The Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese of your dreams, made with just 5 ingredients and in 15 minutes! Perfect for grilled cheese, lasagna, pizza and more!
Meet the vegan mozzarella cheese of your dreams! Stretchy, tangy and oh-so-delicious. I love using this mozzarella on pizza and my new favorite place for it is on top of Vegan Lasagna. Oh my goodness, it takes the lasagna to a whole new level of amazing!
This cheese also makes a mouthwatering vegan grilled cheese sandwich, which I love alongside tomato soup. Talk about an easy meal that kids and grown-ups will love!
I’m sure you could use this vegan mozzarella in many more ways that I haven’t even discovered yet. I’m thinking french onion soup, eggplant parmesan, quesadillas, dips… The possibilities are endless.
How do you make Vegan Mozzarella?
It’s very easy. First, you soak your cashews in hot water for 5 minutes (or up to an hour). Drain them, and add to a high powered blender with all the other ingredients. Blend; the mixture will be very watery.
Add to a small saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat. After a few minutes, it will start to get clumpy. Keep stirring. And then all of a sudden it magically turns into smooth, stretchy vegan mozzarella! That’s it, it’s ready to use.
How to brown vegan mozzarella in the oven:
I’ve discovered something new lately about this cheese. It will totally brown and bubble in the oven, like real mozzarella would! Simply spray the cheese with a little oil (I used olive oil spray), and broil for 5-10 minutes in the oven. I spread some cheese on sourdough bread and broiled it, and wow, it was incredible cheesy bread. I think this would work on top of casseroles (like lasagna), pizza and more.
What is tapioca starch and where can I find it?
Tapioca flour is a starch extracted from cassava. Tapioca starch and flour are usually the same thing, but not always.
It’s a white powder and works similarly to cornstarch as a thickener. The difference is it’s the key to making cheeses like this stretchy instead of just thickened. It’s absolutely necessary and perfect for making this vegan mozzarella.
How to use vegan mozzarella:
- Grilled Cheese – Spoon the cheese between two slices of (vegan) buttered bread and grill for a fantastic grilled cheese.
- Pizza – Spoon dollops of cheese on top of pizza crust along with other toppings of choice and cook as you normally would. You can also try to spread it all over the pizza (this works best when the mozzarella is very fresh).
- Lasagna – Spoon the cheese all over the top of the lasagna in the last 20 minutes of baking in the oven. Bake uncovered with the cheese, and broil if desired to brown in spots.
- Anywhere else you’d like! Dip chips into it, make quesadillas, in enchiladas, etc.
Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker.
EASY Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh from about 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons tapioca starch
Instructions
- Boil 2 cups of water (I just heat up water in my tea kettle). Pour the water over the cashews and let soak for 5 minutes and up to an hour.
- Drain the cashews, and add them to a blender along with 1 1/3 cups fresh water (not the water you soaked the cashews in), lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt and tapioca starch. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. It will be very watery at this point.
- Now pour the watery mixture into a small saucepan and bring the heat to medium. Begin to stir with a spatula or spoon.
- After a few minutes, it will begin to get clumpy. Keep stirring, constantly until suddenly it will become super gooey, stretchy, thick and smooth. It will become one big mass of stretchy vegan cheese. Remove from heat as soon as this happens.
- Use immediately, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator. It is easiest to use immediately, because it will thicken up more in the fridge and be less stretchy. So if possible, especially for using on pizza or lasagna, make right before using.
- For pizza, drop 1-2 tablespoon sized balls onto the crust and pat down a little bit. Or spread it all over. It will brown in the oven. For lasagna, drop dollops of the cheese all over the top towards the end of cooking time. Or place between bread and grill for grilled cheese.
Video
Notes
- Tapioca starch/flour is essential in this recipe, cornstarch will not create the same "stretchy" quality.
- I've never tried it with another nut, but I suspect raw slivered almonds could work.
