This creamy dairy-free Vegan Mozzarella cheese requires just 6 ingredients to make. With a base of soaked cashews, this stretchy, melty, & gooey mozzarella is the perfect base for a vegan grilled cheese sandwich, french onion soup, and so many more recipes!
Let's be honest, all vegan cheese is not created equal. While there are some amazing brands out there, there are unfortunately a lot of not-so-great brands too. Not to mention, store-bought vegan cheese can get pretty pricey.
That's why I knew I had to make a recipe for a melty & stretchy vegan mozzarella cheese you can make from the comfort of your home! This cheese is made with pantry staples and works perfectly for so many recipes.
I adapted this recipe from Vedged Out, but adjusted the flavors and quantities to better match the texture I was looking for!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Tapioca flour: This ingredient is CRUCIAL to get the right stretchy texture. I tried this recipe with other thickening starches (such as cornstarch) and it just doesn't work the same. If you really want that stretchy gooey texture, I recommend using this tapicoa flour.
- A lot of vegan cheese recipes call for way more taipoca flour that I used. I found 1 Tablespoon was the perfect amount to get the right texture without any tapioca/starchy aftertaste. If you want a thicker & firmer cheese, add more tapioca flour.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Gives this dairy-free mozzarella that essential tangy taste you find in cheese. If you can't find any, just substitute with lemon juice.
- Soaked cashews: I haven't personally tried this recipe with anything except cashews, but soaked almonds or macadamia nuts may work. Just keep in mind, using a different nut will affect the end flavor and texture.
How to make stretchy vegan mozzarella cheese
Soak the cashews in boiling water
The first step is to add the cashews to a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Then, stir and leave the cashews to soak for 30 minutes. This helps the cashews get much softer for smooth vegan mozzarella cheese.
Blend all the ingredients together
After the cashews have soaked, strain them and add them to a blender with fresh water, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and tapioca flour.
Once blended, the resulting cheese mixture will be a very thin and smooth liquid. Don't worry, it will firm up once cooked!
Cook over low heat for 5 minutes
Add the blended liquid to a small saucepan or non-stick pan (I used my Caraway Pan). Then, cook over low heat for about 5 minutes- stirring constantly.
The liquid cheese mixture will start to firm and clump up once heated. It may look a little lumpy at first, but just keep stirring it together until smooth. The cashew mozzarella is done once it's no longer runny and is very stretchy.
How to serve cashew mozzarella cheese
Now comes the best part- eating this melty stretchy vegan cheese! Since this cheese will is stretchy and softer, it's not going to be a good option for a cheese board or a dish like a Caprese salad.
Instead, this cheese works great in the following recipes:
- Making a simple grilled cheese with two slices of sourdough bread filled with layers of the melty cheese (as pictured below).
- On top of my favorite Vegan French Onion Soup (recipe coming soon!)
- This recipe also makes the best vegan mozzarella for pizza. If you're looking for a crust recipe, check out my Vegan Garlic Herb Dough which is my personal favorite.
- Mix up this gooey vegan mozzarella with pasta for a decadent vegan mac and cheese sauce.
- Add it to my Vegan Baked Lentil Ziti. When combined with tofu ricotta, it makes the absolute best cheesy dish.
PS- if you decide to broil the cheese, it will brown and form a crust on top just like real cheese. How cool is that?!
How do I store vegan mozzarella?
Vegan Mozzarella can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. It will solidify a bit but still works great in any of the recipes mentioned above. Just expect the cheese to lose some of that stretchy texture if not used right away.
I've never tried freezing this plant-based mozzarella cheese (it's honestly never lasted long enough!). However, I don't recommend it as it will likely change the texture too much.
Can I make additional cheese flavors?
Definitely! Some options could include adding chili flakes to make it closer to a pepper jack flavor. Another option could be adding liquid smoke to make it closer to gouda cheese or garlic powder to give it a delicious garlic flavor.
The possibilities are truly endless and I would definitely look at this as a base recipe for other mozzarella cheese flavors.
Enjoy this super simple recipe for melty stretchy Vegan Mozzarella cheese. I truly can't wait to hear how you all use this delicious mozzarella recipe in your favorite dishes!
-TSG
More recipes to use vegan mozzarella cheese in:
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Melty Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ cup cashews
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 Tablespoon tapioca flour
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder optional, only use if you want a garlic flavor
Instructions
- Add the cashews to a bowl and pour boiling water on top. Stir and then let the cashews soak for 30 minutes-1 hour until softened.
- Strain the soaked cashews and add them to a blender with the water, nutritional yeast, tapioca flour, apple cider vinegar, and flour.
- Blend together until the mixture is completely smooth. It will be runny and thin at this point but thicken up once heated.
- Pour the blended cheese mixture into a non-stick saucepan or saute pan. Then, cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until it has thickened. The cheese will start to clump up and look curdled, but keep stirring and cooking it until it has thickened (about 5 minutes). When it's done it will be stretchy, yet firm, and smooth.
- Remove the cheese from the heat and serve immediately or add to your favorite dish. The cheese will brown on top when broiled but still stay melty and gooey inside. Enjoy!
Notes
- Leftover mozzarella cheese can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. It will lose some of it's stretchy texture, but should never completely solidify. You will want to reheat before using or add to a dish and bake it for the best results.
- Tapioca flour/starch is 100% necessary for this recipe. If using another starch like potato starch or cornstarch, the cheese with thicken, but it will not get stretchy.
- Apple cider vinegar can be substituted 1:1 for fresh lemon juice.
- I consider this a base recipe for mozzarella that you can add flavor to. Chili flakes, garlic powder, fresh basil, liquid smoke, and other seasonings are a fun way to spice up this cheese and change the flavor.
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