This is my love language.
Ooey, gooey, stretchy, melty, where have you been all my life- vegan mozzarella. I’m pretty sure I just made all my vegan dreams come true. I made this recipe four times this week, FOUR. That’s how amazing this is. Just dip some tortilla chips in this bad boy and welcome to heaven.
You can also use this anywhere you would like a melty mozzarella experience, which is, um, everywhere! Let’s see… pizza, lasagna, grilled cheese, dips, the possibilities of deliciousness are endless.
I haven’t even gotten to some of the best news yet. This takes only 7 ingredients, one of them being water. It takes only 15 minutes to make, AND it doesn’t even have any oils or “bad stuff”. Can you tell I’m excited? I’m SO excited.
So what makes it stretchy and gooey. Tapioca! Who knew right? It’s the main ingredient in Daiya, a well-known brand of vegan cheese, and I found that Somer McCowan from the blog Vedged Out also used tapioca starch in her Fresh Moxarella Cheese. She is one smart cookie, er.. well some smart cheese, because she knew what was up. I lightly adapted her original recipe to make a mozzarella that suited my own taste buds but be sure to try her original recipe and check out her blog. So many delicious vegan recipes to be had!
Back to tapioca. Tapioca provides this amazing stretchy, melty quality that any good vegan cheese deserves. It is an absolute must for this recipe. Any other starch will make a thick sauce, but only tapioca will give it that stretch. If you can’t find it in stores you can pick it up on Amazon here.
To make Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella: Boil the cashews for 10 minutes until softened. Then toss into the blender with the remaining ingredients, and blend until completely smooth. It will be very watery, don’t worry, it will get cheesy!
Pour it in a small sauce pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Stir to keep anything from burning. You will start to see clumps forming.
Then all of a sudden, magic! Everything comes together and makes this cheesy, melty, deliciousness. Keep stirring and cooking for another minute or two, to make sure it’s finished firming up. It should take about 5 minutes to cook total. That’s it! Done. So easy.
If you want to save it for later, store in an air tight container in the fridge. It won’t firm up like a hard cheese, it will stay pretty soft, but let’s get real, who needs hard mozzarella anyways?
Serve as a dip, spread onto some toast, dollop onto pizza, do whatever your creative cooking spirit tells you. Don’t worry if you eat it all in one sitting (cause I would never do that), you can always make more.
*This recipe is adapted from Somer McCowan’s Fresh Moxarella Cheese. Be sure to try the original version and check out her blog Vedged Out.
- ½ Cup Raw Cashews
- 1 Cup Water
- 3 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Tapioca Starch (also known as Tapioca Flour)
- 1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Add the cashews to a small pot and with water. Bring to a boil for 10 to 15 minutes until they are softened. This will make them easier to blend.
- Drain and rinse the cashews and add them along with the 1 cup of water and all the remaining ingredients to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. It will be very watery.
- Pour into a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, and continually stir as it cooks. As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then all of a sudden it will become a cheesy gooey mass of yumminess. This takes about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir for an additional minute to make sure it has firmed up completely. Serve hot. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
*If you want to return the cold mozzarella back to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a tablespoon of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.
*If you don't have a high-powered blender, you may want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth before cooking to remove any cashew bits that didn't grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam
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What sorcery is this?!
I don’t know where to start lol. My son has kinda severe CMPA, so I tried another recipe previously and we both almost died of the yuckiness because the nutritional yeast was TOO much. I was VERY VEERRYY skeptical about this cheese, braced myself for disappointment BUT!!!! I loved it! My mom likes it which means it’s BOMB and she didn’t even know it wasn’t cheese! The best part is my DS loves it. He ate it with a spoon out of the pot. He is an extremely (not even close to his level) picky eater. I am so happy for this recipe. I put it on a pizza and that was a winner. Saved the recipe. I managed to hide some lol! That will be his cheese sandwich tomorrow. I am excited he can eat this because he had been begging did cheese since he could talk.
Thank you soooo much.
Haha! So very happy it was such a surprise hit for you, Eve 😀
HEllo there! I am excited to try this recipe this weekend for pizza! Just a few questions…Do I have to let it cool down before putting it on my pizza and will baking it for a long time (45min) over cook it? Thanks in advance!
Hi Amber, you do not have to let it cool down, and can use it right away. I normally bake my pizzas for about 20 – 25 minutes, and the cheese gets lightly golden on top, so I would think 45 minutes would be too long depending on the temperature. Hope that helps!
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! This stuff is so delicious. I made it with almonds. I purchased raw almonds so I had to blanch them. It was very easy. After that I cooked them for about 25 minutes. Once I put it in the pan and started cooking it took no time at all and the cheeze was ready. Even my 18 year old omni son said “Wow”. Thank you for an awesome recipe!!!
You’re most welcome, Lindsey! So very happy you and your son enjoyed it so much 😀
Love this recipe! The first time I made it I used raw cashews according to the directions. The 2nd time, I used 1/4 cup of pre-made cashew butter and had great results!
I saw a couple people asking about it this so I thought I’d share my experience. My blender isn’t the greatest, bless its heart, so it’s hard to get the cashews blended enough. The cashew butter made it super smooth. I did add a bit more vinegar and a touch of yellow mustard to compensate for my cashew butter being slightly sweetened. I didn’t find the resulting cheese to be any oilier than when I used raw cashews. Hope this helps someone!
So happy to hear that cashew butter worked for you, Emily! I must try it myself 🙂
Wow!! Amazing!!
(And im not a vegan)
Just yumyyyy
Woohoo! So happy you enjoyed it, Hadar 🙂
Very late comment considering the initiall posting date, but we recently just made this and were floored. We had never tried stretchy vegan mozz so didn’t know what to expect. This is absolutely delicious! Our 6 year old and 9 year old were eating it with a spoon and wanting more. Although cashews are expensive, we compared the cost of making this vs buying dairy cheese (we are only on about an 95% vegan diet so far), and it is cheaper too. Thank you for helping us get one step closer to eating plant based foods only.
Woohoo! Love that you and your kids enjoyed it so much!! Yes, raw cashews are expensive, but if you can find places to buy them in bulk such as online, or in bulk food stores, you can save money for sure. Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
I avoid buying anything from those bins in the bulk food stores due to pantry moths. It took us nearly a year to get rid of those little pests. Overall, the cashews we found at Costco, which happily did not come from China, are still cheaper than dairy options, not to mention that they are wonderfully cruelty-free.
What we are looking for are nut-free possibilities for the children to take to school for snacks. This is always a challenge…..
Thank you so much for your quick reply….
Hi there. I have a child with severe peanut & treenut allergies, so I know this struggle very well. For other recipes which call for cashews, I sub white kidney beans or sunflower seeds.
This was so good! It is my first time ever making vegan cheese, and I was a bit intimidated by it, but it was so easy and deliciously melty. I am wondering whether there’s a way to it up to slice it for caprese salad (tomato, basil, mozzarella slices with balsamic vinegar)? Would I need an entirely different recipe, or is there a way I could modify this one to make it more solid?
Thanks again!
So happy you enjoyed it, Haley! You could try adding agar powder to the recipe, but I’m not sure of the amounts, and it would make the cheese less melty and gooey. EnjoY!
I made this last night and it was easy and quick to make. When I first tasted it I thought, yeah its ok then noticed I couldn’t stop dipping tortilla chips in it. It was delicious and fun!
Haha! So happy you enjoyed it, Chrissy!
Made this today and it was pretty good! Didn’t put in the apple cider vinegar. Didn’t add enough water though I think, so it didn’t make as much and almost thickened immediately, it also kinda stayed blobs on my pizza in the oven, but overall I really liked it, will try to make a grilled cheese with it tomorrow! My dad tried it too and thought it tasted ok, I mean it doesnt taste like actual mozzarella (but then, how much of a taste has that) but as a cheesy thing its definitely good!
The apple cider vinegar will help it taste more like mozzarella, and using the right amount of water will help it be more melty and gooey and less blobby, if you ever test it out again. Happy you enjoyed it!
Hi!
Have you attempted to make mozzarella sticks with this cheese? If so any tips?
Thank you!
I haven’t, but that’s a great idea! I will add it to my list 🙂
This is amazing! I could eat it every day…and have been for the past week 🙂 today I wanted to mix it up a bit, so held the garlic, added a pinch of onion salt, and a heaping teaspoon of dill weed. Tasted great!
Oh yes, the seasoning combos are endless!! So happy it’s become a new staple for you, Kari 😀
This is so good. I make sure to have some prepared in my refrigerator at all times. I put it on everything! Quesadillas, burgers, paninis, you name it!! I can’t wait to thin it down a bit and use it for Mac n’ cheese! I know you have Mac n’ cheese recipes, but this tastes so good, I’m just going to figure out how to make it work!
Aww yay!! Thrilled you love it so much. Yes, my fave mac and cheese recipe is in my new cookbook 😀
This sounds really good and I wish I could try it, but I can’t eat nuts or other fatty foods. They make me ill. Are there any other recipes for this kind of cheese that have a substitute for cashews? I am getting pretty desperate for a good vegan cheese!
Hi Michelle, some other people in the comments have tried coconut milk, potatoes, and sunflower seeds. Personally, I have never had much success with those, but you are welcome to try. You could also try making mac & cheese with my cauliflower based sauce. Hope that helps!
Thank you for your quick reply, Sam. You strike me as the adventurous, determined type! I bet in time you’ll come up with some. In the meantime, I will just have to save my pennies up for some Daiya cheese, but I have tried cauliflower sauce before and it’s good.
Yesterday was my first visit to your blog, and the fact that you actually reply to your comments is a motivating factor for returning ( besides your wonderful recipes, of course:)
Aww thank you so much! Glad you are enjoying my blog 🙂
Hey Michelle!
I’ve made this five times (once, I quadrupled the batch)…and *all* times I used raw/organic sunflower seeds.
The first time I had just got finished making sunflower seed milk (which I didn’t much care for, btw), and didn’t even see that it was supposed to be unstrained…so I threw in 1/4 cup of the seed-pulp I’d just strained at the last minute…and it turned out perfectly.
The last few times I made it, I’ve made ‘double batches’ (and that quad batch), but for the double batch which should be 1 cup of sunflower seeds, I’ve been really happy with just 3/4 a cup (why add calories and/or use what you don’t have to, eh?)…but others have said it works just perfectly ‘as written’…and I’m sure it does!
I add a few pinches of mustard powder (always makes nutritional yeast a bit cheesier), and add a bit more ACV for my taste.
So far in all my vegan cheese making I’ve found I can sub sunflower seeds for cashews without problem (just a slight difference in taste).
Happy Melty Cheese!
Great tips, Kristi!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Hi Sam,
I want to try making this recipe this weekend but I’m wondering – can I make it in advance? How long does it last in the fridge in your experience and would it be best to keep in wrapped in plastic like cheese or in a tupperware?
Thanks! 🙂
The cheese stays in a melty state, even when chilled. Store it in a tupperware container, and follow the tips on how to reheat it in the note section under the recipe. Enjoy!
I just made this and it turned out perfect and tasted delish…just one thing wrong it had a kinda powdery taste like the flour hadn’t disolved properly or combined properly. Can you tell me why this might have been and how I could make sure it doesn’t happen for the next batch? it is seriously the only thing that went wrong with this otherwise seriously delicious recipe.
