The best vegan mozzarella cheese recipe ever! Rich and creamy cheese that melts and stretches. You can slice it to put on crackers or grate it to put on pizza, lasagna, or stuffed shells. It even makes perfect vegan mozzarella sticks! Made with coconut milk, it's free of oil, gluten, soy, and nuts, so everyone can enjoy it. This is the meltable vegan cheese recipe that you have been looking for!
With just a few ingredients, you can make the most delicious vegan cheese you have ever had! This makes a solid block of rich and creamy vegan mozzarella cheese that can be sliced and even shredded. The tapioca starch in this recipe makes the cheese melt and stretch when it's heated so it makes perfect quesadillas and vegan grilled cheese sandwiches too.
This stretchy vegan mozzarella cheese is made from canned coconut milk, so you get a rich and creamy cheese without needing to soak raw cashews or use a high speed blender or food processor to make it. I've tested this homemade vegan mozzarella recipe with many types of plant based milks, but I have found that coconut milk gives a perfect texture and a mouth feel closest to real cheese.
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🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Vegan Milk Base - this will be the base of your cheese. I highly recommend canned coconut milk. (Full-fat canned coconut milk will give you the richest and creamiest texture).
- Coconut Milk – a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk or coconut cream works best. (This is not the coconut milk that comes in cartons in the refrigerated section of the store).
- *If you can't use coconut milk you can choose 1 of the following to replace it:
- Cashews – you will need 1/3 cup cashews soaked and drained then blended with 1 3/4 cup water).
- Other Plant-Based Milk – like soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, or hemp milk you will need 1 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup any neutral-flavored oil.
- Water - to give the right moisture content.
- Nutritional Yeast - to give it the cheesy umami flavor.
- Agar-agar Powder - to make it firm so you can slice and grate it. Agar agar is a white powder made from seaweed, and it acts as a vegan gelatin to make the cheese firm. (It comes in flakes or powder but be sure to use the powder if you can. It is less expensive, you need less of it, and it blends easier and smoother. You can find great prices on it at most Asian markets or you can buy it on Amazon as well). You can also use kappa carrageenan instead in equal amounts.
- Tapioca flour - to give the cheese a stretchy texture when it melts. (Nothing else works like tapioca for this. Without it you will not get the same melt and stretch). You can use potato starch to thicken the cheese, but it won't give you the same stretchiness.
- Salt - for flavor
- Garlic Powder - for flavor.
- Lemon Juice - just a tiny bit for a little extra bite. (optional)
🧀 Cheese base
- Coconut milk based cheese has the best flavor and texture, but you can also use other plant-based milk with additional oil, or blended cashews. You will need a total of about 2 cups of liquid. The higher the fat content of the liquid, the creamier your cheese will be.
- Cashew Based - Put 1/3 cup cashews that have been soaked and drained into a blender. Blend and slowly add 1 3/4 cup water to the cashews until smooth.
- Plant- Milk Based - You can use plain flavored soy, almond, cashew, rice, or hemp milk too. Simply use 1 3/4 cup milk mixed with 1/3 cup of neutral-flavored oil like canola or refined coconut oil.
🥄 Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk (or another cheese base), 1/4 cup of hot water, 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 4 tsp agar agar, 1/2 tsp garlic, and 1 1/4 tsp salt.
- Heat the cheese sauce over medium heat until it begins to boil.
- Turn down the heat until it is just barely bubbling and allow to boil for 5 minutes while stirring frequently.
- Add 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp (or 7 tsp.) tapioca starch to 1/4 cup of cold water and stir until it dissolves.
- Add the starch and water mixture to the boiling cheese sauce and stir it in with a whisk and cook for an additional 1 minute. (Your cheese will become very thick and stretchy).
- Pour into a glass container and allow to cool uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before shredding.
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- Make sure to measure the ingredients carefully! Slight changes in the amount of liquid, the agar agar, or the tapioca starch can change the texture of your cheese a lot!
- After you put in the coconut milk, add the warm water to the can and swish it around for a minute to get all the coconut milk out.
- For a cheesier flavor, add an additional tbsp of nutritional yeast to your cheese sauce.
- If it is too soft to shred, put it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before shedding.
✨ Making firmer cheese
- Omit the tapioca starch completely.
- Add 1/2 cup of warm water instead of 1/4 cup of water at the beginning of the recipe. (I divide it for the melty cheese to dissolve the tapioca starch in it).
- increase the agar agar to 2 tbsp instead of 4 tsp.
