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 other light colored bean)
• 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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Can I use irish moss instead of kappa carrageenan or agar agar flakes? How much agar flakes to use? Is it possible to make meltable cheese with agar?
I have no experience with Irish moss. Some people have had success with agar agar, but I have yet to make it work. The recipe really is best with kappa carrageenan
hi what is the substitute for lactic acid?
Hi! I have made this recipe twice with the following modifications:
1a.Sub apple cider vinegar for lactic acid in equal parts.
2a. Omit carrageenan.
Results: Did not set and remained a soft cheese. Very tasty though!
1b. Sub apple cider vinegar for lactic acid in equal parts.
2b. Sub 1TBSP agar agar powder for 1 tsp carrageenan.
Results: Almost set fully but had some grainy texture from the agar agar powder.
Found this resource which suggests dissolving the agar agar powder first to avoid the gritty texture: http://elated.co.za/replacing-carrageenan-with-agar-in-your-cheese-recipes/
Hope that helps!
How much agar agar have you tried in your recipe?
As far as I know, you should boil 2/3 cup of water with agar agar powder (2 tbsp or 6 tbsp if using flakes)
Omg, this recipe… Thank you thank you thank you! This is the best mozzarella faux cheese recipe ever (and I tried three others yesterday). The texture is perfect and melts so wonderfully. I’m incredibly impressed and glad I found this recipe!
I’m a late comer to the vegan cheese making world but wanted to know if you had ever brined this the way Jay Astafa does his? Thanks so much for such inspiration!
Hello! Thank you so much for this recipe! I just made it and I messed it up a bit, so I have some questions.
I forgot to blend the ingredients before I added the coconut oil, so I blended them all at the same time, and I didn’t melt the coconut oil (oops). Everything seemed to turn out ok consistency wise…but…my cheese REALLY smells like coconut oil. Is it supposed to? I also had a lot of liquid coconut oil around the thickening cheese in the pan, so I poured a bunch off.
OK…what happened…I’m going to make another batch the right way tomorrow, but I’d like to eliminate the coconut smell (I used 365 unrefined coconut oil from whole foods). Thanks !!
Hi Barbara, the recipe specifically calls for refined coconut oil because of the coconut flavor in unrefined. If your cheese separated it means it was heated too quickly. Try a lower, slower heat next time.
I see you have an answer already but my answer would be the same: use the unflavoured refined coconut oil instead would be my tip. also stir like mad when its on the stove and dont have the heat cranked up too high. I hope this helps 🙂
Try again, after you have made it a few times youll be doing it blindfolded 🙂
Hi. New to veganism and hoping to give this mozzarella a try, but I’m getting increasingly confused over ‘coconut oil’. Need advice! I have a square sided glass bottle from Asda in the UK, of 250ml of clear liquid labelled “Flavour Free Coconut Oil. Perfect for frying, baking and roasting”. Can I use this product to make your mozzarella?
https://groceries.asda.com/product/coconut-oil/asda-flavour-free-coconut-oil/910002521745
yes. the point of the refined oil is so that it does not make your final product taste like coconut so using a flavour free version would be suitable (imo)
Yes, as Keryn said, this oil should work great!
Does your oil get solid in the fridge? If it doesn’t, I don’t think it would work properly.
No that one won’t work as it does not solidify, you need the solid white stuff you get in a jar; refined, flavourless, culinary, it has a few different descriptions.
Do you think replacing the nuts with chickpeas would work ? My partner is allergic to all nuts sunflower and pumpkin seeds plus pinenuts . Making vegan cooking very challenging , but not impossible . Love your recipes and thankyou for sharing… Jenjen
you should try it. It can never hurt to try. Then come back and let us know your outcome 🙂
Anyone know the nutrition value in this..grams of protein etc?
Hey just wanted to say that this is the closest damn thing I’ve made to real cheese! I always found lemon made things taste just that…lemony. My only problem was that I used liquid lactic acid and I think it made a difference because mine is ever so tart. I’ll reduce it next time. Otherwise, wow. I’m so happy. Thank you for sharing!!
Can I use melted coconut oil or do I need it in liquid from ?
Please use melted coconut oil!
Is there something I could use in place of the cashews? (allergic to nuts)….Coconut cream maybe?
Try sunflower seeds!
Hi, Lacey,,
I love your recipes! You know how I feel about buckwheat, blackbeet beef and phauxrk, but these cheeses though! So delicious, literally the best vegan cheese I have tried and made in my many years as a vegan.
I wrote Chef Skye about a substitute for cashews because my guy is allergic to them. He said to look for a nut with the same starch to fat ratio. I came up with macadamia nuts and Brazil nuts. I wrote to Chef Schinner and asked her if they would work and she said absolutely and she had used macadamia s. I have made both this cheese and the aquafaba cheddar with both nuts and they have come out perfectly! So rich and creamy! I also save the nut pulp and use it as ricotta. Perfect!
you could try sunflower seeds or tahini paste or even cooked and blended chickpeas or other white bean…?? but it will change the end resulting flavour, worth a try though .
