Mozzarella cheese is a staple ingredient in a variety of dishes ranging from quesadillas, salads, and Mozzarella sticks to pizzas and pasta dishes. Whether you follow a plant-based diet for environmental, ethical, or health reasons, rest assured that the traditional Mozzarella cheese you knew and loved is not out of reach!
There are hundreds of recipes for vegan Mozzarella out there, but below are our personal favorites! These recipes cover everything from melty vegan Mozzarella cheese sauces to vegan Mozzarella blocks that can be grated- all with the stretchy, melty goodness and fresh, mild tang of traditional Mozzarella!
1. Melty, Stretchy, Gooey Vegan Mozzarella by It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
This easy recipe takes only seven ingredients, and one of them is water. This staple recipe comes together in 15 minutes and provides the perfect melty Mozzarella touch to your vegan dishes. This recipe uses cashews as a base, and softening them before blending will result in a smoother cheese.
This recipe will not harden, even when refrigerated, and the soft consistency makes for a great dip! Dip your favorite chips or crackers for a cheesy crunch or veggies for a healthier alternative. This soft, melty vegan Mozzarella makes a great cheese sauce for pasta dishes like mac ‘n cheese or lasagna!
2. Shreddable, Block-Style Vegan Mozzarella, by Vegan Blueberry
This creamy vegan Mozzarella comes together in minutes, with no cooking required. The cheese is shreddable, sliceable, and meltable which makes this recipe a great option for recipes that call for shredded Mozzarella.
The special ingredient in this recipe is Kappa Carageenan. While it can be tricky to find locally, its addition lets this cheese melt and solidify the way dairy cheese would.
Remember to use refined coconut oil to avoid coconut flavored and scented Mozzarella. Use this Vegan block-style Mozzarella for pizzas and pasta dishes, or pair it with heirloom tomatoes and basil for an easy and delicious snack!
3. Nut-Free Stretchy Mozzarella Cheese Sauce, by Zardy Plants
This Mozzarella cheese sauce is oil and nut-free and comes together in minutes for a delicious, healthy option. This vegan Mozzarella is the perfect option for those looking to watch their consumption of oils and anyone who may have allergies or sensitivities to cashews.
This recipe uses tofu as a base and only requires seven other ingredients, including water, tapioca starch, garlic, onion powder, lemon juice, and salt. The cheesy taste comes from nutritional yeast. If you use fortified nutritional yeast, your Mozzarella will have a slight yellow tint, so use unfortified if you prefer colorless cheese.
This recipe yields a softer cheese, perfect for spreading on bread for grilled cheese or pouring over for pizza and lasagna! The top of this cheese will bubble up and turn a golden brown when baked or broiled, just like dairy Mozzarella!
4. No-Oil Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, by The Vegan 8
This vegan Mozzarella was designed to be similar to fresh dairy Mozzarella and uses simple ingredients. This recipe uses cashews as the base and potato and white rice in place of the traditional tapioca starch. With vegetable broth, plain dairy-free yogurt, salt, and vinegar also included in the recipe this Mozzarella uses budget-friendly common ingredients to create a delicious taste with a texture comparable to traditional dairy Mozzarella.
For a slightly firmer cheese using this recipe, bake the finished product for about 10 minutes before using it in your recipes. This Mozzarella is perfect for quesadillas and grilled cheese and makes a great vegan pizza topping!
5. Easy Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella, by Nora Cooks
With only five simple ingredients, some water, and 15 minutes of your time, this recipe yields a deliciously stretchy vegan Mozzarella cheese perfect for pizza, lasagna, french-onion soup, and grilled cheese!
The base for this cheese is cashews, and the recipe calls for tapioca starch to provide that famous Mozzarella stretch. Lemon juice, salt, and apple cider vinegar make up the final three ingredients and combine to create a delicious, fresh-tasting vegan Mozzarella.
If you use this cheese for lasagna or pizza and want the slight crisping and golden brown look of dairy cheese, lightly spray the top of the cheese with oil and broil for that effect.
6. Vegan Aquafaba Mozzarella Cheese, by Avocados and Ales
This vegan Mozzarella uses aquafaba as an emulsifier, making it an excellent soy-free option for anyone with soy allergies or sensitivities. The small amount of lactic acid in this recipe, which provides the slight tang often found in dairy cheeses, can be accomplished with lemon juice if you can’t find lactic acid powder. Most of the ingredients in this recipe are easy and inexpensive to purchase, and the recipe does offer tips for substituting the few that might be more difficult to find.
