Vegan mozzarella cheese which melts, browns and stretches like the real thing! Revolutionise your vegan pizza game in minutes!
Too GOUDA to be true??
The words “vegan mozzarella” are pretty charged in the plant-based scene. Why? Because vegan mozzarella tends to be the most hit and miss element of vegan dining – but more often than not it’s a miss.
Shop bought stuff has that chemically flavour which lingers and has a tendency to stick to your front teeth and the room of your mouth.
Home-made varieties aren’t much better: usually MEGA salty, not melty and DEFINITELY not stretchy. But here’s where that nightmare ends!
Why’s it so good?!
Trust me – this vegan mozzarella is going to blow your mind. I’ve tried a LOT of vegan mozzarella recipes and made about 55 variations of this recipe and the texture is never quite right. Here’s five reasons why my vegan mozzarella is better:
- It’s ACTUALLY stretchy! Once melted, this stuff pulls apart just like the real deal!
- It DOESN’T stick to your teeth. Such a smooth customer!
- It tastes delicious. No weird chemically vibe and not too much salt – it’s just right!
- It literally takes MINUTES to make! No waiting for it to set for seventy hours – just bung it straight on a pizza and you’re good to go!
- It keeps in the fridge AND is freezer friendly!
Surely this is witchcraft?!
No witchcraft involved, and don’t call me Shirley! The solution to the best ever vegan mozzarella came to me recently almost by accident.
As you may have noticed, I use psyllium husk in baking all the time as an egg replacer. It acts as a binding agent and holds things together really well.
I was recently developing a brownie recipe and while mixing together the psyllium husk and the melted vegan butter I noticed how stringy everything got!
I’m no scientist but it seemed like the high fat content and the binding action of the psyllium made a rather mozzarella like texture!
What’s the process?
This really is a surprisingly easy recipe to follow! Before no time you’ll have one of the best vegan mozzarella recipes NAILED! Trust me, you’re going to ACTUALLY enjoy making this (but not as much as you’ll enjoy EATING it).
Step 1
For your first step you’re going to need to soak some cashews in boiling water. This vegan cheese is cashew based but we’re only using 35g. Before you go doubling this recipe, I’d suggest you make one batch first, because you end up with a LOT of cheese from just 35g cashews.
You also need to combine your psyllium husks with some water and leave it to thicken at this stage.
Step 2
Ok, step two! You’re going to combine everything together in a high speed blender. When I say high-speed, I mean high-speed. Not some 30 year old portable fan with plastic blades.
I’m talking about a Ninja or a Nutribullet! You can grab them on amazon by tapping their names!
I honestly can’t recommend getting a high-speed blender enough. They’re so important for vegan cooks who plan on making their own nut-milks and cheeses.
Step 3
Step 3 is where the magic happens – we’re going to add our blended mix to a saucepan and cook it. Whisking constantly! You’ll see it thicken before your very eyeballs! Keep cooking until it’s super stringy and stretchy. You now have your vegan mozzarella!
I advise that you let your cooked vegan mozzarella cool for 10 minutes before using it in pasta or on a pizza. It’s easier to work with this way. But otherwise, let your imagination go wild! Use it in anything.
Magic ingredients!
Here are some of the ingredients you really need 100% in order to make this recipe!
- Psyllium Husks
In my baking recipes I’d say that you can replace the psyllium husk with flax seeds, but not here! I’ve tried and the texture is gloopy instead of stretchy and stringy.
You can find psyllium husks on amazon.
- Deoderised Coconut Oil
The flavour of regular coconut oil is way too strong and blocks out the cheesiness.
You can find deodorised coconut oil on Amazon.
- Tapioca Starch
Similar to when you use corn starch to thicken stews etc, tapioca starch helps to THICKEN and EMULSIFY this vegan mozzarella. It also helps to make it stretchy!
You can find tapioca starch on Amazon.
- Agar Powder
Agar powder is a natural gelling agent made from a type of seaweed. It helps to make the vegan mozzarella set when cool so it is more malleable.
You can find agar powder on Amazon.
If you’d like to store the cheese, pour straight from the pan into a Tupperware box, allow to cool fully on the counter before sealing and storing in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze the cheese for a long time and defrost when needed!
I’ve also added an ingredient variation for making a smoky Gouda style cheese which works amazing grilled on top of vegan burgers!
Make it and let me know how you get on in the comments below.
Now you’ve made it…
Here are some recipes to use your NEW FAVE vegan mozzarella in!
Disclosure: some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I may earn commission when you click through and make a purchase.
Equipment
- High Speed Blender
Ingredients
- 1.5 tsp psyllium husk powder + 6 tsp water
- 35 g raw unsalted cashews soaked in boiling water for 1 hour
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tbsp agar powder
- 2.5 tbsp tapioca starch
- 2 tsp flaky sea salt
- 80 ml deodorised or "refined" coconut oil
- 375 ml water
(for smoked gouda variation add)
- 3 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp extra salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the psyllium husk powder and the water. Set aside to thicken.
- Soak your cashews in boiling water for at least an hour. When soaked, drain and discard the water and transfer the cashews to the cup of a high speed blender along with all the remaining ingredients including the thickened psyllium husk.
