Paleo Meltable, Stretchy, Shreddable Cheddar Cheese (AIP, Dairy-Free, Vegan option)

This post brought to you by Otto's Cassava Flour. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ever since my best-selling cookbook Latin American Paleo Cooking came out in 2017, my recipe for tapioca cheese has EXPLODED.It is the first ever dairy-free cheese recipe in the Paleo and AIP community that actually melts and stretches since it is not made with gelatin or ground nuts.

In my cookbook, it is called Queso Blanco, but I just couldn't stand not having that recipe available to everyone, so I published it on my blog as tapioca cheese.

And boy oh boy has it made so many of you happy to enjoy a dairy-free cheese suitable for Paleo and AIP that actually melts and stretches like real cheese.

Tapioca cheese is the perfect Paleo and AIP replacement for mozzarella, and has the texture and consistency of fresh mozzarella balls. It's also easy to make vegan to suit so many dietary needs.

I didn't want to stop there with my cheese-making, and was having a hankering for a Paleo AIP cheese that would go great in a grilled cheese sandwich, or on top of a burger, or on a bacon egg cheese biscuit. Yup, I needed to make a Paleo cheddar cheese.

I knew that tapioca cheese wasn't quite the right texture for a cheddar, so started brainstorming. I didn't want to use cashews or another type of nut since allergies are so common and I personally have found it hard to get a smooth texture with nut-based cheeses since I don't have a $500 high-powered blender.

So I decided to try a little experiment with a different Paleo AIP flour to see what would happen. In fact, it's my favorite Paleo AIP flour to work with: Otto's Cassava Flour!

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The Difference Between Cassava Flour and Tapioca Starch

I know it gets really confusing to talk about the plant Manihot esculenta and the various products derived from it so let me break it down for you.

The starchy tuber is known by multiple names depending on the country: yuca, cassava, manioc, mandioca, Brazilian arrowroot (which is extra confusing since it is not even related to true arrowroot).

I call the root yuca (pronounced YOU-kuh) and it is important to know that it is not even related to yucca (pronounced YUCK-uh) so please don't call it that!

Cassava flour and tapioca starch both come from the yuca root. Cassava flour is made from the whole tuber and thus it contains fiber and some micronutrients.

Tapioca starch is the extracted starch and thus has no fiber and little nutrition.

Think of cornmeal and corn starch, or potato flour and potato starch to understand how these two gluten-free Paleo AIP flours behave differently. It is extremely rare to be able to substitute one for another in recipes, particularly breads and other baked goods.

And it is also rare to be able to use tapioca starch all by itself to make a Paleo or AIP baked good, but it's becoming more common to find recipes that only need Otto's Cassava Flour. Many of the recipes on my blog are #OnlyOttos (search that tag on IG for even more!)

I love it when recipes only need ONE flour since it means they're easier and more foolproof, since with every flour you have to measure there is room for error and a recipe fail.

Paleo Meltable, Stretchy, Shreddable Cheddar Cheese (AIP, Dairy-Free, Vegan option) — The Curious Coconut (3)

One important thing to note about cassava flour is that for best results you should always measure by WEIGHT not VOLUME. This is the standard way to measure dry ingredients outside of the U.S., but I've made a habit of it the last several years since it is MUCH more accurate.

All you need is a kitchen scale (I use this one). Place a bowl on top then turn it on to tare it (meaning: it says 0g with the bowl on top). Then add your flour until you've reached the needed weight. So easy!

If you mustmeasure by volume then please do not ever dig your measuring spoon into the bag and scoop up the flour. This packs it down and will cause you to get way more flour than you need!

Instead, use a spoon to pick up some flour and drop it into your measuring spoon. I usually place the spoon over a plate to catch excess flour. Then, use the straight edge of a knife to sweep across the top of the measuring spoon to level it.

Check out all of my cassava flour recipes below (use the arrows to scroll through the recipes):

cassava flour recipes

Paleo AIP Breads And Cheese With Otto's Cassava Flour

Take a moment to realize this:

All you need is ONE gluten-free, grain-free flour in your pantry and you can re-create authentic bread items for Paleo and AIP diets like biscuits, bagels, French bread, sandwich bread, and more PLUS make a meltable, stretchy Paleo and AIP cheddar cheese to go with the bread.

It's a pretty magical flour if you ask me!

And if you are looking for AIP elimination phase bread items to enjoy with this cheese, you are in the right place since those are kind of my specialty ;-)

The biscuits and bagels I linked to above are AIP and so are my famous plantain buns (Boy George loves them). I also have the most perfect Paleo and AIP crackers.

Paleo Meltable, Stretchy, Shreddable Cheddar Cheese (AIP, Dairy-Free, Vegan option) — The Curious Coconut (15)

Cassava Cheese vs TApioca Cheese

When I first started experimenting with using Otto's cassava flour to make Paleo cheese I noticed multiple key differences:

• Cassava flour leads to a cheese with a softer, fluffier mouthfeel that is quite lovely

• Cassava cheese is accessible to more people since tapioca starch sensitivity does NOT mean you also have a cassava flour sensitivity. In fact, the owner of Otto's herself has to avoid the starch but can enjoy the flour with no problems.

• Cassava cheese also has more nutrition than tapioca cheese since the flour is unrefined

• Less cassava flour is needed vs tapioca starch to cause the reaction during cooking that results in meltable, stretchy dairy-free cheese

• Even though it stretches some, it doesn't quite have the same impressive stretch power as tapioca cheese

• More water is needed to make the slurry for the cassava flour

• Cassava flour-based cheese needs to cook a bit longer

• Cassava flour-based cheese NEEDS seasonings. The nutritional yeast and garlic and onion are not optional ingredients.

To make a sharp cheddar flavor, I experimented with adding vitamin C crystals to the cheese. If you have ever taken vitamin C crystals before you know they have a distinct sharp, sour flavor.

It is important to note, though, that if you use vitamin C crystals in option #1 for the cheese that it does not set as firmly and will loose its hold over time in the fridge. It does not affect the texture or setting power of option #2, though.

Paleo Meltable, Stretchy, Shreddable Cheddar Cheese (AIP, Dairy-Free, Vegan option) — The Curious Coconut (16)

How To Use Cassava Cheddar Cheese

Think of all the recipes that use cheddar cheese...there are so many options!

First off, let me talk in detail about the two cheese options I've presented here.

Option #1 is best when you want a meltable, stretchy cheese. If you use a sharp knife and a gentle hand you can slice it, but be aware that it does set more softly than real cheddar cheese and also more softly than option #2.

Option #1 holds up to baking for a long time in the oven. Think pizza toppings, added to layers of lasagna, in potatoes au gratin, etc. It's also perfect in things like grilled cheese, on top of a burger or other hot sandwich, or melted onto a biscuit for a bacon egg cheese breakfast.

Option #2 is best when you want an easily sliceable and shreddable cheese to be enjoyed chilled. While it does melt, it does not retain its stretch and it does not stand up to long cooking times. It also has more of a sharp cheddar flavor thanks to the vitamin C. Cheese and crackers anyone?!

If you add vitamin C to Option #1 it makes it less stretch and causes the cheese to loose its hold over time in the fridge.

Option #2 does become delightfully gooey when it's melted even though it doesn't hold its stretch. In theory you should be able to use an equal amount of agar powder to make it vegan, but I did NOT test this to verify. If you test it yourself, please let me know how it turns out!