Citric Acid Free Vegan Cashew Mozzarella

Total time2 hr 20 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

Citric Acid Free Vegan Cashew Mozzarella

Stretchy, glossy, and genuinely satisfying to pull apart, this cashew-based mozzarella delivers the melt and texture you'd expect from the real thing — all from a handful of pantry staples. For anyone avoiding citric acid, store-bought vegan cheeses can be a minefield, since many rely on it as a preservative or flavor booster. Here, a small amount of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice do the heavy lifting for that subtle tang, keeping the ingredient list clean and the acid content easy to track. The magic happens on the stovetop, where tapioca starch transforms a blended cashew cream into something genuinely stretchy and glossy — it's one of those moments in the kitchen that feels almost like a science experiment. Refined coconut oil adds richness and helps the final set feel smooth and sliceable rather than crumbly. After a couple of hours in the fridge, you'll have a firm, moldable round that shreds, slices, and re-melts beautifully on a hot pizza or baked dish. It's the kind of recipe that makes you wonder why you ever reached for the store-bought version.

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Ingredients

6 servings

1 cup raw cashews, soaked in cold water for at least 2 hours, then drained and rinsed
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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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