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.
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 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.
*Tapioca starch is essential for this recipe. It's what gives the cheese it’s gooey and stretchy texture. Any other starch or flour will not get the same result.
*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 cheesecloth 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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This sounds like a great recipe! Would I be able to replace the tapioca starch with arrowroot flour? I am intolerant to Tapioca for some reason.
I just finished making it with arrowroot it turned out goofy and melty as expected!
Any other kind of starch or flour will just make a sauce, the tapioca will give it that stretchy quality. So if you are ok with just a sauce, go for it!
Do you think this would freeze ok? Or does it become firm in the fridge that you could grate it? Thanks!
Hi Barb, it does freeze fine. It stays in a melty gooey state when in the fridge. Enjoy!
I made this this weekend. Came together just like you said. I spooned it into deep dish muffin tin pizzas. Loved it and I am very picky!
Haha awesome!!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I recently became vegan and needed a way to serve cheese to non-vegan party guests while still sticking to my vegan values. I was completely blown away at how tasty and melty it was. I’m never one to leave a review but this recipe totally deserves it. Will definitely make again!!!
Yay!! That’s so awesome. Thanks so much for the review, Sophia. Thrilled you loved it so much 🙂
I really appreciate this website and the help with identifying what vegan substitutes I can have. I have a ton of food allergies, so being vegan is most compliant for me. However, I am also allergic to nuts, which I find in a lot of vegan foods. Any suggestions for vegan cheeses that do not require the use of nuts?
Hi Madison, and welcome! If you scroll through the comments, lots of people have tried substitutes for nuts in this recipe. I believe the best results were with raw sunflower seeds. I haven’t tried it myself, so I can’t say how it turns out, but others seemed to be happy with the result (although it did give the cheese a green ting). Hope that helps!
I use this all the time. Thanks so much!
So glad it’s a fave!
Hello Sam, thank you for the recipe. My daughter is allergic to cashews as well as dairy. Can anything else be used instead of cashews in this recipe?
Blanched almonds work well. You just have to boil them a little longer 🙂
Some times with cashew recipes you can use sunflower seeds too. I’m doing the regular recipe but it’s worth the try
Fantastic recipe…thank you! Used it on pizza.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, ama 🙂
Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe Sam!
It’s definitely the best vegan cheese recipe I’ve tested so far! I was amazed how quick and easy it was to make. No fancy method needed here and the ‘gooeyness’ is real! Besides the taste is quite addictive. I actually found myself putting a spoon several times in the pot to get a taste…
Love your blog! Cheers from France
Wonderful! Thrilled you love it so much, Claire! Cheers from Canada 🙂
I’ve made this and tasted just before cooking and Wow! I simmered mine for 30 min and the cashews blended creamy and perfect. It was stringy but cooled semi firm. I’m going to cut mine and use in my vegan rellanos. Ty for sharing this recipe!
Wonderufl, so happy you enjoyed, Sonya!
Hi Sam! this looks so delicious and I want to try it asap! I am not sure if you are still replying to the comments here, but I was wondering if I could use roasted cashews instead of raw ones?
I try to reply to all questions 🙂 Raw cashews break down into a smooth creaminess, whereas roasted cashews are dried out and won’t have the same effect, so I recommend raw.
Thanks a lot for your reply! I just did it and it is awesome!
Yay!
Ok…this is AMAZING! I made 3 versions. The original then I subbed 1/4c white wine for part of the water and it was gooey delicious! THEN I added a little fresh garlic and fresh jalapeno for queso fundido so GOOD!!!
Amazing! Great ideas for playing around with it too 😀
YUM! I’ve been looking for a yummy mozzarella replacement and this sure hit the spot on my pizza earlier! I love Jasmine from Sweet Simple Vegan and she recommended your blog on Instagram earlier today-so I decided to check out your site. Wow, I’m so impressed! I’m new to the food blogging world, but I’m so passionate about creating and sharing yummy and plant powered recipes with the world. I’ve subscribed to your blog and I’m so excited to follow along on your journey and try your yummy recipes 🙂
Aww thanks so much, Courtney, thrilled you love the cheese so much and my blog. Welcome! Excited to have you here 🙂
Hello! Awesome recipe, I was shocked when it actually stretched! Hehe, but I had a little “problem”: it was all going perfectly but when I lower the heat and added a little more salt (to my taste), the stretchiness was gone. I tried adding an 1/8 teaspoon of tapioca starch, but to no result. It still tasted great, but after I took it away from the heat, it was no longer stretchy, just like a thick cheesy sauce. What did I do wrong?