This is delicious! I made it with sunflower seeds, as I was out of cashews, and the sunflower seeds worked fine. The colour would probably be better with cashews, but the taste and texture are superb. I also used the agar in the amount suggested and that was fine as well. When cooking on pizza etc the cheese seemed to hold its shape and not melt easily, but I recommend just squashing with a fork part way through cooking and that helps the melt. Cost wise the sunflower seeds make it cheaper, so would definitely use them again. This was very cheap to make anyway. Thanks for a great recipe.
DId you use the same amount of sunflower seeds as cashews in the recipe? Glad to read it works well with them!
Yes the same amount. Another tip, make sure you cook the cheese well, until properly melted and starting to brown. I was impatient one time and undercooked it, and it wasn’t quite as nice.
Oh man, I didn’t realize this recipe called for solid coconut oil that’s been melted until I read the comments just now. I’ve made it like a dozen times already, using liquid coconut oil every time. Like, it comes in liquid form when you buy it, at room temperature. It’s always worked, though. I can’t wait to try it the correct way and see how it comes out differently, it’s already heaven the way I’ve been making it!
Do you think you could edit the recipe slightly, to specify melted coconut oil, and not liquid coconut oil? Don’t know if anybody has made that mistake besides me, but it would help prevent it.
I didn’t know there was a liquid form that didn’t solidify at cooler temperatures, what brand are you using? It should be more firm with the correct oil. I have added this to the comments above the recipe about the coconut oil.
Coconut oil that has been processed to be liquid at room temp is called fractionated coconut oil. I always thought it was strictly used for cosmetics. Didn’t realize it came in food grade.
It’s made by Carrington Farms. Thank you so much for the edit, and for sharing your incredible recipe!!
Hi there,
I’m new to all things aquafaba and vegan cooking but I gave this recipe a whirl last night. As per a recommendation, I use Arrowroot powder instead of the Kappa Carrageenan. I can see this morning that the cheese has not set firmly. Any ideas on what I could do if I try again? Perhaps doubling it as you are suggesting with the Agar? Thank you!
I would suggest ordering kappa carrageenan if possible! It will work the best.
I wanted to avoid it due to all the things I’ve read. 😦
You can try with agar but I have not seen anyone have success with it as a firming agent. It can also be used as a melt as is but it won’t be a sliceable product.
Jenny uless the things about carrageenan come from scholarly research article, I would ignore them. There is no real evidence for it affecting people at all.
Also using arrowroot or tapioca will work if you make a really thick slurry but then it wont really have a cheese texture it will be more like a savoury set custard. not really a good outcome.
The agar will work but you need to be aware that agar will not set in the presence of acid so you would need to reduce the lactic or citric by at least half and then quadruple the agar agar amount to increase the likelihood of success. It only worked for me on one occassion when i had forgotten to put lemon juice in the recipe.
but good luck and remember if you are using it as a sauce or pouring it over something you dont need a setting agent at all… just the thickener (arrowroot/ tapioca)
Can the mixture be left to sit for a day before heating to get more of that cheesy flavor? Wondering if you or anybody has tried it with this recipe.
As long as your utensils are clean before blending, I don’t see why not! It would be an interesting experiment. If you try it, please report back.
Loved it!! I didn’t have any lactic acid, so I subbed with citric acid. I also added another tsp of nooch to make the cheese more like a cheddar.
Did you use the same amount of citric acid? Was it powdered?
I used liquid lactic acid and agar and didn’t have much luck with setting and the flavour was very acidic. Also had the problem of my coconut oil separating. I’m going to try again with lower heat, less acid (I’m thinking half, although do you know the %purity of the powdered stuff?), and kappa carageenan. Wish me luck!
Also, has anyone tried this recipe or similar ones with glucomannan(konjac)? I haven’t cooked with it but I think of it as a really powerful thickener.
Can I use another oil like grapeseed, or would only a more saturated oil like coconut work? I saw in the comments that some people tried using liquid coconut oil successfully, so I wondered if any liquid oil would work
You can certainly try, but the end result won’t be as solid!
Hi, of all the vegan cheeses I’ve made over the years, this one is definitely a family favourite and much cheaper to make. Instead of aqua faba, I cook up flaxseed gel, which (I think) is healthier than coming from a can, and reduces the cost even more. 1 cup flaxseed to 6 cups of water, cook slowly to reduce to half the volume. Strain and use the seeds to make crackers etc. Use the gel as you would the aquafaba – it works beautifully. Thank you for this recipe – my son is extremely particular when it comes to his food, so this has truly been a lifesaver!
This is the best vegan cheese I’ve ever tasted. It actually tastes more like cheddar to me and I love that. I’ve missed that sharp flavour. Lactic acid is my new favourite ingredient.
Is there a printer friendly version of this?
Not currently, the host I use doesn’t offer that option, but you can copy and paste into a word document and remove the photos.
Hey, this looks like a great recipe. I have a question for you, can I completely use Xanthan gum instead of tapioca? Would the measurement for xanthan gum be the same as tapioca?
