The BEST Vegan Mozzarella Cheese recipe is melty and stretchy, just like the real thing. Enjoy on top of pizza, pasta bakes, or making gooey vegan grilled cheese sandwiches. 7 simple ingredients and 10 minutes are all you need.
Admit it. You’ve missed real cheese, haven’t you? It’s ok. We’ve all been there. It’s hard saying goodbye to that melty, gooey, and stretchy texture.
Well, have I got a surprise for you?
This homemade vegan mozzarella cheese is one of the best vegan cheese recipes you will ever make. It’s simple, uses only whole-food ingredients, and like eating real mozzarella.
Inspired by the OG herself, Somer McCowan, and her original recipe, “Fresh Moxarella,” this got me through some pretty rough times early on.
I didn’t set out to reinvent the wheel but adapted her recipe to fit my taste and needs. And I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Use this recipe to make a grilled cheese sandwich and pair it with tomato soup. You can eat it right out of the pan with some homemade chips or top my vegan lasagna rolls with it.
If you thought your days of eating cheese were over, think again, my friends.
Ingredients you’ll need to make this easy vegan mozzarella recipe
7 simple ingredients and 10 minutes are all that’s required to make the best dairy-free mozzarella! It uses everyday pantry staples you can find at any of your local grocery stores.
- raw cashews
- lemon juice
- apple cider vinegar
- nutritional yeast
- garlic powder
- tapioca flour
- sea salt
Exact amounts and detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card below the post.
How to make stretchy vegan mozzarella cheese
This homemade vegan mozzarella recipe is so close to the real deal that you’ll think you’re eating cheese again. Cheesy flavor, stretchy texture, and one great food experience.
- Boil cashews for 5 minutes or soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes.
- Drain the cashews and add to a high-powered blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the liquid cheese mixture into a small saucepan or small pot. Stir constantly over medium heat on the stove top until it starts to thicken and looks like melted mozzarella cheese.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
NOTE: If you want to make your kids happy, this vegan pizza toast is sure to make them smile 😊
Variations and uses
It’s just like regular mozzarella, so do what you will. Here are a few suggestions:
- Buffalo Mozzarella: Add 1-2 tablespoons of hot sauce to the liquid cheese mixture before cooking. Spicy and tasty!
- Pizza: Spread some sauce on my easy whole wheat vegan pizza dough, spoon the vegan mozzarella on top, add your favorite veggie toppings, and bake.
- Caprese Salad: place the cheese in the fridge for a couple of hours, let it firm up, then pull off pieces to toss into your salad.
- Mozzarella Balls: add the vegan mozzarella to a small glass mixing bowl and let the bottom rest in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes. Once the cheese firms up, pull equal pieces and roll them into balls, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge. Enjoy whenever and however you wish.
Storage
If you happen to have any leftover vegan mozzarella, place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week.
It can also be frozen for up to 1 month. Be sure to place it in a freezer-safe container first.
Pro tips for making the best cashew mozzarella
If you’re going to make this recipe, make sure to follow these top tips!
- For the best flavor, use only raw cashews.
- Use ONLY tapioca flour to get the perfect texture. Cornstarch or arrowroot starch will not give you a melty, stretchy consistency.
- If you don’t have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, a normal blender will work. It’s best to boil the cashews rather than simply letting them soak.
- Do not use a food processor to make this recipe. The liquid cheese mixture needs to be very smooth without any little chunky bits.
Recipe FAQs
The majority of store-bought vegan cheese options are terrible for melting. However, this recipe is essentially melted as soon as you make it. You add it to whatever you’re cooking, toss it in the oven, and bake.
Personally, I think it’s impossible to make any vegan cheese taste just like dairy cheese. That being said, this vegan mozzarella cheese recipe is so close to the real thing I’d be willing to bet no one notices it’s not real cheese.
The vegan mozzarella you buy in grocery stores is usually made with terrible ingredients like coconut oil, kappa carrageenan, and other things. This homemade vegan mozzarella recipe uses cashews as the main ingredient and contains only whole foods.
Substitutions
- If you don’t have raw cashews, blanched almonds are an option. It does affect the taste just a bit, but it is still delicious.
- Sunflower seeds may be used instead of nuts if you or someone in your home has nut allergies.
