This vegan bruschetta cheese ball is one of my appetizers that always gets a lot of compliments and comments about how fancy it looks. But I make it with wholesome ingredients like cashews, fresh tomatoes, and basil. I blend everything into a tangy, creamy cheese ball with all the flavors I love in bruschetta, and finish it off with a savory breadcrumb coating. This recipe has just 10 minutes of hands-on work, while everything else is left up to the fridge.
0 Grind the cashews in a food processor until you get a fine powder. You are grinding them dry, not soaked.
1 Add the vinegar, garlic, salt and mustard and blend until you get a smooth paste, scraping the sides as you go.
2 Add in the fresh tomatoes, basil and sundried tomatoes and pulse to incorporate. Don’t puree too much because you want some texture.
3 Now scrape out the creamy mixture and place it in cheese cloth, a tea towel or just any piece of cloth. Wrap it up into a ball and rubberband it (see the post for photos).
4 Put the ball in a mesh strainer and then put that over a bowl (see photo in the post on this too). Place it in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours, but overnight is best. This will help draw out the small amount of moisture that is in the cheese, firming it up a bit. You don’t have to use a strainer but that helps keep its shape.
5 Now, if you simply can’t wait and must eat this now, or just don’t want to deal with cloth, then you can definitely eat this as a spread. You can simply put it in a bowl, and top with the breadcrumb topping or skip the breadcrumbs all together.
6 To make the breadcrumb topping, place all ingredients in a pan and heat on medium low, constantly mixing, until browned a bit. This takes about 3-5 minutes max. You can use a drizzle of oil if you prefer to get an even crispier result. You can do this the same day you make the cheese ball, then store in a container until the next day when you coat it.
7 When ready to finish the cheese ball, pour the breadcrumbs onto a plate. Take the cheese ball out of the cloth and place it on the breadcrumbs. Slowly roll it around, or use your hands to coat the ball.
8 Serve with crackers and veggies!
9 The cheese ball will soften the longer it is out of the fridge, but once coated in breadcrumbs still retains its shape well.
