Guys, one word. Cheese. OK, perhaps two words, Vegan Cheese. This Holy Grail of vegan world is finally in my fridge and I feel like I won a lottery ticket! And trust me, you will also feel like a million bucks after trying this recipe!Â
So to all of you out there, who tried to replace cheese in your diet, you know well, how hard it is. I've tried many times, and failed even more. But this one...ohhh sweet friends! This one is a game changer. Cheese on toast? No problem! Pizza with cheesy topping? Easy! Mozzarella sticks?!?!?!?!? YES, PLEASE!
I took few pictures and videos of me making it and I published it on my Instagram stories (this new, annoying and time consuming thing that we all love!)  @anna_banana_co, and jeeeeezzzz!!! I seriously do not remember being bombarded with this many messages in my life, ever! Sadly, they were all about cheese, not me 😉 So evidently, we all love cheese!!! The fact that it's vegan is just a massive bonus! So if you are trying to eliminate dairy or perhaps trying to go vegan, but cheese is your soft spot, then you just won the jackpot! Triple 'WHOOP!'
As mentioned in my previous post here, I have tried the recipe from Avocados and Ales, and you can find the original one here. I tried it and I loved it. However, due to not having few specific ingredients and being slightly more than enthusiastic with my spices, I have made few swaps and the results were awesome!
Personally I prefer to use cashew milk instead of aquafaba because the taste is just milder and smoother. It also helps to keep the colour of the cheese to stay lighter. However, you can even swap nut milk for water, and it will also taste great.
This vegan mozzarella cheese will taste great grilled on toast or as a pizza topping as it melts just like an ordinary cheese (OK, maybe not just like cheese, but almost exactly same). I was really surprised how easy it was to make. Apart from one ingredient which is kappa carrageenan, the rest should be in your kitchen already, but luckily living in the golden age of internet means that if you do not have something today, there is always Amazon and scary courier driver that will deliver it to you tomorrow.
Three...two...one...say 'CHEESEEEEE'!!!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews (soaked overnight or boiled for 15 minutes)
- 2 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 1 cup cashew milk (or water)
- 2 teaspoon kappa carrageenan (or substitute for 2 tablespoon agar powder, check the notes below)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoon refined coconut oil (melted and cooled)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- â…› teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- Blend cashews and milk (or water) in a high speed blender until as smooth as possible.
- Strain through fine sieve and return back to blender, adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend again until smooth and transfer to a medium saucepan.
- Place on a medium heat and keep stirring often.
- When mixture becomes quite thick and bubbly around the edges, take off the heat and transfer into mold and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours, allowing it to firm.
- Enjoy!
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Notes
Nutrition
Carley says
I'm new to the dairy-free world. I just found out that I am allergic to dairy. I've been looking for cheese recipes because dairy-free cheese in the store is so crazy-expensive it's just not possible. This recipe seems to be the easiest I've seen. But I'm wondering if there's something that most people would have in their kitchen as substitutes for kappa carrageenan or agar agar (some recipes I've seen call for lactic acid)... all of these items I had never heard of before, and I've been looking. They seem to be really hard to find, and when I did find them they were super-expensive. I've read that cornstarch or Xanthan gum (not as hard to find) is a substitute for agar agar or kappa carrageenan . I've read that yogurt starter can be a substitute for lactic acid. Also, I'm wondering what is the purpose of the cashews since cashew milk is also being added? Cashews are also expensive. Finally, does it matter how much water to boil/soak the cashews in? Am I to strain the water off before mixing it with the cashew milk, or do I add the water as well? Sorry for all the questions. I'm very new to this. Do you have any suggestions or advice to offer? It would be much appreciated
Anna says
Hi Carley, thanks so much for stopping by! Sorry to hear you are having trouble getting some of the ingredients, but I'm pretty sure both, kappa carrageenan and agar are widely available online. As for the substitute, I can't really say what else would work, as I have not tested the recipe with anything else (like lactic acid, or yogurt starter). Purpose of the cashews is to create a thicker, creamy and stable texture, so you will need them as well as cashew milk. Buying nuts in bulk is a good option, as it always works out much cheaper. You only need enough water to cover the cashews with, and you will strain the water before adding the cashews to the rest of the ingredients. Hope this helps.