So happy you enjoyed it, Debbie! It can taste a bit powdery if the tapioca starch doesn’t get fully cooked. So next time, try keeping it on the heat a little longer. Once the cheese is formed, I usually keep stirring and cooking it for an additional minute or two to ensure it is cooked through. Enjoy!
I wonder if you could freeze this somewhat for the purposes of grating it and then put it on pizza?
Yes, other readers have tried that. You can do that, but it melts almost instantly once grated so make sure to grate directly onto the pizza. Enjoy!
Hey! Nutritional yeast is super hard to find in the uk, so I was wondering if anyone knew whether this still works without it? I’ll be able to source some online but since that’ll take a while to get here we wondered if there were any alternatives. Thanks!
It will work without, but it might be lacking in flavour, so I would try amping up some of the other spices a bit. Enjoy!
Do you have a Holland & Barret anywhere near you? I found it there and my local one is a small branch so I would imagine any H&B will have it. It’s made by Marigold under the name Engevita. HTH!
Order off Amazon! Cheaper than H&B 🙂 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Engevita-Savoury-Yeast-Condiment-Pack/dp/B00A4C48LQ
Holland and Barrett or Amazon both sell nutritional yeast 🙂
I just finally made it! 😀 I am so pleased and will make it again and again. Thank you Sam!!!!!
What I did was use 3/4 C cashews, was a bit heavier handed on the spices and added onion powder and a pinch of curry powder, and in place of water used 1/2 C coconut milk fat cream from the top of the can, and 1/2 C of the coconut milk water (bottom of can)
It cooked up almost immediately because the pot was so hot from having just boiled the cashews really well!
Next time, being me, I might season even more. As it first cooled I was a little concerned it was a bit too rubbery, but now I don’t think so. I am interested in how altering the amount of cashews or cook up time will effect the texture. It does sort of have a very slight sweet taste, presumably from all the coconut, but it’s really not bad at all. It has a very good savory taste and you can’t taste the coconut flavor at all.
Has anyone tried soaking the cashews instead of boiling them?
oh also next time I will try lemon juice instead of apple cider to see how that is, and I realized maybe it’s the amount of tapioca that effects the texture? It’s a good texture though!
Glad you enjoyed it! The texture is getting rubbery from the extra 1/4 cup of cashews you used. Try 1/2 cup as suggested, and I bet you will like the texture better. You can definitely soak the cashews, it won’t make a difference in the cheese as far as taste or texture goes tho. Enjoy!
Hey! Thanks for the extra tips…. how did it go with the lemon juice substitution? We have a lemon tree and apple cider vinegar is really expensive here, so would be perfect if it worked out.
Lemon juice will work for sure, just a slightly different flavour. Enjoy!
First of all… love the recipe! Tastes delicious and is stretchy. I made two batches to compare. The second batch I used Arrow Root flour instead (without adding the additional +2 teaspoons) and did not put in the garlic powder.
I heated a garlic clove and rosemary in a teaspoon of olive oil first then poured in the mixture in the sauce pan. Firmed right up and just as stretchy!
HOLY DELICIOUS CRAP! I’ve decided to pull out the rest of my ingredients, make a pizza shell and top it off with this!
Thank you so much for sharing. Terrific recipe! #ThankYou for the #Vegan #Cheese
Haha! You’re most welcome Anthony! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I was just wondering if anyone tried it with arrowroot. That’s all I have and dying to make this for pizza! Thank you! Going to try it with arrow root
Arrowroot will make a cheese sauce, but only tapioca will give it that stretchy texture. Enjoy!
does it mess it up to leave out the yeast? 🙂
Yup. Nutritional Yeast is not the same type as a baking or rising yeast. It’s the “Parmesan” of vegan and it’s healthy and tasty and cheap! You can put it on anything.
The nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavour, so without it, the cheese might be pretty bland.
Hi, I tried the recipe after all the comments being so positive and excited over this. Well, I guess I am in the minority as I did not care for it. On the plus side, it was super easy to make. I got it done in very little time and it came together just as you described. I would describe the taste as pretty salty. I did not care for the garlic taste at all, I would leave that out the next time. I would probably do something other than water, because the creaminess of a really good quality mozzarella was lacking. Maybe I’d try the full-fat coconut milk like another reader suggested. What I think was most off-putting for me was the texture. Yes, it was stretchy but where mozzarella has a rubbery-type stretchiness this was more gluey and “gloopy” for lack of a better word. I actually felt a bit ill after a few bites. If I could improve on the mouthfeel and overall texture I think I’d like it a whole lot better. I’m sorry for any negativity, I just SO wanted to love it like so many other people did. I’m a true cheese lover so trying to find alternatives has been a big struggle.
Sorry the recipe wasn’t to your taste! I hope you find one you enjoy.
I agree. I made this at it seemed gelatinous, it was mucousy not gooey.
Same. I was disappointed, Might try it with coconut milk instead of water & cut down on the tapioca. Glad others have like it though.
This is amazing! First time I ever made vegan cheese (after buying 5lbs of raw cashews this weekend to make a vegan cheesecake). So delicious. This will definitely be a repeat recipe. My boyfriend devoured it. It was so gooey and flavorful. I made it exactly as your recipe says, wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you!
Woohoo! Thrilled you and your boyfriend loved it so much, Victoria 🙂
Have you ever tried it with something other than cashews? I have a tree nut allergy, so I’m looking for a suitable replacement!
I know almonds work well, but I don’t think that would work for you. If you scroll through the comments, other readers have tried everything from coconut milk, to potato, to tofu, and say they have been successful. I haven’t tried however, so I can’t guarantee results. Hope that helps!
To reheat can this be microwaved so I can take left. Overs to work?
Yep, that should be just fine. 🙂
Sam, have you tried this recipe in mac & cheese, or any other recipe where it’s baked? Just curious if it would still be gooey.
Yes! It works wonderfully. Enjoy!
Hello!! I just made this and it is AMAZING!! I didn’t have tapioca starch on hand, so I substituted glutinous rice flour and it came out perfect! Cooked a bit faster than 5 minutes though, so if you’re using glutinous rice flour just a heads up! 🙂 Thank you so much for this yummy recipe!! Making your artichoke dip now with it 🙂
Wow, that’s an interesting sub! So happy you love it so much and it turned out perfectly for you 🙂
If I were to freeze it, how long would it stay good? I’d like to make a big batch of this and be able to use it whenever I get a cheese craving. Thanks!!
I think it would last about a month in an airtight container. Enjoy!
I just made this complete in a Vitamix. I just put all the ingredients in (and doubled the recipe), without soaking the cashews, and I think it turned out fine! It got cooked in the Vitamix.
The only challenge is getting it all out, but that’s OK.
Very cool! Good to know 🙂
Hi Sam, I’m not sure if you check the comments here anymore but I have a question. I’ve made this cheese twice so far and every time it comes out slightly gritty. Like there are tiny cashew pieces that haven’t disintegrated in the food processor for some reason. Is that normal? Should I process the cheese a bit longer? I was thinking maybe putting it through a strainer might help. Thanks!
Putting the cashews through a strainer is one of the notes.
Hi Julia! Yep, still answering comments all the time. (Although this one is a bit delayed as I just got back from holiday). Yes, if you check out the notes on the recipe it recommends straining the liquid after blending if you don’t have a high-powered blender (such as a Blendtec or Vitamix) to ensure a smooth cheese consistency.
Can you bake this? I want to make a lasagna by the I don’t know if I should put on the cheese on before or after I bake it.
Yes absolutely, prepare the cheese then spread onto your lasagna and bake away!
Just made this cheese as a topping for vegan meatball subs………. phenomenal. My boyfriend said “this cheese is SO gooey, how did you do it???” Thank you so much for this recipe!
Boom! Can’t get a much better review than that!! So happy you and your boyfriend loved it Kayla!! 🙂
I want to use this in an aubergine and tomato sauce bake – do I add it straight from the blender and skip the last stage, or cook it in the pan and then add it in between my aubergine layers? I want it to be gooey when I take it out of the oven!
Oooo sounds delish! Cook the cheese first then use it. You might want to add a bit more water to the cheese to make it a bit easier to spread. It will come out fabulously gooey! Enjoy!
Hi Sam! Can I use potato starch instead of tapioca starch? What is the difference?
Hi Patty, if you read the post or recipe, it explains that any other starch will not get the same results.
Can I put regular tapioca in my Vitamix and make tapioca flour?
Yes, you can!
Oh my gosh. This is AMAZING. I could eat it by the spoonful.
Woohoo! So happy to hear that 🙂
Ugh…our football team, the Seattle Seahawks, JUST got knocked out of the playoffs. Time for Games Night and Sam’s artichoke dip…with a spoon!!!! 🙂
Haha! Well at least the artichoke dip is enjoyed!
Waaaaaah this is AMAZING!!!! For anyone wondering: I made this with arrowroot flou rinstead of tapioca and the result was magnificent!! Maybe not as crazily stretchy as with tapioca, but the gooey texture is certainly there and it does stretch a bit.
Delicious. Easy, Healthy, thank you 🙂
Woohoo! So happy you loved it Farah 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I made this with corn flour (because I didn’t have any tapioca) for an eggplant lasagna and it turned out amazing! https://www.instagram.com/p/BPA4NEKhi1U/
Yay! So happy you loved it 🙂
I was hoping to find someone who tried this with corn flour. That’s all I have at home, so I’ll give it a shot!!!
Corn flour would make a cheese like sauce, but only tapioca starch will give it that stretchiness.
My children wanted Rotel dip on New Years Day. I did not want to buy one more block of Velveeta! I’m done with junk/fake food. So I made your “cheese” and added a can of Rotel tomatoes.
THEY LOVED IT!
In between bites, my daughter said the taste was different. My son just inhaled it. He loves any kind of nacho cheese.
They aren’t so keen with it on pizza. We’ll have to work on that one.
Thanks so much!
Hahaha, that’s awesome! So happy everyone loved it, so much healthier for them too. You might be interested in next trying my Vegan Nacho Cheese recipe. Enjoy!
Can this be cooked entirely in a Vitamix? You don’t say how long to blend it all so I wonder if it can just stay in the Vitamix and get cooked that way.
You blend it until it is completely smooth. My guess is that it wouldn’t work to get cooked in the Vitamix, but you are more than welcome to try!
I just made it!!! Soo good! I put 2 tbsp of agar flakes. First I activate the agar and then I mixed with the other ingredients. Looks more stretchy than your pics though. Let’s see how it sets. The taste is sooo good!
A big thank you very much! !!
Maria
Yay! Glad you love it! Yes, agar will definitely change the texture. Let us know how it sets and re-melts for you! Enjoy 🙂
Hey can I use macadamia nuts instead? I don’t like chashews
Yes you can! You will likely have to soak or boil them for longer as they don’t soften as quickly. Enjoy!
Hi! Is there a way to store this cheese as a solid? All the pictures only show it melted, thanks!
Hi fran,
The cheese will always stay in a melty form, think of it as more of a melty gooey sauce. 🙂
Thanks for responding! I’m thinking using this recipe for a vegan cheese fondue? any thoughts or ideas? Maybe add some white wine to make it a little more tart and fondue like? Thanks:)
I think that would be delish! Traditionally kirsch is used in fondue (which is a clear cherry brandy), so that would definitely be the right flavour. The cheese used in fondue is also a bit tangier than mozzarella, so maybe upping the apple cider vinegar and garlic powder a bit might help. You can add the flavours in at the end so that you can taste test, it just takes more stirring to incorporate. Enjoy!
could you freeze it in wax paper or something so you could then grate it to spread it around a pizza or something? or how do you best put it on a large surface area?
