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.
I don’t know what kind of vegan voodoo this is, but this made cheese! I was skeptical about the mixture at first, but come on. This. Is. The. Closest. Thing. I’ll. Have. To. Mozzarella. Again. Praise be.
That’s so great to hear!
Did I do something wrong? I constantly stirred for over 15 minutes (I timed it) and no clumps or mozzarella ball. I couldn’t find tapioca starch/ flour, so I made mine using Kraft Minute Tapioca by putting it in the food processor and pulsing to flour. The only ingredient in there was tapioca and soy lecithin.
Hi! Yes, it did not work because you didn’t use tapioca starch. Kraft minute tapioca is not at all the same thing. You have to use tapioca starch/flour in order for the cheese to get stretchy and thick.
Just made this for grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. As usual, fantastic recipe! Thanks Nora!! FYI, when I’m looking for ANY recipe, I always search Nora Cooks first!
Aw thank you!! That’s so great to hear!
This is my favorite vegan mozzarella recipe. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Best pizza cheese I’ve come across! I add a little nutritional yeast to up the cheesiness. So stretchy and cheesy!
This was so easy to make, and so worth the effort. I followed the instructions, and the clumps started forming, and then the whole thing became a giant ball of mozz. And i have to say, watching the super-thin liquid slowly transform into a ball of gooey vegan mozz was so much fun!! Made the taste (I used it atop your vegan lasagna recipe) totally worth it.
One question – what do you think would happen if I used less apple cider vinegar next time? Is that an important ingredient for helping the mozz stay together? I occasionally taste the vinegar when I’m eating this, and it’s a tad more sour than I want from my mozz. Thanks Nora!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! You could totally leave it out or use less with no problems, it’s just for “tang”. 🙂
This recipe is fabulous! I made this cheese to use on pizza, tomato sauce on the bottom and topped with fresh tomatoes and oregano. I have an Italian husband, and it even met his approval (and he’s picky!).
That’s so great!
Hi! I’ve made this twice (following the recipe exactly) and both times it tasted really strongly of apple cider vinegar. Can I omit this entirely/should I reduce the amount/any other suggestions? I’ve read the comments and it doesn’t seem like anyone else has had this problem. Thank you so much for your help! 🙂
Some people really do not like the flavor of apple cider vinegar and can taste it really strongly, so if that’s you just leave it out. You can use more lemon juice instead. Thanks!
This is my go to cheese recipe! I usually add a little nutritional yeast and garlic powder. I also sometimes freeze it and shred it to use on pizza. Thank you for the great recipes!
You’re welcome!
This is so good it should be illegal. I added more lemon juice and salt until it was pretty tangy and a little nutritional yeast. I put it on eggplant Parmesan and it was so delicious. Thank you so much for bringing cheese back to me!
You’re welcome!
My try at this didn’t go as well as I had hoped, but I’m certain it was user error ? How long should the cashews be blended? The cheez tasted good and had great stretch, but it ended up quite clumpy with chunks of cashews throughout.
Thanks for the great recipes!
Oh yeah, it just did not get blended enough! You really need a high powered blender like a Vitamix to get it super smooth, or at least soak the cashews very well then blend for a long time to get it as smooth as possible with a regular blender. Thanks!
Can you shred it after it’s refrigerated?
It doesn’t really get firm enough to shred.
Can I use corn starch
It will thicken but won’t get that stretchy texture.
Super easy and tasty. Absolutely thrilled with this recipe!
What can I substitute for the lentils. I am from the Philippines and I don’t know if we have it here.
Thank you.
Your recipes are superb. I have already tried some.
No lentils are called for in this recipe, so I’m not quite sure what you are referring to. I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes!
Hi
This looks amazing but I cant use any vinegars or yeasts at the moment, do you think it would work if I left out the vinegar ?
Thanks for sharing such yummy recipes, I love the lasagne, but hoping to be able to add this mozzarella to it soon 🙂
No problem! You could use lemon juice instead and skip the vinegar. Hope that helps!
Great, thanks so much 🙂
Just what I was looking for! thank you,
MH
This is just the recipe I was looking for! Curious, as cashews are high in magnesium, this may be a magnesium-rich food. Great for calming and rest. 🙂
Blessings!
~Marisa H
It was surprisingly easy and delicious on our homemade pizza. My husband who is a tough critic really enjoyed it. When you ass the sauce and the toppings you really can’t tell it’s not real mozzarella.
Thank you for this delicious recipe
I meant add not ass- sorry lol
You’re so welcome!!
Amazing! Thank you, perfect for pizza topping. It is so close to mozzarella as we know it. My family were very happy last night! Will definitely be making this again. ?
That’s great to hear!
Hi Nora,
Can I share this recipe with my work colleagues if I reference your website? Would you mind? The lasagna recipe too. It will be on our internal portal only for my colleagues to see.
I am very tactfully trying to promote veganism at work. We have a ‘recipe potluck’ at work, so I want to submit this one because my wife and I cooked it.
Thanks
JB
Sure, that’s great! Thanks for your thoughtfulness!
I made this for my family tonight, to top our chicken parmesan, and it’s fantastic!! Thank you for sharing!
About to try this recipe tomorrow! May I know how long this would last if you freeze it immediately? I am just one person and could not eat so much cheese on my own ?
It will last a few months, though it is better tasting fresh. Make sure to cool it completely before freezing though.
You have changed my vegan game. I love your recipes. This cheese was pretty good. I added it to some pizza and was a solid 10! Thank you for what you do honestly.
You’re welcome! Thanks for the comment!
Would this work for mozzarella sticks? I’m trying to decide if I need to buy tapioca starch or if I can use corn starch for this because I need it to clump rather than stretch… I’ve never made mozz sticks before and I am a new vegan so I’m kinda learning as I go!
I haven’t tried using this cheese for mozzarella sticks, but I think it would probably work!
Yum! I added a scant 1/2 tsp of onion powder. I used this mozzarella on pizza using the tempeh sausage from your vegan pizza recipe and my husband said it was the best pizza he had ever had!
That’s so great to hear! Glad you enjoyed both of the recipes, thank you!