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! 💕
Megan says
Apologies if this has been asked and answered already, but could you start with cashew butter and skip the soaking & blending of them?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Kate M says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Lorna Stafford says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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!!
Isabelle Falardeau says
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. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
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?
Isabelle Falardeau says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Enjoy!
Taya says
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!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! I am so happy to hear that. So very happy you and your hubby loved it 😀
Robert Schlotzhauer says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy to hear that Robert. 😀
Richa says
Is there any substite to nutritional yeast or will it work if i skip it from the recipe
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Richa,
You can skip it if you like. Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavour to the recipe, so if you skip it, you might need to boost up the other spices. Enjoy!
Richa says
Other spices as in ?....or what else can I use to add up the cheesy flavour?
Robert Schlotzhauer says
I almost skipped this step too but upon doing some research discovered that its key to this recipe. So I ordered nutritional yeast from Amazon. And the research was accurate. Nutritional yeast is key for giving it the cheesy flavor.
Sam Turnbull says
That's right, you can season the cheese with other spices such as garlic and onion powder, miso paste, etc. but nutritional yeast is what will give it the cheesy flavour.
Thandi says
Can I sub the cashews for anything else if you have a nut allergy? What would you recommend?
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried anything else myself, but the cashews and water together make a thick cream. Perhaps sunflower seeds might work? Or soy cream? I don't know for sure. If you try something let us know how it turns out. Sorry I can't be of more help!
Andrea says
I always use sunflower seeds instead of cashews. cheaper and less fat. It works well.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome tip! Thank you 🙂
Amy says
OMG! I love this recipe!! I am trying to be vegan, love almost every vegan recipe I have ever made since I love food, it works. My husband and I are shifting into the vegan mindset slowly....like I had cheese earlier today, sorry. Then I decided to try this recipe since I saw someone used cashew milk.....and another person used arrowroot powder....and I have those things, so I gave it a whirl.
It came together nicely, as in it got clumpy then gooey just like you said it should. Then I tasted it and was not impressed. So I added more yeast, salt and a bit of pepper until it was satisfactory. I probably ended up adding 3-4tbs of yeast....please don't be mad or judge me.....like I said, I had cheese earlier today and the flavor just needed to be stronger for me, right now. I'm sure once I let go of cheese altogether and my taste buds change, I'll be able to pull back on that. I did go to the store today and did not purchase more cheese so that was me being good!!!
Anyway, I served it over spaghetti squash warmed up with onions and garlic, topped it with chopped spinach and dried basil. SUPER GOOD!!!! I even have some sauce leftover in the fridge.....not sure what I'll use that for but I know it will be delish!!! Thanks for this recipe and your awesome blog!! I hope its ok if I share the version I made:
: 1 1/4 cups cashew milk, unsweetened
1 cup water
3-4 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp + 2 tsp arrow root powder
Sam says
Amy, I will never, ever, ever judge you for trying to eat more vegan! If you are making efforts to eat vegan, well that's just the best news ever! So happy you were able to make this recipe suit your own tastes. If you ever have any questions or need any support just let me know, that's what I am here for 🙂
Amy says
Hey Sam! I made this again today, using almond milk instead of cashew and it came out great!!
I'm using it in a crockpot vegan lasagna that is cooking right now, I can't wait to try it!! I can't find the original recipe that I found for the vegetarian lasagna, I came across it a few months ago. It has been a go to ever since. The original called for cheese which I subbed for this. I love using my crock pot so this is a win win. Just layer lasagna noodles, i used whole wheat, sauce, veggies and cheese. This time I used frozen veggies--yellow squash, mushrooms, green beans, and peas, its what I had in my freezer. I've done many different combinations and they are all good. I just wanted to share.
I am getting closer to going full vegan everyday. I got oatmeal for breakfasts so I can stop using eggs. Thanks for all the great recipes and being so welcoming. I love that you respond to almost every comment, it shows you really care about what people have to say and want to start a dialogue. I appreciate that! Thanks so much!
Sam Turnbull says
That lasagna sounds great! I don't have a crockpot... maybe I should get one. Hmm...
Congrats on getting more and more vegan! And thank you, yes I really do care what people have to say! Responding to comments is actually one of my favourite parts. It lets me know that I am indeed making a difference, even if people are just eating one dish vegan. 🙂
Mary says
I was just thinking, "I wonder if I can use arrowroot powder instead..." since that is what I have in the pantry, and then read this post. Perfect! Making this tonight for our vegan pizza. Can't wait 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
I hope you enjoy!
