Coconut Free Vegan Watermelon Bites with Cashew Feta
Sweet, juicy watermelon meets a tangy, creamy cashew feta in these refreshing little bites that feel fancy enough for a dinner party but come together with minimal fuss. The cashew feta is the real star here — soaked raw cashews blended with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and nutritional yeast create a crumbled, savory topping that's surprisingly rich and complex without any dairy in sight. A drizzle of balsamic glaze and a scatter of fresh mint pull everything together into something that tastes way more sophisticated than the ingredient list suggests. Many store-bought vegan cheeses lean heavily on coconut oil as a base, which can be a real obstacle if you're avoiding it — this version skips it entirely, relying on cashews alone for that luscious, creamy texture. Chilling the feta mounds before assembly is a small but important step that makes them easy to place and keeps the whole bite from falling apart. Flaky sea salt at the end ties the sweet and savory elements together in the best possible way. This is the kind of appetizer that disappears fast, so consider doubling the cashew feta batch.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the cashew feta
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in cold water for at least 4 hours, then drained and rinsed
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
For the bites
- 6 cups seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 24 pieces)
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, torn or thinly sliced
- 1–2 tbsp balsamic glaze, for drizzling
- flaky sea salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews, then add them to a food processor along with the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, water, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder. Process for 2–3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy with no visible cashew pieces.
- 2
Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a spoon or small cookie scoop, drop the cashew feta mixture in rough 1-teaspoon mounds onto the prepared baking sheet — you should get about 24 mounds. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until the mounds are firm enough to handle.
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