This Vegan Mozzarella Cheese is creamy, plus it slices, shreds, and melts!
It takes only a few minutes and a blender to make this dairy-free mozzarella - no actual cooking involved! Everyone loves this amazing vegan cheese. You simply must try it!
Melty-stretchy gooey mozzarella cheese is something that I think all of us vegans dream of. Except now you don't have to just dream about it!
You can make it in your kitchen in about 5 minutes with just a handful of ingredients!
This Vegan Mozzarella Cheese...
- Is deliciously creamy
- Slices
- Shreds
- Melts - this is an amazing vegan cheese for pizza
- Is quick to make
- Healthy, thanks to a couple of nutrient-loaded ingredients, such as cashews and nutritional yeast flakes
I am excited for your try this stuff!
Shred this mozzarella and use it in my vegan manicotti or vegan stuffed shells stuffing, add it to pizza, serve it as part of a vegan charcuterie board, or simply snack on it! It's also amazing shredded on top of vegan stuffed Portobello mushrooms before baking, so it gets nice and melty.
What does Vegan Mozzarella taste like?
This Vegan Mozzarella is very mild and neutral flavored. It is rich and creamy, and has bit of that satisfying cheesy 'chew'.
I think it tastes a lot like string cheese actually.
It makes the perfect vegan pizza cheese, and I truly believe it is the best vegan mozzarella recipe.
What is Vegan Mozzarella made of?
- Refined Coconut Oil - Please don't miss the word refined. It doesn't taste like coconut but it still turns solid at cooler temps and just has that wonderful richness.
- Tapioca Flour This helps solidify the cheese, and also adds a 'stretchiness' to the texture.
- Kappa Carrageenan - This ingredient is what makes the cheese able to go from liquid to solid and back to melted state. It's a wonder ingredient and not widely sold. (find it on Amazon.
- Raw cashew pieces - These make the cheese creamy in texture and add lots magnesium, potassium, iron, and healthy fats to this vegan cheese
- Nutritional yeast flakes - Nutritional yeast is loaded with nutrients like niacin, Vitamins B1, B2, B6, B9, and B12, and it gives vegan cheese a wonderful realistic cheesy flavor
The one challenge of making this cheese is that it takes a few unusual ingredients that not everyone has on hand. But please believe me, it's SO worth it! (See all the rest of the ingredients in the photo below!)
How to make Vegan Mozzarella:
Assemble all your ingredients (Photo 1). Rinse Cashews under hot running water for several minutes. (Photo 2) Put all ingredients in the blender except for the water. (Photo 3)
Carefully! Add HOT (just boiled!) water to blender and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of blender with spatula once if needed. The water must be JUST BOILED. I mean, HOT! (Photo 4)
Pour immediately into heat-safe dish (this will be your mold - no need to oil the mold) and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. (Photo 5)
Slice, grate and enjoy!
Expert cooking tip for making cashew cheese:
Don't skip rinsing the cashews! (If you don't want run water over them for several minutes, soak them in super hot water for about 5 minutes and then rinse again.) This step really helps to decrease the 'cashew' flavor in the recipe, while still using the wonderful creaminess of the cashew!
What kind of mold to use to make vegan mozzarella?
Any small heat-safe container will do, but I like making mozzarella into a round shape so it resembles a mozzarella bowl. The 2-cup container from this set of Pyrex containers is perfect!
How long does vegan mozzarella last in the fridge?
This cheese will last about 4-5 days in the refrigerator... if it makes it that long. 😉
Can you freeze Vegan Mozzarella?
Sure! It does get a little softer in texture after thawing, but if you think you can't eat it all, by all means freeze it! (Most people have trouble making it last that long though! Check out the comments below! )
Does Vegan Mozzarella Melt?
Yes! This vegan mozzarella does melt at higher temps, so if you're baking a pizza you're in for a melty treat! It also works great melted in quesadillas, shredded over lasagna, and breaded and fried as vegan mozzarella sticks!!
Can you use Agar powder in place of the Kappa Carrageenan?
The short answer is yes. Double the amount recommended in the recipe for Kappa Carrageenan and replace with Agar Powder. Make sure to use Agar Powder, not Agar Flakes.
The long answer is also yes, but it won't have quite as firm a texture and may not be quite as melty. Which is still perfectly fine for many uses!
What I would NOT recommend substituting:
Don't replace the lemon juice with Lactic Acid. For some reason, the quick blending process used here does not work well with this substitution and your cheese may not set properly.
For a slightly drier cheese:
After your cheese block has hardened, you can wrap first in a dry paper towel, and then tightly in plastic wrap. This will remove any excess moisture.
For a softer cheese:
Decrease Kappa Carrageenan amount to 1 tbsp. This texture is ideal for making Mozzarella Balls.
Whew, reading about the ingredients is SO much harder than actually making this, I promise. I cannot wait for you to try this so you too, can successfully make and enjoy yummy, healthy, Real Vegan Mozzarella Cheese!!!