Some people have frozen and grated it. When I tried it, I found that it melts almost instantly when grated so you would want to grate it directly onto the pizza. Personally, I liked just spreading it out on the pizza best, but yes, it can be done!
Hi there I’m just wondering how long this will stay good for in the fridge?
I would say about a week. Follow the directions to reheat it. Enjoy 🙂
Made this and used some of it for black bean quesadillas. Red, yellow and green peppers sauteed in a little olive oil, add in tablespoon of water and teaspoon of tomato powder and cook a bit, then a can of drained black beans… spread the cheese all over the wrap and the bean mix on half. heat in un-oiled pan until nice and crispy! Some vegan sour cream and salsa… great supper. thanks again for the recipe. Using the rest of the double recipe for the spinach artichoke dip today :).
Woot! So happy you love it Maureen. You could also try my Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas if you like. 🙂
OMG. I never leave comments on recipes, but this deserves it. SO EASY, TURNED OUT PERFECTLY. I’ve never ever had such a realistic vegan cheese texture!! Will make this again, adding some cajun spice 🙂
Haha, well I’m super flattered that you decided to leave a comment Monique! Feel free to spice the cheese up as you desire, now that you have the basic recipe you can take it anywhere you like! You might also like my Nacho Cheese recipe. 🙂
Can i put these into jalapenos and bake them to make jalapeno poppers?
Sure!
I used 3 tablespoons of potato starch (that was all I had) and added a teaspoon of agar agar.
I got excellent results (looks just like in the picture)
Thanks!!
That’s awesome!! So happy it worked out for you Sarah 🙂
I just made this and it tasted very good, but the texture was a little slimy. Followed recipe exactly minus lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar. I tried adding water to it, but it didn’t seem to help the texture. In fact it may have made it worse. But if I use less water the whole things sticks together too much.
Any ideas to get the texture less slimy?
Hmmm… I’m not sure what happened here. I find it gets slimy when I tried using alternative milks instead of raw cashews… perhaps the cashews you used were a little different than the ones I have used? Not sure really. Wish I could be more helpful!
Hi!! Can I use a garlic clove instead of garlic powder?
I already tried it before and its delicious btw but just wondering if I can use the garlic without changing the consistency?
Hi Aurora,
Yes, it will totally work, but because the cheese only cooks for about 5 minutes, there might be a raw garlic taste. If you’re into that, go for it!
Have you ever swapped arrowroot for the tapioca?
Hi Marie, arrowroot will make it more of cheese like sauce, only tapioca will give it that stretchy cheesy quality. Hope that helps!
Sam:
Can I substitute Lemon juice for the apple vinegar?
Yes you can! It will have a slightly different flavour, but will still be great. Enjoy!
I have to say I tried the “original” recipe (from the other blog) and I did not care for it at all. On the way home today, I started thinking about how to change it up to add more flavor, so I googled it and found you. All the ideas I had were already right here! This recipe was amazing – thank you! I can’t wait to scroll through your other recipes if they are as delicious as this one.
Awww thanks Lea! So happy you loved my adaption. I made a nacho cheese version too if you are interested. Enjoy!
What’s up Sam! So my local grocery store doesn’t have Nutritional yeast. They have Active dry yeast. Can I use that? Thanks x
Hi Yo,
No, don’t use active dry yeast, that is not at all the same thing! Active dry yeast is used to raise bread, it creates the bubbles. Nutritional yeast has no rising properties and provides a cheesy flavour. If your regular grocery store doesn’t carry nutritional yeast any health food store would have it for sure, or you can order it online.
Can I put this in the oven instead of cooking it on the stovetop ? Cooking it like mac n cheese
Cook it on the stovetop first so that it forms a cheese, then you can use it however you like, including making a mac and cheese. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for a party I threw on the weekend (along with your recipe for spinach and artichoke dip), and got so many compliments on it. I let guests know of the nut content in case of allergies, but otherwise, no one even knew it was vegan!
That’s awesome!! So happy everyone loved it so much 🙂
Just quick 2 questions. This recipe sounds wounderful. 1) Can this recipe be doubled, tripled, etc… without changing the quality of the recipe? 2) If using for grilled cheese sandwiches, should the vegan cheese be chilled first?
Hi Debbie,
You can double, triple, or triple the recipe as you like! Just make sure that you double or triple, every ingredient. You may have to blend it in batches depending on how big your blender is, but you can cook it all together.
You can use it hot or cold for grilled cheese, just spread it on thick, and you’re good to go 🙂
Has anyone used almond , or better yet, cashew milk in place of the one cup of water when blending together? Seems like a good way to enhance this even more. I will give it a try.
Let us know how it turns out for you Audrey! I have tried replacing the water and cashews with non-dairy milk, but I found it made the cheese kinda slimy, so I didn’t like it. But I have not tried replacing just the water. 🙂
I used full fat canned coconut milk and it’s amazing
Awesome!
oh man this is good!finally a “cheese” i can eat ! can you freeze it and shred it for salads or slice it for sandwiches?
Yay! Happy you love it 🙂
You can freeze it, but one cut or shredded it melts and returns to a gooey texture almost instantly, so I recommend using this cheese only in recipes that you want gooeyness. For a sliceable cheese, you could try cheese from my friend book, one of these cheeses, or perhaps a cheeseball. Hope that helps!
5 stars!! Honestly, I was nervous about trying to like another dairy free cheese. Everything I’ve tied prior has just been awful, but this just blew my mind! Thank you for sharing this incredible recipe!
Woot woot! Thrilled you’re a fan Brittney 🙂
can’t you use any starch, like corn or potato starch? i’ve seen awesome recipes for nacho cheese just using potatoes and carrots, thr potato starch makes it very gooey.
Other starches will thicken it and make it into a sauce, but only tapioca will give you the stretchy cheesy like texture.
I made this and the taste was great but the texture was a little gelatinous. Any suggestions on fixing this?
You can always thin it out a bit by stirring in a little more water. Hope that helps!
Could I freeze the mozzarella ,then grate it for toppings like pizza etc.
Yes, I’ve done it. The best method is to grate the frozen mozzarella directly onto the pizza as it melts very quickly and will just turn into a pile of goo if you aren’t careful. Personally I prefer just blobbing it on. Hope that helps!
Hi!! I just made this, but I tried using sunflower seeds!! Just cause where I live (argentina) cashews are ridiculous expensive since they are imported. so for 1/8 of the price soooo….
It turned out really really good!!! obviously i guess the taste is a bit more nutty/seedy but i dont mind it… thanks so much!!!!! I made creamed spinach with it btw 🙂
Oh that’s awesome!! Was it a funny greenish colour? So happy it worked out for you 🙂
It actually wasn’t maybe more beige than white, but you know when you soak the seeds the outer skin/layer falls off so It wasnt a funny color.
Oh yay!
This is awesome! It satisfies a real cheese craving, something that has been lacking in other cheeses substitutes I have tried.
Tonight I decided to add some liquid smoke to taste, the result was absolutely fantastic. I added it after I blended it and then just mixed the liquid smoke in by hand.
Ooooh smoked mozzarella!! What a fab idea. So happy you enjoyed it so much qn 🙂
Hi, Sam!
Tried this today for the first time. I’ve never been a big fan of vegan cheeses – they always seem gritty, or powdery, or just straight up… not good. Daiya tastes gross to me, every variety (although I did find a commercial almond cheese at Sprouts that’s actually pretty fantastic). But I’m willing to try new things, and after all the rave reviews in the comments here, I thought I’d give it a go. I was going to try a blend of cassava flour and arrowroot powder instead of tapioca starch because it’s what I had at home, but then I found myself at the store, and the package of tapioca starch was less than a dollar, so I decided to stick to the recipe.
My idea of “sticking it to the recipe” was to double it (I measured out 3oz/85g of raw cashews, which was roughly a heaping 1/2 cup), use a small clove of garlic instead of the powder, and reduce the tapioca starch to 7 Tbsp (about 1 tsp LESS than the recipe calls for). It still thickened up quite a bit! I had to add about 2 extra ounces of water, and even then it’s still almost jelly like. Oh, and I used smoked salt.
The bottom line is that it’s delicious. I made a mushroom/spinach/”ground beef” veggie crumbles quesadilla and it tasted so very very creamy and scrumptious! I want to try this cheese on everything now. I want to make eggplant pizza, and seitan Philly cheese”steak,” and spinach/sundried tomato dip. Oh, man, my mind is racing.
I think next time I make it I might add a tad bit more ACV, and maybe fresh chopped jalapeno. And now that I’ve made it once I might just experiment with that cassava/arrowroot blend after all, in the name of science, of course.
Thank you!
Yay! So happy that you finally found a vegan cheese you love! Absolutely, feel free to play with the seasonings. As long as you stick to the base ingredients, you can season as you like 🙂
This tastes more like ricotta than mozzarella. I ain’t complaining I’m just observing. That might also have to do with I added too much nutritional yeast. After seeing this on Nikki Limo’s YouTube channel I knew I had found the missing link in my quest for black family approved vegan cheese and macaroni. I am in the middle of making the spinach artichoke dip, that with one or two more ingredients becomes one awesome casserole.
I might see if I can freeze it to shred it. Thanks so much!!
So happy you enjoyed it Una! I also have a recipe for Nacho cheese which is also fab in macaroni. You can freeze and shred it, but it does melt very quickly, so if you try this, I would shred it directly onto the dish you are making. 🙂
I had just a little trouble with this recipe. I was finding that it was a little powdery after melted, I could really taste the powdery-ness of the tapioca. I thought maybe i used too much, so the next time I made it, I backed off a lot on the tapioca, but found it wasn’t stringing up easily, and so i had to continue adding more and more tapioca until it thickened. It definitely tasted good, but found the texture no only to be stingy and gooey like i like it! but also sort of powdery. (not dry powdery but i could definitely taste the tapioca powder) any suggestions?
thanks!
You could try adding more seasonings such as in my Nacho Cheese Recipe. Hope that helps!
Suggestion: Blend more, faster, longer.
Hi,
Would love to try this recipe for a “fikastund” (best Swedish word ever, loom it up) at work, but a colleague is allergic to all nuts. Can I replace the cashews with something? No almonds
Hmmm I haven’t tried it myself, but I heard one commenter replaced both the cashews and water with silken tofu. I don’t know if it will work the same but if you give it a try, let us know how it turns out. 🙂
I have used sunflower seeds in this recipe when we had a guest that was allergic to nuts. It still tasted great!
Great to know!
Made it and used it On a pizza . Me and my wife are vegan, children are not (vegeterian). Usually they are very suspicious of new vegan things I try. Pizza was a great success, this moxarella is unbelievable, children could not tell it’s vegan. Will use it many times. I highly recommend.
Yay! So happy you and your family enjoyed it so much Ziv 🙂
Are you able to shred this once it’s chilled?
No, this stays in a gooey melty state even when cold. It’s best just to skip shredding and spread wherever you would like it instead.
Thanks for this recipe! Is it possible to replace the cashews with any other nut, say almonds? My partner is allergic to cashews 🙁
Yes, blanched almonds work well too. The resulting cheese is not quite as creamy, but still pretty tasty 🙂
Thanks Sam, will give this a go!
