The Best Vegan Mozzarella!!! Just 5 minutes & 9 ingredients to make dairy-free mozzarella that's perfect for vegan pizza or quesadillas! This vegan cheese recipe grates, melts, stretches and tastes great.
So many people have been enjoying my Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella recipe for years. It's a fan favourite with almost 150 thousand shares and over 800 comments. Woah! But there were two common questions about that vegan mozzarella that I've received that I wanted to answer with a brand new recipe.
- Is there a way to make this vegan mozzarella nut free?
- Is there a way to make this cheese firm so I can grate it?
I'm happy to report that I was able to solve both of those problems, which is why I dub this recipe, The Best Vegan Mozzarella!!!
But those aren't the only two reasons this vegan mozzarella recipe is the best.
This Vegan Mozzarella is the BEST Because:
- It takes about 5 minutes to make. That's it! Then just pop it in the fridge to chill and set. SO easy peasy.
- Requires only 9 ingredients... and one of them is water!
- Can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
- You can slice it and it is so grate-able.
- Melts wonderfully, better than most store-bought vegan mozzarellas.
- Tastes super creamy cheesy gloriously delicious. The flavor of this vegan cheese is so amazing, you won't be able to stop eating it!!
- It's 100% nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and of course vegan.
See, it really is the best!
For the firming agent in this vegan mozzarella recipe, I provide you with two different options and they yield very different results.
Kappa Carrageenan (I ordered mine on amazon here), is a powder derived from seaweed.
Using kappa carrageenan in this recipe is easier and results in a creamier meltier cheese texture so it's my preference. Some people are concerned about the health effects of kappa carrageenan but according to nutritionfacts.org, the science isn't there yet. Popular vegan brands such as Follow Your Heart use it in their products and they provided this article about it stating that as long as it's food grade carrageenan, it is safe to cosume. So for me, I'm 100% cool about using it, but if you'd prefer to avoid it, I wanted to provide you with another choice.
Agar or Agar Agar (I ordered mine on amazon here), is also a powder derived from seaweed.
It takes slightly more work to use, but the real difference is in the finished mozzarella. You can see from the photo below that it doesn't melt as well, and the taste is ever so slightly less delicious when compared to the kappa carrageenan version. That said, if I didn't have the two side by side, I would have been totally happy with the results using agar. I also found that when you add toppings over the cheese, I got a little meltier and creamier. Or if you were making a different type of recipe, the cheese gets very melty in the microwave.
For both of these, it's important to note that this vegan mozzarella recipe is intended to be grated or sliced, and then melted. While the cheese is totally edible sliced cold from the block, neither the kappa carrageenan or the agar provided a texture close to traditional cheese, so it isn't my favourite for snacking. But if you're into the texture, by all means, snack away!! My favourite cheese for snacking is my cranberry and thyme vegan cheese ball.
Before we get into the method, I wanted to breakdown some of the other ingredients in my vegan mozzarella recipe. I'm all about using easy-to-find ingredients in my recipes, but this vegan mozzarella recipe requires a lot of tricks. Vegan mozzarella should turn into a firm block of cheese. And it needs to be grate-able. And it needs to melt and get stretchy. So this recipe required some special ingredients you might not find in your local grocery store, while other ingredients should be easy to find.
- Soft tofu provides creaminess while keeping the cheese light and nut-free.
- Coconut oil has the unique quality of being solid at room temperature but melts very easily which helps with the firming and melting of this cheese. I recommend refined coconut oil which is flavourless as opposed to unrefined which will add a coconut taste.
- Tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) provides the stretchy texture to the cheese. You can sub another starch if preferred but the resulting mozzarella will not have the stretchy texture.
- Nutritional yeast is a non-active yeast which provides a cheesy flavour.
- Sauerkraut, yep, regular old sauerkraut is my secret ingredient hack for instantly providing an aged fermented flavour to the cheese. Check to make sure the sauerkraut is vegan (some of them contain meat bits). If you want to experiment you can sub sauerkraut for equal amounts of the brine from a jar of green olives or white miso paste for other great aged flavours.
Now onto cheese making!
To Make the Best Vegan Mozzarella:
If you are using Kappa Carrageenan: simply add everything to a blender, combine until smooth, and pour into a mold to set. BOOM! It's that easy. Kappa carrageenan must reach 158F to set. Because of this, it's very important that the water is at a full boil, that you add it to the blender last, and that you blend right away to ensure that nothing cools down.
If using Agar (or Agar Agar): it takes a little more effort to make the agar set properly, so add everything to the blender except for water and the agar. Whisk together the water and agar in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat while continuing to whisk until the mixture thickens and forms a gel. Working quickly, add the agar mixture to the blender along with the rest of the ingredients, and blend until smooth. Pour into a mold to set. Done!
