In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring almond milk, water, vegan butter, and salt to a boil.
Lower heat to medium-low, then add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients and form the dough. Soon the dough will start to form a ball and pull away from the edges of the pan. Stir until the dough is smooth.
Add the dough to a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon). With the mixer on low, beat in eggs one at a time. The dough will be shiny and smooth.
Mix in the dairy-free cheese shreds, chives, salt, and pepper just until fully incorporated into the dough (do not overmix in this step!).
Spoon dough into a large pastry with a #4 pastry tip (or plastic ziplock bag with one corner cut out to pipe) and pipe about 1 tablespoon of dough onto the prepared parchment sheet-lined baking sheets. Pipe them about 2 inches apart.
In a small bowl, whisk together one large egg yolk with 1 tsp water. Use a small pastry brush to brush yolk wash onto the tops of each piped gougere.
Bake at 375°F for 24-26 minutes, rotating and switching out pans halfway through. Allow to cool slightly on pans at room temp before serving.
Notes
Makes approximately 24 gougeres.Make Ahead: You can bake these gougère bites as directed, cool completely, and then freeze in freezer safe bags or airtight freezer containers for up to 2 months. To Reheat: Reheat gougères in the oven at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes.