If you don’t know, I’m pretty excited about this. Every vegan I’ve ever met in real life has said the hardest thing to give up was cheese and every non vegan has told me that they would never be able to give up cheese. Fortunately, due to amazing chefs like Miyoko Schinner, Jay Astafa, Somer McGowan, and Skye Michael Conroy, we are able to enjoy cheese-like products, without the cruelty. I’ve made several forays into the world of vegan cheese and learned a lot of different techniques from many different recipes. The particular recipe that I drew inspiration from for this is the cashew mozzarella developed by Jay Astafa. You can watch the YouTube video here. I noticed he uses soy lecithin as an emulsifier, which aquafaba has been shown to do in recipes like Nina’s butter and Peanut Butter and Vegan’s mayo. This inspired me to make this cashew mozzarella using aquafaba as the emulsifier. It also makes this recipe soy free, conveniently, for those who are intolerant.
Vegan cheese doesn’t create casein protein strands like dairy cheeses do, which is why we use tapioca starch to create that stretchy texture. Some places may have it labeled at tapioca flour, but they should be interchangeable. I find mine at an international market for a cheaper price. You can also add a bit of xantham gum to increase the stretchiness. If you don’t have any, feel free to omit it, the cheese will still be delicious! I use vegan lactic acid powder to create that dairy-like tang in this recipe. It’s definitely worth the purchase, but if you cannot buy it, substitute a tablespoon of lemon juice instead. Nutritional yeast also adds to this cheesy flavor. Refined coconut oil helps with firmness upon refrigeration and improves the mouthfeel and melt. Please use coconut oil that is solid at room temperature. Cashews can possibly be subbed for raw sunflower seeds for those with allergies.
Most vegan cheeses use either agar or kappa carrageenan as a binder to be sliceable and shreddable. I choose to use kappa carrageenan, as I prefer the melt and mouthfeel it imparts. I am well aware that many people choose not to consume it and I completely respect that; this recipe may be possible with agar powder, but I have not tested it. If you do test it, please contact me with your results!
Edited to add: Several people have tried with equal amounts of agar and have had a hard time getting it to set. I would suggest doubling the amount of agar powder (use 1 tablespoon and 1 tsp). Xanthan gum will not replace the carrageenan, it’s not a firm binder like carrageenan is, just a thickener.
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out these other vegan cheese recipes:
The Vegan Meringue group on Facebook is a great place for more aquafaba recipes as well.
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or boiled for 15 minutes
• 1 cup aquafaba, preferably chickpea or Vor Aquafaba Powder
• 2 tbsp tapioca starch
• 2 tsp kappa carrageenan
• 1 tsp lactic acid**
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt*
• 6 tbsp refined coconut oil, melted
*You may need to adjust the salt level a bit lower if using salted aquafaba.
**You can substitute with 1 tbsp lemon juice, but the lactic acid tastes better
Directions:
For video directions by Mary’s Test Kitchen, watch here
1. Blend softened cashews and aquafaba in a high speed blender until as smooth as possibly. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove any large particles and return to blender.
It should be very smooth after blending.
You may find there are still a few cashew particles if you’re using a lower quality blender or food processor, which is why I recommend straining.
2. Add tapioca starch, carrageenan, lactic acid, nutritional yeast, and salt and pulse in a blender to combine. *Please ignore the xanthan gum in this picture. It is not part of the recipe, but I used it in an early test, which is where this picture is from.
3. Add coconut oil and blend again very briefly. Mixture will be smooth and a little thick.
4. Heat in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat while stirring regularly. It will look like quite lumpy as the tapioca starch activates.
It will eventually turn glossy and smooth, like melted cheese. When it reaches 170°F, it is done. You will see it begin to bubble around the edges and maintain its thickness.
5. Pour into a mold, or scoop balls into ice water for buffalo style mozzarella. Refrigerate for a few hours to fully firm up the cheese before slicing or grating.
6. Alternatively, if you have a Vitamix or other high speed blender, the ingredients can all be blended together until heated thoroughly (over 170°F) and poured into a mold to set. This is currently my preferred method.
Obviously, the best uses of any cheese are either on pizza or fried into mozzarella sticks.
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Avocados and Ales 
Does it go crisp/brown at all if you broil it?
Yep. See my cashew ricotta lasagna post!
I just made this for the first time. It tastes great and firmed up beautifully. I didn’t have lactic acid (just ordered some) so used lemon juice.
I zapped a clove of garlic in the micro for 15 seconds to mellow it and tossed that in. I have no issues with soy so I added a few tsps of mellow white miso for a more complex flavor.
I will try it melted in burritos for dinner tonight.
Thanks for posting this!!
Really looking forward to making this.
Any suggestions for Canadians in Bancouver who are having problems finding a place to buy carrageenan in Canada or a store that ships to Canada.
Would doubling agar really do the trick?
Thanks for the inspiring recipe
The modernist Pantry delivers to Canada https://www.modernistpantry.com/
You can get it from http://www.modernistpantry.com. I live in Ontario, and buy from them regularly!
Try famous foods in vancouver. They have it.
I buy my Kappa carrageenan from amazon.ca, 4 oz for about $20
I made this for a party last weekend, made caprese bites with it, and it was a HUGE hit!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Made this last weekend for a party. Cut it into cubes and made caprese bites with balsamic reduction. It was a hit!! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, I tried making this but it really didn’t firm up. The flavor was good but it was way too soft. What did I do wrong?
Hi Beth, did you use carrageenan or did you sub agar? It won’t firm up until after a few hours in the fridge, and the binder needs to be fully activated through heatinf. It should be a bit soft like fresh mozzarella after setting, but firm enough to slice or grate gently. You can try adding more binder if you prefer it firmer.
I’ve made this recipe a bunch or times and have found that the consistency of the end product is best when I hit the hot mixture with an immersion blender for a few seconds just before pouring into the mold. Just thought I’d share in case anyone else was having inconsistent results.
Made my first one today and remembered reading your comment Jaime. As mine had ended up oily and not smooth I put it back in the blender and blended it and it came out much better. Although it will be easier to get out of the jug if I use a stick (immersion blender in the pan:) So thanks for the tip.
What if I don’t use agar or carrageenan at all? If I keep it in fridge over night, will it set? I made vegan cheese with agar once and it was horrible, like a jelly. And I can’t find carrageenan.
It won’t set without a binder. You can add an extra tablespoon of starch and just use it as a melt and spread it on things though.
i only have agar flakes, not powder. Do I use it in the same way?
Agar flakes are weaker, you’ll have to use four times the amount and make sure they’re rehydrated. I don’t think they’ll work though, as most people haven’t even had luck with agar powder.
When I make my vegan cheese, I use Pomonas Pectin to set my cheese. I don’t use any caarrageenan. No other pectin works so it must be Pomonas along with the calcium water (powder is included in the box to make calcium water)
HI! I made this last weekend and it tasted great, but the oil did separate from the rest of the mixture while I was heating it, any ideas as to why? From the pictures, yours didn’t seem to do that.
It usually happens due to the mixture heating too quickly. If it does, just blend it back up after heating and it should come back together.
I use Lecithin oil to keep the oil from separating. It works perfectly. If it separates, mix it a bit more and it’ll be fine.
Hello Stef, I was wondering how much lecithin oil you use? I’ve made this cheese three times and they all have separated. I just read your comment and the others that say to blend it if it separates.
Is there a way to make this recipe slightly more meltable? I have tried to use the shreds on top of a lasagna, and a few other applications, but instead of melting, it seems to dry out and get slightly crunchy (depending on time and temperature of course). Did I read correctly elsewhere that reducing or eliminating the carrageenan increases the meltability? I’d really like to use it on a pizza and have it “flow”, but not end up so much like a cheese sauce.
It melts best in moist applications. I find it works best if you press it into the sauce on pizza/lasagna or sprinkle a bit of water on top. If you want it to flow more, you can spread it directly on the pizza without letting it set up and shredding it, just use it immediately from the pan like a thick sauce.
Ah ok, great to know. Sometimes when I get lazy, or if we have a big non vegan group coming over, we will order a veggie pizza (and others) delivery without cheese, and I want to add my own. The AF Moz whips up so fast in the Vitamix I can have it ready by the time it gets here.
If you use it like a thick sauce on top of pizza, it wouldn’t need carrageenan, right?
Yes I do this regularly for pizza without the carrageenan.
For pizza I reduced the carageenan by half and added a little xanthan gum. I poured it directly on the pizza and it stayed pliable a little longer. Was a nice addition.
If you use it on top of lasagna, either put foil over it or don’t put the cheese on until like 5 minutes before taking it out of the oven. That might help.
This really sucks for trying to print out the recipe! A photo, a line of recipe, a photo, a line of recipe. I don’t want to use all my toner, so my only other option is to write it down or cut and paste. 😦
Sorry, it’s just not an option with my blog host I use. Unless I can convince my followers to pay for a much more expensive host for me! 😁 I would suggest cut and paste after the read more section and delete the photos for an easier print.
That’s exactly what I did, copied and pasted into a Word doc. Then you can delete the photos if you want (I didn’t as I find them very useful…)
View on html and print
This looks amazing! Iwas wondering if you use Xanthan gum as well, because the picture shows it but it’s not listed in the recipe?
