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! 💕
Craig says
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
Sam Turnbull says
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!
max says
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.
Sam says
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 🙂
Charlene says
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.
Sam says
Hey very cool, that sounds like a whole new recipe on it's own!
Bubs says
What is the serving size the nutritional information is based on please?
Thanks!
Sam says
There are three servings in the recipe, so the serving size is 1/3 of the recipe.
Bubs says
Thanks!! One more thing, does this solidify like conventional mozzarella on refrigeration, please? 🙂
Sam says
No it doesn't, it stays on gooey form.
Sara says
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!
Sam says
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
B. Christine says
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!
Sam says
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 🙂
Sara says
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.
Sam says
So happy you and the non-vegans loved the recipe Sara 🙂
Sara says
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 🙂
Sam says
Haha, I thought so! 🙂
Jane says
Great for dipping and likely great in nacho or lasagna applications, but not great on pizza in my opinion. It dries out too much. I'm wondering if maybe some added fat would help? Earth balance perhaps? Something solid at room temp like mozz fats. Any ideas?
Dan says
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.
🙂
Sam says
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 🙂
Sam says
Aw that's too bad. Sorry you didn't enjoy the recipe. 🙁
Julia says
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
Sam says
Aww yay!!! So happy you and your daughter love it Julia 🙂
Alicia says
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!
Sam says
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 🙂
Ale says
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?
Sam says
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!
Erin says
Could you use substitute corn starch for the tapioca? Thank you!
Sam says
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!
Julia M. says
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! 🙂
Sam says
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. 🙂
Sammy says
That's so cool! I would love to know what amount of cashew milk you added. Also on a budget 😛
Julia M. says
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!
Sam says
Thanks for letting us know Julia! I will have to try this myself sometime too 🙂
Deanna says
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!!
Sam says
Haha!! I did the EXACT same thing Deanna! So incredibly happy you loved it 🙂
Lacey says
Never mind, I see now it says the recipe serves 3. :). So 282 calories and 15 grams of fat total.
Sam says
Haha yep! Glad you found it ok 🙂
Lacey says
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,
Bea says
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.
Sam says
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!
Bea says
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!
Sam says
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!
Bea says
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!
Sam says
Yay!! So happy you loved it Bea!! Yeah it bubbles up perfectly on pizza....mmmmmm....pizza....
Sam says
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 🙂
Pam Bodnar says
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.
Sam says
Ooooh very cool idea Pam! So happy you loved it 🙂