Hi Maria! So happy you loved it. Hmmm… that’s weird, I have never had that happen before. Next time I would add the extra salt with the other ingredients, and remove from the heat once cooked. Hopefully, that helps!
I made this today for your spinach artichoke recipe (which I haven’t tasted yet…having a party tonight, made it ahead and haven’t baked it yet). I snuck a taste of some of the cheese stuck to the pot after I mixed the other recipe up…omg! It’s delicious, stretchy, cheesy…the garlic was pretty prominent to me, but holy cow! Now I want to try this on a pizza! And so many other things! I also couldn’t believe how quick/easy it was. Thank goodness I found tapioca starch at my local fancy grocery store. 🙂 I will definitely be making this again.
So thrilled you loved it so much, Molly!! You can always reduce the garlic to taste 🙂
I went vegan last year and have been experimenting with different brands of vegan cheese. After some major GI issues I realized I’m allergic to tapioca. I’m also allergic to nuts. Is there any substitutes for these ingredients or can you recommend any other recipes I can try?
Hi Tiffany, people have tried various different replacements in the comments that you can check out, or try checking out my post for 16 vegan cheese recipes. Perhaps there is something there you can enjoy.
I can’t wait to try this!
Sam, this is glorious! Thank you so much!!
Haha! You’re most welcome, Christine 🙂
By the way, this works also when substituting aquqfaba-based mayo in place of the cashews. A little lazy of me, but works in a pinch.
Can you explain what you’re talking about (i.e. recipe)? I’m not getting it! Sorry!
Interesting! I’ve never tried that!
Hi, I can’t consume dairy, and really wanted to have cheese in my diet still, so I started looking into vegan cheeses. I was wondering, if this recipe would work with almonds just the same, or if there is something special about the cashews? Hoping to hear from you soon. Thank you
Cashews are the best because they are the creamiest. Blanched almonds will work as well, but they will need a bit more time to soften, and they are not as creamy so I would recommend trying raw cashews first. Enjoy!
Thanks for the reply, I thought the cashews would be best, too, but my partner doesn’t like them .
Raw cashews blended into things like this don’t taste at all cashew-y, if that helps!
Since I was keen for a cheese alternative and we had almonds on hand and no cashews… I went ahead and tried with the almonds, I am delightfully happy with how well this has turned out I can’t wait to try it with cashews, but I can’t say I’m disappointed with the almond attempt. I am just so happy to have a dairy free cheese!
Glad you enjoyed!
I was looking for almond mozz also but I’m going to try this with almond flour/meal since I have a ton of it that needs to be used.
How did it go with the almond meal?
I was happy with the flavor, but my cashews didn’t break down completely. I used a Ninja food processor. Is there a trick to get the cashews to break down better? I soaked them properly. I am determined to make a successful cheese for pizza. Your pizzas look soooo good! I am not a fan of the Vegan cheese at the store. I
So happy you enjoyed it, Terri! I’ve never used a Ninja but I am sure it will work just fine for this recipe. Next time I would try boiling or soaking the cashews even longer so they are extra tender and blending a little longer to ensure the cashews break down. Enjoy!
I think that I didn’t use fresh cashews the first time. I bought a new container from Costco and my last three batches, yes, three, have turned out great! I have made lasagna, used it on pizza, and made queso with it! We love it. Thank you so much!!
Wonderful! You’re most welcome, Terri 🙂
The cup part works a lot better, I attempted this and a sauce with cauliflower and the food processor didn’t break it down enough.
I have a Ninja too, and I find that for things like this (I made cashew cream for green bean casserole at the holidays), the blender works MUCH better than the food processor at really getting it smooth. The individual blender cup is even better than the big blender, but that’s not always realistic for the volume of stuff in a recipe. 🙂
Just tried this with potato starch and subbed lemon juice for ACV. Worked great! Love that it’s oil-free.