🍕 Tips on melting cheese
- Allow the cheese to warm up to room temperature before putting it in a sandwich or casserole.
- Cook the food with the cheese at a lower temperature for longer to allow heat to travel into the center of the food.
- Grilled cheese or Quesadillas - heat it in a microwave for about 45 seconds before grilling it so the cheese in the center melts.
- Vegan Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, or any other Casserole - cover it with foil so the trapped steam will melt the cheese.
- Vegan Pizza - put the pizza on the top rack and use the broil setting for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking watching it carefully. You can also cover it with non-stick foil for the last few minutes of cooking.
❓Frequently asked questions
If your cheese is too soft to shred and more jello-like, then you probably added too much tapioca starch or possibly not enough agar agar. Slight variations in these 2 ingredients will change the texture greatly.
Also, the strength of agar agar varies, so you may have a type that is not as strong, I hear reports of this in Europe more frequently. You can remelt the cheese add another teaspoon or two of agar agar, and let it boil for 6 minutes again.
This mozzarella will melt nicely, but it melts at a higher temperature. Traditional mozzarella melts at 130° F, but this vegan mozzarella melts about 150°F. Because of this, you will have to get the cheese to a higher temperature to achieve the same effect.
🌟 Tips on cheese texture
You can create a variety of different textures of vegan cheese by changing the amounts and ratios of liquids, fats, agar agar, and starch.
- The more agar agar, the firmer the cheese.
- The more tapioca starch, the softer and stretchier the cheese.
- A higher fat content will give you richer and creamier cheese with a more authentic mouth feel.
🥡 Storage
Refrigerator: Store the cheese block in plastic wrap or a sealed ait tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
Freezing: You can freeze it for up to 3 months. I find it easiest to shred the cheese and then freeze it in an air-tight freezer bag. This way you can use small portions of it without having to thaw the whole block.
You can check out my guide on how to make vegan cheese if you want more information on vegan cheese making or get my vegan cheese cookbook, The Ultimate Guide to Easy Vegan Cheese Making.
This vegan mozzarella cheese is perfect for Caprese salad, pasta dishes, pizza, vegan grilled cheese sandwiches, lasagna, stuffed shells, baked ziti or simply sliced on crackers.
🧀 More vegan cheese recipes
- Vegan Cheddar
- Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese
- Garlic Herb Cheese
- Vegan Cream Cheese
- Smoked Gouda
- Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Haloumi
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk full fat or coconut cream (13.5 oz can)
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 4 teaspoons agar agar powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 7 teaspoons tapioca flour (This is the same as 2 tbsp + 1 tsp)
- 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
- Prepare a glass, ceramic, or silicone mold and have it ready to pour the cheese into when you are done. (I spray mine with a little oil to help it come out easier, but it's not necessary).
- Add a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk (or another cheese base), 1/4 cup of warm water, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 4 tsp agar agar, 1/2 tsp garlic.
- Heat the cheese sauce over medium heat until it begins to boil.
- Turn down the heat until it is just barely bubbling and allow to boil for 5 minutes while stirring frequently.
- Add 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp (or 7 tsp.) tapioca starch to 1/4 cup of cold water and stir until it dissolves.
- Add the starch and water mixture to the boiling cheese sauce and stir it in with a whisk and cook for an additional 1 minute. (Your cheese will become very thick and stretchy).
- Pour into a glass container and allow to cool uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before shredding.
- Store covered in an air-tight container for 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to measure the ingredients carefully! Slight changes in the amount of liquid, the agar agar, or the tapioca starch can change the texture of your cheese a lot!
- After you put in the coconut milk, add the warm water to the can and swish it around for a minute to get all the coconut milk out.
- For a cheesier flavor, add an additional tbsp of nutritional yeast to your cheese sauce.
- Store the cheese in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
- If it is too soft to shred, put it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before shredding.
- Allow the cheese to warm up to room temperature before putting it in a sandwich or casserole.
- Cook the food with the cheese at a lower temperature for longer to allow heat to travel into the center of the food.
- Grilled cheese or Quesadillas - heat it in a microwave for about 45 seconds before grilling it so the cheese in the center melts.
- Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, or any other Casserole - cover it with foil so the trapped steam will melt the cheese.
- Vegan Pizza - put the pizza on the top rack and use the broil setting for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking watching it carefully. You can also cover it with non-stick foil for the last few minutes of cooking.
Nutrition
*This recipe was updated on 1/28/20 from the original that was posted 5/4/18 to include an easier cooking method, new pictures, and a video of the cheese-making process.
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