Here it is! The Best Vegan Mozzarella Cheese recipe that I’ve ever tasted! Only 7 ingredients, oil-free, no nutritional yeast and no tapioca starch! So creamy, rich, thick and amazing! Made with healthy whole foods that make pizza, grilled cheese, pasta bakes incredibly delicious and even non-vegans will love it!
BEST VEGAN MOZZARELLA CHEESE
SO, vegan mozzarella cheese is not a new thing, I know. It’s pretty much all over the internet. The recipes are very similar…they contain cashews, tapioca starch or agar agar, oil, nutritional yeast and lemon juice. I’ve tried many online and store-bought versions and I can confidently say that my family and I agreed that this is the best vegan mozzarella cheese we’ve ever tasted. My hope is that you will all love it as much as we do. It was a labor of love and multiple testing. I also didn’t want any complicated ingredients. My recipe is very different and the method is different as well. This cheese does not use a starch flour, nor is it cooked over the stove top to thicken. To be honest, I’ve tried them with tapioca and that is not the texture I wanted.
In other words, my version is not stretchy like what you’d expect from shredded mozzarella in those packages, but my recipe is more similar to the fresh dairy mozzarella, you know the extremely smooth, creamy and softer style of mozzarella, but plenty gooey!
When I say I’ve tested this vegan mozzarella cheese recipe probably 20 times, I’m not exaggerating. The quest for my favorite mozzarella began when I shared a mild version of this cheese on my emeal plan. It is a sauce that bakes up on a zucchini pasta bake. It is delicious, but wasn’t specifically a cheese. So, that started my testing stages of perfecting this recipe.
I’ve been making this recipe for months for pizza night, tweaking the cheese recipe multiple times with varying acidity levels, liquids, etc. until I finally feel like I created the best tasting vegan mozzarella cheese ever. Both my hubby and daughter LOVE IT. They are not fans of store-bought vegan cheese at all, but my husband consistently remarks on how delicious the pizza is with this cheese and when I make grilled cheese sandwiches with it served alongside my Vegan Tomato Bisque.
So, what ingredients are in this vegan mozzarella cheese?
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(full amounts and details on recipe card below)
- Low-sodium vegetable broth
- Raw cashews: Of course, this is what makes the cheese creamy and smooth.
- Gold potato: I’ve been using potatoes in my cheese recipes and sauces for years on this blog. I also use it here in my Vegan Cheese Sauce (nut-free). It is also the ingredient for the cheese in my Pizza Quesadillas in my cookbook.
- Cooked white rice: Surprise! You might not be expecting this, but when I was trialing this multiple times I was thinking of ways I could make this cheese gooey and rich without using starch/flour. It is stickier and more neutral in flavor than brown rice, so stick with white. It aids in the amazing texture!
- Non-dairy plain yogurt: Y’all know how much I love using yogurt in my recipes. I’ve done it for years and have been putting yogurt in my Almond Ricotta Cheese, nearly all my vegan cream cheese recipes, too. So, no surprise I used it hear for extra tang and flavor that lemon juice just doesn’t solely provide.
- White vinegar: This is key to the cheese flavor that apple cider vinegar or lemon alone do not provide, so don’t skip this! I use this in my cream cheese recipes and many others as well.
- Lemon juice: Just a small amount is used here for tang, but not too much or it ends up tasting too lemony.
- Salt: Of course, without salt, nothing is tasting cheesy.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN MOZZARELLA CHEESE
Step 1: First, if you don’t have a high-powered blender, you will need to soak the cashews overnight in a bowl of warm water so they can be really soft. Otherwise, you will end up with a gritty cheese. No need to soak if you have a Vitamix.
Step 2: Cook the rice and potato. I just popped a couple of potatoes in the microwave wrapped in a wet paper towel and cooked until really soft. Let cool and then peel the skin off and weigh 120 grams and add to a blender or a food processor if you don’t have a high-powered blender. For the rice, you can use those frozen white rice packets that cook in 3 minutes or use some already cooked white rice. Just make sure it is not cold stiff rice from the fridge, or it will be hard to blend it up smoothly. Just briefly warm it in the microwave and make sure it is a thick/sticky rice.
