Made with just 7 ingredients, this liquid vegan mozzarella is a homemade recipe for the popular store-bought version. The “cheese” is made in a blender from soaked cashews that turn into this creamy and bakable mozzarella. It can be enjoyed on your favorite pizza crust, used for lasagnas, and so much more!
I’ve been buying the Miyokos liquid mozzarella for a while because it works incredibly well – like the best vegan mozzarella substitute I’ve tried. But it’s expensive and I know I could make it at home. I mean, I am a trained food scientist after all.
It took a few iterations, but I finally nailed down this easy and delicious homemade version that pours like Miyoko’s vegan cheese but tastes and melts like traditional mozzarella. This recipe can be used to make your favorite Italian recipe like eggplant parmesan or vegetarian lasagna.
Why you’ll love it
- Simple ingredients come together with a little bit of magic to make this gooey, cheesey vegan mozzarella.
- Cheaper than buying the store-bought version (and pretty dang easy, too)!
- Stretchy and gooey just like traditional mozzarella!
Ingredients for vegan liquid mozzarella
The base of this cheese sauce is cashews (like many vegan recipes), but in order to create a truly next-level cheesy experience, we need a few other ingredients.
- Cashews: Grab unsalted raw cashews to soak in water. Other nuts can be used, but cashews have the most mild taste and create the creamiest texture.
- Tapioca Starch: This is what creates the stringy, melty, cheese pull effect and helps the cheese solidify when baked.
- Cheese Flavor: The cheese flavor comes from white miso paste and white vinegar for tang. White miso paste keeps the color light like mozzarella but you can also use nutritional yeast for more cheesy flavor and a yellower color. For vinegar, any neutral-ish acid will work like lemon juice or rice vinegar.
- The Basics: To bring the mozzarella cheese together, you will need oil, salt, and water. Any neutral oil will work!
What is tapioca starch?
Tapioca starch is the same thing that makes chewy little boba pearls. It comes from the extracted starch from the root of the cassava plant. Because it is so starchy, it acts as a binder and thickener, helping to hold together baked goods and thicken fruit fillings, soups, and more.
How to make vegan mozzarella
While this might seem like a daunting recipe, this liquid cheese really is super simple. Here’s what you do.
- Soak the cashews to soften them.
- Blend everything together until smooth and creamy.
- Use as you would mozzarella or store in the fridge.
Storage
This vegan cheese can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It’s awesome to have on hand for the week ahead because it can be used right out of the fridge!
Why this Recipe Works
- It’s simple, made with only what is really necessary. The beauty of this is that you can add other flavors and spices, like garlic or onion powder if you want.
- It looks like mozzarella thanks to the white miso paste. I did test it with nutritional yeast and it was delicious but was yellower than mozzarella.
- It melts like cheese meaning the applications are endless!
VITAMIX BLENDER
This is the blender I use and adore!
how to use this mozzarella
You can use this “cheese” in almost any way you would traditional mozzarella. Here are a few of our favorite tasty ways to use it.
- Rotini Pasta Bake is cheesy and gooey making it a perfect application for this vegan mozzarella.
- Vegetarian Baked Ziti is packed with veggies, and if you add this liquid mozzarella it will also have a little more protein from the cashews.
- Bruschetta Pizza is made with burrata but you can also make it with mozzarella.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted raw cashews
- 2 Tbsp tapioca starch
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar*
- 2 tsp white miso paste*
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Soak Cashews: Submerge ½ cup unsalted raw cashews in water and let soak overnight (to make it quicker, submerge cashews in very hot water for 30 minutes).
- Blend: Add drained cashews, 2 Tbsp tapioca starch, 2 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp white vinegar*, 2 tsp white miso paste*, ¼ tsp salt, and ½ cup water to a high-0powered blender. Blend on high for 3 to 5 minutes, until very smooth.
- Store: Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use
- Cook: When ready to use, pour cheese onto pizza (or lasagna or nachos or wherever you want cheese flavor) then bake! For pizza, I like to bake it at 500°F for 4 to 5 minutes, until "cheese" is firm and just beginning to brown.
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