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! 💕
Jackie says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thrilled you loved it Jackie 🙂
Michelle says
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!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So happy you and your husband loved it so much Michelle 🙂
Alyssa Mozelle McCord says
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!"
Sam Turnbull says
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. 🙂
Lena M. says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Lisa says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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! 🙂
Shani Bob says
Can I refrigerate the mixture without cooking it? And use it day? Will it go bad?
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Alyssa says
Could I use arrow root powder instead of tapioca?
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Aileen says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Brandon Lillibridge says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Elaine says
You can go to an Asian grocery store and get tapioca starch for prices ranging from $0.89 to $1.99.
Sam Turnbull says
Great tip!
Sam says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Awww yay! So happy you love it so much Sam 😀
Chris says
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
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Chris,
Yes, you can freeze it and it comes back to life just fine. So very happy you loved the recipe! 😀
Pj says
It's delicious.....and was so easy to make.....thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Joanie says
Just branching into homemade vegan cheese. Can I use a nutrabullet to make the cheese? Do I have to adjust the recipe?
Sam Turnbull says
Should be no problem, just make sure to soak or boil the cashews first as instructed 🙂
RT says
Do I still need to soak the cashews if I have a Blendtec?
Sam Turnbull says
Nope, you should be good to go! I used the smoothie button and it seems to cream the cashews perfectly
Elizabeth says
Sam this recipe is amazing! We just made it, and sampled, delish, - it's going to be great on pizza later! Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it! 😀
Astrid says
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
Sam Turnbull says
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
Astrid says
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! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
I really hope it works for you! The starchiness is so fun! 🙂
Traci says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you loved it so much Traci and that you like my version. Thanks for leaving such a lovely comment 😀
Amber R. says
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. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
That's so awesome to hear Amber! So happy you love it 😀
Rachel T. says
I made this according to intrucations and it tasted like nothing, absolutely no flavor, and it was just goo. Not melty, just tasteless goo.
Rachel T. says
*instructions
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Crissy says
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!