Step 3: Add the broth first to the blender, this will make for easier blending. Add the yogurt, cashews, potato, rice, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Blend on high until 100% smooth, thick and creamy, as pictured. You may need to scrap down the sides a couple of times to get it going. Taste that amazingness! It will taste a bit salty which is important so that it stands out in grilled cheese sandwiches and on pizza, since technically you aren’t eating it on its own. It should be very thick, creamy and gooey.
Step 4: If using for a pizza, you can use it right away and follow the instructions below on how to add it to the pizza. OR, place it in the fridge to chill and firm up some.
For grilled cheese or quesadillas: The method is slightly different. You will need to add the cheese from the blender to a 6 inch round cake pan, lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F. This firms up the cheese just a bit. This allows the cheese to get much more thick/firm and not ooze out all over the place when you make the grilled cheese or quesadillas. You can use it right away or put in the fridge to firm up even more before using.
WAYS TO USE THIS VEGAN MOZZARELLA
- Pizza: Duh, of course on pizza! The mozzarella browns beautifully, as you can see here! And for that pizza, make sure to use my 5 Minute Homemade Pizza Sauce and No Yeast Pizza Crust! The pizza sauce takes all of 5 minutes and thousands of readers have made it and said they will never buy store-bought again. It is such a hit, that it is even included in my cookbook. To make on pizza, see exact instructions on the recipe card below.
- Pasta bakes: Just drizzle or dollop this cheese over any pasta or casserole and it will bake and firm up beautifully in the oven!
- Grilled cheese: One of our favorite uses with this cheese is grilled cheese! For this use, the method is different. It is actually baked briefly beforehand to firm it up slightly, then cooled and then used in grilled cheese. This creates the perfect texture for grilled cheese. We’ve eaten a ton of vegan grilled cheese sandwiches using this cheese with my Tomato Bisque and my husband absolutely goes crazy for it! I’m confident in saying it is so good, that I believe any non-vegans would love this, too. It tastes so much like grilled cheese I use to eat back in the day, that my life feels complete, haha. My daughter will only eat grilled cheese with this recipe, that is how much she loves it.
- Dipping: This cheese is thick and creamy and you can just dip chips into it too or even soft baked pretzels. My husband remarked on how it reminds him of the cheese that is served with pretzels.
MORE VEGAN CHEESE RECIPES
- Baked Smoky Cashew Cheese
- Baked Herbed cashew Cheese
- Best Vegan Queso
- Lemon Parmesan Cheese
- Easy Vegan Mexican Cheese
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If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
*I worked extremely hard on testing and perfecting this recipe, so please do not post or copy my recipe onto your site, but instead link to my recipe giving proper credit, should you choose to make it.
Best Vegan Mozzarella Cheese (No Oil!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120g) low-sodium veggie broth
- 1/4 cup (60g) dairy-free plain, unsweetened high fat yogurt (I used Kite Hill almond yogurt that is high fat, super thick and creamy. The thicker the yogurt, the thicker the cheese. You can also use soy or coconut.) You can find this at Krogers or Sprouts
- 1/2 cup (75g) raw, unsalted cashews
- 1/2 packed cup (120g) of cooked, peeled and mashed gold potato (You are weighing the 120 grams AFTER you've cooked/peeled & mashed the potato)
- 1/4 packed cup (50g) cooked white rice
- 1/2-1 tablespoon (15g) distilled white vinegar-use 1/2 for mild tang and 1 for extra tang (this is key to the cheesy flavor, so don't sub)
- 1 teaspoon (5g) fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (This is KEY to the cheesy flavor, so don't omit or reduce so it stands out on pizza and in grilled cheese, etc.)
NOTE
- Please weigh your ingredients if possible, so you get the exactly right ratios for this cheese to turn out perfectly! You don't need to use the cups to compare measurements, just simply use my gram weights listed. I literally just put my Vitamix on my scale, hit zero, and add each ingredient, hitting zero in between each addition. SO easy and fast.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- First, if you don't have a high-powered blender, you will need to soak the cashews overnight in a bowl of warm water so they can be really soft. Otherwise, you will end up with a gritty cheese. No need to soak if you have a Vitamix.
