MSG Free Vegan Cashew Mozzarella
Stretchy, glossy, and genuinely satisfying to pull apart, this cashew-based mozzarella delivers the melty texture you want without a single additive, flavor enhancer, or preservative in sight. Store-bought vegan cheeses can be a minefield of hidden ingredients, but this one is built entirely from a short list of whole-food staples you can read at a glance. The magic happens on the stovetop — tapioca starch transforms the blended cashew mixture into something remarkably elastic and shiny, almost identical in behavior to the real thing. It slices cleanly after chilling, tears beautifully for a caprese-style plate, and re-melts like a dream on top of a hot pizza. Soaking the cashews first ensures the blender can get everything completely smooth, so the final texture is creamy rather than grainy. Whether you're building a cheese board or topping a flatbread, this is the kind of homemade swap that makes you wonder why you ever reached for the packaged version.
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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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