Carrageenan Free Vegan Cashew Mozzarella
Most store-bought vegan mozzarella relies on carrageenan as a binder and texturizer, which makes it a frustrating ingredient to avoid when you just want a good melt on your pizza. This cashew-based version skips it entirely, using tapioca starch to create that signature stretch and glossy pull you'd expect from the real thing. The process is surprisingly satisfying — blending soaked cashews into a silky cream, then watching it transform on the stovetop into something genuinely gooey and stretchy. A touch of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice add just enough tang to keep it tasting fresh and complex rather than flat. Once it sets in the fridge, you can slice it, shred it, or tear it over a caprese salad, and it re-melts beautifully when heat hits it. The ingredient list is short, the steps are straightforward, and the result is a clean, whole-food cheese that doesn't compromise on texture or flavor.
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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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