Macadamia Cheese Spread

If you are a nut lover, this macadamia cheese spread will make you go nuts!

Macadamias may be used to make a nutritious, clean-eating, vegan alternative to dairy cheese. This macadamia cheese spread is a wonderful base for a tapas dish or as a topping in a refreshing summer salad.

Macadamias belong to the category of tree nuts and have a distinct creamy and buttery taste. They are originally from Australia, but today, they have made their way to almost all parts of the world. Macadamia nuts are endowed with potent plant compounds and nutrients. They are high in monounsaturated fats, and these healthy fats help lower bad cholesterol and improve your cardiovascular health.

Macadamia nuts have low sugar content, and they are also low in carbs compared to most nuts. So their consumption does not spike your blood sugar levels which is especially important for people with type 2 diabetes.

Macadamia nuts are also endowed with antioxidants that play a vital role in neutralizing free radicals, which impair your cellular makeup that could lead to premature aging and increased risk of chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes. These nuts also boost the digestive process due to their high fiber content, and this also has the benefit of helping you stay full longer and helping you lose weight.

Many years ago, while in Argentina, my colleague gave me some nuts in a shell. It looked like a macadamia nut. I was not sure, so I tried to crack it with my thumbs. This is a tough nut to crack. Even using a nutcracker, this nut did not budge. The eventual resort was a hammer to crack it open.

My desire to test macadamia nuts for some recipe came to fruition while visiting Sao Paulo. The friends with whom I made this Macadamia cheese spread enjoyed and loved the taste, consistency, and flavor.  One of my friends tried it. After his first taste test, he said, “taste like Philadelphia cheese spread.” Since then, I have made this macadamia cheese spread several times and in different ways for my friends in different countries. So far, this recipe always comes out yummy. This recipe has caught on to become our Philadelphia cheese alternative.  Macadamia nut is the fattiest of all nuts and slightly pricey; still, it is worth a try.

Macadamia Cheese Spread is lactose-free and created with macadamia nuts, nutritional yeast, and other delightful ingredients. What’s more, the best is yet to come. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

Cashews are used to make the majority of vegan cheeses. The disadvantage of using cashews for vegan cheese is you must soak them before being blended. As macadamia nuts are already a very soft nut, they don’t need to be soaked for as long, so you can get right to making this wonderful 15-minute vegan cheese. The flavor of this macadamia nut cheese is incredible, and it’s the perfect thickness for dipping, spreading, or eating straight from the bowl. These are just a few of the adjectives I’d use to characterize this vegan macadamia nut cheese spread. Buttery, Cheesy, Delicious.

This grand Macadamia Cheese Spread is an alternative to any soft cheese because it’s spreadable, flavorful, and adaptable. Spreads are one of my favorite snacks. You can apply it on toasted bread and crackers, use it as a dip or a base for other dips, and dollop it on top of any cooked entrée to quickly replenish and satiate your hunger with a healthy snack.

Print Recipe

Macadamia Cheese Spread

Snack – Dadaji Fusion Recipes

Serves: 5 - 6

Prep Time: 15 min – Cooking Time: 0 min – Total Time: 15 min

Nutritional Benefits: Macadamia nuts have a very high-fat content level with a 75 percent composition of monounsaturated fats. They contain vitamin B1, magnesium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, protein, healthy fats, fiber, and complex carbs. Macadamia nuts are a source of palmitoleic acid, an omega-7 fatty acid that improves skin, hair, and nail health. In addition, the healthy fats in macadamia nuts and other tree nuts help lower the levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides, thus boosting heart health. These nuts are also rich in flavonoids and tocotrienols ( a type of vitamin E) that provides anti-cancer benefits in addition to fighting off free radicals that result in chronic illnesses and premature aging.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked in water for 24 hours
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp fresh thyme chopped into tiny bits
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• Salt flakes as per your taste
• 1 cup water (to soak)

Instructions

1

Soak nuts in water for an hour. After that, discard the water and rinse the nuts.

2

Now add fresh water to soak the nuts for 24 hrs. This process helps to remove any preservative chemical compounds and toxins on the surface of the nuts, such as sulfur dioxide, which has been used for centuries to preserve nuts.

3

Then blend them until smooth, transfer to cheesecloth and allow to drip for 24 hours.

4

After the water has dripped off, place the cheese into a blender, add nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, freshly chopped thyme, coconut oil, and salt flakes.

5

You will have to stop the blend, scrape down the inside of the blender to push all ingredients back to the center, repeat the process several times until it's all smooth and even.

6

You can serve with toast, pancake or vegetables.

Nutrition

• 280 Calories
• 5.3g Carbohydrates
• 29.4g Fat
• 3.2g Fiber
• 3.5g Protein
• 13.2g Saturated fat
• 392mg Sodium
• 1.1g Sugar

Notes

Do not throw the water from the soaking of macadamia nut. You will use part of it to blend with nut