of filtered water plus more for soaking
1 tsp (5 ml) of salt plus more for salting
4 TBSP (60 ml) of fresh squeezed lemon juice (one medium size lemon)
4 capsules probiotics with 15 billion CFU
1/16 tsp (dash) of Penicillium Candidum
1/16 tsp (dash) of Geotrichum Candidum

Equipment:

A 4 inch springform or any round form that can be easily removed
A container with a lid
1-2 bamboo mat
Some cheesecloth
Some parchment paper

Note: If you wipe down the parchment paper after each use, you can reuse it a few times before discarding it.

Instructions for making Almond Brie:

Soak the almonds with filtered water overnight
The next day, dump the water and rinse well. Remove the almond skin (optional). Rinse again after removing the skin, and let it sit to air dry for a few minutes.
In a blender, mix the almonds with filtered water and salt. (I like to do half of them at a time as it is easy to blend.) Blend it on high speed until it’s very smooth, and strain it through a nut milk bag. Squeeze as much milk out as you can. Note: you can save the nut pulp and dehydrate it to make almond flour.
Put the milk in a pot and cook it on medium to low heat. When it reaches a full boil, lower the heat and continue to cook it for 5 minutes before turning off the heat.
In the meantime, prepare the lemon juice. From my experience, one medium size lemon makes about 4 TBSP (60 ml) of juice.
Let the milk sit to cool for about 10 minutes, then add the lemon juice and mix well. Let the milk curdle for a few hours. Note: If you make the milk in the morning, it’s perfect as you can let it curdle until the evening.
When the milk is curdled, gently scoop it through 2 layers of cheesecloth in a strainer that has a container to catch the water underneath. Cover it and let the water separate overnight. You’ll have milk curd that’s ready for making the cheese the next morning.
The next day, The milk curd is ready. Put the curd in a mixing bowl, add probiotics, Penicillium Candidum, Geotrichum Candidum, and mix well. Cover the bowl loosely and let it ferment at room temperature overnight.Note: The water doesn’t have a lot of flavor, but you can use it for smoothies or soup.
The next day, sterilize a cheesecloth with boiling water and set it aside. Put a bamboo mat on the container’s lid or a tray, then put a bottomless springform on the mat. Line the sterilized cheesecloth in the form and fill it with the mixture.
Lightly pack the mixture, fold the cheesecloth over and gently press down. Cover it and put it in a cool area at 53-56 F°
Day 1, there is still excess water and the cheese is still very soft. Dump the water and dry the tray, then put the cheese back on the mat.
Gently remove the form, and the cheesecloth. Sprinkle on some salt evenly, and put a piece of parchment paper on the cheese. Stabilize and carefully flip.
Remove the cheesecloth and evenly sprinkle salt on this side too. Cover and put it back to the cool area.
Day 2-5, flip it everyday. You can see the white mold starts to show by day 3.
By day 6 or 7, the white mold should cover the whole cheese. Sometimes, the mold on the top and bottom is thinner than the side, and it’s normal.
Use a bigger piece of paper to flip the cheese. Remove the mat and the paper. Wrap the cheese and put it in a breathable box or anything breathable to prevent the moisture, then put the cheese in the fridge for at least 2 days to age. I like to age my cheese for 3 days.
After aging in the fridge, it’s time to enjoy it!
soaking raw almonds with filtered water overnight

remove the skin (optional)

let the water separate from the curd

almond milk curd is ready for making the cheese

almond milk curd with probiotics, Penicillium Candidum and Geotrichum Candidum

line the springform mold with a sterilized cheesecloth

fill the form with the mixture

fold the cheesecloth over the mixture and gently press it down

2 cups of dried almond is perfect for 1 cheese

there’s still water under the mat after one night of forming

there is moisture in the cover, be sure to dry before covering it again

on day 6 or 7, the cheese is covered with white mold and ready to age

after aging for 3 days in the fridge

it’s so creamy and tasty!