More cheesy vegan recipes
Looking for more vegan cheese recipes to feed your cheese addiction?
Try my vegan nacho cheese, creamy ricotta, or best vegan cheddar cheese spread. There are a few more down below that blow your senses.
Don’t forget to check out this article about the Best Healthy Substitutes for Cream Cheese.
I hope you enjoy this Vegan Mozzarella cheese recipe. Please leave a comment below with a star rating. And be sure to share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #shaneandsimple. I want to see your work. Enjoy!
BEST Vegan Mozzarella Cheese (Melts and Stretches)
The BEST Vegan Mozzarella Cheese recipe is melty and stretchy, just like the real thing. Enjoy on top of pizza, pasta bakes, or making gooey vegan grilled cheese sandwiches. 7 simple ingredients and 10 minutes are all you need.
- Prep Time: 10 mins.
- Cook Time: 5 mins.
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizers and Snacks, Vegan Main Dishes
- Method: Blend, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Boil cashews for 5 minutes or soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes.
- Drain the cashews and add to a high-powered blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the liquid cheese mixture into a small saucepan or small pot. Stir constantly over medium heat on the stove top until it starts to thicken and looks like melted mozzarella cheese.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
- For the best flavor, use only raw cashews.
- Use ONLY tapioca flour to get the perfect texture. Cornstarch or arrowroot starch will not give you a melty, stretchy consistency.
- If you don’t have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, a normal blender will work. It’s best to boil the cashews rather than simply letting them soak.
- Do not use a food processor to make this recipe. The liquid cheese mixture needs to be very smooth without any little chunky bits.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ of recipe
- Calories: 54
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 148 mg
- Fat: 4.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.3 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 1.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This recipe blew me away! Store bought vegan mozzarella is such a disappointment, and full of things I’m trying to avoid. But THIS is sooo good!! It’s like the vegan cheese companies are t even trying!
Thank you Shane!!!
I have tried so many recipes for mozzarella and none have cut it. The search is over. This is the best.
This is amazing stuff. After we had been vegan for a few years, we came to dislike the smell of dairy products, but we missed the creamy gooiness of mozzarella cheese. All of the commercially available vegan cheeses taste like wax. This recipe is PERFECT! Hits all the right texture notes, melts and stretches, and no stinky dairy smell. And so stinking easy to make. You are amazing, Shane!
Wow, Pam! Thank you.
This truly is the best Vegan Mozzarella Cheese for Vegan Pizza & Baked Rigatoni! I have a great Vegan Pepperoni recipe that I like so now I can use it with this Mozzarella & and your Vegan Peppitas Parmesan Cheese on my Pizzas. I do stir In a half teaspoon of dried dill weed spice to the Mozzarella after removing from stovetop and before using or freezing it. Thanks for another great Shane recipe. Blessings,
Shane:
Unfortunately, I am extremely allergic to Cashews. What is the best substitution for flavor. I know the taste will not be exactly the same, but I’m trying to find the most flavor-robust substitution: other kind of nut, tofu, sunflower seeds, plus other additive?
You could try sunflower seeds.
Will this work with raw sunflower seeds? I’m socially opposed to cashew consumption. Thanks
I think so…go for it.
Always been skeptical of cheese like this tasting good… OMG… this is so good! I made for zuchini parm and now t the only mozz cheese I make for pizza or anything. My hubby who is not vegan loves this cheese! Always says it’s so creamy and good! Thanks for such an amazing recipe! This is our go to mozz cheese!
This is absolutely delicious and really makes my vegan pizzas amazing! Love your recipes!!!!
Wow, Laura! Thank you so much!!!
This is excellent and so much better than the store bought vegan selections. I’ve Used it on pizza and Italian casseroles so far.
Wow, thank you so much!
Delicious 😋 was shocked that my husband kept saying it’s really good because he’s a cows milkcheese lover. Another winner 🏆
That’s awesome!
I am very excited to try this recipe. If it is even half as good as your queso cheese dip recipe it will be amazing. It isn’t easy making a vegan cheese, but you are definitely on to something “plant-based” life changing!!
Thank you so much!!!