- Blend on highest speed for at least a minute – make sure the cashews are completely smooth – no chunks or sandy grains.
- Transfer to a small saucepan and place over a medium low heat, whisking constantly. The liquid will start to thicken quite quickly. Keep going until the liquid is very thick and stringy and resembles fondue or melted stringy cheese – if you don't use a whisk your cheese may go quite lumpy – SO USE A WHISK! Remove from the heat.
- If using immediately, allow to cool for around 10 minutes before spooning onto toast or pizza or a pasta bake (however you’d use mozzarella). The cheese baked beautifully and melts wonderfully. Place under the grill or broiler for a few minutes and you’ll notice it browns really, really well.
![[NEW RECIPE!] How do you like your chocolate chips? Gooey or chunky? 🍫
For me, it's all about that change in texture. So much so that I sometimes even refrigerate my cookies before I eat them (I know! I'm sorry!)
Either way, these VEGAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES are my new top dog cookie, and I think you're gonna love them too!
Get the recipe from my blog now!
Tap the link in my bio!
--
#vegan #vegancooking #veganfood #vegannutrition #veganrecipes #veganrecipes #veganrecipe #veganrecipeshare #recipe #veganblog #veganista #vegangram #plantbased #vegansofig #veganfoodshare #whatveganseat #foodporn #vegetarian #veganism #veganfoodporn #govegan #veganlife #vegansofinstagram #foodie #dairyfree #easyvegan #veganbaking #vegancookies #doublechocolatecookies #chocolatecookies](https://schoolnightvegan.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
This vegan mozzarella is delicious and surprisingly simple to make! I put it together while getting pizza toppings ready and slapped it on top of a veggie pizza, where it browned and bubbled beautifully under the broiler. A few days later, after leaving it covered in the fridge, I added it to a ziti bake and it worked perfectly in that recipe as well. Definitely will be making this again!
Omg this is LITERALLY the BEST vegan cheese I’ve both tasted or made.
I’ve even made a pepper jack version of it that my husband LOVES and my non vegan friends dig it too!
This recipe is a godsend and a new staple in my home.
Now I can FINALLY have pizza with cheese that tastes even better than the real thing!
Thank you.
woah! this is literally the best COMMENT ive ever received! SOO excited you like it!
How vital is the agave syrup in this recipe? It would really contribute to browning, but is it vital for anything else? I’m doing Whole30 and would love to make this cheese compliant by omitting the syrup, but only if it would replicate the original goodness!
I’ve never tried without but it definitely would still be super cheesy, so why not give it a go!
I just made this recipe and loved it! I didn’t have agave so I used maple syrup (I was making the smoked gouda version so I think the liquid smoke masked the maple flavour) I also didn’t have agar powder but used guar gum and it turned out great still! My favourite way to consume was to put this on top of bread and then toast in the oven on broil, it really does brown nicely!
I’m trying to watch my saturated fats and coconut seems to be one of the higher ones. Do you think this would work with a different oil such as Safflower?
Thank you,
Hey Debbie,
It’s important that the fat is solid at room temperature, which is why coconut works so well. I’ve tried with numerous liquid fats and they haven’t worked. I’m sorry. The recipe only calls for a very small amount of coconut oil, but you could always try ommiting it completely?
It really is genius how it came together while whisking. It’s in the fridge waiting to be grilled on toast tomorrow. I did notice an obvious coconut taste. Did I make it correctly, or is that an accepted variant sacrifice for not contributing to the maltreatment of beautiful animals? Can you suggest a tweak to reduce the coconut taste?
You are a genius! 🥰
Hey, did you use deodorised coconut oil?
thank you for your absolutely delicious recipe!! this is the best vegan cheese i ever made it tastes just like real cheese i couldnt believe it! i omitted the coconut oil because i wanted to cook this right away and i‘ve only got native coconut oil at home. after i blended everything the cheese was already pretty thick, most likely because i left out the oil. do you know if i could replace the oil with margarine?
thanks a lot for sharing this recipe!!
This recipe is great.
How much is 35grams of cashews to tablespoons or cups? Thank you!
It’s around 1/4 cups.
Your recipes are wonderful; I have a question, though: is there any way we can get the metric measurements?
Thanks in advance, keep up the great work!
Absolutely love this. You’re a genius. Means Dad can have his beloved cheese on toast again 😂😂😂😘😘😘
Hi ! Wondering if the oil must be melted before adding? I tried this recipe it but it was kind of separating from the rest of the ingredients in the blender. Otherwise still amazing flavour but it didn’t really melt in the pot because it was so separated.
This is AMAZING. I am transitioning to veganism, and honestly cheese is one of the harder things for me to let go. But this is by far the BEST “fake cheese” I have ever had. It tastes like real cheese to me, acts the same, and melts so nicely. I am so so happy I found this recipe because now I feel like I can confidently still have my favorite “cheese” dishes without feeling like I’m sacrificing flavor.
I hope I didnt mess this up, can you make it but not use it immediately? It really isn’t setting up, can it be grated ? It isn’t white psyllium powder was brown is that why the color.