This recipe also uses kappa carrageenan, a binding ingredient, which allows this Mozzarella to be sliced or shredded. This Mozzarella is slightly more solid and great for snacking when combined with tomatoes and basil. It melts nicely if added to pizza or sandwiches and is firm enough to slice and use for vegan Mozzarella sticks.
7. A Better Buffalo Mozzarella, by Artisan Vegan Life
This revamped recipe uses a handful of simple ingredients and comes the closest to matching the exact taste and texture of dairy Mozzarella. The base for this recipe is cashews, and the addition of soy yogurt adds a creamy quality to the finished product.
Tapioca starch adds the famous Mozzarella stretch, and some sea salt adds a lovely cheesy taste. The addition of agar powder means that this Mozzarella can solidify, allowing it to be grated or sliced if needed!
This recipe is perfect for making mozzarella balls for snack skewers, vegan charcuterie boards, and Caprese salads! The meltiness of this recipe makes it an excellent option for vegan pasta dishes or pizzas, and the taste and texture are sure to satisfy even omnivorous guests.
8. Easy Vegan Mozzarella “Cheese”, by Minimalist Baker
This easy-to-make vegan Mozzarella stays soft even when cold, making it a perfect option for recipes that call for melty cheese. This recipe is easy, with only seven pantry-friendly ingredients and under ten minutes of cooking required, and delicious.
This recipe browns and bubbles exceptionally well when baked or broiled in the oven. While it was created for a vegan poutine dish, it works just as well on sandwiches, pizzas, and pasta! Use it as a cheesy topping to a dinner dish, or dip some veggies or crackers into this deliciously melty cheese for a quick and tasty snack.
9. Best Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, by Veggie Society
This recipe requires a little more prep work than some of our other favorites, but the taste and versatility make the extra effort well worth it! With a base of cashew milk and firm tofu, this vegan Mozzarella stretches, slices, and melts like the finest dairy Mozzarellas!
This recipe calls for eight simple ingredients and should be chilled for two hours to achieve the perfect texture! This Mozzarella stores incredibly well, keeping for up to two months in a freezer or a week in the fridge. It slices and shreds well for Mozzarella sticks or topping a lasagna, and can be formed into cute designs for snacking and entertaining. Try adding a small amount of liquid smoke during the mixing phase for a smoky variation of this delicious Mozzarella.
10. Melty Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, by Okonomi Kitchen
This recipe uses eight ingredients and takes under 15 minutes to prepare! While this recipe remains in a melty state even when cold, it’s easily spread over bread for cheesy toast or spread over dough to make a delicious vegan pizza. Pour it over some chips, and add veggies and salsa for easy and delicious vegan nachos.
This vegan Mozzarella was inspired by mochi, and is rice-based, using both cooked rice and glutinous rice flour in the recipe to provide that Mozzarella stretch. Cashews provide the creamy texture for this cheese, while salt, vinegar, mustard, and nutritional yeast provide the classic and well-loved flavor. This recipe makes an excellent sauce for homemade mac ‘n cheese but works just as well for sandwiches and pasta dishes!
11. Best Vegan Mozzarella that Melts and Stretches, by Shane and Simple
With seven healthy ingredients, no added oils, and only ten minutes to make, this stretchy, gooey, melty vegan Mozzarella is a crowd pleaser! The recipe calls for raw cashews, salt, apple cider vinegar, water (or your favorite non-dairy milk if you prefer), lemon juice, tapioca starch, and nutritional yeast.
While this recipe doesn’t firm up enough to shred, it can be molded into balls for Caprese salads or spooned into quesadillas, lasagnas, or pizza!
12. Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, by The Hidden Veggies
This vegan Mozzarella recipe is allergy-friendly with no gluten, soy, oils, or nuts. The final result of this easy recipe is a solid block of vegan Mozzarella cheese that can be sliced or grated and melts and stretches like dairy Mozzarella. With six simple ingredients, some water, and some optional lemon juice, this delicious Mozzarella is simple to make and comes together quickly.