Wow! Since going plant based in 2020 I haven’t enjoyed pizza because processed vegan cheese tastes like plastic to me. This recipe is AMAZING!! My love affair with pizza can finally go on! Thank you, Shane!! 😋 🍕 ❤️
Thank you so much!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it…it makes a great grilled cheese as well:)
Oh my goodness!!! This is the best plant-based mozzarella cheese recipe I have found! It’s easy to make I have been plant-based for over two years now and I have tried many cheese sauces. And this is the very best! For pizza and nachos in anything like that! Thank you so much for creating this! I am making a plant-based pizza tonight and I know my husband is going to be thrilled With this recipe! Thank you again!
Awesome!
So… I have recently switched to a plant-based/vegan lifestyle and honestly the only thing I have found to be difficult is finding substitutes for cheese — I have tried a few different recipes and thus far, none of them did it for me. I wasn’t an overly enthusiastic fan of cheese before going vegan (I enjoyed it on a moderate level), but there a a few dishes in which cheese is the main factor (think Mac and Cheese, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, and of course Pizza). I was so happy to stumble upon this recipe. I just made it for my pizza and WOW! It’s amazingly delicious. Brilliant! I may or may not have licked the entire spoon clean after stirring on the stove 😋 Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Awww, thank you so much, Ashley! That’s so great to hear and yes, including me, cheese was hard to give up initially. Welcome aboard! 🙂
Amazing! And so simple to make. I put it in a small glass bowl and refrigerated for a few hours and when I was ready to use it, I popped it out of the bowl and it sliced up very nicely. I only wish I had made a double batch!
This is by far, the best vegan mozzarella recipe out there. The texture is PERFECT! I was skeptical but once I made it I was hooked. All of your recipes are keepers Shane. Thanks for all you do! Would you consider doing a cookbook? I love having hard copies of good recipe sources.
Amazingly good. Taste better than real mozzarella IMO. I’ve stopped buying the vegan shreds because of all the added oil. I made this for my homemade vegan pizza and was blown away. I almost ate half of it straight from the sauce pan. Thanks again Shane for another great recipe. I can’t live without your cashew mayo. It was a game changer for me.
Good Morning! I would really like to try this recipe. However, I am very conscious about the nutritional information. Do you have that posted anywhere? or will I need to figure that out on my own.
Thanks in Advance ,
Tarah
It’s at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Shane, can this be refrigerated or frozen and then be shredded?
You could try but I’ve not let it sit up that long:) It usually goes pretty fast in our house. LOL!
Made this yesterday and it was perfect on my pizza! I followed the recipe and by accident found what I think may be a good shortcut! I let the vitamix run on “ soup” to kind of preheat before I finished it off in the sauce pan. I hate standing over the stove stirring! So I thought if I get it good and warm, less stand and stirring time. Well, the cheese was the consistency of melted mozzarella so I skipped the sauce pan. After an hour in the frig it was still a pudding like consistency. Hopefully it freezes and grates well!
Dumb question but do you cook the pizza with the cheese on it or do you just place drop spoonfuls of the cheese on top of the cooked hot pizza. Many thanks.
You can actually do either. I got back and forth.
Amazing recipe – thank you! We made it for a pizza and I even used the leftovers on a breakfast sandwich. Possible uses are endless.
Delicious! Thanks for all your recipes!
My pleasure and thank you!
Really an excellent recipe and fabulous flavor!
Thank you Shane!
Thank you!
I was hesitant due to a difficult time getting off the casomorphin laden, (I call them quesomorphines jokingly because they interact with opiate receptors) cheeses a couple years ago. After reading the ingredients I was in! You are the real deal, thank you for not adding oil or some other junk. My question now is I have half of the mix from yesterday still in the Vitamix attachment. Do I just throw it back on and mix when ready, add anything, or throw out and begin again?
You can store it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and then use it again. It should be just fine.
Made this for my pizza tonight and it was perfect! All ingredients that I already keep on hand and much better than any vegan cheeses that I have purchased. I was pretty sure that this would be a winner after I tried Shane’s mayo (which I now can not live without). I was right. Thank you Shane.
Amazing tasty and easy!!! Thank you!