This is so delicious and melty. So satisfying! I’m going to use this on everything
Woohoo!
Hi Sam, I love your website and recipes. In addition to being vegan, i also have to do low acid so cannot use vinegar. Are the vinegar in your cheese recipes imperative to creating consistency due to the acid interactions or just for flavor? If flavor, I can substitute by using sumac water which has worked well for me in the past. I want to experiment with this yummy sounding vegan mozz. kind regards, Rosann
Hi Rosann, the vinegar is just for flavour so you can absolutely skip it. Feel free to tweak the spices and flavours as needed. Enjoy!
Hi Rosann, did you know that vinegar actually turns alkaline in the body?
Awesome!
Can I soak the nuts overnight instead of cooking them in the boiling water? Or will they be too soft?
Yep absolutely, it’s just slower. 🙂
does this recipe double easily? Can I just use 2x of everything? Thanks!
Yep! Exactly. 🙂
I made this recipe replacing the cashews with chickpeas and half the water with liquid from the can of chickpeas. It turned out great. The color was a little off so I will add some turmeric next time and see what happens.
Awesome!
Wow thank you for this recipe. I just made it and am going to freeze it to make the spinach dip for Christmas. It was just as simple as you set out. Lumps and then perfectly smooth and gooey. It tastes great. I cannot wait to serve it. Do you have any suggestions for additional effort once it is un-frozen?
Thrilled you love it so much! Once it’s thawed you can heat it back up in the pot, adding water as needed to reach the desired consistency. Enjoy!
This is the best and easiest vegan cheese I have Ever tasted. I added an extra tbl spoon of nutritional yeast for extra cheesy goodness:)
Woohoo! Thrilled you love it so much, Shawn 😀
Hi there! I LOVE this recipe – real game changer for me as I transition from vegetarian to full vegan! I think I may add a bit more sourkraut for more tang next time, but otherwise, it was perfect! I have three questions for you:
1. How long will leftovers keep in the fridge?
2. Would it mess up the ratios if I were to cut the recipe in half?
3. If I’m using for pizza, should I return to a melted state before adding to the pizza, or can I just plop it onto the pizza cold/at room temp before cooking? I cook my pizzas on a very hot pizza steel at very high temp.
Thanks again! Love your site AND your cookbook (which I purchased a couple weeks ago).
Hi Diana! So happy you love it so much. It should keep for I’d say 3 – 4 days in the fridge. You can cut the recipe in half but your blender might have a difficult time blending the ingredients smoothly unless you have a mini blender. Since you have my book, there are already directions in there for how to use it on pizza. But yes, you can use it either way, hot or cold. Enjoy!
It works great with peanuts as well!! Cashews here where i live are 5 times more expensive than peanuts. Thank you a lot for this awesome, easy and now very cheap for me recipe. I was surprised at the results ♥♥♥ thank you!
Just in case, tapioca flour is also called “polvilho doce” here in Brazil, and when named like this, it’s usually cheaper 😉
Interesting! Did the cheese have a peanut taste for you? So happy you enjoyed it!
Thanks for posting that. I never thought of using cheap peanuts. I will give it a try.
I liked this very much. I had to special-order the tapioca flour starch before I could make it (and then I found out my local Safeway DOES carry it). I liked it on tortilla chips and I’m looking forward to trying it out on pizza. Your instructions were very clear, there were no surprises. I used my NutriBullet for the blending.
Wonderful 🙂
I am new to veganism and I have to say this just tastes like flavoured dough. Maybe it’s better in recipes that use only a little but in the spinach artichoke dip it was just too much doughy-bland. The search continues but not sure that vegan cheese is possible.
Too bad you didn’t enjoy it.
Try adding a lot of sea salt and pepper. Those spices will drawl out the doughy flavor and make it more mozerella like. Also add a little more nutritional yeast than called for in the recipe to really make it cheese like!
Carrie, there are some amazing vegan cheeses; just google them… some are now extremely successful commercial types but are amazing! Just google them… you will find them! Don’t give up!