- Cook the rice and potato. I just popped a couple of potatoes in the microwave wrapped in a wet paper towel and cooked until really soft. Cool and peel the skin off and weigh 120 grams (a packed 1/2 cup). Add to a blender or a food processor if you don't have a high-powered blender. For the rice, you can use those frozen white rice packets that cook in 3 minutes or already made rice. Make sure it is not cold stiff rice from the fridge, or it will be hard to blend.
- Add the broth first to the blender. Add the yogurt, cashews, potato, rice, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Blend on high until 100% smooth, thick and creamy. You may need to scrape down the sides a couple of times to get it going. The salt is important so that it stands out in grilled cheese sandwiches and pizza. While it tastes amazing straight out of the blender, wait to fully judge it on pizza and grilled cheese! Use it right away or place in the fridge to firm up.
- TO USE FOR GRILLED CHEESE OR QUESADILLAS: This method is different since the cheese is a bit too runny to use right away. To create a firmer cheese, you will line a 6 inch round cake pan with parchment paper (as pictured) pressing it along the sides of the pan to fit flat. Pour the cheese in the pan and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. This firms up the cheese just a bit, making it less saucy. This allows the cheese to get more thick/firm and less saucy and not ooze everywhere when used for grilled cheese or quesadillas.
- TO USE FOR PIZZA: The cheese is the perfect consistency to use on pizza right after blending, as it's very easy to spread and drizzle or dollop. I always use my Homemade No Yeast Pizza Crust (which is pictured in the post). Simply add the pizza sauce to your pizza crust and all the toppings you want. Then drizzle/spoon the cheese sauce all over the pizza. You want to be generous with adding on top of the pizza, so you really taste the cheese in every bite. Bake at 400°F until the cheese is starting to look firm and a bit brown on top. I always cook my pizza at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or so until the cheese and crust are golden.
Notes
- STORAGE: This cheese lasts 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
- NO STARCH: As noted in the post in the beginning, this recipe does not call for tapioca starch or agar agar like nearly all vegan mozzarella cheese recipes do. Why? Some have asked and well, I wanted my version to be as whole foods based as possible and easy to find ingredients. We've always preferred the texture of real fresh classic dairy mozzarella, which is very smooth, creamy and soft. Not like the mozzarella shreds. We also love the texture of thick, creamy queso. Those dairy cheeses are not crazy stretchy, so that was the texture I was after here. It gets plenty thick and gooey from the cashews, potato and rice!
- If you want yours even thicker than it is out of the blender, you can always heat it up over the stove for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. It will become thicker and more gooey. But it is totally not needed for pizza or grilled cheese.
I have made the tapioca mozzarella a million times and let me tell you, this is so much better. Brandi, your secret ingredients never cease to amaze me. I’ll be making this weekly. It’s definitely a huge hit with hubby too and k couldn’t stop eating it out of the blender.
Thank you so much Estee for making it and the amazing review!! I’m ecstatic you both loved it!
I just devoured PIZZA! That’s right, PIZZA! And it’s all because you took oodles of your own precious time to perfect this amazing recipe, Brandi! A cheesy sauce I could ladle right out of the blender and eat all on its own.😋 I topped a frozen GF crust with your can’t-be-beat pizza sauce and I’m in heaven!! (Your crust recipe published as the pizza was coming out of the oven so I’ll try that next time), but THANK YOU for your time and talents on the cheese & sauce, Brandi! You are the GFV whole foods QUEEN!!💗
Woohoo, that is so amazing to hear Colleen! Thank you so much for the wonderful review!!
I used the cheese sauce in a lasagna and it turned out amazing! the flavor of the cheese sauce on its own is tangy and the texture is perfect. Moreover, I love that its whole foods based.
So awesome to hear Aneshka! So glad you loved the tang and texture!
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely AMAZING! I never thought vegan cheese could taste this good! I am obsessed with it as it goes so well with any dish!
I love love love your recipes, can’t wait for the next one!:)
That makes me so happy to hear Ana! So thrilled you loved it so much, thank you for the review!
