Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

You'd never guess this luscious vegan mozzarella cheese was made from nuts! Easy to make and perfect for sandwiches, pizzas, or snacking.

For a long time I was reluctant to share recipes for homemade vegan cheese on this site, because it can be really, really bad.

I've shared a few successes over the years, and they're usually simpler, creamy vegan cheeses, like cream cheese, spreadable cheddar, or this vegan cheeseball.

Well guess what? I finally got to experimenting with vegan mozzarella, and it turned out to be really easy to make, and surprisingly delicious. This stuff tastes a lot like dairy-based fresh mozzarella — maybe better!

Vegan Mozzarella Ingredients

You only need six ingredients to make this vegan cheese.

Cashews. Raw cashews make up the creamy base for our vegan mozzarella. You'll need to soak them in water for a few hours to soften them up.

Non-dairy milk. Just about any variety will work, as long as it's unsweetened and unflavored. You can even use water in a pinch.

Tapioca starch. This is our thickener. It gives the cheese that soft, spongy texture that fresh mozzarella cheese has.

Lemon juice. Adds a touch of tartness.

Coconut oil. Coconut oil does two things here. First, it adds fat, to give the cheese a rich and luxurious mouthfeel. It also helps the cheese to firm up in the fridge, since coconut oil becomes solid when chilled.

Salt. Cheese is salty! Adding salt to our vegan cheese makes it taste like the real deal.

How to Make Vegan Mozzarella

Start by placing your cashews and ¼ cup of non-dairy milk into a food processor bowl. Blend them together to make a smooth paste. Be patient! The blending process can take a few minutes. Be sure to stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and then.

Now add everything else to the bow: tapioca starch, lemon juice, coconut oil, salt, and the rest of your milk. Blend everything until smooth.

Next you'll need to cook the cashew mixture. Transfer it to a medium pot and place it on the stove over medium heat. Slowly heat up the mixture, whisking it the whole time. It'll start to thicken up as it heats — this is good! Keep cooking and whisking until the mixture is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pot. This should take about 5 minutes.

Take the pot off of the burner and let your cheese mixture cool down a bit.

When it's cool enough to handle, grab a couple of sheets of parchment paper. Take half of your mixture and place it on one of sheets, then shape it into a log. Smooth out the sides and roll it up in parchment paper. Alternatively, you can roll your mozzarella into balls to make vegan mozzarella balls.

Transfer your mozzarella to the refrigerator to chill. I usually just set both of my logs on a large plate and stick it in the fridge. The cheese will firm up as it cools.

After about 2 hours it should be fully set. Slice it up!

How to Use Vegan Mozzarella

You can use this stuff in just about any way you'd use regular mozzarella cheese. Scatter it over a pizza, stuff it in a sandwich like this muffaletta or this Caprese, or serve it with crackers or bread.

Vegan Mozzarella FAQ & Tips

• Can I substitute roasted cashews for the raw cashews? I don't recommend it. Roasting brings out the nutty flavor in cashews, so you'd end up with something that tastes more like nuts than cheese.
• Does this cheese taste like coconut? Not if you use refined coconut oil, which has the flavor removed. If you use unrefined coconut oil it will taste subtly like coconut.
• Can the oil be omitted? It can, and the cheese will still be tasty! The texture might not be quite as realistic and the flavor might not be as rich.
• Is this cheese gluten-free? It sure is!
• Shelf life: your vegan mozzarella will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
• Flavor variation: I sometimes like to add a clove of garlic during the blending step, depending on what I'm planning to use my cheese for.
• I recommend using a smaller blending device for this recipe, if possible, or doubling the batch size. If you want to cut down on the batch size, make sure to use a very small device. You want the bowl to be nice and full so you can blend everything up well!

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Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

You'd never guess this luscious vegan mozzarella cheese was made from nuts! Easy to make and perfect for sandwiches, pizzas or snacking.

Course Component

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword dairy-free cheese, vegan cheese recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Soak + chill time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 143 kcal

Author Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, divided
• 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (preferably refined), liquid state
• 1 teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Place the cashews and ¼ cup of milk into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade.

2. Blend the cashews to a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3. Add the remaining milk to the bowl, along with the tapioca starch, lemon juice, coconut oil, and salt.

4. Blend everything again until smooth and well-mixed.

5. Transfer the cashew mixture to a medium saucepan and place it over medium heat.

6. Slowly heat up the mixture, whisking it the entire time.

7. The mixture will start to thicken up as it heats. Continue cooking and heating until the mixture becomes very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pot, about 5 minutes.

8. Remove the pot from the burner and let it cool for a few minutes.

9. When the cashew mixture is cool enough to handle, grab a couple of sheets of parchment paper.

10. Divide the cashew mixture in half and place each portion on one of the parchment sheets. Shape the cashew mixture into two logs, each about 6 to 8 inches long.

11. Roll up the parchment paper to enclose the logs. Place them on a plate and place the plate in the fridge.

12. Chill the cheese for at least 2 hours, until set. It should be about as firm as regular mozzarella cheese.

13. Slice the logs and use the cheese immediately, or place the slices in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

Amount Per Serving (4 slices (⅛ of total batch))

Calories 143 Calories from Fat 104

% Daily Value*

Fat 11.5g18%

Saturated Fat 4.5g23%

Sodium 304mg13%

Potassium 104mg3%

Carbohydrates 8.9g3%

Fiber 0.6g2%

Sugar 1.1g1%

Protein 2.7g5%

Calcium 3mg0%

Iron 6mg33%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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