Do you know if tofu would work? My friend is allergic to all nuts :-/
I haven’t tried it myself, but I have heard other people try it with some success. I’m not sure what the measurements are but you are welcome to experiment 🙂
Try Brazil Nuts. Many years ago, (like late 90s), Vegan Rella used to be made with Brazil Nuts. It was amazing. Then, one day, it disappeared off the shelves, and I remember my food co-op put a handmade note on the shelf where it used to be saying that it was gone temporarily for reformulation (or something like that). When it came back, it was made with rice milk and it was not the same. I never bought it again.
I just made this recipe with cashews and had great success, but i was reminded of the old days when I could make a beautiful melty quesadilla with the original Vegan Rella. I am going to try this recipe with Brazils — I suspect they will work well because they are very silky and creamy. They offer some different nutrients than cashews, as well, so it will be nice to mix it up once in while for that reason, too.
Oh that sounds like a cool idea!! Never heard of Vegan Rella. Let us know how it turns out when you give it a go 🙂
Let us know the outcome I am super curious! I am really curious of what it would be like with macademia’s as well!
i saw the post and i had to try it! Oh my! Even without the nutritional yeast it was good! I even used potato starch and it still had a stringy texture!
Yay! Thrilled you loved it Jackie 🙂
OMG!!! This was so yummy!!! We ate it on corn chips!!!! It was perfect!!!! I had made cabbage soup and decided to make this last minute just as a side and I am glad we did. My husband is vegan and I love trying new things!!! Yummy!!!! And I love cheese but did not miss the dairy at all!!!!
Yay!!! So happy you and your husband loved it so much Michelle 🙂
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I have been searching for a replacement for the icky bright orange boxed mac n cheese. I made this up with almost a whole extra cup of water, lowered the tapioca starch to 2 tbs and added a 1 tsp of turmeric (to make it orange and slightly less thick) and for the first time EVER my 2yo ate her “MACK” without complaint saying “yum!”
Yay!!! That’s so great. So happy you like and your 2 year old like it Alyssa 🙂 I also have a recipe for Nacho Cheese which might be another goodie for you. 🙂
So, I had no expectations at all when I made this because I’ve tried many vegan cheese dips – carrot and potato based ones, nutritional yeast based ones – and none of them worked for me. I also only have a hand-held blender and I didn’t have tapioca starch (only corn starch) but wanted to make this immediately… and it was still delicious! (Yeah, it’s all gone). It wasn’t perfectly smooth and not stretchy, either, but so good nonetheless! Will get tapioca starch ASAP and make it again. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Oh yay!!! I’m so happy you finally found a vegan cheese recipe you like so much. Tapioca start is definitely worth it. If you don’t have a high-powered blender you might want to strain the cheese before cooking it, to make sure to get any leftover lumps out. So very happy you loved the recipe so much Lena 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been making this regularly for the past couple of months and I love everything about it, how easy it is to make, how well it melts and how amazing it tastes! I’ve been sharing this recipe with vegetarians who say that cheese is their last reason for not going vegan and they’ve been very impressed and have started to quit the dairy!! I used to be that kind of vegetarian too before I found recipes like this one, it’s so important to spread these around so people see how easy and tasty vegan cheese can be!
Wow that’s so awesome Lisa!! I love that you are helping vegetarians take the last step 🙂 So thrilled this recipe helped you make the last step!! I hope you have tried the nacho cheese as well. Thanks for the lovely comment! 🙂
Can I refrigerate the mixture without cooking it? And use it day? Will it go bad?
I’ve never tried that. I always cook it first before refrigerating it. It should be ok, you just might need to whizz it up before cooking it as the mixture might settle.
Could I use arrow root powder instead of tapioca?
Tapioca starch is what give it that melty stretchy quality. Arrowroot powder would make a thick sauce, but you would not get the same cheesy stretch.
Wow, this was my first vegan cheese making experience and the cheese came out precisely as you said, even before I could finish cooking pasta! Now I’m eating a bowl of vegan mozzarella over chickpea fusilli that is reminiscent of dairy cheese tortellini. I’m not vegan (yet) but am doing a cleanse and this meal fits perfectly! Also, in Juneau, AK it’s not easy to get products, so I have to say thank you Costco for the ninja professional blender and the organic chickpea fusilli. Didn’t need to soak or boil the cashews which made this meal a snap! Love your recipes, Sam!
Yay!! So happy the cheese was a success for you Aileen. Hope you’re inspired to eat many more delicious vegan goodness. You’re meal sounds delish!
You are my hero. This is fast, melty, delicious, and perfect on pizza. This will be my go to recipe when I’m in need of some cheesy goodness. Thank you 🙂 I love you?
hahahaha! That made me laugh out loud, which made the people surrounding me in the coffee shop look at me like I was crazy (a common occurrence for me). So very happy you loved the recipe so much Brandon!
You can go to an Asian grocery store and get tapioca starch for prices ranging from $0.89 to $1.99.
Great tip!
This stuff is the best! I’ve used a couple times now for pizza, grilled cheese and a dip and it’s a crowd pleaser every time, great recipe!
Awww yay! So happy you love it so much Sam 😀
I don’t see if this has been asked before, but can you stock up and freeze portions to thaw in a party (or craving) pinch? Will it have the same consistency? Thanks.
Btw Made it twice already! First time it cooled back to runny before I could add to the spinach and artichoke dip but last night it was perfect. I don’t think I did anything different. I know someone said that happened when they used pine nuts but I used cashews either way, I think I got the hang of it now. Dairy lovers loved it too! Just want to know if I can mass prepare on a Sunday for a months worth in the freezer
Hi Chris,
Yes, you can freeze it and it comes back to life just fine. So very happy you loved the recipe! 😀
It’s delicious…..and was so easy to make…..thanks!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Just branching into homemade vegan cheese. Can I use a nutrabullet to make the cheese? Do I have to adjust the recipe?
Should be no problem, just make sure to soak or boil the cashews first as instructed 🙂
Do I still need to soak the cashews if I have a Blendtec?
Nope, you should be good to go! I used the smoothie button and it seems to cream the cashews perfectly
Sam this recipe is amazing! We just made it, and sampled, delish, – it’s going to be great on pizza later! Thanks!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it! 😀
Please help!!!
I just tried making this tonight, and it didn’t form clumps and it didn’t become gooey 🙁
It just thickened, as if i had used cornstarch or something!
What did i do wrong do you think?
– Astrid
Oh no! I am assuming you used tapioca starch, so my only guess is that you might have mis-measured something..? If the ratios aren’t correct it could mess up the recipe. Sorry I couldn’t be more help, it’s hard to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you! Hope that helps at least a little
Yes i did! Maybe i mis-measured or maybe my tapioca starch is different somehow? (I live in Denmark and could only find one kind). I Will have to try it again and see if i can figure it out! Because it looks amazing!
(I still ended up putting it on my pizza and it tastes deliscious, but i wanna nail the stretchy consistency).
Thank you! 🙂
I really hope it works for you! The starchiness is so fun! 🙂
I made this tonight–it’s fabulous. I’ve tried just about every kind of vegan cheese for pizza, and this is by far the best. I saw some similar recipes online, but really like what you’ve done with your version! Thanks!
Yay! So happy you loved it so much Traci and that you like my version. Thanks for leaving such a lovely comment 😀
I made this today and LOVE it!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!! I also followed the directions exactly and mine turned out wonderfully. 🙂
That’s so awesome to hear Amber! So happy you love it 😀
I made this according to intrucations and it tasted like nothing, absolutely no flavor, and it was just goo. Not melty, just tasteless goo.
*instructions
Sorry you didn’t like it! It is mild in flavour, because mozzarella is mild in flavour. You can always add seasonings to your taste.
My first experience with it was the same as yours but it worked for pizza since the sauce had enough flavor. I just made it again tonight and replace the water with full fat coconut milk. I doubled the cashews and added a little onion powder and it was amazing!! It’s so good I might try it as a grilled cheese sandwich!
Apologies if this has been asked and answered already, but could you start with cashew butter and skip the soaking & blending of them?
No problem. No, cashew butter is made by blending the cashews until their oil is released. If you used that instead the cheese would be too oily, and probably taste a little odd as well. It only takes 10 minutes to boil the cashews!
I made a variant of this today and it turned out awesome ! I was wondering if this can be chilled and then grated? Or would I need to add agar so it could set up hard?
It does not get firm in the fridge, but I have heard from other readers that they have frozen it then grated it. I tried it myself, and wasn’t thrilled with the result as the grated flakes melt and return to goo quickly. I have also tried adding agar, but once agar is added, it does not have the same meltiness. I find the best way to use it in a more spreadable way is to add a bit more water. Hope that helps!
Went out and bought tapioca starch today, cant wait to try this recipe!! How long will this keep? Im the only vegan in my family so i tend do stretch my food over a few days!
I wil keep for about a week in the fridge, and then just follow the instructions in the notes to reheat it. But from my experience, there are never leftovers! Haha. Also it’s so super quick to whip up whenever you are in cheesy need. Enjoy Lorna!!
Hi,
I tried the recipe with pine nuts instead of cashews as I am allergic. All went perfectly, the gooey texture was there for about 30 seconds and then it just became “creamy liquidy” again and never got back to gooey (I kept it going for 5-6 minutes afterward). Do you think it is because of the pine nut replacement or is there something else I might be doing wrong? (the taste though is amazing so I will use the result as a “bechamel” replacement). Any thought? Thanks for your super great recipes by the way. 🙂
Hi Isabelle,
Hmm, yes my guess is that the pine nuts are to blame, because I have never had that happen before. Pine nuts are very oily, so maybe that’s why. I recently tried blanched almonds as a substitute for cashews, and they would perfectly. Can you eat those?
Thanks! I was afraid to use almonds (I can indeed eat them) because I thought they would not be creamy enough. I will definitely give it a try!
Enjoy!
THIS IS INSANELY DELICIOUS!!!! Incredible! Thanks for sharing. I made it for the artichoke and spinach dip listed on this sight. My non-vegan husband loved it! Thank you so much!!!
Yay! I am so happy to hear that. So very happy you and your hubby loved it 😀
I love this recipe. Thanks for posting. It’s my go-to cheese recipe when I need something cheesy. I’ve used it for pizza, ziti, mac and cheese, on sandwiches (vegan cheese steaks, hamburgers included), and anything else that requires some gooey goodness.
Yay! So happy to hear that Robert. 😀
Is there any substite to nutritional yeast or will it work if i skip it from the recipe
Hi Richa,
You can skip it if you like. Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavour to the recipe, so if you skip it, you might need to boost up the other spices. Enjoy!
Other spices as in ?….or what else can I use to add up the cheesy flavour?
I almost skipped this step too but upon doing some research discovered that its key to this recipe. So I ordered nutritional yeast from Amazon. And the research was accurate. Nutritional yeast is key for giving it the cheesy flavor.
That’s right, you can season the cheese with other spices such as garlic and onion powder, miso paste, etc. but nutritional yeast is what will give it the cheesy flavour.
Can I sub the cashews for anything else if you have a nut allergy? What would you recommend?
I haven’t tried anything else myself, but the cashews and water together make a thick cream. Perhaps sunflower seeds might work? Or soy cream? I don’t know for sure. If you try something let us know how it turns out. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I always use sunflower seeds instead of cashews. cheaper and less fat. It works well.
Awesome tip! Thank you 🙂
OMG! I love this recipe!! I am trying to be vegan, love almost every vegan recipe I have ever made since I love food, it works. My husband and I are shifting into the vegan mindset slowly….like I had cheese earlier today, sorry. Then I decided to try this recipe since I saw someone used cashew milk…..and another person used arrowroot powder….and I have those things, so I gave it a whirl.