No, I did not use xanthan gum, I took the picture of the ingredients with my first test in which I did use it, but with my second batch I didn’t use it and there was no difference. You can use it if you want to but it’s not necessary at all.
So could you use just xantan gum instead of carrageenan. It’s what i have in the cupboard.x
No xanthan gum will not replace the carrageenan.
ok thanks, dying to try this out, suppose i’ll order some!x
In the description you said you can add some xanthum gum if you’d like in addition to the listed ingredients. How much is some?
1/4 tsp or 1/2 tsp should be more than enough!
Lacey, you rock and so does this cheese. Keep it up!
No, YOU rock!!! You keep whipping out those beautiful pictures!
I have a question about measuring the cashews. 1/4 cup whole cashews and 1/4 cup chopped cashews are probably pretty different. Do you measure them whole? Thanks!!
Great question, I use chopped cashews! If you have whole, I would chop them up a bit before measuring.
Thanks! I will be sure to do that! I’m going to make it sometime this week and I’m very excited!
I made it yesterday and loved it, perhaps a little too salty, but that’s because I am on a low-sodium diet and everything tastes too salty 🙂 I do have a question, though: using coconut oil, I get a very high content of saturated fat, which I try to avoid for medical recommendations, so I was wondering if there is anything that could be used instead of coconut oil?
I’m not aware of anything that could be subbed for the coconut oil. The saturated fats are important to create that ‘cheese’ like mouthfeel. However, you can make it with olive oil without the carrageenan as a ‘melt’ instead of a solid cheese.
Please really read about coconut oil before dismissing it. The saturated fat in it is actually good for you because it is plant based…it’s a medium chain fatty acid and also quite shelf stable so no fear of rancid oils…of all the oils I use, coconut really is the healthiest.
Hi Maria
I do appreciate the suggestion and the comment. I have read a lot about it and the opinion of most unbiased experts is that there are not enough studies to decide for one thing or another. Some studies suggest what you said and I am following this closely, I haven’t dismissed it yet. However, I had a heart attack years ago and I don’t want to try something until more researches are out there. 🙂
I think I’m going to try this with Pomona’s universal pectin since I really can’t eat the carrageenan and I’ve seen other vegan cheese recipes use it.
How did it come out with the pectin?
This looks amazing!!! However my hubby is allergic to nuts. Is there anything I can substitute or is it a lost cause?
Raw sunflower seeds have been successfully substituted.
I’ve actually made my cheese with the beans from the can of AF. In thinking about it, cashews basically give the cheese substance so why not use the beans as the substance. It worked just fine. I didn’t have a problem with it. I used it on my homemade pizza so along with the tomato sauce and a few other ingredients, if it had a beany flavor, I didn’t notice it. Give it a try.
I have been putting my aquafaba mozzarella in parchment paper for storage. It dries it out on the outer edge so that it grates beautifully. Love this cheese. Thank you
Hi I just made this for the second time and was wondering if one you can sub the coconut oil as flavour is quiet strong and can the yeast be increased as the cheese like flavour comes from the yeast but I found 1 tsp not to be enough… Thanks for awesome recipe my daughter is delighted to have pizza again
Hi, I suggest refined coconut oil, as it has less flavor than extra virgin! But if you need to substitute, I’ve seen others use shortening or palm oil. You can definitely add more nutritional (I wouldn’t add more than two tbsp as it might mess with the texture.) Glad to hear your daughter likes it!
No thank you, and cool will play around a bit what about rapeseed oils they have zero flavour in own or does it need something from the other oils
Solid oils help it firm up upon refrigeration, I’m not sure how well rapeseed oils will work. Let me know if you try it!
What do you think is the refridgerated shelf life in this? I made it yesterday and it tastes amazing!
About 1 week!
Wonderful recipe…so excited. I used almonds and agar powder. ..the lactic acid is a game changer for sure it really taste like cheese!!!!! Thank you!!! I mad gluten dairy free pizza for my ASD preschooler he loved it! win!!!
When you say “liquid” coconut oil, do you mean melted, or an actual liquid version – I can’t seem to find that…
Just melted!
Thank you! Doing it this weekend!!!!
Can I use vinegar in lieu of lactic acid?
Vinegar will have a different flavor, I would recommend lemon juice instead.
Hello! Sorry for the onslaught of questions (but I’m really Excited)! – I notice you used Jay’s recipe as a starting point, but more than just the aquafaba is different (replacing the soy lecithin) – is that because you had to change his more to achieve the same results? Just want to make sure it’s the best possible dairy free cheese I can get 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Elle, I just adjusted the recipe to my own tastes. Feel free to experiment between the two and find what tastes best to you!
