You guys have to try this super easy, 10 ingredient, almost instant, same day vegan mozzarella cheese! This vegan cheese is super versatile. You can use it on pizza (recipe here), put it in stromboli (I especially love the texture of the cheese in this application), and it’s great in a hot or cold sandwich.
You could even eat it plain with some crackers. It can be grated and also slices super well! Basically, any time you want a mild, creamy, melty vegan cheese this recipe is perfect!
I love all the vegan cheeses that have come onto the market in the recent years (and use them regularly, especially on pizza), and am thankful that they are a thousand times better than the non-dairy cheeses I grew up eating. That being said, store bought vegan cheeses can be expensive, and depending on where you live, your favorites might be a bit hard to track down.
Then there’s the point that homemade stuff tastes better than a lot of the mainstream commercially available options. This mild mozzarella style vegan cheese is my go-to I want cheese, a lot of it, and today please option.
Cashews and refined coconut oil combine to provide the ultimate rich, creamy mouthfeel. Sauerkraut liquid and coconut vinegar give it that slight fermented funk without having to actually mess with the delicate process of fermenting nuts. Garlic gives a little depth of flavor and a slight bite to the cheese (as all good cheese must have a bite).
Nutritional yeast rounds out that cheesy, nutty, umami flavor. Salt, because, duh, cheese must be salty. Then tapioca starch gives it that stretchy quality, while carrageenan (which, yes, I think is fine to eat in the occasional dish) gels it firm.
It is so simple to make. Throw the measly 10 ingredients into a blender, whiz it together until smooth, and then heat for several minutes to thicken! Then it can be used immediately, or if you let it cool all the way to room temperature and chill in the fridge, it becomes hard enough for clean cut slices and grating.
Let me know in the comments if you make this dish, rate it, or tag me on Instagram!
Notes:
- You must use kappa carrageenan in this recipe. Iota carrageenan will not gel properly. You can purchase it through Modernist Pantry or on Amazon. If you would like to substitute agar, check out the notes below the recipe.
- You can cut the coconut oil in half, to 1/4 cup, replacing it with an equal amount of water, or sauerkraut juice. It will have a less rich result, but still be very tasty!
- If you fall in love with making your own vegan cheese, check out Artisan Vegan Cheese, my cheese making exploits wouldn’t have been possible without Miyoko Schinner’s work!
Same Day Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
A versatile creamy vegan cashew based cheese that melts! Makes around 520 g of cheese, or about 3 cups.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) cashews, soaked if not using high speed blender
- 1 cup (235g) water
- 1/4 cup (55g) sauerkraut juice
- 1/2 cup (100g) refined coconut oil
- 1 tsp coconut vinegar*
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp kappa carrageenan*
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. This may take a few minutes depending on your blender. Pause and scrape down the sides a few times, as necessary.
- Pour blended mixture into a medium pot and heat over medium on the stove. Heat for several minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened and glossy. If you have a thermometer, it should reach 150 ºF. If the mixture splits, you've cooked it too long, but just use an immersion blender to bring it back together.
- Transfer to a greased mold (such as a pyrex container) or one lined with plastic wrap. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Notes
*You can substitute a different mild, light colored vinegar for coconut vinegar, such as champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar. Or use lemon juice. Each of these will produce a slightly different result.
*If you do not like to use carrageenan, you can use 2 tsp agar powder (reserve 1/2 the water when blending and do not blend in the agar, and follow instructions in my roasted jalapeño cheese to cook it)
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joe
Monday 15th of June 2020
Hi Can I leave the sauerkraut juice out? Haven't any.
Anjani
Saturday 15th of February 2020
Can I use almond milk to make this cheese? If so, what are the changes to make in recipes?
Erin
Thursday 26th of September 2019
Can you use this on pizza? Will it melt?
Eva Agha
Sunday 6th of October 2019
Hi Erin, You can definitely use this on pizza. It doesn't melt as much as some store bought vegan cheeses, but gets a bit melty and does brown. I had a GIF that in the post to show it melted on toast but that seems to have disappeared so I just added a new photo to show the cheese after broiling on toast. So hopefully that helps you see a bit how it behaves!
Jacquie
Monday 27th of August 2018
Is there something that can be used instead of the coconut oil to make it coconut allergy safe? Maybe vegetable shortening?
thecuriouschickpea
Monday 27th of August 2018
Hi Jacquie, the coconut oil is essential for the final texture of the cheese--to have it more solid and sliceable when cold. It also has the best mouthfeel, or the one most like dairy cheese. That being said, for an allergy, I would personally try to substitute a neutral flavored oil like canola, virgin olive oil (probably not extra virgin as that tends to have a strong flavor), safflower, sunflower, etc. It will remain softer when cold, but should still get melty under heat. Shortening would probably have a rather unpleasant mouthfeel and not taste very good. Palm oil and [deodorized] cocoa butter might perform more similarly to coconut oil but I haven't experimented with either.
Chelsea
Wednesday 9th of May 2018
I have every intention of trying this recipe as-written (probably with some sauerkraut substitute, not big in my house) but it's such a good guide on how to prepare and flavor a wheel of melt=able mozz that even with my considerable doctoring for what we didn't have, it was a perfectly delicious result. I find sometimes that the most difficult part of vegan/dairy-free cooking is in knowing what basic "techniques" will get you in the approximate area of your desired end. And because a lot of the ingredients are expensive, it can be discouraging to experiment and fail with them. Thanks for making this recipe!
In case this inspires any further ideas for you, here's a few things I found: I didn't have nootch or sauerkraut, which clearly are a big part of the cheesy flavor. I did have extra garlic, lemon juice, and kala namak salt which made a really great savory "funk" in the finished cheese. Not going to lie, my kitchen smelled -bad- at first. Worth it. I used extra-virgin olive oil instead of coconut for a more traditional flavor and richness, but this altered the texture just slightly since it's not solid at room temperature. If I re=use my substitutions, I will probably increase both the starch and the carrageenan, perhaps by half again and double, respectively. Didn't have cashews, but soaked, skin-on almonds pureed 1:1 with water in my Vitamix were a fine substitute.
Thank you again for opening this door to me, I've had some bad cheese experiments before, so this was a really great win!
Chelsea
Friday 8th of June 2018
I definitely agree with the olive oil flavoring issue. Also, your precise measurements for cashews are very important - tried this again using my measurements with cashews instead of almonds and the difference in fat/fiber content was just too great, especially with the olive oil instead of coconut oil. So funny how fickle food can be.
I did have some difficulty when I put all the ingredients in my blender together When it got warm, the starch and carrageenan did their gelling thing and it was hard to get back out of the blender - I lost maybe 2-4 oz of cheese to it. It just wasn't really "pourable." Did you have this issue at all?
thecuriouschickpea
Thursday 10th of May 2018
Thanks for reporting back, I'm so glad your experimenting worked so well for you and gave you direction for future cheese making! You may or may not have had this issue, but it's worth pointing out--with olive oil, I've noticed it can become bitter if blended to vigorously, so would be careful about adding it too soon in the blending process.