Recipe for classic stretchy and melty vegan mozzarella made from cashews. This sauce-style, non-firm dairy-free mozzarella is best in pizza, lasagna, quesadillas and grilled cheese.
To prepare for making this cashew mozzarella, soak your raw cashews in hot water for 2-4 hours, or overnight in normal temperature water.
Drain the cashews and add them to your blender or food processor. Pulse to break down the cashews into crumbly pieces. Add the tapioca starch, yogurt, miso, salt, and garlic, and blend to combine as best you can, scraping down the sides as needed. Finally, add the hot water and blend until completely smooth. (If using a food processor or a weaker blender, this may be difficult. If desired, you can pass the mixture through a nut milk bag or mesh sieve after blending to ensure smoothness).
Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, preferably nonstick. Turn the heat to medium-low. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently but not constantly; and taking care to scrape around the bottom and sides of the pan. After a few minutes, the mixture will start to thicken and look like it is curdling. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture turns into a cohesive, stretchy mass of vegan mozzarella. Once the mixture is smooth, cook for 1 minute more and then remove from the heat.
The cashew mozzarella is then ready to be dolloped onto the food of your choosing. After cooling, it can also be kept in the refrigerator for up to approximately 4 days before using.
Notes
NON-DAIRY YOGURT: If you don't have access to unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (even if you do, if it's only soy yogurt I'd probably recommend avoiding it because it doesn't taste good); you can use lemon juice instead. Substitute 1 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice for the yogurt in this recipe, plus more to taste. If you don't have miso, you can substitute it with nutritional yeast; or simply omit it.VARIATIONS: For an orange-ish "cheddar"-y color, add 1/4 tsp paprika to this recipe.CASHEW-FREE: I have successfully made this with macadamia nuts instead of cashews, but have yet to perfect my nut-free versions.USES: This cashew mozzarella can not be molded, grated or shredded. It stays as a blob that can be dolloped onto things. When exposed to high heats it will brown realistically and form a slight outer crust.CASHEW QUANTITY: Recipe updated in December 2017 to reduce the quantity of cashews for a better texture. If you are seeking a slightly richer cheeze then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil or refined coconut oil.