VEGAN MOZZARELLA CHEESE EASY OIL-FREE RECIPE
This easy-to-make vegan mozzarella cheese recipe will satisfy your cheese cravings. It's soft, creamy, and delicious! Plus, it's so versatile that it'll become your new go-to recipe.
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Food Storage Container
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
For the melty and stretchy version:
- ½ cup raw cashews (75 g, soaked with hot water for 15-20 min and drained)
- 1 ¼ cup water (300 ml)
- 3 ½ tbsp tapioca starch (27 g)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Additional ingredient for a sliceable version (that also melts):
- 2 tbsp+2 tsp agar powder + 1 cup of water for mixing and cooking. (24 g of agar powder)
Instructions
For the melty and stretchy version:
- Combine the cashews*, water, tapioca starch, garlic powder, salt, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice in a blender**, and blend until smooth (it has to be liquid, like milk), scraping the sides, if needed depending on your blender.
- Add the cheese mixture into a clean pot or pan over medium-low heat; stir it frequently so it doesn't stick or burn and to eliminate any lump. The texture will look a little clumpy, but it will get smooth and thick; when it becomes stretchy and gooey (5 to 7 min), remove it from the heat.
- Enjoy it in all your recipes, calling for melty mozzarella cheese!
For a sliceable version:
- Combine the cashews*, water, tapioca starch, garlic powder, salt, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice in a blender**, and blend until smooth (it has to be liquid, like milk), scraping the sides, if needed depending on your blender. Set aside.
- Add the agar powder and 1 cup of water to a medium-sized pan or pot. Mix both until combined. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute. Then vigorously stir the mixture for 4-5 minutes over medium heat. The mixture should boil and bubble. It's ready when it looks like a dense and glossy applesauce.
- Carefully pour in the blended mixture and mix with the agar mixture. Blend well to combine.
- Add the cheese mixture into a clean pot or pan over medium-low heat; stir it frequently so it doesn't stick or burn, and to eliminate any lump. The texture will get smooth and thick; when it becomes stretchy and gooey (5 to 7 min), remove it from the heat***.
- Use right away (especially if you want it more stretchy for pizza) or pour the hot mixture into a mold or container and allow it to cool uncovered for about 3 hours in the refrigerator before slicing it or using it in salads.
- Enjoy it in all your recipes calling for fresh mozzarella cheese! And can also use it in recipes calling for melty mozzarella cheese.
Notes
• * You can soak the cashews overnight in room-temperature water or boil them for 10 minutes. You can replace cashews with raw sunflower seeds (soaked for 8 to 12 hours or boiled for 20 minutes)
• **If you don't have a strong blender, consider using a bullet blender. To get the right texture, it works best for this type of preparation, creams, spreads, or sauces. If your blender doesn't process everything well and you can find some cashew pieces, you can strain the mixture with a cheesecloth or mesh sieve.
• ***After removing the cheese mixture from the heat, you can shape it into mozzarella balls. Scoop some mixture using an ice cream scoop and put each piece into a bowl with cold water and ice cubes. Leave the pieces for 5 to 10 minutes. Gently pat dry the balls with a paper towel, and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• You can use other starches like arrowroot instead tapioca starch, but it won't get the same stretchy texture.
• If you want to grate the sliceable cheese version, you can freeze a block, and when still frozen, shred it with a cheese grater onto dishes you plan to bake or heat.
• If you want to melt the sliceable cheese version more quickly, heat it in the microwave for approximately 45 seconds before adding it to your pizza or grilling it in your sandwich.
• To get a delicious browned mozzarella cheese topping on your pizza, use the broil setting for the last few minutes of cooking. Keep a close eye on it to avoid burning.
• You can keep the cheese fresh by storing it in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to five days. Alternatively, you can store it in the freezer for up to three months for later use.
• The recipe was adapted from the excellent book One-Hour Dairy-Free Cheese by Claudia Lucero.