Vegan Cheese For Pizza and Melting

This homemade vegan pizza cheese is versatile, too. Make it:

• with cashews OR sunflower seeds
• with or without oil
• with or without agar, depending on how you plan to use it. Agar helps it set and makes it easier to handle if you plan to make stuffed crust pizza.
• and you can easily adjust the salt and acidity to get the flavor just right for your palate!

Thicker Vegan Mozzarella (Original Recipe)

• raw cashews or raw sunflower seeds - you only need ⅓ cup nuts/seeds for the whole batch, making this cheese relatively light (even though it tastes rich).
• nutritional yeast - all "nooch" is not created equal! I highly recommend this non-fortified one by Sari Foods. Non-fortified refers to it not having added folate or B12, but it's still rich in other naturally occurring B vitamins.
• tapioca starch - tapioca is important for achieving the best melty, stretchy consistency. See below for more ideas and ways to use it.
• lemon juice - adds a fresh and cheesy acidity.
• garlic powder - adds a touch of savoriness without tasting too garlicky. Feel free to use one small garlic clove instead.
• sea salt - in the interest of keeping the recipe simple I opted for sea salt for 100% of the saltiness, but you can also use white miso or chickpea miso to replace some of the salt.
• agar powder (optional) - this seaweed-based vegan gelatin substitute isn't necessary for the recipe, but it can come in handy if you'd like the cheese to set slightly when cool. More on this below.
• refined coconut oil (optional) - this is the type of coconut oil that does NOT smell or taste like coconut. Adds richness and a more authentic cheesy mouthfeel but isn't necessary for a deliciously gooey and meltable cheese.
• white vinegar (optional) - include this if you prefer an extra tangy cheese.

NEW Version: Best Vegan Cheese For Pizza!

• raw cashews - I haven't tested this one yet with other nuts (like blanched almonds) or seeds, but I do think these subs will be fine.
• olive oil (optional) - for this more liquid, pourable vegan cheese, I've switched to using olive oil instead of coconut oil. I haven't tested this one yet without oil. If you give it a try let us know in the comments below.
  Update! I tested it on lasagna recently and omitted the oil (here's the photo I shared on facebook). It worked great! Also, several readers have reported back that they made this version without oil and loved it.
• tapioca starch - we're using half the amount of tapioca here to keep the cheese more melty, milky, and creamy.
• vinegars - instead of lemon juice, I wanted this recipe to be more more pantry-friendly. So a combination of rice vinegar and white vinegar create just the right amount of cheesy tang. There's the option to add a bit of lemon juice at the end if you feel like it needs it.
• garlic - one small/medium clove or garlic adds savory depth of flavor. This is critical to the overall flavor.
• chickpea miso - adds a subtle fermented, cheesy flavor plus umami and saltiness. Sub white miso if you don't have chickpea. If you don't have miso, increase the salt to taste (the flavor of the cheese will be slightly affected).
• sea salt - I used fine sea salt. Tip: in any recipe, never substitute table salt in the same amount, as it would be much too salty.
• sugar - just a small amount of sugar helps the cheese brown, more like dairy mozzarella. If you include the optional lemon juice, the natural sugars in the juice also help with this.
• lemon juice (optional) - after blending the cheese, give it a taste and decide whether you want another layer of acidity. You may find the vinegars are enough.
  Honestly, I just don't always have a fresh lemon on hand, and I figured you might not either. So I made sure this recipe tastes great and cheesy enough even without lemon.

1. Pour into a small saucepan and place over medium heat. As the vegan mozzarella mixture is coming to temperature, be sure to whisk frequently, scraping the bottom and corners of the pot. You'll see it start to thicken.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low. The cheese will quickly become more uniformly thick. Keep whisking.
3. And after just a few minutes, your vegan mozzarella is ready! Use it warm dolloped on top of pizza or other hot dishes, or transfer it to a bowl or container to cool.

The two photos above show the more pourable version of the recipe.

After heating for about 3 minutes it becomes silky smooth and reminiscent of bechamel sauce. Where I dragged my finger across the spatula you can see the consistency.

The agar powder is optional (and only part of the original, thicker recipe). You really only need it if you want the cheese to be firmer and easier to handle.

For example, this is useful when making stuffed crust pizza because the cheese is more solid as you arrange it around the perimeter of the pizza dough.

Including agar won't transform this into a shreddable vegan mozzarella, though. That would require more saturated fat, starch, cashews, and some kappa carrageenan.