This Vegan Mozzarella Cheese is soft, fresh, creamy and delicious! It’s the perfect substitute for its dairy counterpart.
Guys! I have the best damn Vegan Mozzarella Cheese recipe to share today, and I’m really excited about it. We all know how hard it is to find a tasty dairy cheese alternative, and I think you’re going to like this one.
The one thing that I missed most after going vegan was cheese. It wasn’t the dairy I was missing, per se…it was the tangy flavor, the creamy, stretchy texture, and the fond memories attached to it.
I grew up eating cheese on everything and it was a food source of comfort for me. Knowing what I know now, I could never eat the dairy version again, but I can still enjoy everything else about it in a much healthier and cruelty-free way.
“But, I can’t live without cheese”
Many people say they could never go vegan because they can’t live without cheese. I was a complete cheese addict, so I understand. I felt like I was going through withdrawals, and there weren’t many options out there.
Back when I went vegan, Daiya Cheese wasn’t in existence, and most store-bought cheese substitutes were chalky and flavorless. Many also contained casein, so they weren’t even truly vegan.
But since then, the options have expanded significantly and the taste keeps getting better with much-improved texture. I’ve found many store-bought cheese varieties that I like, including Chao, Follow Your Heart, Treeline and Miyoko’s.
Although it’s getting better, some grocery stores still don’t have a big vegan selection to choose from, so this makes it hard to get your cheese fix. So, if you use vegan cheese as much as I do, you might want to start making your own.
The big plus is, you’ll get to control the ingredients, it’s less expensive and so fresh tasting when it’s homemade.
Like I was saying, I grew up with cheese on almost everything, and it was really comforting to me. These days, I’m not missing out on comfort food at all, and I’m much healthier to boot.
I still get to enjoy cheesy favorites, like Vegan Mac n Cheese, Pizza, Vegan Nacho Cheese, and this Jalapeño Popper Dip.
I’m totally living without dairy, and it feels wonderful!
My inspiration
This Vegan Mozzarella recipe is adapted from Miyoko’s, A Better Buffalo Mozzarella. I was floored the first time I tried this recipe, and it was the closest tasting cheese recipe I’ve ever had.
It takes a bit longer to make because the recipe is cultured for 12-24 hours, but it really is worth it, and I highly recommend trying it out.
Sadly, I’m not always so patient or great at preparing ahead, so I made a simplified version for my lifestyle.
Since my version is not cultured, I needed to bump up the tangy and cheesy flavor. I added lemon juice, nutritional yeast and a bit more yogurt for that sharp cheese flavor.
For a softer and creamier texture, I added some soy milk, coconut oil and reduced the amount of agar powder. The agar has a subtle flavor, and I’m not a big fan, but it’s the best stabilizer I’ve tried.
It gels up slightly and gives the cheese a perfect texture. Reducing the amount of agar, and adding the lemon juice and nutritional yeast completely masked the flavor, and I’m really happy with the end result.
If you are looking for more cheese recipes. I highly recommend Miyoko’s Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook. You’ll find an array of vegan cheese recipes from soft, creamy to sliceable and totally tasty.
You’ll satisfy your palate and wow your non-vegan friends!
Here’s what you’ll need:
– Raw cashews
– Non-dairy yogurt
– Soy milk
– Lemon Juice
– Coconut oil or sunflower oil
– Nutritional Yeast
– Garlic Powder
– Salt
– Tapioca starch/flour
– Filtered water
– Agar powder
*Note: agar powder isn’t hard to find and most natural food stores carry it. If you don’t have one in your area, you can find it online here. I like this particular brand because it seems to gel nicely, but any agar powder will work for this recipe.
How do you make Vegan Mozzarella Cheese?
Soak the cashews in very hot water to soften them up. Mix all the ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor until creamy. Whisk the agar powder in the hot water until it turns gel-like.
Now stir in the creamy mixture and cook until the cheese becomes thick and stretchy. Scoop out the cheese with an ice cream scoop into ice water.
The cheese will harden fairly quick and form a ball shape. Let the cheese sit in the fridge (in the water) for at least 2-3 hours to firm up. The texture will be more ideal this way and the cheese will slice easier.
Ways to use this Vegan Mozzarella Cheese:
Caprese salad
Crostini
Pizza
Salad topping
Sandwich/burrito
Quesadilla
Eggplant parmesan
Lasagna
Pasta topping
I’d love to hear from you
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
This Vegan Mozzarella Cheese is soft, fresh, creamy and delicious! It's the perfect substitute to its dairy counterpart.
