Author: 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 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.
This recipe will stay in a melty stretchy state, even when cold, but if you are looking for a grate-able cheese, try my recipe for The Best Vegan Mozzarella.
To make melty stretchy gooey vegan mozzarella:
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.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
(click stars to vote)
Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella
Servings: (makes about 1 cup)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews,, softened (see step 1)
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons tapioca starch, (also called tapioca flour)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Softening the cashews:
- Softening the cashews first helps them blend. If you have a high-powered blender you may be able to skip this step, but if not, this step is important to get a smooth cheese. You can either boil or soak the cashews. To boil the cashews (the fast method): add the cashews to a small pot, cover with water, and boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for 4 hours or overnight until tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using.
To make the vegan mozzarella:
- Add the cashews 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 saucepan and put over medium-high heat. Continually stir. The cheese will start forming clumps, keep stirring and it will continue clumping until the mixture turns from watery to a thicker melty cheese sauce. This takes about 5 minutes. Serve hot or allow to cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. The cheese will get thicker as it cools but will stay in a melty state.
Notes
- 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 splash of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.
- To ensure a smooth cheese, you may also 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.
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
Maria says
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
Sam says
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.
Alyssa McCord says
Making this again tonight for a lasagna!!! White bean "ricotta" and your melty cheese...it should be amazing!!!
Sam says
Ooooo that sounds delish! I want some 🙂
Anna says
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!
Sam says
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.
Dana Lasswell says
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!
Sam says
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 🙂
Dana Lasswell says
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
Sam says
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. 🙂
Dana Lasswell says
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! 🙂
Sam says
Oh I love the sounds of that party!!! I wish I lived closer too 🙂
Stephanie says
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/
Sam says
Oh yay!! so happy you loved it and that the lasagna worked so well for you. 😀
Caroline says
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
Sam says
Hi Caroline,
No adaptions necessary. This cheese will work great in lasagna. Enjoy!
Vanessa says
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!
Sam says
Ooo that pizza dip sounds amazing!! So happy you love the recipe so much! 🙂
SJ Cory says
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.
Sam says
Yay!! So happy you loved the recipe and that it went swimmingly well with your pizza. Thanks for the comment SJ 🙂
Kristi says
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
Sam says
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!
Kristi says
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
Sam says
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!
Maria HD says
Did you try it, and if so, how was it? 🙂
Imani Reynnolds says
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.
Tiffany says
agar gar powder
Sam says
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!
Laura says
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!
Sam says
Aww you're so welcome Laura!! I am so happy you love it 🙂
Paula says
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!
Sam says
Aww that's awesome!! I'm so glad you loved it Paula. Thanks for coming back and leaving your review!
Bev says
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!!!!
Sam says
That's great to hear Bev! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Imia says
What if you added to much water
Sam says
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!
Vegzi says
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!
Sam says
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. 🙂
vegzi says
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,
Sam says
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!
Massiel says
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 🙂
Sam says
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 😀
wanderlust says
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!
Sam says
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!! 🙂
Diane says
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!!
Sam says
You're very welcome Diane! So happy you love the recipe, and enjoy your pizza 😀
Gia Ciambotti says
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:)
Sam says
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 🙂
Stephanie Johnson says
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!!
Sam says
Awwwww that makes me so happy! I am delighted you like the recipe so much Stephanie 🙂