Goat Cheese, Pesto & Sundried Tomato Tower
This Vegan Goat Cheese Ball is a showstopper. It is made with layers of “Goat Cheese,” pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes and tastes just like cheese. No one will know the difference! It can be made a few days in advance and is the perfect appetizer to impress guests. It is Vegan, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Gluten Free, and Specific Carbohydrate Legal.
This is my first foray into vegan cheese and I am absolutely blown away at how good it can be! Up to this point I was convinced that nut cheese was going to be a bland, gritty mixture that would taste nothing like creamy soft cheese.
This cashew based cheese is smooth and has a subtle goat cheese like tangy flavour. Although the cheese is fantastic on its own, when layered in this pesto and sundried tomato tower, it is out of this world delicious. I served this tower to a group of guys who all agreed that it was really good and no one could tell that it was made with nuts and not cheese.
You can prepare this Vegan Goat Cheese Tower a day in advance and leave it in the fridge to firm up. Before serving simply place a plate on top of the bowl and then flip.
I love serving this vegan cheese ball with salt and pepper crackers, but you could also enjoy it with carrots, sliced radishes and cucumber. If you are looking for an appetizer to serve to guests who are both a mix of vegan and meat eaters, this is a fantastic dish that everyone will enjoy.
Here are a few more Vegan appetizers you might enjoy:
- Vegan Beet & “Goat Cheese” Bites
- Dairy Free Tzatziki
- Roasted Red Pepper and Cashew Dip
- Butternut Squash Tots
- Eggplant Bruschetta
- Roasted Zucchini Hummus
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Vegan Goat Cheese, Pesto & Sundried Tomato Tower
Ingredients
Cheese
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Pesto*
- 1 cup basil
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Tower
- 1/3 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- To make the cheese, drain the cashews and place them in a food processor along with the clove of garlic, coconut oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and 1 tbsp of water. Add in the salt and pepper and continue to blend adding in the remaining water until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Remove the cashew cheese from the food processor and set aside.
- To make the pesto combine the basil, garlic, olive oil and salt in the food processor and blend.
- Line a bowl (approx 1 cup in size) with plastic wrap so that the wrap folds over all of the edges of the bowl.
- Spoon some of the cheese mixture into the bottom of the bowl to form a layer thats approximately 1 inch in thickness. Next spoon in an even layer of the pesto, you will likely only use approximately half of the amount made. Next top with the remaining cheese and spread evenly and then finely add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
- Put the bowl in the fridge for approximately 3 to 4 hours to become firm.
- When ready to serve place a serving plate upside down over the bowl and flip. Remove the bowl and gently peel off the plastic wrap. Place the pine nuts on top of the tower and serve with your favourite crackers.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi there. I can’t have tomatoes so what would you suggest as a substitute
Kind regards
Anne-Marie
Love this and have made it 3 times now! My meat and cheese loving Bunco group loved it! This last time I made 2 towers out of one batch. Do you think it would freeze well?? Thanks!
Do you have Nutritional Information?
Really great one, I am so in love. It’s going to be my top 2019!
Thank you for all the inspiration and education.
Love love love your recipes.
Thank you for such a kind comment!
I’d like to make this ahead of time….how long will this keep in the fridge?
Thanks
I would say up to 2 days should be ok.
Do you have nutritional information for weight watchers
Hi Carmen, I plan to make this over the weekend, can I use a different oil? Thanks
I would recommend using coconut oil because when chilled it helps the goat cheese firm up and hold its shape.
Ive been checking out your blog and instagram page and am curious if these are all your recipes or if they are recipes from chefs/cookbooks..? I love the site, thanks! Kerri
Thanks Kerri! All of the recipes on the site i’ve come up with myself unless otherwise specified. I think the only recipe that isn’t my own is a short rib recipe inspired by Daniel Boulud which I make reference to in the post.
This was delicious! It was a huge hit with everyone and none us are vegan.
Haha that’s quite a compliment when non vegans even like it!
Really good flavor! I only had raw coconut oil and I forgot to toast the pine nuts. Saying that, I’m SUPER excited about this and I’m not even vegan!
Haha thats a massive compliment when even dairy eaters are excited about it 🙂
We have a coconut allergic allergy with one of our adult children. Is there a replacement for that? This has been very difficult with anything paleo and store bought. Almost everything contains coconut.
I’ve made this recipe several times for potlucks/parties because I usually have to actually make something good so that I can enjoy the party as well since everyyyyythinggggggg has dairy in it, and it’s always a HIT! I’ve learned to make two at a time because I NEVER come home with any!
This is indeed delicious and had me entirely fooled. Must be cheese…
Haha I’ve never been so happy to fool someone 🙂
Two questions that came up as I was making this – as this is my first time for making non-dairy cheese. First, are the cashews raw or roasted? Second, while coconut oil is mentioned in the ingredients, it’s not mentioned in the directions, so I wasn’t sure when to add it?
Looking forward to tasting this later today.
Thanks for the questions Trina! I have updated the recipe to include the info. Yes for the cashews you should use raw ones. My apologies for leaving out the coconut oil, it should be added at the same time as the other ingredients for the cheese in the blender. Let me know what you think of it!