Beef Free Vegan Cashew Mozzarella
Stretchy, glossy, and genuinely satisfying to pull apart, this cashew-based mozzarella delivers the kind of melt you'd expect from the real thing — without a single animal product in sight. Soaking the raw cashews first is the key to getting that ultra-smooth, creamy base, and the tapioca starch is what creates the signature stretch and gooey pull when it hits heat. Watching the mixture transform in the saucepan from thin liquid to a glossy, elastic mass is honestly one of the more magical moments you can have in a plant-based kitchen. Once it's chilled and set, you can slice it, shred it, or tear it just like a fresh ball of dairy mozzarella — and it re-melts beautifully on a hot pizza or baked dish. For anyone navigating a diet that avoids all animal-derived ingredients, this recipe is a genuine workhorse: the ingredient list is short, the process is straightforward, and the result is far better than most store-bought alternatives. Keep a batch in the fridge and you'll find yourself reaching for it constantly.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in cold water for at least 2 hours, then drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup water
- 3 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp refined coconut oil
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- 1
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews, then add them to a high-speed blender along with the water, tapioca starch, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and garlic powder. Blend on high for 60–90 seconds until completely smooth with no visible cashew pieces — the mixture should look like thin, pourable cream.
- 2
Pour the blended mixture into a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, for 5–8 minutes until the mixture thickens dramatically, pulls away from the sides of the pan, and becomes glossy and stretchy — it will look like melted mozzarella and stretch when you lift the spatula.
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