I’ve been making cashew cheese for months now but wanted to try this with hemp seeds (nutrition data pictured at left). Hemp is a much more sustainable seed product than cashews or almonds mostly because they use less water to grow, ounce for ounce and has twice the protein for about the same amount of fat, Hemp is also rich in omega fatty acids and iron. This is also suitable for most people with nut allergies as well as soy-and dairy sensitivities. To make this cheesy spread I combined
1 cup of hemp seeds
juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 generous pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp of water
I then blended the mixture until it was creamy. This took a while but the end product was worth it. We ended up with a lightly sweet cheesy spread. I suspect you could also bake it to make a harder cheese like I normally do with cashew cheese. I was feeling peckish and impatient so that didn’t happen.
You can also add your favorite vegan pesto spread for a pesto spread, some herbes de provence, dairy-free ranch seasoning or whatever your favorite dip is.
It’s great on our home-made gluten-free vegan bread or in combination with a sprinkle of fresh herbs on crackers. It also makes a great high protein pasta sauce. Let me know if you get to try it!
This is Christie signing off!
Turning Veganese 
I made a hemp cheese once, but my family didn’t like the grassy taste of the seeds (I’m in love with it) I’m loving your simple version.
Totally! I love that fresh cut grass taste, particularly in white wines like sauvignon blanc, seyval blanc or fumé blanc. I found that the pesto version did effectively cover it up as did adding some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. More for you, right? 😉
Girl, we’ve had all sorts of gombu roaming through this house since my youngest started pre-school. I just got to the mailbox (on the other side of my neighborhood) for the first time in two weeks today…. Guess what was waiting for me!?! THE SCREENS ARE HERE. SQUEEEEE! Sprout posts shall be coming very soon!!! xoxo. p.s. how do I say this without sounding like I’m coming on to you, but in your note you said hugs and kisses if I’m into that. I’m so into that! 🙂
Yay on all accounts!
Whoa, hemp cheese! Why didn’t I think of that?
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So I went to the store to buy some hemp seeds for the first time so I could make this recipe. The price ranged from $16-$18/lb. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it seemed like such a small amount for so much money….
That’s too bad. I’m not sure where you’re shopping but we’ve been paying about $10/lb for organic hemp hearts at our market.
Thanks so much for this! I made hemp butter in my Vitamix using 2 cups of hemp seeds. I thought I might be able to use it like peanut butter, but unfortunately the aforementioned “grassy” flavor was too strong for me and definitely for the kids. But I used this recipe to make cheese and it’s not half bad. Mix it with salsa (which is what I love to do with cream cheese) and voila! A yummy healthy alternative.