The Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese of your dreams, made with just 5 ingredients and in 15 minutes! Perfect for grilled cheese, lasagna, pizza and more!
Meet the vegan mozzarella cheese of your dreams! Stretchy, tangy and oh-so-delicious. I love using this mozzarella on pizza and my new favorite place for it is on top of Vegan Lasagna. Oh my goodness, it takes the lasagna to a whole new level of amazing!
This cheese also makes a mouthwatering vegan grilled cheese sandwich, which I love alongside tomato soup. Talk about an easy meal that kids and grown-ups will love!
I’m sure you could use this vegan mozzarella in many more ways that I haven’t even discovered yet. I’m thinking french onion soup, eggplant parmesan, quesadillas, dips… The possibilities are endless.
How do you make Vegan Mozzarella?
It’s very easy. First, you soak your cashews in hot water for 5 minutes (or up to an hour). Drain them, and add to a high powered blender with all the other ingredients. Blend; the mixture will be very watery.
Add to a small saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat. After a few minutes, it will start to get clumpy. Keep stirring. And then all of a sudden it magically turns into smooth, stretchy vegan mozzarella! That’s it, it’s ready to use.
How to brown vegan mozzarella in the oven:
I’ve discovered something new lately about this cheese. It will totally brown and bubble in the oven, like real mozzarella would! Simply spray the cheese with a little oil (I used olive oil spray), and broil for 5-10 minutes in the oven. I spread some cheese on sourdough bread and broiled it, and wow, it was incredible cheesy bread. I think this would work on top of casseroles (like lasagna), pizza and more.
What is tapioca starch and where can I find it?
Tapioca flour is a starch extracted from cassava. Tapioca starch and flour are usually the same thing, but not always.
It’s a white powder and works similarly to cornstarch as a thickener. The difference is it’s the key to making cheeses like this stretchy instead of just thickened. It’s absolutely necessary and perfect for making this vegan mozzarella.
How to use vegan mozzarella:
- Grilled Cheese – Spoon the cheese between two slices of (vegan) buttered bread and grill for a fantastic grilled cheese.
- Pizza – Spoon dollops of cheese on top of pizza crust along with other toppings of choice and cook as you normally would. You can also try to spread it all over the pizza (this works best when the mozzarella is very fresh).
- Lasagna – Spoon the cheese all over the top of the lasagna in the last 20 minutes of baking in the oven. Bake uncovered with the cheese, and broil if desired to brown in spots.
- Anywhere else you’d like! Dip chips into it, make quesadillas, in enchiladas, etc.
Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker.
EASY Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh from about 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons tapioca starch
Instructions
- Boil 2 cups of water (I just heat up water in my tea kettle). Pour the water over the cashews and let soak for 5 minutes and up to an hour.
- Drain the cashews, and add them to a blender along with 1 1/3 cups fresh water (not the water you soaked the cashews in), lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt and tapioca starch. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. It will be very watery at this point.
- Now pour the watery mixture into a small saucepan and bring the heat to medium. Begin to stir with a spatula or spoon.
- After a few minutes, it will begin to get clumpy. Keep stirring, constantly until suddenly it will become super gooey, stretchy, thick and smooth. It will become one big mass of stretchy vegan cheese. Remove from heat as soon as this happens.
- Use immediately, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator. It is easiest to use immediately, because it will thicken up more in the fridge and be less stretchy. So if possible, especially for using on pizza or lasagna, make right before using.
- For pizza, drop 1-2 tablespoon sized balls onto the crust and pat down a little bit. Or spread it all over. It will brown in the oven. For lasagna, drop dollops of the cheese all over the top towards the end of cooking time. Or place between bread and grill for grilled cheese.
Video
Notes
- Tapioca starch/flour is essential in this recipe, cornstarch will not create the same "stretchy" quality.
- I've never tried it with another nut, but I suspect raw slivered almonds could work.
- If you want the cheese to brown in the oven (like it looks on the bread in the post above), simply spray with a little oil and broil for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully. This is wonderful for lasagna, pizza, or just atop bread for cheesy bread.
- I have frozen this and while it is still edible, it definitely tastes best fresh. It will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. But again, it will be the most stretchy and easy to work with immediately.
I’m excited to make this recipe and was wondering for those who added nutritional yeast, how much did you add?
Great recipe! I added nutritional yeast (nooch) as well as some msg to add to the umami. Will def make it again.
Hi Chris. Thank you for sharing your terrific review! I’m thrilled that you loved the mozzarella cheese recipe! Happy cooking!
I’m going to have to try this with almonds as I can’t eat cashews and highly allergic to soy. Based on the reviews above, I hope it turns out as well with slivered almonds :). I tried another recipe for dairy free mozzarella that used no nuts and coconut milk with saffron but didn’t like it. The saffron didn’t do enough to offset the coconut taste so it tasted nothing close to mozzarella. Thus, I’m looking forward to trying your recipe!
Did almonds work as a substitute for the cashews?
I have made this multiple times and so incredibly delicious! I love it on top of .pizza as well as eggplant parm. I followed the instructions exactly and added some nutritional yeast
Hi Lori. I’m thrilled to hear that the cheese recipe works out wonderful for you, and that you are loving the cheese! Thank you for sharing your terrific review and comments! Wishing you a happy cooking!
