Vegan Mozzarella that can be shredded or sliced! It melts and stretches beautifully just like the real thing and only takes minutes to make! Nut free option.
I have probably tested this vegan mozzarella 10-15 times in the last couple of months, trying to get it just right for you! I decided to keep the flavor very similar to my EASY Stretchy Mozzarella since it’s so well loved.
The difference with this recipe is that the mozzarella is SHREDDABLE and SLICEABLE. Total game changer!
Why this cheese is amazing
- You can make it in a matter of minutes, and it’s ready to eat in an hour or two.
- It shreds perfectly for pizza or quesadillas, and melts super well!
- It can be sliced for sandwiches, used either cold or for grilled cheese.
- You can make mozzarella sticks! (recipe is coming soon)
- It only requires 9 ingredients.
- It’s gluten free, dairy free (of course) and there is a nut free option that works so well!
- Plus it will satisfy your cheesy cravings with it’s deliciousness!!!
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Ingredients for Shreddable Vegan Cheese
- Raw cashews OR silken tofu – This is the base of your cheese. I prefer to use cashews for a slightly richer cheese, but silken tofu actually works well! If you have a nut allergy, or you don’t have a high powered blender, use the tofu version.
- Tapioca starch – Also known as tapioca flour, this provides a wonderful stretchy texture.
- Kappa Carrageenan – This is the magical ingredient that makes the cheese solid, and allows it to melt, and then go back to solid. I ordered mine from Amazon. *There is some controversy around carrageenan, but I feel totally safe using it after doing a lot of research. Do what you feel is right, I do include an option for using agar agar instead.
- Nutritional yeast – For that cheesy flavor, however if you don’t care for it you can leave it out or use white mellow miso paste instead. It makes the cheese wonderfully flavored!
- Salt
- Refined coconut oil – Refined is the key word here! Don’t use unrefined or your cheese will taste like coconut. Oil free? You can leave it out, the cheese just won’t be quite as rich or melty.
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar, or just more lemon juice
- Boiling hot water – This is what activates the kappa carrageenan.
How to make it
- Soak the cashews, unless you are using tofu. Also get out a clean container to hold the cheese. I used a glass container that holds 3 cups.
- To a blender, add all the ingredients except the boiling water.
- Carefully add the boiling hot water to the blender and then IMMEDIATELY put on the lid and blend. Use a towel for extra protection. You need to move quickly because the cheese will start to set almost right away.
- Pour into the prepared container, right away. Don’t let the mixture sit in the blender for any time at all!
Place the container, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours until set and solid throughout.
Then it’s ready to slice or shred!
If you aren’t going to eat it right away, pop it out of the container, wrap in paper towels and place in a large ziplock bag or container. This will make it drier, which I think makes it better.
How long will it keep?
It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 1 week. It can also be frozen.
I made some simple pizzas on tortillas and OH MY GOODNESS they were amazing! This cheese melts better than any brand of vegan cheese I have bought at the store, and it tastes better, too.
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Want more Vegan Cheese recipes?
- EASY Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- 5 Ingredient Vegan Queso
- Vegan Cream Cheese
- Nut Free Vegan Cheese Sauce
Method adapted from Vegan Blueberry and recipe adapted from my Stretchy Mozzarella.
Shreddable Vegan Mozzarella
Vegan Mozzarella that can be shredded or sliced! It melts and stretches beautifully just like the real thing and only takes minutes to make!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews OR 1/2 cup silken tofu
- 4 tablespoons tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kappa carrageenan*
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons refined coconut oil (make sure it's refined for no coconut flavor!)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or more lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups boiling hot water
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil (I use my electric kettle.) Pour the hot water over the cashews and let soak for 5 minutes, then drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. Set aside.
- Get out a clean container that can hold about 3 cups. I prefer glass, but plastic will work. Have it ready before you start because you will need to move quickly once the cheese is blended.
- Heat up the 1 1/2 cups of water. It will need to be boiling when you add it to the blender. Again, I heat up water in my tea kettle, then measure 1 1/2 cups when I'm ready. You can also simply get it boiling in a small pan on the stovetop.
- To a high powered blender (if you use tofu instead you can use a regular blender), add the soaked and drained cashews, tapioca starch, kappa carrageenan, nutritional yeast, salt, coconut oil, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
- CAREFULLY pour in the boiling hot water, and immediately put the lid on and blend. Use a towel for extra protection so the hot water does not burn you! Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down once if needed. It will only take a minute or so, and the mixture will start to harden fast so you need to work quickly.
- Immediately pour the cheese into your prepared container. It will start to harden super fast, so do not wait.
