The 2 Best Ways to Make Vegan Paneer (No Tofu)

Vegan paneer (no tofu) is similar to the buffalo milk or full-fat cow milk variety. In this case, however, you have to substitute cow milk with cashew or peanut milk. For a completely vegan version of paneer, you will also have to substitute gelatin with Agar Agar.  

Start by boiling the nut-based milk in lemon juice over medium heat. Once it curdles, you need to drain and strain it. Then just as you would with regular paneer, dry out your vegan milk paneer for a couple of hours till it develops a soft crumbly texture. 

Your vegan paneer (no tofu) will have the same mildly acidic flavor too. Vegan paneer also tastes great in Indian dishes like curries and stir-fries. In this article, we will discuss the different ingredients, elements, and a few Indian recipes for vegan paneer. 

Below are the two best ways you can make vegan paneer with no tofu and incorporate it into your favorite Indian dish. 

1. Vegan Peanut Paneer

Taste and Texture

Vegan peanut paneer has a creamy texture that melts in your mouth, similar to its dairy alternatives. In fact, the taste and creaminess are so akin to dairy cheese that it would be hard for anyone to believe that this alternate is entirely vegan.

Moreover, vegan peanut paneer is extremely healthy, nutritious, and free of preservatives or various kinds of stabilizers.

Here is the first vegan paneer recipe (no tofu):

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Peanuts- 100 grams and soaked in water for eight hours
  • Water- ¾ cup for grinding purposes
  • Water for mixing purposes
  • Lemon- 1

Method

First, wash the peanuts thoroughly well before you soak them for eight hours. Next, remove the peanuts, drain them well, and wash them again. Then grind the peanuts with ¾ cup of water until you have a fine and smooth paste.

If you feel that the mixture is too thick, you can add a little more water as needed until you get the desired consistency. Once your peanut paste is ready, you should transfer it to a pan and heat it until it is lukewarm. Now, strain the peanut pulp, and the remaining liquid is the peanut milk, which will form the base for your vegan peanut paneer.

Next, place your pot of peanut milk on the stove and cook over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once tiny bubbles start forming, you will have to reduce the heat and stir in half of the lemon juice. Stir your peanut milk, then add in the remaining half of the lemon juice.

Then take your mixture off the heat and stir well for thirty to forty seconds. Once you complete this step, you have to transfer the curdled peanut milk onto a muslin cloth and tie it tightly into a knot for the excess liquid to drain out. It will take the peanut paneer mixture approximately thirty minutes to drain completely.

Once drained, place a heavy weight over your peanut paneer block in the muslin cloth to help it set well for 1 ½ hour. Finally, transfer the vegan paneer block to a plate and refrigerate to let it harden. Your peanut vegan paneer is ready.

2. Vegan Cashew Paneer

Taste and Texture

This recipe produces vegan cashew cheese with a delicious smoky flavor and a rich, creamy texture from the cashews. You can use the vegan cashew paneer in curries, on bran bread slices, or for grilled recipes too.

The cashew paneer typically melts and grates, packing tremendous flavor, nutrition, B12, and tons of protein. This vegan paneer recipe has a sweet and nutty flavor.

Recipe

Ingredients 

  • Cashews- 1 cup and soaked for two hours in water
  • Lemon juice- 1 whole lemon
  • Nutritional yeast- ½ cup
  • Paprika pepper- ¼ tsp
  • Turmeric- ¼ tsp
  • Garlic clove- 1 whole
  • Agar agar powder- 1 tbsp
  • Maple syrup- 1 tbsp
  • Salt- a pinch
  • Water- 1 ½ cups

Method

Once the cashews have soaked for two hours, drain them and then blend into a fine paste, using only half the water. Combine all the ingredients except for agar agar and blend until you get a smooth paste.

Next, heat a pot and add the remaining half of the water as well as the agar agar powder to it. Then simmer the mixture for five minutes, making sure to stir continuously. This will ensure that the agar agar does not form any lumps at the bottom of the pan.

Remove the agar agar mixture off the heat and stir in the cashew paste. Once everything has combined well, pour the mixture into a mold and let it chill in the refrigerator for two hours. The best option is to consume the vegan cashew cheese within three days and to keep it refrigerated throughout.

