The BEST Homemade Vegan Mozzarella - (2024)

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I know, I know: there are already hundreds of blogs and millions of recipes out there that claim to have the BEST plant based mozzarella recipe E V E R.

I myself tried a bunch of those when I first turned vegan, and although a few are actually solid recipes, I wasn’t really satisfied in both on the feeling in the mouth and – most importantly – the melt factor.
It all tasted sort of plastic-y to me, and none really had that “dairy” aftertaste that I was craving after and missing the most.

I’ve been using this version successfully in my dishes for the last couple of years, since I discovered the (secret) ingredient that actually delivers that taste I was missing so bad, and I’ll be honest with you, I also thought for a long time to keep this recipe secret and make some sort of profit out of it.

But soon I started thinking that that was going against both my vision and the main aim for my blog, that ultimately is to showcase how being on a plant based diet doesn’t really mean having to give up on taste and food experiences , and – hopefully – open a new world to the most skeptical ones or those that have been advised to embrace a meat and dairy free lifestyle.

This is why I decided to publish this recipe on here for free.

This homemade version:
– is easy & quick to make
– melts like the real stuff
– stretches
– can be grated or shredded
– is creamy and gooey when melted
– holds its shape
– only calls for 9 ingredients
– is suitable for freezing
– tastes like real, dairy mozzarella

You can use this in any dish you like: pizzas, lasagnas, pasta bakes, calzoni, cheese toasts, grilled cheese, fillings or wherever your creativity and the craving for a melted vegan goodness takes you.

Here’s a few recipes on this blog where it will work perfectly:
– Vegan Zucchini Parmigiana
– Vegan Ratatouille Pizza Bites
– Easy Tofu Parmesan
– Gluten Free Artichoke Parmigiana
– Cheesy Oozing Vegan Meatloaf
– Super Easy Green Bean Pasta Bake
– Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprout and Cranberry Lasagna
– Vegan Eggplant Parmigiana

It can also be sampled “raw” in cold dishes like pasta salads, caprese and panini, although I would prefer to use it in dishes where we can appreciate the most its meltiness, and I invite you to stay tuned on the blog as I will soon post the recipe of the version I use in cold dishes and salads.
I already have it and I have been using it successfully over the last couple of years, I just need to photograph it to be featured on this website.

To avoid missing it just subscribe to the latest posts to be received straight to your mail box as soon as a new recipe is available.

To nail this fantastic product you have to stick to only 9 but ESSENTIAL ingredients:

Plant milk: Soy and Oat work best. I had good result with Almond milk too.
It is the base of this recipe. The plant milk of your choice must be unsweetened and unflavoured.

Coconut Oil: The best oil to give the perfect amount of melty fat. Coconut oil must be deodorized (or refined, if you like) to avoid a coconut-ty aftertaste.
Every dairy milk or product has a percentage of fat, from full fat to skimmed, so adding a bit of coconut oil will help replicate the exact texture of the dairy version. This can be substitute totally or partly (suggested) with rapeseed oil. Using rapeseed oil will, however, make the cheese yellow, so keep that in mind.

Tapioca Flour (or starch): Essential for the stretch factor. It cannot be substitute for the same outcome. You can purchase tapioca mainly in Asian shops or online (I’ll leave the link here for you).

The secret ingredient: Fermented Tofu. Not so secret anymore, this is absolutely THE main ingredient that delivers the dairy cheese feel. Should you not omit or substitute it, otherwise you can say farewell to the authentic cheesy taste.
I’m well aware that this is not a good news for those that are avoiding soy products. I’ll tell you I had pretty satisfying result using white miso paste too, but that’s not so helpful as miso paste contains fermented soy beans too.
If you do not add this ingredient you’ll end up with a great product still, only without the authentic mozzarella taste that was THE deal breaker for me.
You can find Fermented Tofu in large Asian supermarkets or stores, or buy it online here. When purchasing it make sure for it to be plain, and not enriched with chilies, garlic or other spices. The plain one has in the ingredients just tofu (bean curd), water, salt and sesame oil.

The second essential ingredient: Carrageenan Powder. An additive, natural ingredient that comes from red seaweed used to thicken, emulsify, and preserve foods and drinks.
For years it has been debated on its benefits especially on whether it is safe or not for human consumption. Nowadays there aren’t still enough proof to make it fall amongst the “bad guys“, and as I always say to my clients everything is good in moderation. So as long as you do not use a certain product daily or too often and you only consume it sparingly as a treat, you’re good to go.
Back to carrageenean, it is essential to achieve a solid, firm texture once cold, and it allows the vegan mozzarella to be easily shred or grated to be used as we please.
When purchasing this ingredient make sure to look for Kappa Carrageenean. You can buy it online here, and it will last months or even years.

Nutritional Yeast: it plays its two cents part in delivering the cheese flavour.
Friendly known as nooch, it really doesn’t need any introduction. If you’re new to the vegan world you can find this ingredients largely to any health shop or a big chain supermarket, or buy it online here.

Another not-so-secret ingredient is Celery Salt. Trust me using it or leaving it out makes the difference. If you don’t find it in the spice section of your supermarket you can buy it here and use it to enrich any dishes of your choice, from stews to roasts.

Garlic Powder. A pinch is all we need to take our batch of vegan mozzarella to the next level.

Sea Salt. Last but not least some sea salt to nail the perfect level of sapidity.

We can sum up the entire process into 3+1 easy steps:

Blend & Cook
Set
Enjoy

First thing is to add all the ingredients to a food processor bowl and blend everything until smooth. I used my loyal Ninja Mega Kitchen System (BL770) if you’re interested, but of course any other blender or food processor will do the job.

Second up is to gently heat the mixture into a pan until it starts to thicken and become stretchy and lovely (this step will require from 3 to 5 minutes on a medium heat flame or stove setting). This will activate the carrageenean powder, important to set and solidify the mozzarella.

I use this handy 6 semi spheres silicon mold, which I perfectly fill up with the amount of 1 batch of this recipe and I find really easy to portion, store and freeze.

Last and main thing is to slice or shred this vegan mozzarella and enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 Cups Soy Milk (450 g)
3 tbsp Tapioca (30 g)
1/4 cup Fermented Tofu (50 g)
4 tbsp Coconut Oil (55 g)
1/2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast (4 g)
1/2 tbsp Sea Salt (8 g)
2 tsp Kappa Carrageenen (10 g)
1 pinch Celery Salt (0.5 g)
1 pinch Garlic Powder (0.5 g)

Method:
1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor bowl and blend everything until smooth.
2. Gently heat the mixture into a pan until it starts to thicken and become stretchy and lovely (this step will require from 3 to 5 minutes on a medium heat flame or stove setting).
3. QUICKLY pour the thickened mixture to a desired mold or air tight container.
4. Chill for at least a couple of hours before use.
5. Use it sliced or shredded on your favourite dishes.