This old school dinners cheese flan recipe is a vegan version of the much loved British school dinners cheese flan or cheese and onion flan. The pastry case is so light and buttery, while the filling is packed with savoury cheese flavours. Enjoy with chips and beans for a traditional British dinner!
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl. Drop the margarine into the bowl in chunks. Use your fingertips to rub the fat into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add two tablespoons of water and stir the liquid through the mix with a cutlery knife, keep stirring for a few minutes. Add another tablespoon of water and mix it through. Press the pastry firmly against the side of the bowl and it will squash together. Use your hands to press it into a ball, and add a few drops of extra water if the pastry if a little dry.
Wrap the pastry in food wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare the flan filling:
Add the silken tofu, nutritional yeast flakes, plant milk, corn flour [corn starch], mustard powder, garlic and onion powders, salt and white pepper into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
Preheat the oven to 180 Fan / 200C / Fahrenheit 392 / Gas 6.
Grease the flan tin with vegan margarine.
Roll the pastry out on a floured work surface, into a piece large enough to fit into the flan tin.Wrap one end of the pastry over the rolling pin and lift it up and place it into the flan tin. Press the pastry into the sides and base. Use a small knife to trim the edges.
If the filling has sat for a while give it a good stir before pouring into the flan tin.
If using the vegan cheese, sprinkle this over the top.
50 gram vegan cheese
Bake the flan:
Place the flan onto the middle oven shelf and bake for 15 minutes before turning the oven down to 170 Fan / 190C / Fahrenheit 374 / Gas 5.
Bake for an extra 30-35 minutes until the flan has completely risen, firm and set, and has golden parts around the edges of the flan, the pastry will also be golden.[Fan ovens tend to bake quicker so check the flan a few minutes earlier around the 45 minute mark]
Leave the flan within the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing.
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not an exact calculation as ingredients can vary.
Store leftover cheese flan within a covered container, in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Or freeze for up to 3-4 months.
Reheat within a hot oven, microwave or an air-fryer until piping hot throughout.
Grated/shredded vegan cheese is an optional addition. The one used for this recipe was Asda garlic and chive cheese alternative.
Stork baking spread was used for the pastry.
Chilled cheese flan is perfect for pack lunches, picnics, buffets and quick lunches, dinners and snacks.