- Move the container to the refrigerator, uncovered and let chill for 1-2 hours, until solid throughout and cooled.
- After a few hours, pop it out of the container, and either slice/shred right away or wrap in paper towels, then place in a large ziplock bag or container. This will help it be drier, which I think makes it better.
- Use anywhere you would real mozzarella, such as on pizza, grilled cheese, cold sandwiches, pasta dishes, Mexican dishes, on top of soups or just for snacking.
Notes
- I have tested this with both cashews and tofu and I can hardly tell the difference! If you have a nut allergy, or you don't have a high powered blender, use the tofu. I still prefer the cashews for a slightly richer cheese, but the tofu version is really good too.
- Kappa Carrageenan is a natural substance from red seaweed that helps thicken/gels. I feel completely safe using it, but if you have concerns you can use agar agar powder instead or simply stick to my Easy Stretchy Mozzarella.
- To use agar agar instead: Place all the ingredients except for the agar agar and water to the blender and set aside. In a small pot, stir together 3 tablespoons (instead of 1 1/2) agar agar and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until it firms up and gels. Add this to the blender, blend, then transfer to the container and refrigerate. To use agar agar flakes, increase the amount to 9 tablespoons.
- If you don't like nutritional yeast, you can leave it out or sub a mellow white miso paste instead.
- Oil Free: You can leave out the coconut oil if needed. It won't be quite as melty or rich but it does work quite well.
- Storing: The cheese will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 1 week. If you can't eat it all in that time, you can freeze it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 437mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
Could I leave out the tapioca starch and use agar agar instead of the tapioca starch and the kappa carrageenan?
If you leave out the tapioca starch the cheese might not be as stretchy when it melts, but it might work okay. Yes, you can use agar agar instead of the kappa though.
I’m setting my cheese in the fridge now however, I tasted it and it tastes really sweet. I left out nooch and and acv and used agar agar. The only sweet component would have been the agar but I didn’t think it would be that sweet. Is it the brand? Has anyone else experienced this??
Oh that is kind of odd. I’ve never had that happen, and I have used agar agar several times. Did you use unrefined coconut oil? Because that might make it taste sweet.
Hi there, I’d love to try this for my dairy free family. However I have a child who is allergic to coconut products. Could I substitute the coconut oil for sunflower oil? Thank you!
I think that will work yes, though the coconut oil firms up in the refrigerator while sunflower oil will not, but I still think it will work even if it’s a bit softer.
I tried this using agar agar. It tasted good, but sadly did not melt on pizza. It seemed very dry, and I’m wondering if extra fluid is needed besides the 1 1/2 c used to cook the agar.
Looks good , but I want to try the tofu version as I have some shelf stable type silken tofu or mori nu.
Will that work?
Can you freeze it? I’ve really had bad luck freezing cashew based vegan cheese and unthawing. The texture is gone afterwards….edible, but definitely not as good as fresh made and loses its ability to melt or seem melted.
Yes, that kind of tofu should work here. This freezes okay, but I do feel like it’s better fresh or refrigerated.
I have followed this recipe, very carefully, two times. Recipe tasted fantastic both times. However, the first time I put the mixture into an ~6×9 dish to cool, so it was shallow. Second time I use round pyrex so the mixture was deeper. Both times the cheese came out very wet / moist so much that I could not shread it. I would really love to abandon the store bought, because the flavor and melt factor on this was good on pizza (I just broke it apart and it worked). Just really want to be able to shred it, PLEASE HELP!
I wonder if you made any substitutions at all or left anything out? Did you use the kappa carrageenan? I ask because using agar agar does tend to result in much softer cheese that is more difficult to shred. The other thing is to move very quickly, so that the chemical reaction occurs, and immediately pour it into the container and chill. I’ve noticed that if I blend too long, or wait too long, the cheese does not come out as well, or firm. Hope that helps and you can have success next time around!
This recipe worked PERFECTLY! I have been wary of making my own vegan cheese out of fear it would go wrong, but this could not have been easier! Thank you also for including I fo the agar agar substitute. I have Kappa but not Agar at home and didn’t know how to substitute in other recipes. Awesome recipe and site!
Thanks so much!! So glad it worked out great!
Hey there– just new to the wfpb world and cheese seems to be the hardest thing to find acceptable/like tasting substitutes for. When I have tried vegan cheese at local restaurants it has caused me to gag. I think its the texture that melts but in a weird gooey gooey way. Is that the same as this or would this really fool you into thinking its dairy based?
I know it can be hard to replace cheese! I wouldn’t say it tastes exactly like dairy, BUT I really like the taste and texture of this cheese when it’s melted. Daiya cheese can be kinda gooey and I know a lot of people do not like it, and this doesn’t taste anything like that, so maybe you will like it!