- If you want the cheese to brown in the oven (like it looks on the bread in the post above), simply spray with a little oil and broil for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully. This is wonderful for lasagna, pizza, or just atop bread for cheesy bread.
- I have frozen this and while it is still edible, it definitely tastes best fresh. It will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. But again, it will be the most stretchy and easy to work with immediately.
Another home run recipe! I don’t like vinegar, so I added nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic instead and it was the perfect cheese! I put it on top of a pasta bake and it worked beautifully. Reminded me of the Miyokos pourable mozzarella, but better and cheaper to make. So gooey and satisfying!
Awesome, Melissa! Thanks so much for sharing your fabulous feedback and review! Happy cooking to you!
So easy! This is my go to recipe for quesadillas and pizza “cheese”. I add a bit of nutritional yeast
Thanks so much for your review!
Hey, I’d love to try this, but my son is allergic to cashews. Do you think almonds would work in this recipe, or would they just not have the same consistency?
I haven’t tried making this recipe with almonds, but I suspect that raw slivered almonds could work well as a replacement.
Will it work with cashew milk? If so how much to use to replace cashew + water ti make paste?
I don’t think cashew milk would work because it isn’t as thick or creamy as cashew cream.
Would arrowroot powder give the same thickness and stretch as tapioca do you think?
Hi Michelle. I Dom’t think arrowroot powder will work as substitute here. Tapioca is what gives it that cheesy stretchiness. Arrowroot will just make it a little thick, but not cheesy. Hope this helps!
Looking forward to trying this, and wondering if there’s any way to grate it. Would it be firm enough to grate if refrigerated, or maybe if it was frozen?
It does kind of work to grate it once it’s frozen. I’ve done it before with pretty good results.
Five stars for texture and browning!! But two for taste – not salty enough, vinegar is way too strong, and it lacks depth. I omitted the vinegar and added a bit more lemon juice and salt, 15 g nutritional yeast, a tablespoon of Italian herbs, and 1/4 tsp of garlic powder. SO GOOD! Telling all my friends!!!
This turned out amazing! Unbelievable consistency and great flavor to boot. Used it in lasagna and it was perfect. Can’t wait to try this again in grilled cheeses or otherwise
Thanks so much for your feedback and review!
This is way better than store bought vegan mozzarella. I did find it needing more salt (for my liking) but other than that, it’s perfect as all of your recipes always are! We put this on our sub sandwiches with your ‘best vegan meatballs’ and some marinara sauce -YUM!
Yum, Eleisha! That sounds delicious! Thank you for your fabulous feedback and ideas! I’m really glad that you love the cheese! I appreciate you using my recipes!
This is shockingly good AND easy. Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe! I think I’ve tried every vegan mozzarella on the market, and this is better than all of them. I felt it could use a tiny bit more salt, so I’ll experiment with that in the future. I also might try adding nutritional yeast. Regarding some other comments about the vinegar, I could definitely smell the vinegar when cooking, but luckily could not taste it. Thanks again for sharing this game-changer.
You are so welcome! I’m really happy that you found the recipe, and that you’ve loved it! Thank you for sharing your experience with the recipe and your fantastic feedback!
Oh my, this is tasty! Just made one of my favorite sandwiches … grilled sourdough, this mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil. Last night, I used some in your lasagna (also delicious). Thank you SO much for helping me keep a few old favorites in my new and ridiculously enjoyable WFPB life.
Hi Jean. Wow, you made some wonderful things with the mozzarella cheese! They sound amazing! I’m so glad that you are loving the cheese! Thank you for sharing your fun and fabulous feedback!
Hello, Nora
Can I add nutritional yeast to this? if so, how much?
Sure! Adding some spices or nutritional yeast won’t affect the cheese texture. Hope you enjoy it!