It came together nicely, as in it got clumpy then gooey just like you said it should. Then I tasted it and was not impressed. So I added more yeast, salt and a bit of pepper until it was satisfactory. I probably ended up adding 3-4tbs of yeast….please don’t be mad or judge me…..like I said, I had cheese earlier today and the flavor just needed to be stronger for me, right now. I’m sure once I let go of cheese altogether and my taste buds change, I’ll be able to pull back on that. I did go to the store today and did not purchase more cheese so that was me being good!!!
Anyway, I served it over spaghetti squash warmed up with onions and garlic, topped it with chopped spinach and dried basil. SUPER GOOD!!!! I even have some sauce leftover in the fridge…..not sure what I’ll use that for but I know it will be delish!!! Thanks for this recipe and your awesome blog!! I hope its ok if I share the version I made:
: 1 1/4 cups cashew milk, unsweetened
1 cup water
3-4 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp + 2 tsp arrow root powder
Amy, I will never, ever, ever judge you for trying to eat more vegan! If you are making efforts to eat vegan, well that’s just the best news ever! So happy you were able to make this recipe suit your own tastes. If you ever have any questions or need any support just let me know, that’s what I am here for 🙂
Hey Sam! I made this again today, using almond milk instead of cashew and it came out great!!
I’m using it in a crockpot vegan lasagna that is cooking right now, I can’t wait to try it!! I can’t find the original recipe that I found for the vegetarian lasagna, I came across it a few months ago. It has been a go to ever since. The original called for cheese which I subbed for this. I love using my crock pot so this is a win win. Just layer lasagna noodles, i used whole wheat, sauce, veggies and cheese. This time I used frozen veggies–yellow squash, mushrooms, green beans, and peas, its what I had in my freezer. I’ve done many different combinations and they are all good. I just wanted to share.
I am getting closer to going full vegan everyday. I got oatmeal for breakfasts so I can stop using eggs. Thanks for all the great recipes and being so welcoming. I love that you respond to almost every comment, it shows you really care about what people have to say and want to start a dialogue. I appreciate that! Thanks so much!
That lasagna sounds great! I don’t have a crockpot… maybe I should get one. Hmm…
Congrats on getting more and more vegan! And thank you, yes I really do care what people have to say! Responding to comments is actually one of my favourite parts. It lets me know that I am indeed making a difference, even if people are just eating one dish vegan. 🙂
I was just thinking, “I wonder if I can use arrowroot powder instead…” since that is what I have in the pantry, and then read this post. Perfect! Making this tonight for our vegan pizza. Can’t wait 🙂
I hope you enjoy!
How long is the life of this cheese?
I would say about 5 days when kept in an air-tight container in the fridge. See the notes for re-melting it. 🙂
Did not look at all the comments but wanted to add that if you do make double or triple or quadruple to save on washing up, you can freeze this. Just give it a good stir up when you thaw it out and you are good to go. I used the thawed sauce for a grilled cheese sandwich with home made almond pesto… Drool 🙂
Vegan pesto grilled cheese sandwich!?!?! Um, don’t be surprised if you see that appearing on the blog soon 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion. I wonder if I could out it in an ice cube tray then just throw those on a pizza.
Nutritional Yeast isn’t available anywhere in my county and I can’t order it online :/ (I’m not legal to own a credit card just yet.) Any subsitute I can use instead of nutritional yeast?
Nutritional yeast is just for flavour in this recipe, so you can just skip it but it does provide the cheesy flavour, so the recipe won’t be quite the same. You might want to boost up some of the other flavours to help replace it. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the advice! I added garlic powder instead of the nutritional yeast and it was absolutely delicious! Once again, thanks a lot for the response and this wonderful recipe!
You’re very welcome! I’m glad it turned out for you 🙂
Hi there, can you tell me if this would work in a dairy free cheese sauce?
my boy LOVES this cheese by the way!!!!
Hmmm… difficult for me to know. Do you have a recipe for this cheese sauce? The cheese itself is already pretty saucy, so if you are just mixing it with macaroni or something it should be good to go!
I made Mac and cheese with it last night. Using almond milk for the cheese sauce… It actually tastes really good
Yay! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Wow! I just found this on Pinterest and I think my jaw actually hit the desk. I cannot wait to try this. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Haha! You’re very welcome Dawn! I hope you like it 🙂
I just came across this recipe and had to try it immediately. It turned out fantastic! I used the cashews as well as cashew milk to replace the water. It worked perfectly. I’m turning it into the Spinach Artichoke dip so it looks like I’m going to have to make another batch for tomorrow night’s pizzas! Thanks for the inspiration.
You’re very welcome Tanya! So happy you enjoyed it so much and are making it again already 🙂
I made this last night to put on pizza and it was yummy! Will make again! I did everything the recipe called for but instead of 1/4 cup of cashews I used 1/2 cup and did not up the other measurements and it was great– nice a gooey.
So happy you loved it Danielle 🙂
Hi just an update. I tried to make Macaroni and cheese with this recipe. Worked out pretty well!
Basically, I boiled one cup macaroni, then when el dente, drained the pot and put back on the stove with the gas off. I then made the cheese as per the recipe, but cooked it together with the cooked macaroni while stirring. Tastes good, but next time I will double the pasta and add some celery pepper and a little more salt
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it. My recipe for Melty Stretchy Gooey Nacho Cheese might work well for a more rich flavour 🙂
OMG! I made this tonight for my pizza and it was delicious!! Thank you so much for such an easy and perfect recipe! I had to go and buy some crips to dip into it to finish the remainder of it, I just couldn’t leave it haha
Haha! THat’s awesome. So very happy you enjoyed it Cristina 🙂
Have you tried to put it in ice water and brine to make it firm up like dairy mozzarella? I would be interested to hear how that would turn out.
No I haven’t, but my guess is that it wouldn’t firm up the same way, as this cheese doesn’t have any of the firm qualities, it’s really intended to stay melty. If you would like a vegan mozzarella that does firm up in brine, I recommend trying Miyoko Schinners.
So, when I attempted this recipe, the cheese turned into this snot like consistency, and it was really weird… Did I do something wrong?
It’s difficult for me to know without being with you in the kitchen, but it should be a gooey and stretchy consistency. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Love this, but not quite Mozzarella..
I really like this, but I think it is not quite a substitute for mozzarella in some dishes.
Great sub for Roux/white/cheese sauce though!
I must say that my yeast may not be the best, so will try another yeast before my final comments.
I really must say though, your blog is great, positive and has so many wonderful ideas. I am addicted to it now!
heers
Thanks so much Craig!!
Make sure you are using Nutritional Yeast, other yeasts are a totally different thing and I imagine wouldn’t taste very good!
Love this recipe! Ive done it before but didnt thought about cashews in this one. Have you tried using oatmeal milk instead of water? I think it could helps a bit for a creamy consistence, dont you agree?
Thank you ! Greetings from Argentina.
Hi Max, So happy you love the recipe! I use cashews because they make the creamiest milk. I don’t think oat milk would be as successful as oats do not have the same richness as cashews. If you happen to give it a try however, let us know how it turns out 🙂
Hi, I tried this recipe but didn’t have the tapioca flour, so I used ground white grits. Ok, so the texture was not the same, but it tasted like cheese grits, which my husband loves. It was wonderful. Thank you! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Hey very cool, that sounds like a whole new recipe on it’s own!
What is the serving size the nutritional information is based on please?
Thanks!
There are three servings in the recipe, so the serving size is 1/3 of the recipe.
Thanks!! One more thing, does this solidify like conventional mozzarella on refrigeration, please? 🙂
No it doesn’t, it stays on gooey form.
Heeeeey! First of all, THANK YOU for making this recipe! Could you please provide the exact metric measurements (ml/g) of this recipe? I just made it (I’m from Spain, I don’t know if our measuring tools have the same… measures; yeah, a bit silly) and it resulted being very… salty and not so gooey as it should be. I followed the same steps as the recipe indicates, and I didn’t forget any ingredient… I don’t know what could have happened. Thaaaank you very much again for this magical recipe, I’m really looking forward to do this!
Hi Sara, you’re welcome 🙂
Perhaps you will find this chart helpful? I know another fan ended up purchasing American measuring cups and spoons so they could make my recipes without converting. Hope that helps!!
Sam
I made this recipe a while back and it was great! Like you said, it’s a little hard to spread on pizza and you have to put blobs on the pizza. It’s still delicious, though! But I put some in the freezer to save for later. I actually forgot about it for about 2 months but it was still great when I used it again. Also, while it was still in a frozen chunk, I shredded it with a regular cheese grater and it grated pretty easily and it was easy to sprinkle on the pizza! If you freeze and shred it, the only suggestion I have is to make sure it is still frozen solid when shredding, otherwise it gets kind of sticky. Thanks for this recipe, it’s fabulous and I will definitely be making more! I like the convenience of the frozen shreds!
I love that idea of freezing the cheese to grate it! I thought of doing that, but I still have an untouched frozen block of cheese in my freezer. Haha. So happy it works for you, and that you love the cheese. I will definitely be giving that a try 🙂
Made this tonight for a group of non-vegans and they ate it right up!
Only change I made was to brown the onions and garlic in a skillet before mixing in with everything.
So happy you and the non-vegans loved the recipe Sara 🙂
This comment was supposed to be on the spinach-artichoke dip recipe but I had both open at the time and it ended up here. Anyway, it was really good 🙂
Haha, I thought so! 🙂
Wow, simply amazing. NEVER thought I would ever taste a “vegan” cheese that actually just simply tasted and had texture like cheese. Made a batch, and used it on a small french bread style pizza to try. OK….you had me at “Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella.” Then my wife tried it and said “you are going to make the pizza tonight with this aren’t you!” I’m not vegan, not even a complete vegetarian, but you are a great fisherman – you know to hook ’em with great recipes….and slowly reel ’em in. Can’t wait to try more! Hmmm – Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese anyone.
🙂
Haha! I am the fisherman who doesn’t support fishing…unless it’s to woo the omnis to the greener side. Haha! Love it. I’m so very happy you loved the recipe so much. I never really expect omnis to try the vegan cheeses so it’s super awesome that you are an adventurous cook, and wanted to give it a go, and even more awesome that you loved it! Thanks for the lovely comment Dan 🙂
This recipe didn’t do it for me. It tasted nothing like mozzarella, not even close. It didn’t have the texture, the kind of mild cheesy richness or the creaminess. It tasted like cooked starch that was flavored with nutritional yeast.
Aw that’s too bad. Sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe. 🙁
OMG this is amazing, who would of thought that such ingredients would taste so good. Perfect for my coeliac recently turned vegan daughter. It actually has more taste than boring mozarella, more like tallegio. Thankyou
Aww yay!!! So happy you and your daughter love it Julia 🙂
I understand that cashews make this more creamy, but I have a nut allergy. 🙁 Would sunflower seeds still make a nice cheese, or are there other nut free alternatives? Thanks for your time!
Hi Alicia!
Yeah, cashews are creamy which is why they work so well, but if you have an allergy, you could try another nut with varied results, just make sure the nuts are really softened before trying to blend them because they have to break down to a cream. My guess is the sunflowers would make the mozzarella green…? Haha if you are into that I say go for it. If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out 🙂
This recipe looks amazing and I can not wait to make it. However it is pretty much impossible for me to find nutritional yeast… Is there anything I can substitute it with? Or can I leave it out?
