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!
lissliss2244
Thank you for the response! I'll Just have to order some online and wait to make this yummy cheese! I know It will be worth it 🙂
Rebecca
I know it's hard to wait! But it is yummy!!
Melissa
This cheese is exactly what I'm looking for! I know that you can use cornstarch as a substitute for agar so I was wondering if I could use it in place of the kappa carrageenan?
Rebecca
I'm afraid you'd be really disappointed with the results using cornstarch. I think it would taste fine, but the kappa carrageenan gives it that nice, hard grate-able texture that is difficult to find elsewhere. Hope that helps!
Susan R DAngelo
Hi Rebecca! Made it again last night before going to bed! I HAD to have pizza today, LOL! I used the blender this time and POOF, perfect! I did note that you are right, it sets REALLY fast, so fast that the end portion being scraped out of the blender sides with a spatula made those parts a little lumpy. Next time I might keep just a little more boiling water on hand so I can get those last drops to stay creamy smooth like the rest of it! Unfortunately, I am going all diet-crazy so I used the amazing cheese on a cauliflower crust. Ughh, that was just not the right texture for me, and I couldnt even taste the cheese this crust was so overbearing! That is it, I am just making it on whole wheat dough with this cheese and being done with my craving for pizza, LOL! Seriously though, the cheese came out amazing. I cannot wait to teach my step daughter and a few others I know who are devout vegans this recipe! I am not vegan, just trying to lose some weight and my hubby is lactose intolerant all of a sudden so trying different options to see if we can still keep the "cheese" in our life, LOL! Thank you for your suggestions and help! Greatly appreciated!
Rebecca
Oh that's great! Good going! Just gotta have a little 'cheese' in our lives, right? I hear you on the crust! I'm def a bread girl too!
Susan R DAngelo
Hi Rebecca! I haev made this twice. The 1st time it flopped because I mistakenly bought Lactic Acid instead of Carageen. It never set. But, that being said, when I tossed it out, it was taking in a stringy like texture, but of course, the lactic acid coupled with the lemon juice was TOO much, let alone the lack of setting. So today I made it with the Carageen and it is still soft. Not liquidy like the first time. I followed the recipe exactly except used food processor instead of a blender. I am going crazy wanting to make vegan pizza and I wonder if you have any tips. I am normally very good at recipes, as I have been a gourmet cook for over 20 years so I must just be getting old, LOL! Any advice you can provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks and I look forward to getting this right eventually!
Rebecca
Hi! Oh I'm sorry! Yes, lactic acid won't work like Kappa Carrageenan! The only thing I can think at this point is that you need the increased speed of a blender rather than a food processor... Did you watch the how-to video at the end of the post? You can also blend everything in the blender, reserving the kappa carrageenan to add the water is blended and everything is already smooth. Just remove the blender plug and add the kappa through the hole. This may make it easier for you! Hope that helps!
tehodler
This looks very interesting. I'm always trying to duplicate the tastes and textures of the standard American diet like cheeseburgers and pizza in vegan form. Is this the best vegan mozzarella? I've tried Daiya and did not like it although the boxed mac & cheese was pretty good. The Chao Cheese from Field Roast is really good but not a suitable mozzarella substitute.
Rebecca
Thanks for your comments and question! Duplicating dairy cheese is certainly a challenge but it's a rewarding and fun journey too! I pretty much agree with your cheese tastes as mentioned in your comment (although I do like some of the Daiya block cheeses!), so I have a hunch that you'd love this recipe! Give it a try and tell us what you think!
Annie Parenteau
It was a real success! My husband (a vegetarian) said : well, let's have it all over the pizza instead of doing 50/50 cow/vegan cheese. And he was in LOVE !!!!! I am just wondering, how long does it stay good in the fridge? Is it freezable or will it loose its texture?
Rebecca
You just made my day! So glad your hubby loved it too - that's the best!! It lasts about 5 days in the refrigerator, and you can freeze it, however the texture is changed slightly by freezing. It still melts well tho! Hope that helps! Happy cheese making!
Annie Parenteau
can I soak the cashews for 4 -6 hours instead of rinsng them? Would that put too much water in the recipe?
Rebecca
Soaking for 4-6 hours is fine or just soak them in very hot water for 5 minutes or so to soften, then rinse/drain and use them! Soaking just helps them blend easier and also tends to remove a bit of the 'cashew' taste! Have fun!
Michael
Hi Rebecca. I just got my bag of Kappa Carrageenan and I am excited to try this very unique recipe! Will this work in a food processor? I do not have a blender at the moment.
Rebecca
Hi! I'm sorry I can't recommend a food processor for this recipe, mainly because it would be hard to get the cashews smooth enough. If you don't mind cheese with some nut bits in it, you could certainly give it a whiz! Hope you get to try it soon!!
Joy Herbst
Hi Rebecca! Could you use gelatin instead of the carrageenan?
Rebecca
I'm assuming you're asking about vegan gelatin or agar powder? Agar powder can be subbed in place of the kappa carrageenan, just double the normal amount of carrageenan. The resulting cheese is usually a bit softer but still very yummy!
Aarti
Made it two days ago and it set really well.. the taste is still a bit coconutty though, even with RBD oil. Is there any other oil I could use? Canola? Also, how long does it last in the fridge?
Rebecca
Hmm, perhaps it's the brand of refined coconut oil that you are using? Most people cannot detect any coconut flavor in the refined oil. You can try replacing up to half of the refined coconut oil with another neutral oil, however your resulting cheese will be a bit softer.... The cheese lasts up to 5 days in the refrigerator but can be frozen, although the texture changes slightly. Hope that helps!