This is incredible! i made it with the spinach artichoke dip for thanksgiving. My non vegan family enjoyed it as well. I would like to use this in a zita receipe. Do you suggest i double the receipe to get 1.5 cups cheese? Do you suggest adding some water to make it less stretchy so it mixes well with the pasta? If so, how much?
Hi Jackie! So happy you enjoyed. In my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan, I water the cheese down a bit with 1/3 cup of water when using it for pizza or lasagna so it is easier to spread and bakes up nicely. Enjoy!
Thank you! I look forward to purchasing your cookbook. ❤️
Yay!!! 😀
Hi!
Firstly can I say I ADORE this recipe, I’ve used it tons of times with almonds and cashews and it’s always delicious! I can’t thank you enough 🙂
I want to make enchilladas this weekend and pour the cheese in it’s liquid form (beofre cooking it and making it strechy and gooey, then bake it and hope it comes out the texture and consistency I’m looking for. Do you think that’s a horrible idea? Have you tried anything similar before?
Please let me know if you have any ideas 🙂
So happy you enjoy it, Rachel!
I would recommend cooking it fully first, but add a bit more water to make it a pourable consistency. That’s what I do for my pizza recipes in Fuss-Free Vegan 🙂 Enjoy!
Ok, brilliant! I’m going to do that! Thank you 🙂
OMG, Sam!
This stuff is so heavenly! My family loves it! I’m planning to make more of these for a vegan pizza recipe I’m doing this weekend. Hope it goes well!
Hahaha, awesome! So happy you are enjoying it. Enjoy the pizza!
Hello,
We have to avoid cashews. Is there a substitute for the nut? Thanks
Hi Nicole, you can use blanched almonds or macadamia nuts. If you need to avoid nuts altogether, I haven’t found a substitution I have loved but if you look through the comments, other readers have tried and enjoyed different replacements. Hope that helps!
I’ve heard of using tofu as a substitute.
Hemp seeds are supposed to be a good sub for nuts in vegan cheese recipes. I’m going to be trying t myself since I am allergic to nuts and I would be happy to share my results :).
Sunflower seeds are a great replacement but make sure they are raw.
Hi, I’ve been wanting to experiment with tapioca starch for a while now. My favorite vegan cheese has it as its main ingredient (dayia – it melts and stretches). I tried your recipe for and put it on a pizza. The stretchiness was nice but I didn’t get the ‘oily’ texture I like when the cheese actually melts. The cheese I am trying to imitate has water, tapioca starch and coconut oil as the 3 main ingredients. If I wanted to try and add oil (and reduce the amount of cashews) to this recipe, at which step would you suggest I do? I’m afraid if I put it in the blender, the tapioca will start to cook/thicken because melted coconut oil is hot. But then if I add id in the pan I don’t know if it will mix properly. Also worried about the taste (I dont want my cheese to actually taste like coconut). Thanks!
Hi Mylène, you can try adapting the recipe as you like, but as I haven’t tested your version before I am not really sure what the results would be. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Congrats on the cookbook. Hope there will be more to follow.
Love this recipe so much! Noticed that you’ve used sauerkraut/olive brine in your cookbook. Is there a big taste difference?
Thanks so much! It just has a little more flavour punch 🙂
Wow! If you haven’t already read the hundreds of other comments this is AMAZING! and Im a new vegan, past cheese fanatic so you have to believe that my mind was blown when I tried this recipe. Not only while eating it was i in amazement but it is stretchy, gooey and melts like real cheese I couldn’t stop thinking of the endless possibilities.. It arguably tastes BETTER than cheese! CHEAPER than a ball of mozeralla! and SO EASY! Thank you so much Sam! I can’t wait to fool my friends and family with a lasagna.
Hahaha! You’re most welcome, Destiny! So very happy you enjoyed it so much. Pretty cool right!? 😀
Hi, how did your lasagne turn out. I would like to make one and freeze it. What do you think.
Hey there! My flatmate is a vegan and I’d like to be able to cook more food she can eat. We don’t have a blender that could make anything near smooth enough for this though. Do you think we could get away with thinning some cashew butter down with a bit of water?