Other recipes you will love:
- Vegan nacho cheese
- Vegan feta cheese
- Best vegan egg salad
- Easy vegan buttermilk biscuits
- Vegan smoked Gouda cheese
- Vegan pepper Jack cheese
- Vegan cream cheese
- Vegan herbed cheese
- See my web story for 10 vegan cheese to try!
If you’ve tried this Vegan Mozzarella Cheese recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I LOVE hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food!!!
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Recipe
Real Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ cup Raw cashew pieces, Rinsed under hot water for several minutes
- ¼ cup Refined coconut oil
- ¼ cup Tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 ½ tablespoon Kappa carrageenan
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 ¼-½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cup Boiling water
Special equipment
Instructions
- Select a heat-safe preferably glass dish that can hold approx 3C and set aside. (This is your cheese mold.)
- Rinse cashews under HOT water for several minutes.
- Put your water in a small pot on the stove to boil.
- Add all ingredients (except the water!) to the blender. Add the cashews first and then everything else on top of the cashews.
- Carefully add (so you don't burn yourself!!!) the boiling hot water into your blender. Put the blender lid on! And blend immediately until completely smooth.
- Stop blending once if need be to quickly scrape sides of blender and resume blending right after.
- Immediately transfer your cheese to your chosen dish/mold as it will start to solidify quickly as it cools.
- Place in refrigerator to chill. No need to cover yet.
- After 2-3 hours or when fully chilled, remove cheese block from dish/mold and wrap in paper towels and then tightly plastic wrap. The flavor gets better over a day or two but it’s great as soon as it’s hardened, too. Yeay! You are officially a cheese-maker!
Ana
I would love to try but after reading a lot I’m not brave enough to use kappa carrageenan as when degraded is dangerous causing cancer and tumours, was banned in many counties etc etc. are you comfortable using it?
Thx
Rebecca
I understand your concern. After doing some research, I have felt comfortable using it personally. Using the agar powder is a good option, although it is sometimes necessary to cook it on the stove after blending to allow for the agar powder to fully activate...
Quihn
Thank you so much, i didn't throw it out i used it to stuff mushrooms actually and it was delicious! 🙂
Rebecca
Oh, good! That sounds yummy!
Kate
I got this recipe to work! I made it once and failed- I used agar agar instead of kappa carrageenan and it came out gross. I think my agar agar is not very fine, the cheese was very gritty. This time I ordered kappa carrageenan to use and this cheese is amazing! I blended my dry ingredients first to make sure they were extra fine this time. Then I added the cashews and lemon & blended. Then the boiling water. The cheese does come together very quickly, I spilled some on my counter while I was pouring and it solidified right away. I also greased the mold with extra coconut oil so it could pop out more easily & that was very helpful. Next time I think I will add a whole tbsp of salt because while the cheese taste great on it’s own, it’s saltiness is diminished when it’s combined with something else. Melted great on pizza! Thank you Rebecca!!
Rebecca
Thanks for sharing your experience! Glad all went well for you this time!!
susanbstrong
Will it stick to the glass dish or does it release OK? I want to make this but need to source the kappa carrageenan first.
Rebecca
No need to oil the dish. When using the kappa carrageenan the cheese firms up beautifully and pops right out of the dish with just the aid of a butter knife or such.
Mel
How long will this lost in the freezer???
Rebecca
It will last in the freezer for several months, but the texture changes when it is frozen. I really recommend using it fresh if possible.
themoonstarchild
Hello. I'm going to try this recipe as soon as I can but can I substitute the tapioca starch with cassava flour? Thank you 🙂
Rebecca
Sorry I haven't used cassava flour so I can't offer any insight on that! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Ammad Phiri
How about in the deep freezer?
Rebecca
You can freeze this cheese for up to several months, but it does change the texture a bit so I recommend fresh as best!
Quihn
Followed this recipe exactly and it did not solidify at all. I'm left with cream cheese and i'm very frustrated because i made that cheese solely for pizza and had to throw away my dough because the cheese didn't harden... really don't know what i possibly did wrong. I'm very dissapointed.. 🙁
Rebecca
Reading your comment, my first thought was 'don't throw away..' Sorry it didn't work for you. First off, did you use kappa carrageenan or the agar powder? If you used the kappa and it didn't harden, most likely your water was not hot enough to activate the kappa carrageenan. It literally has to be 'just boiled'. However, don't get rid of it! You can activate the thickener (even if you used agar) on the stovetop. Add the cheese to a saucepan and cook over low-med heat until it starts to bubble/boil, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Let it bubble just a minute or two, and re-pour into your mold. Chill and voila!
Jessica
Thanks for the recipe. Setting it in the fridge now! If I don’t find it salty enough can I brine it after it has set? Thanks 🙂
Rebecca
I haven't tried it in a brine but I think it would work fine!
Jasmine Dickens
Hello ! I am allergic to cashews, would this recipe work with another type of nut and if so, which do you recommend?
Rebecca
Blanched almonds that are soaked would be my first choice alternate if they're available for you! Hope that helps!