Awesome recipe!!! I used what I had on hand and I therefore made with the following subs:
I used the liquid of butter beans instead of chick pea. I used almonds instead of cashews. I have a nutri bullet so I didn’t have to strain boil or soak the nuts- it came out perfectly smooth. I used a heaping tsp of lactic acid so it was probably more like 1 1/2 tsp. Finally my rule of thumb for the agar powder I use is 1Tbs to every cup of liquid. So this recipe came to 2 cups so I used 2 tablespoons and it set beautifully.(I put all ingredients in the bullet at once) I have heard adding a dash of vinager will help break down the agar so it melts better like the carrageen stuff 😉 (sorry probably spelled it wrong)….anyhow it’s delish!!! Bravo- aquafaba is the greatest. Can’t wait to make mozzarella sticks😊😊😊
thanks Adrienne for your feedback. I would love to try the recipe but also don’t have carragean, so it’s good to know how much agar worked for you 🙂
does carrageenan add any specific taste to the cheese… i was wondering, because i have carrageenan in the cupboard , but i have used it in some cheese recipes, and it always seems to give it an off taste , almost kind of fishy…
does every brand have that?
hope someone can pitch in here , would really like for it to work out especially for the kids who miss miss mis their cheeses .
I have never ever noticed any specific taste to carrageenan, which brand are you using??
Poop! I just read I was supposed to double the Agar Agar! Nevermind, I’ll just use it as a spread for now and see how it copes in the oven ;P
Thank you for making such a simple cheese recipe! I’m a new Vegan and have been obsessed with Mary V Lin’s channel, as soon as she posted a video about this recipe I knew I had to try it. More Agar Agar next time though ;P x
Hi there! This cheese looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it, but I have to ask, do I have to measure the temperature to be at exactly 170 degrees fahrenheit or can I just judge it on the boiling around the edges? I do not have a thermometer, I mean I can get one but if I want to make this now or tomorrow then I may not be able to get my hands on one! 🙂
If it were me, I would go for it without the thermometer. It might not set if you don’t get it to a high enough temperature, but it would still be yummy as a spread. Good luck!
If you scoop a bit out onto a plate and slip into fridge it should set up in moments, mine did. It’s very fast to set.
The cheese came out delicious. I’ve made it twice now. The first time with agar, lemon juice, and xantham gum – which was tasty, but it didn’t melt well. (I also heated it too quuickly and had to whirl it in my blender to gt it to recombine…oops). I ordered all the ingredients as listed and made it again. So much better! It wasn’t shredable, but melted beautifully when dropped in clumps. (and I didn’t separate it this time! Whoop!) Any idea why it didn’t set properly? It was thicker than pictured before heating and got very, very thick before it reached 170°F. I had to press it into the mold. I will admit to imprecise measuring. Hoping to introduce both of your aquafaba cheeses at my next get-together with friends. 🙂
This came together so easily and came out perfect!!!! Thanks so much for a new goto recipe! Question: can it be frozen? I may have gotten a little carried away with making cheese.
Yep! I’d try to use it within three months.
I have made this and added some drops of arôme chèvre from meilleur du Chef to it. Next time I’ll add some more, but it gave it a really nice taste. It was the first time I made this cheese and I really like how it cuts, melts and grades. And it’s easy to make too. I’ll make some with the other flavours as well. Thanks for the recipe.
I can’t believe how awesome this recipe is!!! I was so excited to try it, and it came out perfectly!!! Thank you so so much for sharing this with the world!!! 🙂
We have a baby with multiple food allergies, including dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree-nuts. Any ideas as to how we can skip the cashews?
I believe if you scroll up in the comments, someone successfully used raw sunflower seeds instead of cashews.
Hi Lacey, are you using straight aquafaba for this or reduced? Thank you!!
I’m using ‘straight’ aquafaba from my pressure cooker, which is a bit thicker than aquafaba from a can. Reducing can be helpful!
I was able to bring this to full temperature in the vitamix without the soaking and straining
I just made this cheese for the first time. I used lemon juice cos that’s all I had and I used agar cos that’s all I had. It tasted amazing I could not wait for it to set and I poured some direct over my zucchini walnut burgers . I am so happy I found this recipe. Thank you. My next step is to make cheese sticks with it.
I made it again but added a teaspoon of turmeric for a yellow color to try fool my family. I also did not have lemon juice so I used lime juice. It worked well 🙂
Is there something I can use instead of tapioca starch? My partner seems to have a bad reaction to it whenever I put it in something and I’m curious if another starch might work?
Potato starch works well!
Yes I was going to say potato starch or cornstarch.