This cheese sauce is absolutely delicious! I can’t stop eating it straight out of the blender! I’ll be using it on pizzas tonight but also excited to try it with grilled cheese! It would even be good on macaroni for mac and cheese!! Great job creating this and thank you!! So delicious and easy!
Woohoo, thank you so much Bobbi! That is wonderful to hear!! And while I love to enjoy it finished on pizza and grilled cheese, I admit my hubby and I like to eat it straight out of the blender too, lol!
How do you think this cheese would be in some enchiladas?
Yes, I think it would be fabulous in enchiladas!
Thanks for the recipe, I have made it exactly as instructed but what I mainly taste is vinegar not cheese, is it normal?
Hi Laurina, hmm, it just tastes like cheese to me. The vinegar is there to give tang that cheese has. A lot of vegan cheeses have a strong tang. But, as I mentioned, I wouldn’t judge it straight out of the blender, but it works out perfectly on pizza or whatever else you want to use it for. Many readers have already used it in spinach dip, lasagna, mac & cheese and loved it! But you can use half the amount of vinegar if you want a much milder cheese. 🙂
Made this and turned it into spinach dip. It is amazing and I love it that my local small store has all the ingredients! You never disappoint!
What a fabulous idea, I’m so happy you loved this so much Atalie, thank you for making it and letting me know!
I just made this today. The recipe was so simple and very well-written. The cheese is amazing! I baked it to use for grilled cheese. I was too impatient to let it set up overnight! But it was still so good! I will try it on pizza next. Thank you for a delicious and simple mozzarella recipe!
Thank you Laura so much for making it, your grilled cheese looked so delicious on Facebook! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Hi Brandi, I don’t often have potatoes on hand, I do however have instant mashed potatoes or cauliflower, do you think either of those could work?
Hi Shannon, you will need to use whole potato for this. Instant mashed potatoes are dehydrated potatoes and usually have oil and additives, they will not perform or thicken the same way as a whole potato. So, I’d wait to make it until you can buy some potatoes.
Kite hill makes a Greek style almond yogurt now should I use that? Can’t wait to make this. Thank you
Yes, that’s what I used! It’s incredible!
How wonderful for you that your husband and daughter are so supportive!
Hi! Excited to make this and have it on hand for when I make pizza. Does it freeze well? Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hi Liesa! I just tested freezing some last night. You can also see the pics of it frozen and grated here on my detailed post on Facebook to help. I went over key points there about it: Facebook post
I can’t wait to make this! Can I make this to use for grilled cheese and then use it to shred for pizza a different day?
Thank you Patricia! Yes, just separate it in half, which would be about a cup each. You need to follow the baking instructions for the grilled cheese part. This is a cheesy thick sauce, like pictured, it’s not a grateable type of cheese. You don’t need to grate it for the pizza either, you just follow the instructions in the directions on how to use it. You just dollop it on and swirl it all around and it bakes up like regular dairy mozzarella balls would, not the shredded kind.
Thanks Brandi! You’re a genius!! I tried the recipe for the grilled cheese and it is so good. I think I like it better than the grilled cheese I had when I wasn’t vegan. It’s so creamy. My husband even liked it better than the store bought cheeses. I added a sprinkle to red chili flakes to the sandwich and it was great. I’ll make it for pizza soon.
Woohoo, that is amazing to hear Patricia! So happy you loved it so much!
Made this for pizza, it was great, super creamy, also the simplicity in the ingredients was such a huge plus, who has time to go find tapioca starch.
Your pic was beautiful on IG, thank you so much Tilak for making it! So glad you loved it!
With gold/yukon gold potatoes unavailable (easily) in the UK, can you tell me what kind of texture of potato I should substitute with… waxy or floury/fluffy? Thanks.
Hi Phoebe, I would go with russet then. They aren’t as good of a flavor and are more starchy (less stretchy) as yukon gold, but it will still work!
Unfortunately russet potatoes aren’t really a thing in the UK either. I have some vivaldi potatoes so will experiment with those.
If anyone else in the UK has made this successfully please let me know what variety of potato you used!