Way better than store bought vegan mozzarella! It did take a lot longer than expected for it to thicken up on the stove, but that could just be because I doubled the recipe for your lasagna. I’m very impressed with how this came out!
well this is interesting. I made it last night with a few modifications: added 2 tablespoons of mooch or nutritional yeast and skipped the vinegar and consistency and taste is close enough that i can do this often. I actually like this firmer than what it comes out to be, maybe if I add more of the starch it becomes firmer. It actually becomes thicker as it cools down and that is cool for me, especially on toast.
Nora! I love this recipe, thank you! With it no one could tell my lasagna was vegan! I made it on a whim while the lasagna baked. After topping off the lasagna with this cheese and spraying oil on it, I broiled it. Ladies.. men.. don’t skip this step, it takes the cheese to another level! So glad I didn’t use a shredded vegan brand instead. My first time making cheese turned out great. I loved the simplicity of ingredients and instructions. Flavor was great, I didn’t taste the apple cider vinegar as another reviewer mentioned. Best vegan mozzarella I’ve had! Also made your pumpkin pie.. loved it, it didn’t last 2 days.. about to make it again.
God bless!
I just love reading your fun comments! I’m so thrilled the cheese turned out great, and you love it! Thank you for sharing your ideas and great feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
What is the alternative to tapioca starch if not available?
Tapioca starch is essential in this recipe. Other commenters have had success using cornstarch (half of the amount), but it doesn’t create the same “stretchy” quality.
WOW! I am completely impressed! Just as my teenage daughter was ready to give up on her dairy-free diet, I found your recipe 🙂 I quickly made the mozzarella grilled cheese sandwich AND your Mac & Cheese recipe. (way too much food for one sitting!) She was shocked and was licking the pot and the blender🤣
Thank you for helping me to help her stay on track!
I, like other commenters, did not have tapioca starch and subbed it for 1/2 the amount of cornstarch. It definitely wasnt super stretchy because of this but it was still delicious and im excited to try making it with the tapioca starch next time! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Audrey. You are welcome! I’m glad you liked the cheese, and that you’re going to try it again with tapioca starch. Thank you for sharing your experience and your positive feedback!
Hello,
If we want to double the batch? Should I double the water also?
Thanks
Yes, you should.
Hi, I tried the recipe today (first ever attempt at making vegan cheese). The result was great; it came meaty and stretchy and was great with pasta. The only thing is the taste of apple cider vinegar was really strong. Can I reduce the quantity or eliminate it altogether? Thanks
Hi, I tried the recipe today (first ever attempt at making vegan cheese). The result was great; it came meaty and stretchy and was great with pasta. The only thing is the taste of apple cider vinegar was really strong. Can I reduce the quantity or eliminate it altogether? Thanks
Hi Michelle. So glad you like the cheese! Yes, adjust or omit the vinegar to your taste preference! Thanks for sharing your positive feedback!
Wow thank you!! I replaced the tapioca starch with half amount of cornstarch as I saw in a previous comment, and also added nutritional yeast for extra flavour. Best pizza ever!
I’m so happy it worked out for you! Thank you for your fantastic review and feedback!
I’ve been making your best vegan lasagne for ages with the tofu ricotta but idk why I just never wanted to make the mozzarella too….my son wanted baked ziti today and I thought today is the day to try the mozzarella lol. OMG I am so regretful of not making it years ago! Literally was so easy and I added a little
Garlic powder it it too. It was fabulous and great texture!!!! Used cornstarch instead (half quantity) and it was perfect! Thanks for this awesome recipe!!!
Hi Christina. I’m glad you tried the cheese, and loved it! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Could we use arrowroot starch instead of tapioca?
I don’t think the cheese will be stretchy if you do, it will just be thickened.
This tastes so much like what I remember dairy mozzarella tasting like. It’s definitely a recipe I will be making again. SO GOOD!
I’m really glad you loved the mozzarella cheese, Sid! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made the mozzarella today to put on pizza. It turned out great! I did not think it would “brown” but it did. Also, the taste is great. Mozzarella is the only thing I still struggle with, and now I’ve found my remedy! Thanks again. I will share this on vegan groups that I belong to.