Thanks Ale! Nutritional yeast is just for flavour here, so you can definitely leave it out. You might want to try to amp up the flavours in another way. You could try a pinch of vegetable bullion, a small amount of white miso paste, or any seasoning you think would be yummy. Hope that helps!
Could you use substitute corn starch for the tapioca? Thank you!
Hi Erin,
Corn starch doesn’t have the same reaction as the tapioca starch. It would make the mozzarella into a thick sauce like texture. The tapioca is the magical part that makes it melty, stretchy, and gooey, and there is really no replacement for that. Hope that helps!
I tried making this today and it is SO GOOD! Instead of using cashews and water, I just used my favorite storebought cashew milk (college budget, haha) and it turned out so thick, gooey, creamy, and delicious! It tastes SO REAL. Tapioca starch is magical!
I normally don’t like nutritional yeast cheese sauces, but I loved that there was only a tbsp in this one. The flavor was delicious, mild, and salty, just like mozzarella. I fed it to my boyfriend and he didn’t even know the difference! 🙂
Haha! That’s awesome Julia! So very happy you loved it, and so cool to hear that it worked with cashew milk! I will have to try that myself. 🙂
That’s so cool! I would love to know what amount of cashew milk you added. Also on a budget 😛
Hey Sammy! I used 1 1/4 cup of unsweetened Silk Cashew Milk. I’ve remade this multiple times with that , it’s so good!
Thanks for letting us know Julia! I will have to try this myself sometime too 🙂
This is the most amazing vegan cheese I have ever had! Thank you for sharing his recipe!!! I actually had this as a meal the first time I made it because I couldn’t stop eating it!!
Haha!! I did the EXACT same thing Deanna! So incredibly happy you loved it 🙂
Never mind, I see now it says the recipe serves 3. :). So 282 calories and 15 grams of fat total.
Haha yep! Glad you found it ok 🙂
How many servings are in the recipe? I see the nutritional information per serving, thanks for providing that! I’m trying to import it into my fitness pal but I need to know the amount of servings. I made one test batch and it was wonderful, so i promptly made a second batch! Thanks,
Hi, I’d love to try this recipe but as I’m new in the world of vegan cheese I have a little question (sorry if someone asked it in previous comments but I couldn’t read everything…).
I read a lot of vegan cheese recipes and almost everyone calls for cashews. Are they so important for taste/texture or can I use other nuts like almonds?
Thank you in advice.
Hi Bea,
No problem! Cashews are supremely creamy and pretty neutral in taste so they do work really well for anything creamy. If have an allergy, you could try another nut with varied results, just make sure the nuts are really softened before trying to blend them because they have to break down to a cream. Hope that helps!
Thank you very much! I’m gonna try it with almonds, not because of an allergy but because where I live it’s pretty impossible to find cashews 🙁
I only have another little question… I’m planning to make it for days but to be honest I don’t know what to do with it :-S
We don’t usually have snacks so I wouldn’t use it as a dip… I actually use mozzarella just in pizza… but do I have to put it on my pizza at the end or can I use it just like a regular mozzarella? (so I’d put it on the pizza dough with other ingredients and then bake it).
Or… any other suggestions?
Thank you, again!
P.S. English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any mistakes!
This mozzarella works great on pizza! It doesn’t spread very well, so I just spoon small blobs across the pizza, and then bake as normal. You could also try making a Mozzarella Grilled Cheese, Crispy Rice Balls, layering it in lasagna, or adding it in a burrito. Really, anywhere you might traditionally use mozzarella, you can use this vegan mozzarella. Enjoy!
I tried it and it was GREAT! I liked it very much. I made pizza and as you said, it’s hard to spread well but when it came out of the oven it was such a pleasure! Perfectly melted.
I would post a photo if I could.
I have some leftovers and I think I will use it for grilled cheese, yum!
Yay!! So happy you loved it Bea!! Yeah it bubbles up perfectly on pizza….mmmmmm….pizza….
Yeah I agree! It’s so nice when you are able to make your own recipes at home from scratch instead. Hope you enjoy this one 🙂
Great recipe! I put some in a drizzle bottle slightly watered down with a bit of hot water. I then drizzled it on the pizza and my cheese pizza loving toddler was impressed. We are going vegan but I wanted to replace some of her favorites.
Ooooh very cool idea Pam! So happy you loved it 🙂
Hi. I tried making this tonight for my pizza but found it rather floury/pasty textured rather than being melty, chewy like cheese. Is it meant to be paste-like or have I done something wrong? I’m wondering if making a roux with the flour and some oil before combining with the rest of the ingredients will help? Any suggestions would be gratefully received! Thanks. x
Hi Maria,
It sounds like something might have gone wrong when you made the recipe. The mozzarella is very melty and stretchy and not pasty or floury. Did you perhaps use too much of the tapioca starch? I wouldn’t make a roux, tapioca starch is not the same as a wheat flour. It sounds like perhaps your measurements were off. Maybe check the recipe to ensure you followed it exactly? Sorry I can’t help more, hard to know what went wrong.
Making this again tonight for a lasagna!!! White bean “ricotta” and your melty cheese…it should be amazing!!!
Ooooo that sounds delish! I want some 🙂
Delicious!!! I used the boiling method skeptically but it worked great. It definitely tastes more like nacho cheese like one person said but I used it on a pizza it tasted amazing. I was surprised at how easy it was. It took no more than 20 minutes including the 10 minutes of boiling the nuts. Sooooo easy! Next time I’ll double it!
Yes, I love the boiling trick! You can pretty much boil cashews for any recipe that requires soaked cashews. I almost always do that, because I am not one of those people who thinks to make a recipe hours in advance. Haha.
This is magic! I love it! My hubby and I miss an ooey gooey fondue periodically, but not enough to resort to multiple ingredient cheeze alternatives. So after finding this recipe, I added a little cream sherry, fresh pressed garlic, white pepper, and a splash of dry white wine. Helloooooo sourdough bread and delicious, naughty cheesiness! Thank you soooo much for this fabulous post! Happy happy joy joy!
Haha! Is that a little Ren & Stimpy through back I see? I love it! So happy the recipe was a hit and that you were able to make it your own 🙂
Super funny! I have no idea how that great little cartoon became my representative photo. I’ve tried to figure it out to no avail…but at least it makes me giggle…so, oh well! Cheers, Dana
Haha! All I see is your lovely face Dana. The little monster cartoons are set as a default if you don’t have a photo of yourself uploaded, so it comes from my end. I think their funny. 🙂
tee hee! I figured it out…I kinda miss the little guy though… 😉 Keep up the fabulous work! My hubby and I are plant based foodies in a sea of meatasauruses, and all of the great ideas and original and shared recipes help us “break through” and help us find other fabulous blogs like Somer’s. 🙂 January 2nd we’re hosting an annual party for a big group of pals. Pajamas, games, and breakfast for dinner! I’m going to add some of the Ooey Gooey to my plant based frittata for some “mo’ bettah!” Too bad you don’t live closer! 🙂
Oh I love the sounds of that party!!! I wish I lived closer too 🙂
I made this for a lasagna last night, and it was delicious! I tripled the recipe, and it’s a good thing I did because my kids were sneaking spoonfuls the whole time I was building the layers for the lasagna. I’m excited to try this cheesy goodness for other things too – my husband suggested fondue with some hearty bread chunks. Mmmm… Anyway, I posted about my lasagna (including your mozzarella) here: https://yummyhealthyblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/22/festive-vegan-lasagna-with-homemade-spinach-kale-noodles-almond-ricotta-and-cashew-mozzarella/
Oh yay!! so happy you loved it and that the lasagna worked so well for you. 😀
Question! I am planning on make this for Christmas in lasagna and was wondering the best way to adapt it, so it remains like melted cheese between the layers.. Thanks!!
-Caroline
Hi Caroline,
No adaptions necessary. This cheese will work great in lasagna. Enjoy!
Hi Sam!
I have made this recipe and your recipe for spinach-artichoke dip using it multiple times. Last night, I wanted pizza dip, which I haven’t had since I went more plant based. I used this recipe as the cheese base, put homemade pizza sauce on top, then added my favorite vegetable pizza toppings (caramelized onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers) and baked until bubbly. It was delicious with toasted bread, and it tasted very similar to the original I used to make with animal products. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Ooo that pizza dip sounds amazing!! So happy you love the recipe so much! 🙂
My husband and I made homemade pizza last night. (It’s the only way can enjoy dairy free, gluten free, and vegan favorite foods on the cheap). We used this sauce for our cheese. I broiled the pizza for a minute to give it that slightly toasted look. The final result was beyond yummilicious!!!!!!!! Thank you for such a simple and quick recipe.
Note: I did not have garlic powder do I used a half clove of fresh garlic.
Yay!! So happy you loved the recipe and that it went swimmingly well with your pizza. Thanks for the comment SJ 🙂
Hi Sam,
This recipe looks amazing!!
My mom has recently gone gluten dairy free and craves oowy gooey cheese all the time! I’m making Christmas dinner for her this year, I’m wondering can.I.add this to my gluten dairy free baked Mac n cheese? Would that taste all right and not make it to watery? Also could this be breaded fried s cheese sticks or how would I do that? Lolk
Hi Kristi!
You can use this recipe anywhere you like, but I think in a mac and cheese it might be a little too mild in flavour. You could try my Vegan Gluten Free Mac and Cheese or my Healthy Broccoli Mac and Cheese. I think the breaded and fried cheese sticks could work, you could try freezing the cheese for a couple of hours to firm it up, cut into sticks, and then bread and fry. I recommend giving this a test run first. I hope that helps!
Thank you so much for the advice, very helpful! Your Mac n cheese recipe looks delicious:)was thinking about trying this recipe http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2005/11/baked-mac-cheese-gluten-free.html?m=1 and just adding additional spices for flavor but I still want the strechy meltyness you get from my non vegan macaroni, would it work if I use da:iry/caisen freecheese sauce with spices, and add the vegan mozzarella to get the stringy texture? Regular dairy free shredded cheese just melts like liquidy. Want the pull apart stretchy cheesy goodness!! 😉 but I still want it to be good. Lol
No problem, yes I think it might work, but you would have to give it a try to know for sure one way or the other, as I haven’t tried doing that. Hope that helps!
Did you try it, and if so, how was it? 🙂
Im looking forward to trying this recipe! My boyfriend was upset to have to give up nice gooey mozzarella and now we can eat it again!
However, my question is, what would I add to it if I wanted the cheese to set? Like I want to make mozzarella cheese sticks and pizza and this recipe doesn’t seem like one that will solidify.
agar gar powder
Yay! So happy you are excited about the recipe. I am actually toying around with a new recipe that sets, but so far have not perfected it. You could try agar, but I don’t know the ratios or how well it would work.
Enjoy!
Easy and quick to make. Tastes great! I cannot even believe how good this tastes. I’ve been searching for good vegan cheese recipe for 2 years. Thank you thank you thank you!
Aww you’re so welcome Laura!! I am so happy you love it 🙂
WOW. I just made this cheese and put it on my burritos and my goodness is it ever GOOD!!!! Thank you for a gooey dairy free cheese, it’s exactly what i’ve been looking for!
Aww that’s awesome!! I’m so glad you loved it Paula. Thanks for coming back and leaving your review!
I made this and it was very good . I did not have tapioca flour so I used 1 tab. Thai rice flour . Turned out great!!!!
