This post contains affiliate links.
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; see reviews for yummy ideas!
save this recipe!If you love Miyokos liquid mozzarella but hate the price tag, I’m right there with you! There’s no question that it’s the best vegan mozzarella substitute out there, but I knew 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 is the perfect vegan addition to your favorite Italian recipe!
Why you’ll love it
- Simple ingredients combine with a little magic to make this gooey, cheesy vegan mozzarella.
- Cheaper than buying the store-bought version (and pretty dang easy, too)!
- Stretchy and gooey, just like traditional mozzarella!
Reader rating
“I was really impressed by the look on my pizza, just like real mozzarella.. The taste was nice with no after taste. Thank you for making that affordable and delicious vegan cheese.” —Christine
grab these ingredients
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. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Cashews: Soak unsalted raw cashews in water. Other nuts can be used, but cashews have the mildest taste and create the creamiest texture.
- Tapioca Starch: This creates the stringy, melty cheese pull effect and helps the cheese solidify when baked.
- Miso Paste: White miso paste contributes to the cheese flavor. It keeps the color light, like mozzarella, but you can also use nutritional yeast for a more cheesy flavor and a yellower color.
- White Vinegar: The mimics the tang of fermented cheese. Any neutral-ish acid will work, like lemon juice or rice vinegar.
- The Basics: To combine the mozzarella cheese, 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 is super simple. Here’s what you do. This is an overview of the recipe. Jump to the recipe card for the full printable recipe.
- Soak the cashews to soften them.
- Blend everything together until smooth and creamy.
- Use as you would mozzarella or store in the fridge.
a high-powered blender
To get that super smooth texture, it’s important to soak the cashews fully submerged overnight and use a high-powered blender. I love my Vitamix, but other similar ones will work, too.
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!
You can also freeze it in an ice cube tray and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. When you want to use it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge. You might need to mix it up a bit to re-emulsify it.
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 tested it with nutritional yeast, and it was delicious, but it 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.
5-Minute Liquid Vegan 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-powered 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
@liveeatlearn
I eat a low fat whole food plant based diet, so I made some low fat substitutions (chickpeas for cashews; water for oil) and it still tasted great! I’ll probably cut back on the vinegar next time because it had a little bit too much zip for me, but it’s an easy recipe and fun to make. A tip for those without a high powered blender…an immersion blender works just as well. If you cook this before using, it turns into an awesome cheese sauce for Mac & cheese! Thickens right up. Thanks for this awesome recipe!
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Makes great pizza.
So happy to hear it, Mike! Thanks for letting us know how it went! 😀
Hi! Excited to try this. Can you tell me if you would be able to use this in layers, like on a lasagna? Or does it need to be on the very top to cook properly?
We’ve had readers use this in lasagna and they said it worked well! 😀
My husband and toddlers devoured the pizza I made with this! I can’t believe how easy it is too. Thanks for sharing, this is definitely going in my permanent recipe collection!
Thrilled they all loved it, thanks for the review Ruth!
Sounds delicious! Does it also stretch and thicken up in like a sandwich maker or the stove or is this somewthing for the oven only? I miss having a proper grilled tuna mayo/chicken mayo sandwich. (cant eat gluten or dairy but have started making mty own GF bread)
Also could this work in a bechamel sauce maybe?
I haven’t actually tested this one in a sandwich maker, so I can’t say for sure. But I think it would work. It really just needs to be heated to thicken and get stretchy. And yes, I think it should work in a bechamel!
Thanks so much for this recipe! My dairy- and corn-allergic kiddo loved Miyoko’s liquid vegan mozzarella on her homemade pizza, but the stores in our area stopped carrying it. I found this recipe and made it in my Vitamix 5200 with white wine vinegar and nutritional yeast flakes. I didn’t soak the cashews and blended it for three minutes, so it turned out thick. It’s delicious and my kiddo and I both love it! I’ll definitely keep making it!
Love hearing that you both loved the recipe Jessica, thanks for trying it!
This was delicious!!! Thank you!!
So happy to hear it was a hit!
My son is allergic to miso (soy) and yeast (also dairy, egg, wheat, gluten) any suggestions for what else we could substitute?
While I haven’t tested it here, I think coconut aminos could work to give it a similar savory flavor!
This turned out great! I haven’t been able to find Miyoko’s in the store for months and we wergoong through pizza withdrawals 🥲
I tasted before baking and added a little extra salt and garlic powder to our taste. Thank you!
As others have said, we haven’t been able to find the Miyokos liquid mozzarella which is our favorite way to make pizza. Tried this recipe last night and were blown away by how easy it is to make and how much it tastes like the cheese we love. This will now be a staple in our house. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
So thrilled to hear it, Meredith!! Happy eating!