This melty vegan cheese is stretchy, creamy and tangy just like mozzarella cheese. Whip this vegan mozzarella-like cheese up in just minutes to melt over pizza, pastas, burritos, enchiladas, tacos, paninis, spaghetti squash lasagna boats and more! You won’t be sorry to have some in the fridge.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- When tapioca is heated, it becomes stretchy and stringy, just like mozzarella cheese!
- Cashews are the perfect nut for a creamy, plant-based dairy substitute.
- The inclusion of refined coconut oil, albeit optional, gives this cheese the best smoothness and perfect mouth-feel!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- tapioca flour: This ingredient is essential to making a stretchy vegan cheese! It is the key to thickening this melty cheese. Without it, it will NOT work!
- lemon juice: Most cheeses have a tart underlying flavor from the cultures. Because this vegan cheese is not fermented and doesn’t contain any cultures, it needs something acidic to mimic that flavor. Lemon juice adds that perfect, subtle acidity. I have tested this recipe with apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and white vinegar – all are too strong and not recommended substitutes.
- cashews: Be sure to use raw, unsalted cashews in this recipe! Cashews roasted in oils or salt will completely alter the taste of this cheese and are not recommended.
- unsweetened plant based milk: I recommend using a neutral tasting plant-based milk like almond milk, cashew milk, or soy milk. I tested this recipe with oat milk and it is too sweet. I also tested this recipe with coconut milk, and the coconut taste lingered and was unpleasant.
- refined coconut oil: Optional, but recommended for a silky smooth cheese that melts really well. Be sure not to use unrefined coconut oil or your cheese will taste very strongly of coconut.
- sea salt: Without a little salt, this cheese is bland! Don’t skip this!
Step by Step Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth!
Note: Be sure to use a powerful blender like a Vitamix. If you do not, you risk two things happening:
- The blender will not be powerful enough to fully blend the cashews until smooth and your cheese will be gritty.
- It will take too long to blend the cheese and it will begin to get hot in the blender, and thickening in the blender. This will result in an over processed cheese.
Do not use this Ninja blender! Because the blade goes up the stem and does not pull the ingredients to be pulverized in the bottom like every other blender, it is impossible for this blender to blend anything completely smooth. It is really only capable of very finely chopping ingredients and appearing blended.
- Transfer the blended cheese mixture to a small sauce pan. Make sure it has a bit of extra room so it won’t spill over the sides as you whisk.
- Before heating and whisking, the cheese mixture will essentially be the same texture as milk! Thin, smooth, and no chunks.
- Heat over medium heat and whisk constantly. After a couple of minutes, it will begin to thicken and turn into a beautiful melty vegan cheese!
FAQs
Tapioca flour is essential when making stretchy melty vegan cheese and unfortunately cannot be substituted with another ingredient. Leaving it out is not an option either.
This is a mild tasting vegan cheese, which makes it super versatile and can be used with practically anything! However, it get’s it’s flavor from the fat in the nut milk, cashews and coconut oil, it gets the acidity from the lemon juice and savory flavor from the sea salt!
No, this cheese does not firm up enough to become shreddable. It will get firmer in texture once refrigerated but it is still soft. If you are looking for a shreddable vegan cheese, I recommend trying this Vegan Mozzarella Cheese from Vegan Blueberry.
Expert Tips
- Before pouring a store-bought milk into your blender, smell it and taste it! Some store-bought unsweetened vegan milks are being made with a sweet, perfume like preservative that completely defeats the purpose of the milk being unsweetened. If it tastes at all sweet and/or has an artificial sweet smell, it will ruin the flavor of your savory soup. Steer clear of Safeway’s Organics line as well as Whole Foods Brand unsweetened milks. They all have this issue.
- Double check that your cashews are raw and unsalted. Roasted cashews or cashews made with oils or salts will drastically change the flavor of this melty vegan cheese and should be avoided.
What to Eat This Cheese With?
This melty vegan cheese goes well with just about anything!
Try it with these favorites!
More Homemade Vegan Recipes You May Like
Melty Vegan Cheese
What You’ll Need
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened plant-based milk
- ½ cup raw unsalted cashews
- ¼ cup tapioca flour - no substitute and cannot be skipped
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil - optional, but gives this cheese that soft, velvety mouth feel
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in hot boiling water for 5-10 minutes, then drain when softened.
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour into a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk frequently until thickened and stretchy, about 5-8 minutes, depending on how strong your stovetop is. Note: The longer it heats, the thicker and stretchier it will get so thicken to your personal preference.
- Once thickened spread over pizza, pasta, spaghetti squash, etc. while warm.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight jar or container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave until soft again.
Notes
- Do not use the Ninja Blender for this. It is incapable of blending completely smooth and will create a gritty cheese.
- Before pouring a store-bought milk into your blender, smell it and taste it! Some store-bought unsweetened vegan milks are being made with a sweet, perfume like preservative that completely defeats the purpose of the milk being unsweetened. If it tastes at all sweet and/or has an artificial sweet smell, it will ruin the flavor of your savory soup. Steer clear of Safeway’s Organics line as well as Whole Foods Brand unsweetened milks. They all have this issue.
- This cheese is easiest to use hot and fresh. You can reheat it but it is a lot thicker after refrigerating.
General note about salt
Please pay attention to the type of salt called for in the recipe (if applicable). Not all salts are made equal and cannot be substituted 1 for 1. If you are substituting table salt for kosher salt, you will need to cut the amount called for in the recipe by at least half.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
I made this with your tofu scramble and served with jicama taco shells from TJ’s. I have so much I have to figure out dinner, but thank you! It is so melty.
Luckily this cheese goes well with pretty much anything savory! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it!