Beatriz Herrmann says
I want o make this cheese so bad!! I need to know if I can use Vegan lactic acid instead of Lemon and how much
annabanana says
Hi there, I'm not sure as I have never used vegan lactic acid, but quick Google search suggested the following: 'If you have lactic acid, you can use that in replacement of the lemon juice. It adds a similar tangy flavor that cultured cheese has.For every tsp of lemon juice use half the amount of lactic acid. You may need to add a few teaspoons of water or non-dairy milk to make up the liquid portion of the lemon juice'. Hope this helps!
Novastar says
I havr sunflower seeds and would love to try this version. Can i ask who much to use please ?
annabanana says
Hi there, I would suggest to use minimum of 1 1/2 cups of sunflower seeds (soaked overnight or at least 5-6 hours). The colour and the texture of cheese may be different to the one you see here. Hope this helps!
Kate says
Hi Anna- have you ever tried freezing this cheese before? Thanks!
annabanana says
Hi Kate,
Thanks for stopping by, and sorry for the late response! To answer your question- no, never tried freezing it, but would love to know the results if you ever try!
Susan Ottwell says
I've adapted this to local supply availability. It works very well with sunflower seeds, extra-virgin olive oil, and tapioca flour. I did order the kappa carrageenan online. Cashews are just too expensive, as is coconut oil. For about $1 I can buy enough sunflower seeds for two cheeses. My favorite so far is an eggplant and tomato bake with plenty of fresh herbs and lots of "cheese" slices in between the eggplant and tomato slices. It's pretty good melted over mashed potatoes and spinach, too. If I add minced herbs and hot peppers after cooking, it's great sliced thin on spicy seeded crackers. I've passed on the recipe to a friend whose son is lactose-intolerant and sorely misses pizza and lasagna. My friend swears that they can't tell the difference except for the lack of stomach aches.
annabanana says
Susan! That comment made my day! I'm over the moon to hear you have tried, adapted and enjoyed this recipe! What a great shout to make it with sunflower seeds! Thanks so much for your kind words and for stopping by!
Donna says
Thanks so much for the tip on the sunflower seeds. I have them and will try them out!
annabanana says
You're welcome Donna, pleasure all mine! I hope you will enjoy the recipe!
Shanell says
I just finished making this and it's now in the fridge. I like a bit more funk in my cheese, so I added a tsp of white miso. I tasted it before I put it in the fridge and this is by far the best homemade cheese I've made to date. I also added a bit of EVOO and Italian seasonings to the mold so that the cheese will look extra pretty when I pop it out. I agree that 4 tbs of agar is too much. I used about half that amount and the consitstency is spot on. Anyway, thank you so much for an amazing cheese recipe that's super easy and tastes great!
Max says
Hi I want to substitute the kappa with agar but 4 tbsp seems like a lot! How much water do you use to dissolve it? From what read, the ratio is 1 tsp of agar for 100ml of water. That would make 1.2L of water and that would not make sense 🙂
Sadie Lewman says
This cheese looks great! I can't wait to try it since dairy cravings are the thing that keeps me up at night every time I try to switch to a fully vegan diet. Would you happen to have a source for the mold that you used to make that cute little round? Thanks!
annabanana says
Thanks so much Sadie! That is great to hear and I really hope you are going to like it! As for the mold, I've used just small plastic container, it wasn't a special mold or anything like it. You can even use a small bowl or a ramekin dish. Hope you will get to enjoy it!
Kathy says
Made this cheese yesterday and it's almost gone today. It is by far the best vegan cheese I've ever tasted. I don't know if I would call it mozzarella though with the seasonings added. All I know is I love it!
annabanana says
Kathy! That just made my day! So happy that you've enjoyed it! ????
MJones says
Hello, I'm curious about this recipe--I have xanthan gum and am wondering if this would be a good substitute for agar powder? Thank you!
annabanana says
Hello there! I have not personally tried using xanthan gum, so I really wouldn't be able to tell you if it's going to work or no. But I will be very interested to see the results if you give it a go! ????
