Take pizza night to the next level with this perfect, easy vegan mozzarella cheese recipe. This dairy-free alternative to traditional mozzarella is as authentic as it gets! It slices, melts, stretches, and has the best creamy texture; no one will miss the real thing.
You’ll Need 8 Simple Ingredients
- Cashews: The main ingredient that creates a creamy, neutral tasting base and rich texture that is very similar to dairy cheese. For the best color and flavor, make sure to use raw, unsalted cashews. Roasted cashews or salted cashews will yield a very different-tasting cheese!
- Coconut oil: Adds richness and helps the cheese solidify. We recommend using refined coconut oil as it is odorless and tasteless, but if you don’t mind a faint coconut flavor, unrefined coconut oil is fine!
- Non-dairy milk: Acts as a liquid base and contributes to the creamy consistency. Plain almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or oat milk are good options – make sure the milk is completely neutral in taste and contains no added sugar.
- Tapioca starch: Also known as tapioca flour, this ingredient gives the cheese its stretchy texture, an essential in achieving that authentic mozzarella texture.
- Nutritional yeast: Adds a cheesy, umami flavor without any dairy. Be sure to use nutritional yeast, not active yeast or brewer’s yeast. It is usually stocked in grocery stores near the spices.
- Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar: Provides acidity and a tangy flavor that balances the richness of the cheese and mimics the tanginess of real mozzarella.
- Garlic powder: Adds a subtle hint of garlic without overpowering the overall flavor profile.
- Agar agar: This plant-based gelling agent is essential to making this cheese firm up and hold it’s shape. Without agar agar powder, this vegan mozzarella cheese recipe will not harden into a sliceable consistency. Look for it in the baking aisle, near the gelatin, pectin, or other similar gelling agents. Alternatively, buy it on Amazon!
How to Make Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
- Soak cashews. Place the cashews in a medium-sized bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Blend the cheese ingredients (except the agar agar). Drain the soaked cashews and add to a high-speed blender along with the coconut oil, non-dairy milk, tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and garlic powder. Blend until very smooth with no grittiness.
- Activate the agar agar. Add the water and agar agar to a small saucepan and whisk well—make sure there are no lumps. Heat over medium heat and whisk until the mixture thickens into a gel-like consistency, about 3 minutes.
- Combine the blended mixture with agar agar. Add the blended cashew mixture to a small pot or saucepan. Stir and cook until the mixture thickens slightly and becomes elastic, about 3-4 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a mold. Remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into the container of your choice. We recommend something round, like a glass or cup. This will be the shape the mozzarella sets into.
- Chill to set. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to harden.
- Serve. Once the mozzarella cheese has hardened sufficiently, enjoy as desired!
Find the full printable recipe here: Perfect Vegan Mozzarella Cheese (Sliceable!)
