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! 💕
Bob says
Sam:
Can I substitute Lemon juice for the apple vinegar?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes you can! It will have a slightly different flavour, but will still be great. Enjoy!
Lea says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Awww thanks Lea! So happy you loved my adaption. I made a nacho cheese version too if you are interested. Enjoy!
Yo says
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
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Shay says
Can I put this in the oven instead of cooking it on the stovetop ? Cooking it like mac n cheese
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Ashley Medina says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
That's awesome!! So happy everyone loved it so much 🙂
Debbie H Carter says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Audrey says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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. 🙂
Crissy says
I used full fat canned coconut milk and it's amazing
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!
bobby sue jabat says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Brittney Johnson says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Woot woot! Thrilled you're a fan Brittney 🙂
Sam says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Other starches will thicken it and make it into a sauce, but only tapioca will give you the stretchy cheesy like texture.
Laura says
I made this and the taste was great but the texture was a little gelatinous. Any suggestions on fixing this?
Sam Turnbull says
You can always thin it out a bit by stirring in a little more water. Hope that helps!
Eilis says
Could I freeze the mozzarella ,then grate it for toppings like pizza etc.
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Adriana says
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 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's awesome!! Was it a funny greenish colour? So happy it worked out for you 🙂
Adriana says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh yay!
qn says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Ooooh smoked mozzarella!! What a fab idea. So happy you enjoyed it so much qn 🙂
ZeroKNS says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Una says
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!!
Sam Turnbull says
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. 🙂
Bianca Salinas says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
You could try adding more seasonings such as in my Nacho Cheese Recipe. Hope that helps!
Jim Redman says
Suggestion: Blend more, faster, longer.
Karianne says
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
Sam Turnbull says
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. 🙂
Joy says
I have used sunflower seeds in this recipe when we had a guest that was allergic to nuts. It still tasted great!
Sam Turnbull says
Great to know!
Ziv says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you and your family enjoyed it so much Ziv 🙂
Kim Keesee says
Are you able to shred this once it's chilled?
Sam Turnbull says
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.
Cecilia says
Thanks for this recipe! Is it possible to replace the cashews with any other nut, say almonds? My partner is allergic to cashews 🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, blanched almonds work well too. The resulting cheese is not quite as creamy, but still pretty tasty 🙂
Cecilia says
Thanks Sam, will give this a go!
Cassie Smith says
Do you know if tofu would work? My friend is allergic to all nuts :-/
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
maria says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Bianca Salinas says
Let us know the outcome I am super curious! I am really curious of what it would be like with macademia's as well!