Jess says
My husband is lactose intolerant and we have tried this recipe, and he really enjoyed it! perhaps it is not like a real cheese in flavor (for my taste), but we really enjoyed it!
annabanana says
Thanks Jess!
That is a great news! (not that he is lactose intolerant, but the fact he enjoyed it!) 😉
Obviously cheese is cheese, and no substitute will ever taste exactly same, but I'm really glad to hear that he liked it!
H says
I found the texture and flavor to be nothing like mozzarella cheese. There are vegan cheese recipes that don't use expensive thickeners that work well on pizzas, however, I was looking for a solid cheese that could be delicious enough to eat plain. This was not one of them.
annabanana says
Oh snap! I'm sorry to hear the recipe didn't turn out the way you expected!
It can be hard to find a dairy- free cheese alternative that tastes exact like a real deal, but I hope you will find the one that suits your needs!
Mitchell Leckner says
Hi Anna,
I am already quasi vegan and eat almost no cheese or dairy, but my vegetarian kids do. I just watched this video and I am inspired to find an alternative to their dairy cheese. It is horrifying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcN7SGGoCNI
I was wondering, can I subsitute olive oil for coconut oil?
What about the cashews? Can I use almonds or other nuts?
Thanks!
annabanana says
Hi Mitchell!
Thanks for stopping by! And firstly well done to you and your family for doing so well! You can substitute for coconut oil, but I've not tested the recipe with any other nuts than cashews 🙂 Let me know if you try it and good luck! Hugs!
Meralee says
Hi there,
I want to try this, but I'm wondering if I could use cornstarch instead of arrowroot powder! Thanks 🙂
annabanana says
Hey Meralee!
Absolutely yes! You can substitute for cornstarch with no problems. They both work well as thickening agents, so shouldn't be an issue. Let me know how did it go & all the best!
Lynn says
Oh thank you, can't wait to try this!!
annabanana says
Hey Lynn! You're more than welcome my friend, let me know how did it came out! And really hope you will like it! 🙂
Jenny Rai says
Hi sweetheart,
Love this cheese.Love the pic. Just love your website. I don't have the kappa thing. Is there a substitute. Thanks
Love Jenny xx
annabanana says
Awww Jenny!!! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comment! Made my day 🙂 You may be able to get it online, if not, have a look at Avocados and Ales blog, and refer to the comments, lots of peeps have been swapping tips for replacements of carrageenan there, some mention agar powder, but I've not tried yet anything else other than kappa carrageenan. I really hope you will get a chance to make it as I know you will love it! XXXX
Matt says
I had to take a second glance, as I first thought this was a cake! This looks so cool, and fairly straightforward process. I've never made vegan cheese (or vegan anything on purpose), it looks great!
annabanana says
Hahha! Hey Matt! I can see why it would get confused for a cake 🙂 There is an equal need for both in life, cake and cheese! And before trying this recipe, I never made vegan cheese before either, but very quickly I have developed new addiction...;) Thanks for kind words!
cakespy says
Fascinating!!!!! I can't wait to try this.
annabanana says
Gaawww! Thanks Cakespy! 🙂 comments like yours make my day!!! Let me know how did you get on! X
Vivian says
Hi,
This vegan cheese looks really yummy!
Please what's kappa carrageenan, can it be sub?
annabanana says
Hey Vivian!!! Thank you kindly! Kappa carrageenan is a bonding and thickening ingredient, it's in a form of a white powder. I have only tried making this cheese with carrageenan and have not substituted for anything else, although I've been reading that agar could also be used instead, however I can't guarantee the results. You can find lots of tips and advice on any substitutes on Avocados and Ales original post (just click the link in my post). Hope you will get to make it friend! X
The Vegan 8 says
Making homemade vegan cheese is one of my favorite things! I've seen that recipe by Avocado and Ales many times and I like your change to use almond milk, I bet that makes it extra creamy! I want this right know! I've just finished off my Mexican cheese sauce, so it's time for more cheese! Looks amazing Anna!
annabanana says
Gaaaawwww! Thanks so much Brandi!!! I'm totally in love with ALL of Lacey's recipes and can't wait to try more! And yes, almond milk in my opinion makes it just a bit more mellow 🙂 can't wait to check out this Mexican cheese sauce of yours!!! :*