Chill uncovered in the fridge for about 1 hour, or until the cheese sets and is firm all the way through. To remove the cheese, just turn the mould over onto a clean surface and smack the bottom and sides a few times until it releases. Keep the chilled and set cheese in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Use anywhere you desire! On pizza, in lasagna, garnish hot soups, to make grilled cheeses, the options are endless.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
The Best Vegan Mozzarella!!!
Ingredients
- ½ cup soft or silken tofu
- ¼ cup tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ tablespoons kappa carrageenan (or substitute 2 tablespoons agar powder)
- 1 tablespoon sauerkraut
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ cups boiling water (or use cold water if you are using agar)
Instructions
If using kappa carrageenan:
- Add all of the ingredients to the blender, and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Kappa carrageenan must reach 158F to set. Because of this, it's very important that the water is at a full boil, that you add it to the blender last, and that you blend right away to ensure that nothing cools down. Quickly pour into your mold of choice, the cheese sets very fast so work quickly.
- Chill, uncovered in the fridge for about 1 hour or until the cheese sets and is firm all the way through. To remove the cheese just turn the mold over onto a clean surface and smack the bottom and sides a few times until it releases. Store the cheese in an air-tight container in the fridge up to 1 week, or it can be frozen.
If using agar:
- Add everything to the blender except for water and the agar. Set the blender aside.
- Whisk together 1 ½ cups cold water and 2 tablespoons agar in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat while continuing to whisk until the mixture thickens and forms a thin gel, about 1 - 2 minutes at a full boil. Working quickly, now add the agar mixture to the blender and blend until smooth. Quickly pour into your mold of choice, the cheese sets very fast so work quickly.
- Chill, uncovered in the fridge for about 1 hour or until the cheese sets and is firm all the way through. To remove the cheese just turn the mold over onto a clean surface and smack the bottom and sides a few times until it releases. Store the cheese in an air-tight container in the fridge up to 1 week, or it can be frozen.
Notes
Nutrition
Patricia Sackett says
I'm not vegan or vegetarian but was looking for a cheese substitute. Are there any recipes that don't use cashews? Cashews are a high fat nut. I follow weight watchers and find all the cheese recipes points prohibitive.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yes! You can try the sunflower seed cheese recipe: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/vegan-sunflower-seed-cheese/ or if you need a nut-free cheese sauce: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/easy-vegan-cheese-sauce-no-nuts/
Colleen says
Hey there! I love your melty stretchy gooey mozzarella and I'm excited to try this recipe too... just ordered the kappa. I'm wondering if you've ever tried freezing the cheese shreds? I've done this with other vegan cheeses but I've never used kappa before and wasn't sure how it would melt after freezing.
Wendy says
I am definitely going to have to try this. Cheese has been the hardest thing for me to give up since I started trying to go vegan in January 2020. I have not been successful and have found my way back to a number of animal-based products including cheese because if found the products available wanting. The only one I really loved was VioLife feta. I wonder if this vegan mozzarella can be frozen?
I am also wondering why your links go to Amazon in the US rather than Amazon.ca since you are in Canada?
Silver says
Sam, this cheese is delicious! I made the cheese using agar and it turned out sooo good. Melts, stretches and good enough to eat just like that. LOVE that it is made from tofu. Well done, as always x
Silver says
I’ve made this recipe countless times and LOVE it just as is since it reminds of fresh mozz, yumm. I’ve been putting half the amount of tapioca and find the flavour much better. Just wanted to share 🙂
Nina - Edamommy4life says
I made this for the first time to put on homemade pizza and it really worked great! I can't believe it melted so much better than the store bought kind. I made a triple batch and have frozen a ton of it, so I'm hoping this will be a game changer moving forward for pizza. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! So thrilled you love it so much, Nina 🙂
Anne says
I have to admit I was really doubtful about this, but I was pleasantly surprised. I'm excited to try this out on a "meat"ball sandwich and see how stretchy and melty it gets.
Thanks for putting this recipe together for us!
--Anne
Giulia says
Hello!
I’d like to try this recipe and I was wondering if I could substitute the agar agar/kappa with psyllium husks instead.
Thanks
Becky says
Made this and it was great. I'm wondering if I can skip the oil?? How much would it change it up?
Anita says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am trying to avoid anything coconut. May I use olive oil or canola oil instead?
Destiny M Ramsey says
I'm going to try this today! Thank you for creating this. Don't hate me because I'm not vegan lol but I'm severely lactose intolerant and I am always missing out on cheese dishes. Store bought vegan cheese is expensive, sketchy and gross. I really appreciate your hard work!
Belinda Alonso says
Can I substitute sauerkraut? What's the purpose of using it? Just curious
Ana says
Hi
Can I replace a kappa with xanthan gum? In Portugal I can't find Kappa ...
Tonya says
This recipe is fantastic!! I’ve been on the struggle bus with cheese since going vegan but this is a game changer!! I didn’t have tofu so I made a besan “pudding” and it worked perfectly. I also made a cheddar using by adding paprika, turmeric, mushroom extract, onion powder, and extra kraut.....perfect!!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! Thrilled you loved it so much, Tonya!!
