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.
Brandi this is just a delicious recipe. I love how you figured out all the notes of cheese and using plants recreated something that is far healthier than regular cheese.
Just a note. I don’t eat nuts except peanuts and I substituted watermelon seeds and peanut yogurt in the recipe. I do feel I need to bake it a bit. But I’m so happy to have this in my fridge. I am going to play with flavors soon too. And very likely I’m making a second batch tomorrow.
Thank you for your kind words! Oh wow, watermelon seeds and peanut yogurt sounds really interesting!
Hi there
I don’t have any rice and not keen to use it for to the arsenic content. Do you think cooked barley could be used in its place? It is pretty sticky…
Hope so
Thanks
I really don’t know, I would think the barley would throw off the flavor. I can’t say without having ever tried anything but the rice.
I’m making this today (got the rice) and was surprised to see no nutritional yeast mentioned. Have you ever added it to see if it makes it any better?
Cheers
Ellie
Hi! Honestly it doesn’t need it. The flavor is wonderful from the yogurt and vinegar, salt, etc. True mozzarella is not a really strong flavor and it’s white, so adding nutritional isn’t needed for the flavor and it would change the color. There’s dozens of reviews above that have loved it as is and monody has ever added it. I’d make it as is and see. My fave vegan cheese recipes actually do not have any nutritional yeast.
It was great! Thanks.
This looks incredible, I’m trying it tonight!! Have you ever used rice flour in place of the cooked rice? Thanks!
Hi! No, you need the volume and stickiness of cooked rice here!
Thank you for your reply! I’m so excited to have found your blog! :O)
Thank you, Brandi! We love this recipe because it tastes great and is real food, yay! I use short grain brown rice and my homemade soy yogurt. Yesterday we had quesadillas on homemade no oil whole wheat tortillas. So delicious.
So happy to hear that Kathryn!!
We LOVE this recipe!! So tasty and versatile. I’m wondering if you have ideas for using it to make mac and cheese?
Hi Brandi,
We do not find any vegan plain full fat yogurt, can we use plain dairy yogurt instead as we want to still make vegetarian cheese? Will this recipe work using dairy yogurt? Thanks for this wonderful recipe !!!
Hi! I haven’t used dairy in over 8 years but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work the same, since the vegan yogurt tastes so similar!
This is BY FAR the BEST vegan cheese recipe I have tried… And I have tried so many!!! The texture and flavor are both on point. I do the baking option every time I make this and I find the cheese to be very versatile. My kids expect it when they have a snack platter that includes crackers and pears now. They like to put a “square” on ever cracker and every slice of pear. We also use it to make tomato grilled cheese and pizza regularly. This is now a staple in my fridge. Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Aww this makes me so happy to hear Alicia, thank you for the lovely review!
I have stopped buying and making cheese, it was all bad but today, I decided eggplant parm needed cheese.
Oh my! You should have recommend making a double batch, I wanted to sit down and eat the whole thing, I looked like a little child with a frosting bowl “hand” cleaning the blender, and that’s dangerous with a high speed blender!
Brandi, thank you so much.
Yay, that is so wonderful to hear Sherry! Haha, so glad you loved it so much!
I just made 2 double batches and they came out beautifully. The second batch got a generous portion of smoked paprika which gave it flavor reminiscent of smoked Gouda. My husband is swooning!
Sounds amazing Lisa, I’ve done a batch with liquid smoke and it is excellent too!
Really enjoyed this recipe! Used on pizza and it was delicious. Another winner! So impressed by your recipes.
Hi! Do you think it’s possible to freeze this at all?
Hi, yes, here’s my experience on it. I tested freezing some and posted about it here. I went over my points there about it on Facebook: Facebook post
Has anyone tried this using instant mashed potatoes instead of whole cooked ones?
Instant does not work. It’s not a whole food and will not work here, it must be a regular gold potato.
Hi,
I LOVE this cheese, all your recipes actually, but i recently discovered that cashews don’t agree all that well with me anymore. Do you think almonds would be an alright replacement? I know the flavor would be a bit different but texture wise would this still get creamy? Should i boil the almonds?
Hi Corrinne, I’ve actually not had great luck for creamy sauces with almonds. The texture always turns out extremely mealy, even with the Vitamix and running it a long time. I even use skinless slivered almonds and it is still like that. It works okay in smaller amounts, but not full amounts. You can try doing half skinless slivered almonds and half raw sunflower seeds. This will obviously change the flavor some, but run until it’s completely smooth and hopefully that turns out good. Yes, boiling them might help too, but I still wouldn’t do all almonds.
