Vegan Old School Dinners Cheese Flan

A close up of vegan cheese flan on a black wire rack, with yellow oven mitt underneath, blue background.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, picnic

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 50

Servings: -8 slices

Calories: 309kcal

Author: Jacq

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.

For a nice change you can add chopped vegan deli ham [such as Quorn vegan ham] or meat-free cooked bacon to the flan mixture after it is blended, to create a tasty vegan Quiche Lorraine.

Enjoy with chips and beans for a traditional British dinner!

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

8-9 inch diameter flan tin or pie dish [loose bottomed baking tins are best]
Rolling pin
Food processer or blender
cutlery knife

Ingredients

Pastry:

170 gram plain flour [all-purpose flour]
1½ teaspoons baking powder
85 grams vegan margarine [we use Stork baking spread, use extra to grease flan dish]
⅛ teaspoon salt

Filling:

5 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
349 grams silken firm tofu
1 teaspoon garlic powder [or garlic granules]
1 teaspoon onion powder [or onion granules]
½ teaspoon mustard powder [we used Colemans mustard powder]
1 pinch white pepper
¾ teaspoon salt
300 mililitres soya milk [or your usual milk]
4 tablespoons corn flour [corn starch]

Garnish, optional:

50 gram vegan cheese [grated]

Instructions

Prepare the shortcrust pastry:

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.
170 gram plain flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, 85 grams vegan margarine, ⅛ teaspoon salt
Add two tablespoons of water and stir the liquid through the mix with a cutlery knife, keep stirring for a few minutes adding another tablespoon of water and mixing 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, milk, corn flour [corn starch], mustard powder, garlic and onion powders, salt and white pepper into a food processor or blender.
Blend until smooth.
5 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes, 349 grams silken firm tofu, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon mustard powder, 1 pinch white pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, 300 mililitres soya milk, 4 tablespoons corn flour

Assemble the flan:

Preheat the oven to 180 Fan / 200C / Fahrenheit 392 / Gas 6.
Grease the flan tin with extra 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 cheese sprinkle this over the top of the flan.
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 2-3 months.
Reheat within a hot oven until piping hot throughout.
Grated vegan cheese is an optional addition. You can use extra nutritional yeast flakes instead.
The cheese we 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.
Add some chopped vegan ham or cooked meat-free bacon to the cheese flan mixture after blending to prepare a vegan Quiche Lorraine.

Nutrition