This cheese was an absolute 5 star hit at our family pizza party. My 4 year old grandson has a severe dairy allergy as does my college age son. Needless to say, pizza parties were not very fun for them until this! With their very first bites, their faces lit up and I am so thankful for another amazing recipe from your site.
Wow, that’s so wonderful to hear! Thanks for the great comment!
What is the final net weight of the cheese? Of the serving size? (It just says “8 servings, but doesn’t specify the size.)
Looks like it’s about 1 lb of cheese – is that correct?
Thanks!
Yes, it makes about 1 lb of cheese I believe.
Hi! I made this and it’s been four hours but the cheese is not yet solidified and more of a yogurt texture. What do you think I did wrong? Also, is this still useable if I simply dollop on pizza? Thanks!
That happened to me one time when my water was not quite still boiling hot, and I took too long to transfer it to containers after blending. You just have to move quickly and make sure your hot is boiling hot. It’s a chemical reaction that has to take place. But yes, it is still useable to dollop in places, and I bet it will melt for things like grilled cheese, etc.
So EASY and tastes amazing! Thank you for all the great recipes!
You’re welcome!
I followed the reciope to the letter, used agar agar, but my cheese did not melt. What might I have done wrong.
I’ve noticed that using agar agar results in cheese that doesn’t melt quite as well. I would try a high oven temperature (for example, if you are trying to melt on pizza) for best results.
is the tofu that you use soft, medium or hard? thanks, I’m excited to try this! 🙂
I tried it with silken firm tofu.
I just made this cheese and I am so excited to use it on pizza now. It wasn’t hard to make at all and it tastes great. Thank you!!
You’re welcome!
Just tasted this after 2 hours in the fridge. GREAT consistency sliced and shredded. Haven’t yet tried melting but it has a really great flavor. I think I’d like to experiment with adding some herbs or maybe peppers next time just for fun. I used miso instead of nooch (husband can’t stand nooch). Might tone down the lemon juice just a touch next time, but overall a big winner!! Thanks Nora!!
You’re welcome!
For some reason the agar agar isn’t firming into gelatin
Not sure what I’m doing wrong. I put 3 tbsp of agar agar flakes into 1/1/2 cups water let it boil turned off heat and then kept whisking but didn’t harden.
I loved the recipe, thank you! I used the agar agar and it all worked out. However, I booked it together with the water and didn’t add it separately along with the other ingredients. Got confided by your last comment. Don’t the instructions say to boil agar in the water?
Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry I was thinking about kappa carrageenan! Yes, when using agar agar, you do boil it first. That is correct. I’m so glad it worked out. I think if the agar agar and boiling water don’t thicken, you may have a bad batch of agar agar. That’s all I can figure!
Can I substitute arrowroot powder for tapioca? Thanks.
I haven’t tried it, but it might work okay. The cheese may not be as stretchy when melted though.
So if i use the agar agar, i will only use 1/2 cup of water, not 1 1/2. Right?
No, you will still use 1 1/2 cups water, but 3 tablespoons agar agar.
Hi Nora, I really want to try this recipe but with agar agar. Is it much of a difference in terms of the texture? Will it make it like jelly instead of stretchy?
Thanks!!
Cheese made with agar agar doesn’t get as firm, but I think the texture is still really good. Maybe not quite as stretchy and melty, but somewhat. I don’t think it’s exactly jelly, but softer for sure. Thanks!
This is so fantastic! I accidentally left out the coconut oil and checked back to the recipe just to make sure it wasn’t totally ruined. So far it looks so good, I’m just waiting for it to cool down then I can’t wait to eat it!
Hi Nora!
I just wanna ask, can I use 2 tablespoons of ACV instead of lemon?
I think that should work.
Hi
What is the best heat to melt this on pizza? Is there such a thing as too hot and it goes crispy and dries out?
Too hot of an oven isn’t a problem with melting the cheese, actually the heat has to be quite high to melt well. If you bake it forever eventually it may dry out, much like real cheese.
I can’t wait until I can get these ingredients. It looks so good! I’ve seen a few recipes similar but was a little afraid to try… I haven’t been disappointed by one of your recipes which really makes me want to try this!
Thank you so much, I hope you try it!
Hi Nora,
Thanks so much for your amazing recipes! I’ve made so many in quarantine and all have turned out really well. I wanted to clarify, is the amount for agar agar for the powder version or flakes? I know typically you need much more of the flakes, so just wanted to confirm. Thanks so much!
You are so welcome! Thank you. 🙂 The amount is for agar agar powder, not flakes. You probably would need more flakes but I have never actually used them, only the powder. Hope that helps!!