I haven’t tried it myself, but it might work. If possible, I would recommend picking up a cheap blender. It will make cooking much easier, and you can make all sorts of things like smoothies, soups, and sauces 🙂
Just fyi, I know high end blenders also have a high end price, but I was able to fund the jamba juice quiet blender on Amazon for between 65 and 98 dollars and it works so well I don’t even have to soak the cashews for any of the recipes I use. I know country of delivery may change cost/availability but I hope it helps!
This was AMAZING! How long will it keep in the fridge?
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it. I would say about 3-4 days in the fridge, a month in the freezer.
Yay! This was my first time making vegan cheese and not only was it quick and easy but it was delicious! I put dollops of it on some pizza I made. And then had 4 pieces haha. Thank you for the recipe!
That’s wonderful! SO happy you loved your first vegan cheese experiment, Nyeva!
I love the way you present this recipe. It’s so much fun. I have made so many dishes with this cheese and it’s perfect every time. It’s become my most shared recipe. Thank you so much for sharing.
Yay! Thank you! So happy you love it so much 😀
I just made this and I plan to use it to make loaded baked mac and cheese for dinner! I’m so excited!
My plan is onions, peppers, broccoli, macaroni missed with your cheese topped with bread crumbs and baked! Does anyone have suggestions if I should cook the veggies before or put them on raw and let them cook while it bakes.
Thanks! 🙂
I would cook the veggies and boil the pasta ahead of time, then mix it all together with the cheese and bake. 🙂
Made a double recipe last night and used it to make lasagna. OH, MY … it was fantastic. (Needless to say it also makes fabulous grilled cheese sandwiches, etc., but it made the lasagna.)
Yay! Thrilled you love it, Mary 🙂
if i prep this ahead of time, can i just blend it and leave the heating until later? really excited to try it!
That should work fine, you might just want to give it a quick blend again before cooking in case stuff settles to the bottom. Enjoy!
I put it in a pitcher or bottle with a screw lid, and give a ooh shake before I cook it. It’s so great to have it always ready, and I can pour out as much or as little as I need.
This works great for pizza! After some experimentation, I’ve found what works best for me is to pour it on the pizza right after blending so the final cooking step happens in the oven. Thanks for this!!
Oh that’s cool, never tried that! So happy you like it, Erica!
I will have to try that! I was so excited to use it for pizza, but struggled with spreading it. I found that if I spread it out to desired thickness on a piece of foil (or, lately I just cut open my flatzza package and use it as a “template” for size ), stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes- it peels right off and can be payed on top of sauce before baking.
Can I use coconut flour instead of any starch?
Only tapioca starch will give it the melty stretchy gooey texture.
I’m curious why all vegan cheese recipes end up being so garlicy? Is it because the “cheese” would have almost no taste at all, otherwise? I know it’s possible for vegan cheese to not taste like garlic, because I finally found a package of “Follow Your Heart” gouda cheese, and it wasn’t garlicy at all. I’ve never had packaged fake cheese before, and decided to try it because it happened to be there. But that carrot potato mix everyone posts tastes strongly of garlic, and this one does, too. I am currently baking a pizza with this on it, so maybe the garlic taste won’t matter. I did like the texture, though. Was surprised how rapidly it started to solidify once it got going. Just removed it from the oven, and the cheese puffed up a whole bunch. I had it cooking on the top shelf, so that may have been what caused that. Anyway, I wonder if it would work without adding garlic, or would it be too bland? Either all vegans are into garlic, or else that’s the only taste that comes through with these recipes. I’d really rather not spend $5 or more for fake cheese, but none of the recipes I’m trying are working. That potato carrot thing is really awful. At least so far, this stuff is a little like cheese. Don’t know how it tastes in a recipe yet.
Hi Stacey, you can add (or not add) garlic powder to taste. If you find it bland you can add other spices. Enjoy!
Hey Stacey! I’m allergic to garlic and onion so I take it out of every recipe ever. I sometimes add in some paprika or liquid smoke but usually I don’t notice the absence.
I hope that’s in some way helpful 🙂 x
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 🙂
Its four servings, what is the serving size?
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.