Okay, this one is kind of a big deal. Vegan mozzarella that actually melts, actually stretches, and actually tastes like something you’d want to put on everything. We were skeptical the first time we made it too, so we get it. But this stuff is real and it’s really good.
The secret ingredient is tapioca starch, which is what gives it that stretchy, melty quality that most vegan cheeses completely fail to achieve. Without it you’d just have a cashew paste, which is fine but not the same thing at all. With it, something kind of magical happens in the pan. You stir it over heat for about eight minutes, watching it go from a thin liquid to a thick, stretchy, glossy mass that pulls away from the sides of the pan like actual cheese. It’s one of the more satisfying things to watch happen in the kitchen.
Like our cashew cream, this starts with soaked cashews, which means you need to plan a little bit ahead. Either soak them overnight or get them in water in the morning and you’ll be ready to go by the afternoon. The actual active cooking time is about ten minutes once you’re past that step, so it’s not as involved as the prep time suggests.
Once it sets in the fridge it slices, it melts, it stretches, and it goes on everything. We use it on bruschetta, on pizza, in wraps, on top of tomato soup when we’re feeling fancy. It stays good in the fridge for about five days, though in this house it rarely lasts that long.
If you’ve been disappointed by store-bought vegan cheese before, and honestly most of us have been at some point, give this a try. It’s not trying to be dairy mozzarella. It’s its own thing, and its own thing is pretty great.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place the raw cashews in a bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight, until they are soft and plump.
- Thoroughly drain and strain the soaked cashews to remove all excess water.
- Add the drained cashews, tapioca starch, plant-based milk, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, and salt into a high-speed blender.
- Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour the liquid mixture into a pan.
- Place the pan over medium heat.
- Stand by the stove and stir constantly with a spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom so nothing sticks or burns.
- Cook for about 8 minutes. You will see it transform from a liquid into a very thick, stretchy paste that easily pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Lightly grease a glass container with a little bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Transfer the thick cheese paste into the container and smooth out the top.
- Allow the cheese to cool completely at room temperature, then place it in the fridge to set.
