Vegan Cashew Mozzarella

This vegan cashew mozzarella is thick, cheesy, and delicious. It’s made with raw cashews and seasonings for an authentic light cheesy flavor. Use it on pizza, or sandwiches – or wherever you might want a dollop of melted mozzarella.

This vegan mozzarella is was inspired by my Creamy Garlic Sauce with Cashews. It has most of the same ingredients with a few little add-ins to make it cheesier and to thicken it – just like a slightly stretchy, gooey, melted mozzarella cheese sauce.

This vegan mozzarella is not like the blocks or shreds you can buy at the store. But rather a soft cheesy spread you can put on sandwiches or pizza.

To make this vegan mozzarella spread you will need:

• raw cashews
• hot water for soaking and room temp water for mixing
• lemon juice (bottled is fine)
• nutritional yeast
• onion and garlic powders
• salt
• white miso paste 
• tapioca flour/starch

Tips and suggestions for making the vegan mozzarella spread:

The cashews

The best cashews to use are unsalted raw cashews. These are not found in regular grocery stores but might be found in stores such as Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or health food stores. I buy mine on Amazon in bulk. They might seem like a pricey investment but you will find raw cashews to be a useful item when added to your plant-based pantry.

Raw cashews are used in recipes such as my Chili Cheese Sauce, Jalapeno Ranch Dressing, or the best Vegan Mac and Cheese you will ever try!

Soak the cashews in very hot water for about 30 minutes or until they are quite soft. Then drain and add fresh water for blending.

Can I use regular salted roasted cashews instead of raw unsalted cashews?

If you are unable to find raw unsalted cashews you can use the regular roasted and salted ones. You will need to soak for a lot longer – even overnight. And triple rinse the cashews to get rid of the salt or it will affect the flavor of your cheese.

Making the cashew cheese spread

After soaking and draining the cashews, use freshwater for blending. Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend on high for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Transfer to a medium-sized saucepan and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. It will start to get bubbly and thick. You will start to see some lumps form.

Give it another minute stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan and you will notice that the lumps “disappear” – probably because it’s all one big lump now! But the cashew cheese mixture will be very smooth now and look almost satin-like.

How long can I store my cashew cheese spread?

Put it in an airtight container and store for up to five days in the refrigerator. Scoop out the portion you want to use and warm-up in the microwave for about 30 seconds. This vegan cheese spread is best appreciated slightly warmed.

I’ve noticed that after a couple of days in the container it gets a little liquidy around the edges. Just pour off the liquid before using the cheese spread.

Do I have to use miso paste?

I will tell you that for the longest time I did not use miso paste. Then I thought I’d give it a try because miso paste made all the difference in my Mac and Cheese sauce recipe. Wow! Please find some white miso paste and use it in this recipe too. The difference is subtle – but there! I buy this miso paste on Amazon.

Can I replace the tapioca starch with corn starch?

Tapioca starch is the same thing as tapioca flour. You can easily find tapioca starch (or flour) in many grocery stores. It is found near the section with the gluten-free flours and health food items. If you are unable to find tapioca starch, you may purchase on Amazon.

If you do choose to use cornstarch instead, understand that your vegan mozzarella cheese spread will not have that nice glossy finish. It will be a dull matte. If you substitute, double the amount of cornstarch. For example, this recipe calls for 1/4 cup tapioca flour. Use 1/2 cup cornstarch as a substitute.

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And now for the recipe!

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