This recipe has fantastic flavor! I love it! One question though…I’m wondering if I cooked it long enough? It wasn’t quite the stiffness of say Velveeta (I definitely don’t eat it anymore!). Is that the right consistency? Or should I have cooked it a little bit longer? Also…if I freeze it, I’m assuming it will shred at that point? I tried it for the first time last night on a pizza and it was so good!
Please clarify……out of ignorance I ask this question. I don’t use the cashew soaking water for the water in the recipe ?? Thank you. About to whip this up, and I need to know. Thanks in advance~
Great question. No, you don’t use the cashew-soaking water. I’ll go back and make sure it’s clear in the post. Thanks!!!
Thanks so much! I made the recipe, and it is fabulous!! Whoot! Whoot! My husband and I loved it on our pizza! Thanks for all you do!
That’s awesome, Karen! Thank you so much. If you wouldn’t mind rating it I’d greatly appreciate it. It helps me out with the Google “authorities” and helps others to see it. Again, thank you!
good and easy
Thank you!
Sorry to hear about your hand! I hope it mends quickly! This looks like a great recipe! I can’t do anything fermented or with yeast. Could I just use extra lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar and any thoughts on how I could zip things up without using nutritional yeast? Maybe some mustard powder? Would love to give this a try!
I’d try a combination of dijon mustard, dried mushrooms and maybe garlic? It wont give the same cheesy flavour but should give a tasty umami alternative
Yummer-Doodle. It is clear how much experimenting/testing work you put into your recipes to make them successfully delish for me. Thanks be for encouraging me to stay the path on this new lifestyle for me.
Cheers, Nita
I really loved this… Is a tablespoon of garlic powder correct? I may cut it down a bit next time. Or it could be I used granulated garlic so maybe that’s stronger than powder@
Whoa! Good catch, Vickie. That should be 1 teaspoon. Man, I like garlic but even that would be a little too much for you me. LOL!
This recipe made my heart sing. I was very happy to enjoy a pizza with your cheese, sauce, and breakfast sausage crumbles and baby spinach.. top with a balsamic glaze. Delicious!!!
Wow, that sounds amazing!
This is delish! I can’t believe how easy it was to make. Amazing how it can be meltable or not. But mostly, it is plain delicious.
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. It’s a fave around our house.
Peace,
shane
This is the first vegan cheese I have made and it is wonderful. They always seemed like too much trouble and many cannot be frozen. Used my food processor so maybe it would have been smoother using a blender but no complaints here. Can’t wait to try a grilled cheese and pizza. Maybe even on a baked potato. Thank you Shane.
So good.
So good! And so easy! Two things that are important to me. I didn’t have lemon juice so subbed lime juice and it is still delish. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
You mention a high-speed blender. Is that a $500 Vitamix? I have a $40 Hamilton Beach blender. Will that work?
Hi, Stella! No, you don’t need a Vitamix, though it’s fun and helps:) You don’t want to use a 20 dollar bargain blender. Just be sure and either boil or soak your cashews.
Just tried this. Goes together quickly. No cashews so I subbed raw pumpkin seeds. Other than giving a slight greenish tinge of color, this was so good. Mouth feel very melty cheese. Good neutral cheesy flavor. I have really missed this! Can’t wait to try it after it chills.
Any chance white beans can be subbed for cashews (allergies here). Thanks!
Hi, Mary! Unfortunately, white beans won’t give you the same texture.
Hi Shane. This looks yummy but I cannot eat nuts or seeds. Any chance you have a substitute for the nuts?
Hi, Carla! I’m so sorry to hear that, but unfortunately, there’s really not another sub in the recipe. I’m sorry:(
Can’t wait to try. Love oil-free.
Ingredient list says tapioca starch; elsewhere says tapioca flour.
Are they different?
Which is correct?
Thank you!
They are the same thing:)
Curious… do you know if ground up tapioca pearls is the same thing as the flour? I think I have flour, but I know I have pearls. I haven’t tried making this yet, but certainly intend to!! THanks much!
I’ve never tried making it that way so I can’t say for sure.
The BEST Vegan Mozzarella Cheese recipe is chewy, stretchy, and melts just like the real thing. Best of all, it’s completely healthy, plant-based, and so easy to make. Perfect for pizza, making the perfect vegan grilled cheese, or your favorite pasta bake.