That’s great to hear Bev! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
What if you added to much water
Oh no! I have never done that before. Did you accidentally add double the water? If so I would add double the remaining ingredients. If you are unsure of how much water you added, you might have to start again. Good luck!
Hi I jus tried the recipe. Unfortunately I accidentally put too much garlic powder and now it tasted very garlicky. I also used arrow root powder instead of tapioca but it turned out great. The taste of it is more like cheddar and perfect for nachos. It definitely has a more nutty flavour and I wouldn’t call my version mozzarella style as it has too much flavour in it and mozzarella is normally quite subtle. But I would definitely recommend it to you to try!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! When you don’t use as much garlic powder it will be more subtle in flavour and taste a bit more like mozzarella. I also have a Vegan Nacho Cheese recipe in case you’re interested. 🙂
Hi,
I would like to try this recipe but I’ve got roasted cashew butter and I was wondering if I could use that instead of soaking raw cashews. Do you think that would be ok and how much would I have to use for this recipe?
Thanks,
Hi vegzi,
I haven’t tried it, so I really am not sure about this one. The cashews in this recipe are made into a cashew cream. Cashew butter, has been blended for a long time until the oils release. So if you give it a go, the resulting texture might be different and oily. Like I said I am not sure tho. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
Thanks so much for this! Just had a grilled cheese and it was delicious. I’ve only been a vegan for 3 months but I’ve been looking for cheese that actually satisfies the cheese craving and this is it! it’s a good thing too since I was sick of that wierd butter taste of Daiya. Not to mention, this is way cheaper too 🙂
Yay!! So happy you loved the recipe Massiel. I love making my own versions of cheese because I can control the taste (and price). So happy you found this recipe and it makes you so happy 😀
This makes the most addicting grilled “cheese” sandwiches! I’m not vegan but I would have to encourage everyone to try this. The mouthfeel is gooey like American cheese and it has a tangy, nutty, cheesy taste, but in a good way 🙂 My only gripe about the recipe is that it is really small for the amount of time it takes to make this. I’ve never been able to cook this in the 15 minutes, and larger batches takes a significantly longer amount of time, so I’m trying to see if a larger batch can somehow be made in a crockpot. I’ll let you know if it works!
So happy you enjoy the recipe wanderlust! Really? This recipe is always so quick for me, even if it is a larger batch. I’ve never tried a crockpot, so if it works out for you let me know. I love that you aren’t vegan and still love this recipe!! 🙂
Thank you so much for this!!!! The one thing that bothered me about purchasing the vegan cheeses is that there are ‘other’ ingredients in there I don’t always like. I worry about GMOs in the ingredients in some of them. When I make it myself, I’m in control so this is fantastic!! I’m going to make a pizza with it this weekend!! I have all those ingredients already. I had no idea we could make our own like this. THANK YOU!!
You’re very welcome Diane! So happy you love the recipe, and enjoy your pizza 😀
Hi, I made this and LOVE it, spinach artichoke dip.. Yum! Wondering if I can use another nut other than cashews? I have a friend who’s allergic, having him over for dinner. Thank you:)
Hi Gia,
So happy you love the recipe! I think macadamia nuts would work well. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out 🙂
You are a GENIUS and I think I love you! Haha
I recently had my suspicions confirmed and found out I have a dairy allergy. I miss cheese so much. This recipe makes everything alright. It’s perfect. It’s ooey gooey and stringy and cheesy perfection.
I may or may not have just eaten it off the spoon.
I can’t wait to try your cheddar version.
THANK YOU..so much!!
Awwwww that makes me so happy! I am delighted you like the recipe so much Stephanie 🙂
Hey Sam! I’ve made this before and LOVED it, but tonight I’m making enchiladas and wondering if this cheeze could be baked? Thanks!
Hi Emilie,
Absolutely! It will brown up on the top so just be sure to keep an eye on it. If you are baking the enchiladas for a long time, maybe bake it most of the way first, and pour the cheese over for the last 5-10 minutes so that it doesn’t burn before the dish is done. Hope that helps!
This recipe looks like it would be good for spinach artichoke dip! I might just have to try it!
It totally is! Here is my Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe 🙂
WOW so many comments on this!
Well done Sam 🙂
I will be making this for the first time tonight and just wanted to add my 2 cents… can’t read all the comments (too many!!) so this may already be suggested….
To put this on a pizza I would fill a baggy with the warm cheese, cut a wee hole out of a corner, and, rather like icing, squiggle it all over the pizza ready to go in the oven – have done a similar thing with corn starch vegan cheese years ago and it goes everywhere you want it (which you know is everywhere 😉 and it browned nicely, looks like grated moo cow cheese. Bet dairy eaters wouldn’t know it wasn’t!!
Haha, thank you Ellie! I don’t think anyone has suggested the bag method, that’s a great idea! Thank you for sharing, I will have to try this myself. I hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
Thank you so much ! I had a blast ! As a raw vegan, eating cheese can be very expensive. Best recipe ever 🙂
Awww shucks! Thats awesome 🙂
Wow that looks insanely good. Never thought about tapioca for cheese, very psyched to try this!
Thank you so much!! Yeah tapioca is pretty amazing stuff! I just posted my new recipe for Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese as well 😉
My vegan daughter and her husband and I made your cheese tonight and it was amazing! We did a couple of pizzas on chickpea crusts and your recipe provided more than enough “cheese” for the pizzas. You’re right, much easier just to blob it on in certain places rather than spread it everywhere. We were pleasantly surprised that a quarter cup of cashews and a little tapioca starch produced so much for it. Thank-you!!!
Yay!! So happy you and your family loved the recipe so much Tom 😀
Hi Sam, my cheese didn’t get super gooey. I’m sure I made a mistake somewhere but wondering now that it’s made, can I add more tapioca starch now and would that thicken/goo it up a bit more? Would I just add it straight to the cheese or dissolve in water first?
Thanks
Hi CZ
To be honest, I’m not sure. I have never tried to add it in afterwards. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work however. Just try whisking in the tapioca and then cooking while stirring. Let us know if you are able to rescue it!
OMG! This is the best recipe ever. I love it so much. Just made it for the first time and ate it on crisp bread. Can’t wait to make a pizza with it! Thank you! 🙂
Thank you so much Amanda!! I’m so happy you love the recipe so much 😀
I can’t get over how great the texture of this is. I used the spices I usually use for “cheddar” with this recipe today and put it on baked potato with beans. So, so yummy!
So happy you love it so much Amanda! What cheddar flavours did you use?? I am curious because I am working on my own cheddar version!
I have this great recipe book called 20 minutes to dinner by Bryanna Clark Gorgan. It is simply amazing and most of the recipes are really low fat (80/10/10).
The spices for the cheddar are:
1/3 of a cup of nutritional yeast
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1 tablespoon of miso paste (says light miso in the book but I only had dark)
I think I might try with the vinegar instead of the lemon juice next time.
Amazing!! Thanks Amanda! I am going to try playing around with some of those flavours and see what I can come up with 🙂
Good luck. I’m sure it will turn out great. I made moussaka in the slow cooker today with the mozzarella style recipe on top, can’t wait to try it!
Thank you! Ooooo that sounds great!! I want to eat it.
Thanks, Sam!
This was nothing short of amazing! My carnivorous husband and daughter loved it and i am so happy to have found a comfort food I won’t feel terrible about eating!
I have family coming for the weekend and would like to use as a hot dip. Can you think of a good emulsifier to keep it thinned out if it is kept warm?
Again-thank you so much for sharing this!
Thank you so very much Liz! So happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe so much. 🙂
I think it should stay pretty ooey gooey if you keep it warm, but you could try adding a bit more water or even oil to keep it thinner if you like. Hope that helps!
Hi Sam,
This looks fantastic.
What could I use to substitute tapioca? I searched it where I live and they dont have it anywhere.
Hi Christophe,
Thank you! Unfortunately, tapioca is crucial to this recipe. Other starches just don’t provide the same stretchy texture. I don’t know where you live, but you can try ordering it online. Amazon sells it here.
I live in Luxembourg, and unfortunately only amazon.de ships food items to Luxembourg. (.com and .co.uk dont send out food or even powders anymore)
btw you linked me to nutritional yiest.
maybe my local asian store sells Tapioca flour. Can I buy tapioca in thicket beans and grind it myself? I have a vitamix so it should work right?
like this: http://www.amazon.de/TRS-Sago-Tapioka-Perlen-500g/dp/B003XIJYJ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1437492129&sr=8-3&keywords=tapioca
Hi Christophe,
Yes, sorry about that, I fixed the link shortly after.
Yes you can absolutely buy tapioca pearls and grind them yourself! It’s the exact same thing. Another reader said she did this and it worked perfectly for her. 😀
Hi,
I found the Tapioca starch, I will try the recipe soon.
I might just go with one cup of cashews, 1/4 cup doesnt seem like much :).
I also bought “american cups” so now its easier to follow recipes.
Great! If you go with 1 cup of cashews, remember to multiply all of the other ingredients by 4 as well. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Quick question, your tablespoons and teaspoons, are they heaped? or just flat kinda.
Hi Christophe!
I always heap the spoon and then use my finger or a knife to wipe off the excess making it flat. This way my measurements are always consistent. Here is a pic to show what I mean. I hope that helps!
Ok Thanks.
And you use normal tbl spoons? I recently bought these american cups (no one in europe uses them) so I wanna make sure I dont need different special spoons for this recipe.
I had to look that one up! I had no idea, but according to this tool, no they aren’t the same.
Thanks I tried the recipe and it was great!!
I will try to experiment with this recipe to make it more tangy like cheese.
So far I only used it on bread and pizza and both is great.
Have you tried different experiments for this one? Do you have a tip for how to easily put it on pizza? this part was a pain 🙂
Yay! You could try increasing the vinegar for a more tangy flavour. For the pizza, I found it easiest to put little blobs of the cheese on the pizza. (Instead of evenly trying to spread it out). Lightly greasing the spoon before you do this can help too. So happy you loved the recipe! 😀
Hi Sam,
I made it again for the fourth time ( I always make this based on one cup of nuts, so enough for a week)
and I used vinegar instead of lemon, and I loved it a lot more!! it actually tasted like cheese!
I also added olive oil to the final base to make it more fatty for cheese replacement. I will experiment more with this. So far I use it on pizza, fajitas (instead of sour cream and cheese) avocado sandwiches and spagetti “cheese”
I agree!! I love the vinegar more than the lemon too. I am so happy you love the recipe so much and are able to use it in so many ways 🙂
this is fantabulous! SO easy to make and so stretchy and gooey… i used it as a topping on cremini-bell pepper-smoked tofu rolls – I sent a picture to my friend and she said she was going straight out for tapioca flour the next day 😉
awww yay!!!! So happy you loved the recipe so much and that you are spreading the delicious vegan word! Those tofu rolls sound amazing!! 😀
OHMYGOD! This is just fantabulous! Just prepared and I had to control myself if I wouldn’t just finish it spoon after spoon!!! I’ve added in my preferite recipes!
Thanks!
Michela
Haha! That’s awesome Michela! So happy you love the recipe so much 😀
I was having trouble getting the cheese to come out smoothly because I do not have a high powered blender. I finally ground the raw cashews in my spice grinder until the nuts become a fine meal. Then, I added the 1 cup boiling water and let the nut meal soak. After an hour or so, I proceed to add the nuts, water, and all other ingredients to my standard blender, and I get a nice, smooth product.