While the recipe can use any non-dairy milk as a base, full-fat canned coconut milk is what we recommend for the richest and creamiest Mozzarella. Agar-agar powder, a vegan gelatin substitute, allows this cheese to firm up and melt like the dairy version, meaning it can be sliced or grated as needed. While the flakes can be used in this recipe, the powder does work better and is traditionally less expensive.
13. Soft and Creamy Vegan Mozzarella, by Vegan Huggs
This soft and creamy vegan Mozzarella is an excellent substitute for fresh dairy Mozzarella. This cheese is soft and stretchy, and the recipe offers several helpful tips to customize it to your favorite recipes. The longest part of this recipe is softening the cashews to blend smoothly.
The recipe uses agar powder to allow the Mozzarella to firm and dairy-free yogurt and milk to provide a soft and creamy texture and taste. Lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder create a delicious taste, and tapioca starch acts as a binder to keep the cheese together.
This recipe works wonders in a Caprese salad and holds together well for Mozzarella sticks or a vegan charcuterie board. The recipe calls for the finished product to be stored in brine, keeping it moist and soft while in the fridge. As this Mozzarella chills, it will firm up more, making it easier to slice and creating the perfect soft and fresh vegan Mozzarella that’s sure to please.
14. 5-Minute Vegan Mozzarella by Plant Based School
This quick and easy 5-minute vegan Mozzarella is stretchy, stringy, melty, delicious, and does not require a blender. This recipe uses tapioca starch, soy milk, soy yogurt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, and extra virgin olive oil to create a deliciously melty Mozzarella perfect for all your melted Mozzarella needs. With no nuts and no blending required, this recipe is fun to make, and the ingredients are inexpensive and easy to obtain.
It’s important to note that while it does thicken in the fridge, this Mozzarella will not harden enough to grate or slice. However, it makes an excellent vegan alternative to recipes that call for melted mozzarella cheese like pizzas, pasta, and risottos.
16. Better than Dairy Vegan Mozzarella by Alex Koons
This recipe is an easy favorite and makes a great starting place for learning how to add your own unique twists to your vegan Mozzarella. This recipe includes several tips and unique optional additions that can totally change the end result of this crowd-pleasing Mozzarella, including new spices to try and ways to create other vegan cheeses using the same base ingredients.
This recipe comes together quickly and can be easily made in minutes if you soak your cashews overnight in water to soften them. The recipe calls for refined coconut oil, tapioca flour, nutritional yeast, kappa carrageenan, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and boiling water.
When combined with your soaked cashews, the finished product is a delicious and mildly tangy block of vegan Mozzarella cheese. Experiment with the addition of other spices, liquid smoke, or varying amounts of lemon juice to change the taste of this delectable staple for the season, or just to spice up life!
As an important side note, the colder this cheese is, the easier it will be to grate or shred! Try slicing it up and breading it to make tasty Mozzarella sticks, or slicing it up with some heirloom tomatoes and drizzling it with balsamic vinegar for a refreshing spring and summer snack. This cheese melts well, thanks to the addition of the kappa carrageenan, making it an excellent choice for pizzas and lasagna, or even stuffed shells and quesadillas.
17. Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella by School Night Vegan
This recipe yields an incredibly stretchy vegan Mozzarella that melts just like the dairy version of this fan-favorite cheese. While it requires a few more ingredients than some of the other recipes on our list, it’s definitely worth trying and yields a delicious cheese in under 25 minutes.
This version of vegan Mozzarella uses psyllium husk powder, unsalted cashews, agave syrup, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, agar powder, refined coconut oil, sea salt, tapioca starch, and water to create a firm Mozzarella that melts incredibly well and is solid enough to slice and grate. Note that the colder the cheese is, the easier it is to grate.
This Mozzarella makes excellent Mozzarella sticks, with the cheese melting into the stretchy, stringy deliciousness that provides the same pull of dairy Mozzarella sticks. It also works great on pizza and is incredibly tasty in pasta bakes and quesadillas.
Easy Vegan Mozzarella Recipes, Final Thoughts
Adopting a plant-based lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite cheesy dishes! Whether you’re looking for a tasty vegan Mozzarella sauce for mac ‘n cheese, solid vegan Mozzarella balls for salads or snacking, or grated vegan Mozzarella to top pizzas, lasagnas, and pasta bakes with, there are many delicious and easy recipes that you can enjoy guilt-free!