Karena Edgecombe says
How long is the life of this cheese?
Sam says
I would say about 5 days when kept in an air-tight container in the fridge. See the notes for re-melting it. 🙂
Maureen Cram says
Did not look at all the comments but wanted to add that if you do make double or triple or quadruple to save on washing up, you can freeze this. Just give it a good stir up when you thaw it out and you are good to go. I used the thawed sauce for a grilled cheese sandwich with home made almond pesto... Drool 🙂
Sam says
Vegan pesto grilled cheese sandwich!?!?! Um, don't be surprised if you see that appearing on the blog soon 🙂
Heather says
Thanks for the suggestion. I wonder if I could out it in an ice cube tray then just throw those on a pizza.
Areesh says
Nutritional Yeast isn't available anywhere in my county and I can't order it online :/ (I'm not legal to own a credit card just yet.) Any subsitute I can use instead of nutritional yeast?
Sam says
Nutritional yeast is just for flavour in this recipe, so you can just skip it but it does provide the cheesy flavour, so the recipe won't be quite the same. You might want to boost up some of the other flavours to help replace it. Hope that helps!
Areesh says
Thanks for the advice! I added garlic powder instead of the nutritional yeast and it was absolutely delicious! Once again, thanks a lot for the response and this wonderful recipe!
Sam says
You're very welcome! I'm glad it turned out for you 🙂
Karena Edgecombe says
Hi there, can you tell me if this would work in a dairy free cheese sauce?
my boy LOVES this cheese by the way!!!!
Sam says
Hmmm... difficult for me to know. Do you have a recipe for this cheese sauce? The cheese itself is already pretty saucy, so if you are just mixing it with macaroni or something it should be good to go!
Karena Edgecombe says
I made Mac and cheese with it last night. Using almond milk for the cheese sauce... It actually tastes really good
Sam says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Dawn says
Wow! I just found this on Pinterest and I think my jaw actually hit the desk. I cannot wait to try this. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! You're very welcome Dawn! I hope you like it 🙂
Tanya says
I just came across this recipe and had to try it immediately. It turned out fantastic! I used the cashews as well as cashew milk to replace the water. It worked perfectly. I'm turning it into the Spinach Artichoke dip so it looks like I'm going to have to make another batch for tomorrow night's pizzas! Thanks for the inspiration.
Sam says
You're very welcome Tanya! So happy you enjoyed it so much and are making it again already 🙂
Danielle says
I made this last night to put on pizza and it was yummy! Will make again! I did everything the recipe called for but instead of 1/4 cup of cashews I used 1/2 cup and did not up the other measurements and it was great-- nice a gooey.
Sam says
So happy you loved it Danielle 🙂
Craig says
Hi just an update. I tried to make Macaroni and cheese with this recipe. Worked out pretty well!
Basically, I boiled one cup macaroni, then when el dente, drained the pot and put back on the stove with the gas off. I then made the cheese as per the recipe, but cooked it together with the cooked macaroni while stirring. Tastes good, but next time I will double the pasta and add some celery pepper and a little more salt
Sam says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it. My recipe for Melty Stretchy Gooey Nacho Cheese might work well for a more rich flavour 🙂
Cristina says
OMG! I made this tonight for my pizza and it was delicious!! Thank you so much for such an easy and perfect recipe! I had to go and buy some crips to dip into it to finish the remainder of it, I just couldn't leave it haha
Sam says
Haha! THat's awesome. So very happy you enjoyed it Cristina 🙂
Christian says
Have you tried to put it in ice water and brine to make it firm up like dairy mozzarella? I would be interested to hear how that would turn out.
Sam says
No I haven't, but my guess is that it wouldn't firm up the same way, as this cheese doesn't have any of the firm qualities, it's really intended to stay melty. If you would like a vegan mozzarella that does firm up in brine, I recommend trying Miyoko Schinners.
Christian says
So, when I attempted this recipe, the cheese turned into this snot like consistency, and it was really weird... Did I do something wrong?
Sam says
It's difficult for me to know without being with you in the kitchen, but it should be a gooey and stretchy consistency. Sorry I can't be of more help!