I would like to continue tweaking this recipe, but so far, it is the best one I have found. Thanks to you and Somer for saving pizza, nachos, etc. for me.
Another alteration I plan soon: adding some white wine and cherry kirsch to make fondu. I think this recipe will be a perfect base for that!
Great idea Leah! Sounds delicious. If your blender isn’t as high powered, I also fine just using a fine mesh strainer and straining the liquid into the pot works well too. This just takes out any bits of cashews that didn’t get ground up. Hope that helps 😀
This looks delicious! I’m allergic to cashews though,, is there anything else I can switch that out with? I’ve made cheesy dishes with roasted eggplant before, might that work here?
You can try using macadamia nuts. I believe they have a similar texture. I think eggplant is a big jump from cashews, so I’m afraid, I have no idea how it would turn out. If you do give it a try, let us know how it turns out for you. 😀
This recipe is phenomenal! Thank you so much for sharing. The fact that I only need 7 ingredients and it takes so little time is great, as I can get it together while I prepare the rest of my meal as well. I’m already thinking about meals I can make now that I have a nice, melted, gooey cheese to go with it… pizza, cheesesteak, grilled cheese. The possibilities are endless!
I’m so happy you love the recipe so much Sierra!! You’re right, the possibilities are endless! Let us know if you come up with any really good uses 😀
Hi Sam!
Your recipe is over marvelous to me ~ however around my place, nutritional yeast is really hard to find, and also difficult for me to afford it online for some reason, too :(( Can you please suggest any healthy substitute? I really really craving to get that nutty cheesy creamy flavor T.T
Hi tulipity!
So happy you love the recipe. You can buy nutritional yeast on Amazon for a pretty good deal. Here is a 1 pound bag for cheap, which will last you a very long time! Other than that I would suggest a pinch of a vegetable bullion cube will help with a flavour boost. Hope that helps!
Hi Sam, I made this mozzarella for my first attempt at vegan margherita pizza on Saturday. IT. WAS. GORGEOUS! I literally can’t wait to make it again. As others have suggested above I also think it will be amazing as a fondue (which is also a good excuse to buy white wine!). Anyway I have mentioned it on my blog at http://freedombirdie.com/2015/05/25/vegan-margherita-pizza/ Thank you again for this recipe!
Thank you…thank you…thank you for posting this!!!! Since having to do dairy free i’ve been craving fondue and this hits the spot without the compromise. It’s way more healthy than tons of butter and cream in regular types of gooey cheese. Finally, I can feel like I don’t have to settle for the closest thing to cheese. This is amazing!
You are so super welcome Kristin! I couldn’t be happier that you are so please! 😀
Hi Sam, I have made this recipe several times and used it in a variety of hot dips in place the cheese. The consistency is spot on! It was to me a little on the bland side which consequently worked very well in that you can really adapt the flavor to your liking. And lets face it mozzarella made from dairy isn’t all that tasty on its own either. I’m curious to see a recipe making a traditional simple pizza using this recipe for the cheese. I’m still struggling to find a good sub for my girls and I have tried many vegan cheeses out there and they either don’t like the taste or texture. I will hopefully look forward to seeing your creatives ideas for this in the future!
Hi Jessica,
Welcome! I agree it doesn’t have a ton of flavour punch, but from my memory either does mozzarella! I am so happy you have had fun flavouring it up. This will definitely work for pizza, I will keep that in mind and make a pizza post in the future.
Cheers!
Sam
Love this idea for pizza. It might not harden in the fridge, but maybe you could freeze it and then grate it like cheese when it’s frozen and sprinkle it over pizza. Have you tried freezing (Or has it ever lasted long enough for you to get around to freezing (: )? Does it ruin the consistency?
Welcome CC!
Freezing it! I never thought of that, it never lasts that long! Haha. I will definitely try this at some point, but if you try it before me, let me know how it turns out 🙂
How many time does it last? Should I keep it in the fridge?
Hi Lito,
It lasts about a week in the fridge stored in an air tight container. It will become firmer, but will still be gooey. To reheat and soften it, follow the directions under the “Notes” section. Enjoy!!
WOW! This looks amazing!! I need to make this to put on my tempeh reuben sandwiches! This would also be great in a grilled cheese.
Thank you Taylor!
OMG Vegan ruben sandwiches!!! Yes please.
This absolutely makes a great grilled cheese, I made one here. 😀
Hi Sam! This recipe sounds great, I will definately be trying it tomorrow!
Unfortunately I dont have tapioca starch,I do however have potato starch and corn starch. I would try both versions by myself, but i only have a handful of cashews left… So its gonna have to be one of those options this time. Do you happen to know which one of those would work better? And should i substitute an equal amount?
Hi Alicja,
Unfortunately, neither potato or corn starch will work well. They would result in a thick sauce like consistency, but you really need the magical properties of tapioca to get the stretchy cheese quality. If you can’t find tapioca starch in your store, you can order it online here. Hope that helps!
Oh that’s a pity! I guess I’ll be ordering it in that case. Thanks for the reply 😉
No problem! If your grocery store sells whole tapioca, you can buy that and grind it in a blender or coffee grinder into a fine powder, it’s the same thing!
Hi Sam!
This looks great!
Have you or anyone tried with the whole cassava root (that tapioca is extracted from)?
I want to try but before I’d go to great lengths to get cassava, thought I’d ask you to clarify first.
Thanks.
I have not heard of anyone trying that no. I have heard people grinding up tapioca pearls and that working when they couldn’t find the pre-ground starch. Sorry I can’t help more!
This was delicious and easy. I’m going to try pizza with it tonight and I envision a spinach artichoke dip in my future. The possibilities are endless.
So happy you loved it Tracey! It’s so true, the possibilities are endless!!!! Try my Spinach and Artichoke Dip which uses this recipe as a base. So yummy!
Hi! just wanted to say i tried this yesterday finally and it was awesome!!! i was wondering though if i could maybe try it with actually cashew milk instead of the actually cashews, and how much would i use.
Thanks!
silk carton cashew milk to be specific, or even maybe a soy milk?
Hi Lauren,
I know some people have tried this with coconut cream or cashew cream. A light cashew or soy milk might be ok, but I think there would be a risk in loosing the richness and creaminess. I would try 1/4 cup cashew cream and add and additional pinch more tapioca starch. If you give it a whirl, let us know how it turns out.
Enjoy!
Sam
Hi Sam, I was wondering what I could use in place of cashews, my daughter is allergic to all nuts, and how much I would use? Also, can I use gelatin in place of agar as she doesn’t like it, and how much?
Hi Andrew,
I tried the recipe with coconut cream and it works alright. The texture and look is slightly different but it still tastes yummy. Use 1/4 cup coconut cream, if you are using a can of coconut milk, do not shake the can, and scrape the cream from the top of the can, leaving the water. Increase the tapioca starch by another teaspoon.
I don’t use agar in this recipe, so you don’t need gelatin or anything like that.
Alternatively you could try using macadamia nuts instead of cashews. I haven’t tried them myself, but they have a similar texture and creaminess that might work. Let us know what you try!
Enjoy!
Do you think it would still be good without the garlic powder? My vegan uncle can’t eat anything onion related!
Hi Renee, yes I think it would be just fine. Garlic powder adds a bit of flavour so if you taste it and find it a little bland, you could add any other spice you like to kick it up a notch.
OMG This «cheese» dip is freakin’ amazing!!! I am even lazier… I bought natural cashew milk at my grocery store. The flavour is awesome and I WILL be making more 😀
Haha Hi Aude. I love your laziness!! What a great idea. So happy you loved the recipe so much 🙂
How was it with the cashew milk? My blender does more of a chashew purée and the texture comes out a bit fritters than I’d like.
*grittier not fritters – yay autocorrect
I was gonna say… cashew fritters sound awesome!!! Haha.
I haven’t tried cashew milk yet, but if you soak your cashews for a long time, or boil them for extra long, until they are almost soft enough to squish between your fingers, then they should work. As a back up, you can use a fine strainer or cheesecloth to strain out any remaining grit, and then it should work fine. Let us know how it goes!
I tried the soaking plus boiling method and did nearly 8 minutes in the blender; it made for a smoother texture. My husband and son agreed it was better with less grit. Then I made more mozzarella dip again for some non-vegan friends and they demolished it. All things said, it is a winner. Thanks! Now, you may be onto something with the cashew fritter idea…
Yeah you definitely want a totally smooth texture. My Blentec blender does wonders, but if you still find grit when blending your cashews, you can just use a fine mesh strainer to strain it out. So happy you and your non-vegan friends love it so much!! 😀
But 2 teaspoon = 1 tablespoon or does it not? 😛
Because then I would add 3 tablespoon tapioca.
Haha, nope! There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon. 🙂
Hey ! Isn’t there only 2 tsp in a tbsp ?
Nope, there’s 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon 🙂
Holy crap, this looks and sounds amazing. I need to try this.
Hahaha! Yes you do Melissa!!
OH. MY. GOD. I need this now, not in 4+ hours!!!!!!!!!!!!! :O
Haha! You can do it! Boil the cashews and it will only take 15 minutes.
:O!!! I think we’re gonna get along just fine haha
I think we are 🙂
I am new to the vegan lifestyle, and so far have been super disappointed in all store bought and homemade “cheeses”…but this one is definitely going in my recipe book!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
You’re very welcome Krista! I’m so glad you love the recipe 🙂
I have made a couple of your recipes and they are awesome! I have been looking for some simple oil free, processed sugar free recipes and most of the ones you posted fit the bill or can be easily modified! Keep up the great work.
Peace and love,
Rhonda
Thank you so much Rhonda! It makes my day that you love my recipes so much 🙂
Hi Sam, just curious if you had tried this cheese on pizza yet and how it set. I’m trying to find a good cheese for pizza that my husband might enjoy.
This works great on pizza! I find it’s best if you use a lightly oil spoon and drop little dollops all over the pizza, as it is difficult to spread in a thin layer. Enjoy!
Hi Sam,
I found your recipe this morning and pinned it, even though it called for nutritional yeast. I have been experimenting with a plant based diet for the past couple of years and have tried and tried to like nutritional yeast, but just have not been able to develop a taste for it. Your recipe looked so amazing though, that I broke down and bought some on my way home from work this afternoon (as well as some tapioca flour). I must say, I was really happy with the results! I have not been too happy with the vegan cheese options out there, but this one is a game changer for me. Thank you! I did add a bit of cayenne, which I thought added a nice little kick. I will definitely be making this again! Should I be ashamed to admit that I ate the whole batch in one sitting? Do you think it would still work if I leave out the nutritional yeast? Can’t wait to check out more of your recipes!
Hi Alixe,
Yay!!! I am so glad you loved the recipe so much 🙂 I LOVE that you ate the whole batch! Haha. If you don’t like nutritional yeast, you can just skip it, it’s just for flavour. Nutritional adds a sort of cheesy, umami flavour to foods but can generally be omitted if you aren’t a fan. If you still want a little flavour boost, you could use a small pinch of vegetable bouillon powder, or a teaspoon of white miso paste, or whatever spices you like.
I know when I first tried nutritional yeast I thought it was gross, but I have grown to absolutely adore it. I hope you enjoy more of my recipes too. If they have nutritional yeast, unless it is in a really large quantity, you are safe to omit it. If you are unsure just drop me a comment 🙂
Cheers,
Sam
Thanks! That’s very helpful! There are a ton of rec