Hi Phoebe, being a Brit that lives in the US I understand your question! The Yukon gold is a waxy potato something like a Charlotte would work well. Best of luck!
His Brandi, Can this also be used over veggies and rice, or is it more specifically for grilled cheese and pizza?
Thanks!
Sita
Yes, you can use it over anything you want! It is very cheesy, thick and creamy. It would be delicious on roasted broccoli as well!
Hello, silly question but would the So Delicious plain yogurt make a difference in the cheese consistency? I make your Cheesy Tortilla Bake often and its what I have on hand. I can’t wait to try this!!
That’ll work fine!
Have a severe cashew allergy. Is there any nut that can be substituted?
You can try raw sunflower seeds, just soak them a few hours first to diminish the intensity of the sunflower taste. Just keep in mind it WILL taste like sunflower and not quite as good as cashews, but you can certainly try it.
We have tree nut allergies in our home and always use sunflower seeds for any recipe that calls for cashews and it always turns out amazing and nobody can taste the sunflower seeds.
Oh my! I feel pizza night coming on soon. Thanks so much for this. Can’t wait to try it!
Yay Shree! can’t wait to hear!
How would this work with brown rice? Brown rice seems a bit more nutritious than white rice to me.
Yes, brown rice is more nutritious, but white rice has a neutral flavor and is much stickier, so you want to use white here for the best results. Also, it’s only a 1/4 cup for the entire recipe, so you aren’t getting a large amount of white rice per serving, but it aids in the texture better than brown.
Hey Brandi! Did any of your trials include either brown rice, or white rice FLOUR? I don’t have white rice. Looking forward to your oil-free pizza recipe! Thx.
You need the rice, as it helps to bulk up the thickness and texture of the cheese, which won’t be the same result as flour. I’d wait until you get some white rice!
Thanks for another great recipe, Brandi! I used frozen white rice leftover from an Indian take-out. Made instant organic mashed potatoes and homemade yogurt using soy milk which has enough fat. The cheese tastes great but it didn’t brown on my pizza after almost 20 minutes. I didn’t have time to broil it for a quick sec. but will do that next time. Also, can you freeze the cheese?
Hi Mimi! Yes, that is because you used instant mashed potatoes. Instant mashed potatoes are dehydrated potatoes and usually have oil and many additives, they will not perform the same as the whole food potato. Part of what makes the cheese brown is the potato and cashews. Mine starts to get very golden around 13 minutes and then very golden brown by 15 minutes. Yes, you can freeze the cheese sauce. It will of course get block hard, but if you let it thaw, it will be kind of like a cottage cheese-ish texture, but just give it a good stir or reblend and it should be good again!
Hi, I love your cookbook! This recipe sounds yummy. My question is: if I make it for grilled cheese use, how long will it stay good in the fridge? I’d like to make enough to use several times.
It makes 2 cups worth of cheese, so it is a lot! It should be good for two weeks since the lemon juice, vinegar and yogurt all act as preservatives. Ours is always gone in about a week, so as long as it still looks and smells ok within 2 weeks, you are fine.
What do you mean by “gold potatoes?” Do you mean sweet potatoes, sometimes called yams. If so, are the darker orange ones ok to use or do I need the less sweet yellow sweet potatoes?
No, not sweet potatoes, like gold, yellow or yukon gold potatoes, what it will say on the bag. They are more rich in flavor than russet for example. But if all you can find is russet, that will work fine.
Thanks! I know they are called “Yukon Gold” I always thought of them as white. I usually have some around
This recipe sounds very good and easy to make. If I don’t have a scale is there another way to determine how many potatoes to use?
Hi Tracy, you need a 1/2 cup packed of cooked/mashed potatoes. The weight of 120 grams is of the cooked/peeled and mashed potatoes. Since the gold potatoes vary so much in size, it is hard to say if you’d need just 1 or 2 or 3 of them. But as long as you measure out 1/2 cup, you will be fine. It’s all listed in the directions how to do it!
Thank you for the recipe. I am not able to buy Kite Hill almond yogurt here where I live, just soy yogurt, do you have a suggestion what I can use instead?
Soy yogurt will be fine!