FINALLY!!! After trying about a dozen different recipes this is the first pizza-cheese substitute I really liked!!! Thank you!!!
Woohoo!! So glad!
What brand of store bought vegetable broth do you recommend?
My favorite is the Imagine low sodium brand. Amazing flavor.
Hey Brandi,
Thank you for this recipe. Could this be frozen and grated as shreds?
I tested freezing. It does freeze and get solid, and it kind of grates. Moreso like little bits and doesn’t melt the same way as cooking it as in the directions, but does work well to top the grated bits on soups, chilis, etc. Just keep in mind that it softens really quickly so don’t take it out of the freezer until ready to grate it or slice immediately.
This cheeses is the best! After reading the comments I am definitely using it for mac and cheese.Thank you for another great recipe 🙂
I finally got to trying this recipe today – I made it with cashew yogurt from the Forager brand (my fave vegan yogurt!), and ACV instead of white vinegar. It was delectable, and so easy to make! Will definitely be coming back to this recipe.
I made this for our Pizza Night last night and WHOA—we love this cheesy topper! I maybe followed the, “dollop everywhere to make sure you really get that cheesy goodness,” advice a little *too* well as for the first time ever most of the family said, “we love it, but maybe a little lighter on the cheese next time?” LOL. Except the 4 year old who said, “Not me! Add more!” :-).
This will definitely become a staple for us, and I love the idea I just read about adding a couple of drops of liquid smoke. I am intrigued as to the benefit @Beth found with straining the yogurt; does it make the cheese more rich?
Thanks for keeping the amazing recipes coming, @Brandi. Your instructions are probably the best on the InterTubes and I always feel well-coached when I am using them. —A
hahaha that is so funny!! I’m SO happy to hear how much you loved this cheese and your feedback on my instructions truly made my day! I often feel long-winded like I’m making them too long, but I truly want to be super helpful in explaining every detail, so you all don’t have any confusion when following my recipes, so THANK YOU for saying that! One of my biggest pet peeves when I try to follow another recipe is there is like 2 sentences with no details about the batter, look of the baked good, what to look for, etc.
Hi Brandi,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I can’t have dairy and have missed cheese the most! This is wonderful! Even my family thought it was the real thing 😁! Your a genius! I’m going to make your vegan pizza and put it on top. I can’t wait!! So excited 🥳
Oh wow, that is the best feedback, thank you so much Michelle!!
Would oat greek style yoghurt work please?
Thanks. This is so exciting!
Yes if it’s thick and creamy, definitely should!
Thank you so much! I hope it’s easy to make well and I don’t mess it up! I really need to crack it.
This stuff is insanely good! Just had it as a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch after baking it a few min in the oven as suggested – so delicious. I used white wine vinegar, which worked just as well.
Will be using it on pizza next. Thanks for the great recipe!!!
Delicious! Best vegan cheese yet and made with no oil! It’s almost too good to be true. I made my sandwich with sliced tomatoes and spinach squished into the ooey gooey vegan Mozz. So good!! Thanks for sharing.
Where do you buy Kite Hill Almond Yogurt?
Kroger or Sprouts sells it! I believe whole foods does as well.
@Trudy and @Brandi: on the west coast I am able to get Kite Hill at Ralph’s, Whole Foods, and Sprouts. I have not tried Vons or Albertsons yet.
Magical, just magical. I have no other words to describe this cheese!
Forgot to rate!! 🤦🏻♀️
So happy to hear that Emma, thank you!
If you’re looking for an easy vegan cheese recipe this is the TRUTH! I doubled the ingredients to make a huge batch and I’m so happy I did. I ran out of potato (needed about 20-30 more grams), used homemade salt+oil free veg broth, So Delicious coconut yogurt, and lime (forgot to buy lemons), and it still came out amazing! My non-vegan bf was very impressed and we made your quesadilla recipe with it (which also came out bomb). Thank you so much for taking the time and creating this recipe. I eat very healthy but sometimes I just want something indulgent – without complicated ingredients and with whole foods! And this is exactly that, thank you again (:
That is the best feedback, thanks so much Elizabeth, glad this was a hit!