The reason I ask is that I’ve noticed that the tapioca gives the cheese a really strange smell once the cheese has completely hardened. I noticed that Daiya cheeses do not have this strange smell and I think it’s because they use a smaller amount of tapioca while using a mix of other starches such as xantham gum and corn starch. I would like to do the same but I’m not sure what the measurements would be for the other starches/thickeners. Do you think they measure out the same as tapioca?
Again, thanks for this great recipe.
I think I would try a smaller amount of xanthum gum (like a tsp) and then the rest with corn starch. I think the same amount of xanthum gum would result in a really slimy texture. Let me know how it goes if you try!
Thanks, I’ll give that a shot, I’ll let you know how it goes.
What is the texture like. I tried another recipe but this was I like biting into solid seasoned water
Thanks for the recipe and Vitamix update! I just made this in my blender. I didn’t have lactic acid powder, so I substituted brine from some spicy fermented carrots. It still needs a bit more tang, so I’ll need to experiment some more or break down and buy lactic acid.
You can always use lemon juice instead!
When using your vitamix instead of cookiing, how long did u blend to get to 170?
Is it possible to sub agar agar for the kappa carrageenan?
Hello! I would love to try this recipe and am trying to get a hold of all the ingredients. I cannot find a supplier of lactic acid powder however I can buy liquid lactic acid – if I purchased this is there a conversion to use for the amount of liquid needed verses the powder? From the comments, when people have used the liquid version it is far too sour! Also would citric acid powder be an option? That is fairly easy to find.
Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Jennifer, I have no experience with the liquid version, but only a small amount should be needed. Citric acid can also be used in a similar proportion to lactic acid.
Hi, I haven’t yet tried this recipe but hope to do so soon. Could you tell me how long the cheese will keep for once made? And is it possible to freeze it? Many thanks.
Hi Kate, please see my replies above, it keeps up to one week in the fridge or 3 months frozen.
Finally got all of my ingredients and ready to delve in- noticed at the bottom (I think) that you can skip all the stove stuff and just blend in the Vitamix until it reached 170 and you are done? Just pour in the mold and set in fridge. Did I read that right? Cheers!
Yep, absolutely!
I made this last night for a lasagna I’m preparing today. I used my Blendtec on the soup setting like you suggested. I’ve made chef skyes mozzarella too but the stove top preparation proved inconsistent. The blender idea is genius! The only thing I did different was sub cornstarch for tapioca since I didn’t have any. It tastes awesome but the consistency after 12+ hours of refrigeration is like cream cheese.
Do you think the cornstarch ruined it? A quick google search led me to believe they were interchangeable. Maybe the Blendtec doesn’t get as hot as Vitamix? I’m still going to use it but I’m upset with myself for ruining the final product.
Thanks for the recipe, btw. Guess I’ll be purchasing some tapioca starch now.
It sounds like it just didn’t get quite hot enough to fully set the carrageenan in the blendtec! I would recommend heating it again on the stove top until the edged bubble and perhaps adding another teaspoon of carrageenan to the mix to firm it up more. It’s meant to be soft like a fresh mozzarella, but not quiet that soft!
This got pretty thick in my Vitamix before reaching 170* by thermometer. Should it be a bit more liquid before transferring to the mold? Thanks!
No, you definitely want it to get fully heated! Just scoop and plop, it won’t pour very well.
Thank you for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it! Question: How long do you blend in a Vitamix to reach setting temperature?
About 8-10 minutes, until it’s quite warm.
This is without any question the best and easiest cheese I have ever made, The taste is perfect. Thanks!
Hi Lacey, I really want to make this and have everything but the lactic acid, I do have lemons, will it really come out okay, or should I wait and order some lactic acid?
Lemons will work!
Thanks Lacey!
I’m ready to dip my toe in the vegan cheese waters, and the comments here encourage me to start with this recipe. Will guar gum work in place of the carrageenan? I already have guar gum. 🙂
No, carrageenan is necessary to firm up the texture! Guar gum will only thicken to a certain extent
Thank you!
I plan on making this soon, but wondering what is the best way to store this? In a container with a lid in the refrigerator!
How long does it last for before it should be discarded? Although i doubt itll last long with ia eating it haha. Just in case.
Thanks in advance
If the oil is left out, will it change the taste and consistency?
Yes absolutely. It’s vital to the recipe success.
Hi there. Thank u so much for sharing this recipe with us. I just have one question. Can we use baking yeast like Dr. Oetker Instant Dry Yeast as Nutritional Yeast? It means a lot if u can answer me please!!!?
No. They have completely different flavor profiles. Nutritional yeast is a cheese flavor.
Is there any way this could be made without any oil at all? My family is restricting our oil intake, but I would love to make this cheese. I have used unsweetened apple sauce in the past as a substitute for oil, but that was mainly for baking. I wouldn’t want my cheese to taste like apple sauce! Will it work if I just omit the oil altogether. Thank you for any assistance you can provide.