Jacqueline says
I love your recipe. It turned out perfect. I added a tad bit more sauerkraut and tossed in a tablespoon of matti beans for that extra cheese stink and ferments. So good.
KM says
So I tried this with an (Aussie) product called Jell-It-In - it’s cheap & easily available in supermarkets here; but carrageenan is only the 2nd ingredient. Well, it didn’t work - I was prepared for this of course, since I didn’t follow the rules BUT it works very similar to your dollop-able mozz! So it was totally salvageable. I didn’t want to invest in a weird ingredient before trying, since I HATE the taste of plain tofu and was worried the simple ingredients here wouldn’t cover the tofu taste. Once cooked though, eg on pizza - I couldn’t taste the tofu. Yay! Looking forward to trying again when I can get my hands on some carrageenan or agar Thanks for a creative recipe!
Corrine says
Is there a substitution for the kraut? My daughter wants to make this because she cannot have dairy, but she also cannot have sour kraut or any leafy greens.
Ray says
Hi,
Not the recipe author, but I would assume the kraut is being used for a "tangy" flavour. You should be able to sub lemon juice or apple cider vinegar just fine, many other cheese recipes use this. Hope this helps!
Danielle Barker says
You also try vegan lactic acid, available on Anazon. Lactic acid is what gives cheese it's tangy flavor naturally and is also foubd in sauerkraut.
Jennifer says
So I closely followed the recipe using kappa carrageenan and the cheese didn’t set. It tasted good but turned into this weird blobby paste. I had the water at a full boil and immediately turned on the blender when adding the boiling hot water. It seems like some others had a similar problem, the blobby cheese tasted good, and I didn’t want to throw away good food so I decided to troubleshoot. Apparently kappa carrageenan will melt and reset. I put the delicious unset cheesy blob in a nonstick sauce pan, turned the heat on medium high, and whisked like crazy. It worked! The blob melted down into what looked like melted stringy cheese. I kept heating and stirring until it started bubbling. Stirred about 30sec more. Poured it into a heat safe mold. Popped in the fridge. And voila! Cheese blob now shreddable vegan cheese.
Asch says
I followed your trick since my cheese also didn't set and it worked! I opted for cashew cream and it gave it a really robust flavor. Yum!
Jennifer says
This recipe is a great template for making vegan mozzarella to your individual taste! I made it as instructed the first time, and found it great on pizza. I've made kappa carrageenan mozzarella with cashews instead of silken tofu before, and honestly, they're hard to distinguish. Which is great, because the tofu is much less fatty and more proteiny!
I'm planning to experiment with replacing the salt with miso -- upping the umami -- and replacing a little more of the water with extra sauerkraut. It might be that my homemade sauerkraut just wasn't tangy enough to impart much flavor.
Deakan says
So annoying when people like you give a recipe a low rating when you don't even follow the recipe as written.
Milissa says
I was very skeptical about this recipe, having tried others only to be disappointed. But all the vegan cheese on the market is horrible in both taste and texture and never melts, even when advertised to do so. So I took the leap and made a double batch, subbing rice vinegar for the sauerkraut because I forgot to buy it when I shopped and just couldn't muster the energy for yet another trip to the store. Next time, I wll make sure to have the sauerkruat because I think the flavor will be much better. And yes, there will be a next time, probably too many to count!!! This cheese is amazing!!!!!!! It came together just as you described with no issues at all. I took a few bites as I grated it for our dinner of vegan pizza, and it tasted so good, I topped our salads with it, too. Even my carniverous 14 year-old ate two slices and never asked if it was vegan. SCORE!!
It's perplexing why some of the above comments indicate it didn't work-I'd have to guess they didn't get the boiling water in fast enough? There are a few changes, though. I didn't find the cheese too wet to grate-it grated quickly and easily. It did release a lot of water when it baked on the pizza, though, and I think the veggies we topped it with added to the watery-ness of the final product. Next time, I think I'll press the tofu for just bit, and I'll blot the shreds with a cloth to help remove excess moisture. And I'll pre-roast the veggies to pull out some of the water from those. Aside from those things, I have zero complaints and am so excited I tried this recipe. I have three more blocks in the freezer now (since I doubled the recipe), and intend to use it for more pizzas, sandwiches, etc.
Thank you so much for doing what no vegan cheese manufacturer has been able to do as of yet. This really delivers, and I can't imagine I'll ever waste money on store-bought vegan cheese again. Seriously, you've kinda changed my life!!
Nancy says
I made this yesterday. Quick and easy! Turned out (almost) perfect, a little too salty for my taste, and a little bland. Next time I make it, I’m going to use less salt and more garlic. Since I put garlic in everything anyway, it was great on my pizza just as it is!
Ranveer Singh Kornchavalakul says
Can this be stored for about 10 days in the freezer?
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely! Enjoy!