Healthy Vegan Poutine (with homemade cheese!)
This healthy vegan poutine with homemade cheese will blow your mind! The cheese easy to make and stretches just like the real thing! This is my take on a classic Canadian poutine which I used to love before I went vegan! This tastes very similar and although the cheese is not the exact same as dairy based cheese it is still delicious and will give you a taste of what Canadian poutine is all about!
What ingredients do I need?
- Raw Cashews – my favorite vegetable broth
- Onion Powder
- Soy Sauce
- Dijon Mustard
- Cornstarch
How to make healthy vegan poutine with homemade cheese:
This healthy vegan poutine with homemade cheese is actually very simple to make! Start by popping your fries in the oven. I made by own with Yukon Gold potatoes and a little olive oil, salt, and lots of pepper! But you can also use store bought frozen fries as well! To make the cheese all you need to do is add the cheese ingredients (see recipe below) to a high speed blender and blend until smooth,this is the blender I swear by! Once that is blended add to a sauce pan and stir for about 5 minutes until the cheese has thickened. The cheese uses tapioca starch which will make the liquid mix thicken and become stretchy just like real cheese!! The gravy is just as simple to make! All you need to do is add the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Then add a cornstarch slurry to thicken! Assemble your healthy vegan poutine with the fries, then break up the cheese piece, put them on the fries, and lastly top with your vegan gravy!
What makes this vegan poutine healthier:
This homemade healthy vegan poutine is much healthier than your typical Canadian poutine! First off we are using homemade baked fries here instead of deep fried potatoes! Potatoes are actually a healthy food they just get a bad name because they usually come in fried form! We are also using a healthy homemade vegan cheese in place of a dairy cheese. This homemade cheese is made with cashews which provide fiber and healthy fats! This is much healthier than a high fat dairy product which is loaded with salt, hormones and saturated fat! I will admit that this is not a ‘health food’ only because it is a very salty meal. However it is much better than the typical poutine and a great alternative for vegans!
Tips on making your healthy vegan poutine:
- For a NUT FREE version sub 300g of silken tofu for cashews and use a nut free plant milk
- Any plant milk will work for this recipe!
- You can make the gravy and cheese ahead of time and heat the gravy before serving!
- Make sure to use LOTS of pepper on the fries it tastes amazing with the cheese and gravy!
Other recipes you will LOVE:
Healthy Vegan Poutine (with homemade cheese)
Ingredients
For the Fries
- 6 Large Potatoes
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt to taste
- Lots of Pepper to taste!
Homemade Vegan Cheese
- 1/2 cup Cashews soaked
- 1 cup Almond Milk Any other plant milk will work here
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 5 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Salt
- 6 tbsp Tapioca Starch
Easy Vegan Gravy
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 3 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Dijon or Regular Mustard do not go over 1/2 tsp
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch Mixed with 3 tbsp water to form a slurry
Instructions
Homemade Fries
- First start by slicing your potatoes into fry shapes, tossing in olive oil, salt, and lots of pepper! The pepper tastes AMAZING with the cheese and gravy so add lots!
- Bake the fries at 450 degrees f for about 40 minutes until crispy, tossing halfway through.
Homemade Vegan Cheese
- To make the cheese add all the ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Make sure your cashews are soaked if you do not have a high speed blender, otherwise the cheese will be lumpy. If you have a high speed blender such as a Vitamix there is no need for soaking.
- Add the liquid mixture into a saucepan and mix over medium heat. This mixture will be very runny but will thicken as it cooks due to the tapioca starch. Stir continuously until the liquid becomes thick and stretchy.
- Let the cheese cool slightly then break up into bite sized pieces.
Easy Vegan Gravy
- Add all ingredients into a saucepan, mix and bring to a simmer.
- Add in your cornstarch slurry mixing continuously for a few minutes until the gravy thickens.
- If you like your gravy thicker you can add in 1 more tbsp of cornstarch in a slurry (mixed with water).
Assembly
- Start with your fries on the bottom, top with your vegan 'cheese curds' broken into pieces then top with that delicious simple vegan gravy! Tops with chives if you have some!