Vegan Paneer (No Tofu) – An Overview

Now that you have learned about the two best ways to make vegan paneer let’s delve a little more into its taste, smell, and history. 

Taste of Vegan Paneer (No Tofu)- What it is like

Some of the most distinct flavors of vegan paneer are the creamy, mildly acidic taste that you can also get from animal milk paneer. The use of lemon juice in the making creates two effects. First, it helps the milk curdle and crumble. Second, it adds a hint of acidity that gives the paneer its special taste. 

Once the prepared mixture dries off, it will harden, and you can cut it into firm cubes. Secondly, the peanut or cashew-based milk lends the typical creamy texture and taste that we see in the more popular cow-milk paneer. 

Due to the similarity in texture and taste, people use vegan paneer (no tofu) in most paneer-based Indian dishes. It tastes great with cloves of garlic, fresh ginger, black pepper, fresh spinach, frozen spinach, and more seasonings.

By the way, could you tell the difference between tempeh vs tofu vs paneer?

Ingredients and Smell of Vegan Paneer 

You can substitute dairy ingredients for plant-based, vegetable-based, or seed extracts in vegan paneer. Of course, the method would be different for vegan paneer since you will have to first prepare a milk-like base and then add culture to it to help it curdle.  

Even spices, rice, tapioca, nutritional yeast, and coconut oil are great additions to the recipe. In terms of its appearance, there is a big difference between regular paneer and vegan paneer with no tofu. But one whiff of it and you can easily tell apart a vegan paneer block from regular paneer. 

The fact is that plant ingredients do not break down as well as milk proteins. As a result, vegan paneer blocks have a strong, overpowering smell similar to that of stale milk. If you use this vegan paneer version in Indian curry, be sure to season it with garam masala, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of ground cumin, cashew cream, or heavy cream. 

History and Culture of Vegan Paneer

The Western countries charted out on a quest to produce non-dairy cheese, reportedly our vegan paneer, back in 1896. Perhaps we can credit Dr. John Kellogg for this; the titan of breakfast cereals who invented a product that contained cooked peanuts.

He produced Nuttose as a substitute for meat, mainly to assist his retreat to vegetarian health. He laid the foundations of the vegan trend back then, which would later gain momentum in the 20th century. During this time, soy became a popular base for vegan-based cheese substances, including cream cheese. 

Just a little before the beginning of the twenty-first century, during the mid-1980s perhaps, the world saw recognizable vegan cheese alternatives coming into existence. Brands like Soymage, Soya Kaas and Soyarella offered vegan cheese alternates that they would produce with soy protein. 

What is a good vegan paneer substitute?

Vegan paneer is primarily a product that contains no dairy ingredients or meats. To prepare vegan paneer with no tofu, you can opt for numerous vegetable, plant, or nuts-derived components, such as plant milk, fats, and proteins. 

You can also opt for seeds, such as sunflower or sesame. The best part about vegan paneer is that there are dozens of substitute ingredients you can use in place of animal-based products. 

The Three Tiers of Vegan Paneer in the Markets 

Over the past couple of years, we have seen vegan paneer producers make an effort to develop a distinct vegan landscape. This landscape comprises three tiers, which typically house all of the varieties of vegan “cheese” you can find in supermarkets today.

These include:

  • The first is the plant milk-based cheese variety, which manufacturers ferment or culture with enzymes and probiotics to oat or nut milk. Typically, this category of vegan paneer (no tofu) features a complex texture and delivers funky tones, similar to traditional cheese. 
  • The next common category is the starch-and-oil vegan paneer, which is non-fermented. It features a blend of starch, fat, and flavors that manufacturers solidify and emulsify. This particular variety of vegan paneer melts with great difficulty and only partly. You wouldn’t be wrong to compare it to melted crayon. 
  • Perhaps the most popular among vegan paneer varieties is the small-batch, artisan kind. It blooms, smells, and oozes like traditional cheese, featuring a nut base. For this kind, you will need to soak nuts in a pot of water and blend it with water to create a milk base. With the addition of culture, the milk base forms into a curd, which they will then drain and then shape as they like.

Feel free to check our blog for another vegan paneer cheese recipe.

What is vegan paneer made of?

You can make vegan paneer from nuts, seeds, and plant-based extracts.

Where to buy vegan paneer?

You can purchase it from an Indian grocery store online, or from a physical grocery store.

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