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked in very hot water for 25 minutes. Keep covered. *See note
- 1 1/4 cup dairy-free yogurt , unsweetened
- 1/4 cup soy milk , unsweetened (or any plant-based milk)
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil , or sunflower oil (*See note)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice , fresh squeezed
- 3 1/2 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt , more to taste (plus more for brine)
- 1/2 cup filtered water , plus more for brine
- 2 teaspoons agar powder
In a medium sized bowl or container, fill it halfway with filtered water, a few pinches of salt, and 5-6 ice cubes (this will be the brine). Set aside.
Drain cashews and discard soaking water. Add the cashews, yogurt, soy milk, coconut oil, lemon juice, tapioca starch, garlic powder, nutritional yeast and salt to a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend/process on high for 1-2 minutes until completely smooth. Set aside.
In a medium pot, add 1/2 cup filtered water and warm over medium heat. When hot, whisk in the agar powder. Whisk well. The agar will start to appear gel-like after 3-4 minutes. When this happens, pour in the blended mixture. Stir in well.
Stir often so it doesn’t stick or burn. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the sides and bottom as needed. The cheese will start to thicken up. When it becomes really stretchy and thick, remove from heat. This whole process should take about 5-6 minutes.
Scoop out mixture using an ice cream scoop (or something similar) and place each ball into the ice water/brine. Repeat this step until all the mixture is gone. Cover and place in the fridge (in the water) for at least 2-3 hours. Cheese will harden as it chills, and the texture will be more ideal. It will also be easier to slice.
*Cashews: To make things easier, you can prep ahead, and pre-soften your cashews by placing them in cool water for 4-6 hours (or overnight in the fridge) instead of softening them in hot water for 25 minutes. Then they'll be ready to pop in the blender right away. * When I soak the cashews in hot water, I boil the water first, remove from heat, then add the cashews and quickly cover them.
* Oil: Make sure to use refined coconut oil to avoid a subtle coconut taste. I use unrefined because I prefer the taste better, but everyone is different. It depends on your taste buds. You can use any neutral flavored oil you like. I also like sunflower oil.
* Prep time doesn't include chilling time.
* Makes about 6-7 mozzarella balls (using a standard ice cream scoop).
* Will stay fresh in the brine for 3-5 days. Keep refrigerated.
* If you'd like to make the Caprese Salad pictured above, just slice up a few pieces of cheese and tomatoes. Layer them and sprinkle salt and pepper. Drizzle balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive on top. Add pine nuts and chili pepper flakes if preferred.
* If you will be making this mozzarella to specifically melt. Add 1/4 cup more soy milk to the ingredients. You can also take it out of the fridge earlier (around an hour). It will be soft, but fine for melting. If you're making pizza, slice the cheese (not too thick) and place it on before the pizza goes in the oven (so it has time to melt).
* This Vegan Mozzarella will not melt exactly like dairy cheese. There are vegan cheese recipes out there that have a better melting effect, but require hard-to-find ingredients. I wanted this recipe to be simple, inexpensive and quick. However, it does melt a bit and becomes soft and slightly stretchy. I think it's a close alternative and so darn tasty.
Myisha
Omg…I can’t wait to try this! I actually grew up mostly vegan; my parents were omni, then went vegetarian, then eventually vegan. After I grew up was & still am mostly vegetarian, but working on going back vegan & yes mozzarella cheese is one of the hardest to give up!
Especially as I am a caterer, who has loved cooking & baking from scratch since age nine & making things like gooy cheesy spinach & cheese calzones, pizza, etc. all from scratch, including my dough s & sauces! Caprese salad is a fav & I cannot wait to make a cruelty free healthier version!
Emily
I made this last night and it came out softer than I expected, maybe I didn’t cook it for long enough? It’s more of a spreadable consistency than a sliceable consistency. I’ll also add a warning to make sure you use a yogurt that you like the flavour of in the first place – I made the mistake of using one I don’t like very much just to get rid of it, and I can still taste the ucky yogurt! I’ll try making this again with better ingredients and more patience, as it looks great in theory 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Hi Emily, I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. The cheese should be a little soft, but not spreadable. You want to cook it on the stove until it’s fully thickened. Also, leaving it in the fridge longer will firm it up. You can also add 1/2 -1 more teaspoon of agar next time. I agree with you about the yogurt. I use Unsweetened So Delicious Yogurt because it has the most neutral taste. Makes things creamy too. I hope you’ll try it again. Thank you for sharing your feedback 🙂
Kelly
Truly amazing. Made it last night and I’m so surprised that the texture is spot on for real mozz! I used agar agar instead of agar powder because that is what my local grocer had in stock. I used two tablespoons of agar agar in place of the two teaspoons of agar powder and it came out perfectly! Thank you 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kelly! Yay! I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for sharing your experience with the agar flakes. 🙂
Lillie
OMG!! The one good that I loved more than anything was cheese. Becoming vegan all the cheeses I tried just didn’t taste the same. I was so scared to make this. I tweaked a little just used EVOO, and it was so good. I’m using it to make chili relent, then caprese salad. Can’t wait for the rest of endless possibilities I can create.