Wonderful! After reading a few reviews below and looking at a few different recipes, I used this recipe as a base and left out the lemon, added a tsp of miso, a half tbsp nutritional yeast, a pinch of msg, a little extra salt, and 1 tbsp of a neutral oil so it would brown (and it did)! Caveat: it was definitely gooey, but not sure how much all this changed the end texture as I haven’t tried the original recipe as written. My only mistake was not putting more on my pizza. Lesson learned! Thanks so much!
Gooped up perfectly and was still easy to spread on the lasagna. It had a distinct lemon flavor, which I liked but is something to be aware of. Also, cleaning the saucepan was not trivial for me, but so worth it.
Hi Alf. Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and terrific review! I’m glad that you enjoyed the cheese recipe!
How many ounces does this make ?
Hi,
I know you said Tapioca is essential, has anyone tried arrowroot?????
Holy moly, I can’t believe this worked! How do you ever even figure something like this out?! This tasted amazing on pizza, although I wasn’t able to spread it (patting it out with wet fingers was pretty easy though). We bake our pizza at 500 for 15 minutes, and it came out perfect (but not browned). The flavor was excellent – my husband commented about how great it was before knowing I made it, and couldn’t believe that I made it for a fraction of the cost of the vegan pizza cheese we occasionally splurge on. Thank you so much!
Can you store the fresh blended mixture in the fridge for a few hours before you’re ready to use it?
Yes, that’s fine.
I made this topping with my Vegan Stuffed Shells recipe. I usually use the store brand Miyoko’s but there is some kind of supply chain problem.
I really think it’s a great substitute. Pretty remarkable to create this. I followed the recipe as written but wanted that top browned texture. I added some olive oil to the mixture and got the results I wanted! Came out great!
I have a question Nora. How much do you think the recipe could be reduced without compromising the outcome? I’d like to reduce it by (at least) 1/2; it’s just the two of us. And freezing, while ok, doesn’t sound like the best idea. Thanks!
Probably by half, as long as it can blend properly in your blender, it should work just fine.
Amazing gooey vegan cheese! Any chance you know if this freezes ok?
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it does freeze well.
Could I replace cashew with macadamia??
I’ve never tried it but I think you probably could.
I love that it’s genuinely stretchy but the cider vinegar taste is strong and it needs more salt. Its super useful but to really enjoy it, I’ll need to doctor this one up a bit.
You can omit the vinegar, some people really dislike the taste or are especially sensitive to it. A little more lemon juice works fine. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of mellow white miso for a different flavor.
I made this again for your really wonderful best-ever lasagna (awesome! I will post a review!) This time I cut back on the lemon by a third, and the vinegar by a third. With these adjustment and the sourness dialed back a touch, It tastes wonderful! My guest also thought it was great! Now 5 stars! Thank you Nora!
I just stopped as soon as I got little stretchy, then added to Pizza… it did not change the color to brown but it was white and it was awesome. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe 🙏
I found it ineresting, although it did not achieve the same texture as the cheese curds I typically obtain when preparing vegan cream cheese or vegan butter. The result was somewhat reminiscent of a briny, sour Alfredo sauce or gravy. However, given my chronic kidney disease, I am unable to use salt. I did manage to enhance the flavor with nutritional yeast and herbs. I am hopeful that the leftover pizza, after refrigeration, will solidify the cheese by tomorrow.
Oh, yes this recipe is not meant to harden up like other recipes. It’s supposed to remain melty and stretchy. If you are looking for a hard vegan cheese, try this Shreddable Vegan Mozzarella instead.
This is amazing !
I’m thrilled that you loved the cheese, Lucy! Thank you for sharing your glowing review!
Hi Nora, thank you for this recipe!
Can I use silken tofu, as you did for the shreddable version of your mozzarella?
Thanks !
Alizé
I believe that will work just fine. Enjoy!
I made this, this morning, and am so happy with it! Tastes great, is really gooey, and so easy to make! I used it on a Reuben, made with your Turkey Roast, and it’s divine.
I’m so glad you loved the cheese and sandwich, Sandra! Thanks for your fantastic review and feedback!
Would this be suitable to use for fried mozzarella sticks?
No, not really. It stays too soft. For mozzarella sticks and a firm vegan cheese, try my Shreddable Vegan Mozzarella. Happy cooking!
I can’t believe how good this is. Thank you, Nora!
You bet, Jamie! I’m so glad you loved the cheese! Thanks for your awesome review! Happy cooking!
OMG – amazing! Added nutritional yeast, onion and garlic granules and a bit more salt. Was amazing – loved by everyone. Will definitely be making again. Even the non vegans thought it tasted like cheese. As you said it was so quick to cook – only took about 3 minutes in the pan. So glad I found this as I don’t like all the ones with coconut oil in – I can always taste it even if it’s refined coconut. I bought a big bag of tapioca starch to make cheese and found this recipe – so glad I did – will definitely be making this on a regular basis.
Hi Charlie. I’m thrilled you discovered my recipe, and that you loved it! Thanks for sharing your glowing 5 star review! I also love how easy this cheese comes together, and it can be used in so many ways! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!