Melissa Huggins
Yay! I’m so happy you liked it. Mozzarella cheese was always my favorite before going vegan. I needed to have something like it again. Anything can be veganized these days. Thank you for making the ‘cheese’ and sharing your feedback. Have a lovely week! 🙂
DAVID GEDDES
This is an excellent recipe and, to my taste buds, as good or better than the more time-consuming original “Miyoko’s” recipe. The flavor and texture are fantastic! I recently purchased the super expensive ($9) Miyoko’s “Mozz” vegan mozzarella and it is actually quite awful. Thank you for the superb and easy recipe!
Melissa Huggins
Hi David, Thank you so much! I’m so happy you liked it! The store-bought Miyoko’s Mozz can definitely use some improvement. I’m a huge fan of the Double Cream & Chive Cheese though. I’m going to try and make that next since my local store rarely has it in stock. Have a great week!
Betina
I will try this …never found a good cheese recipe.
Thus one seems to be AWS.
Thank you Melissa.;)
Melissa Huggins
Hi Betina! You’re most welcome! It’s one of my favorites! Have a lovely weekend! 🙂
calgal
I did not expect this to be as good as it was…. turns out this is pretty darn close to the real thing I’ve had in Italy, and better than any store-bought American mozarella cheese. This is one to impress guests with, omni and vegan alike. I actually left the oil out completely as I don’t like to use it and the consistency was perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe, I’ll be making it again and again!
Melissa Huggins
Yay! This is so awesome to hear! Thank you for making it and sharing your modifications. Have a lovely week 🙂
Maegan
Wow! So impressed….was extremely easy to make, and the flavor is so rich and creamy. Will definitely make again and going to share with my IG followers too!!!
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Maegan! I’m so happy you liked it! Have a great weekend! 🙂
marcia Shields
Oh my goodness! I am not even to the end (it’s in the fridge, in the brine, hardening up) AND THE TASTE. OUT OF THIS WORLD! I wanted to make the Caprise salad and this it going to be AMAZING. So so excited!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Marcia! This is so awesome to hear! Thank you for making it and sharing your feedback. I’m making it tonight for pizza night! 🙂
Nathalie Bédard
Bonjour Mélissa,tu as parler d’une version poutine,as tu la recette a qqp?J’en ai l’eau a la bouche Merci d’avance!!!
Krysytyn
Looks great ! Is there a substitute available for the yogurt? The supermarket by me is very inconsistent with their vegan yogurt inventory, so it is often difficult to find any that are “plain.” Thanks!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Krysytyn, I haven’t tried it with anything else. Check out Vegan Richa blog. She has a mozzarella recipe on the site made with coconut milk. It looks really good and I fully trust her recipes. I wish I could be more help. I’ll have to experiment with different ingredients. Have a great weekend!
Janice Martinez
Hi Melissa this looks great! I love caprese salad. I notice in the recipe it calls for filtered water. Do you use filtered water everywhere it calls for water in this recipe? I am kind of confused when to use it.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Janice, yes, I use filtered water for the cheese and for the ice water brine. I can see why that was confusing. I fixed it in the recipe above. Thank you for alerting me to it. Have a great Sunday 🙂
Freya
Oh my god. I think you’ve done the impossible! Looks exactly like real mozzarella – I NEED to make this ASAP! In most cases, I haven’t struggled giving up cheese but when it comes to pizza I do find myself missing the mozz! Thank you, I’m crossing my fingers that it works out 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Hi Freya, thank you for stopping by! I was definitely missing mozzarella the most too. Especially because I’m such a pizza lover. So glad I can still enjoy it. I’d love to hear how it works out for you. Have a great weekend! 🙂
Michele
Hi Melissa, I am currently not eating any processed oils, can it be made without the addition of the oil or is it a required ingredient for your recipe? Thank-you very much for your time.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Michele, yes, you can make it without the oil. It doesn’t melt as good, but it’s still delicious. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Dawn
I made these earlier today and plan to use them this evening. Do I rinse them before eating?
Thanks!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Dawn, you don’t need to rinse them. You may want to blot them lightly with a towel to absorb excess water. Thank you for making this. Enjoy!
Meng
Most of the time, I’ll find a recipe online, make it, and move on but I had to comment to say how amazing this recipe is. Good vegan cheese is either super expensive to buy or super complicated to make. This was not only easy but I personally think tastes even better than the real thing! I can’t tell you how much I love this!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Meng, this was so nice to hear! Thank you so much for making it and for your wonderful feedback. I really love turning non-vegan recipes into vegan ones. I used to LOVE fresh mozzarella cheese and I’m so happy to have a kinder & healthier alternative. Have a great weekend! 🙂