Homemade vegan mozzarella cheese recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients. This vegan cheese for pizza melts and tastes creamy and delicious.
I love pizza, but being lactose intolerant my whole life, I've always eaten vegan pizza without cheese. Over the years, however, the plant-based world changed, and vegan pizza grew in popularity, as did vegan cheese for pizza. But unfortunately, vegan cheese isn't very healthy. So, today I decided to throw my apron into the vegan cheese arena and make my vegan cheese for pizza. And, this vegan mozzarella cheese recipe tastes divine.
Jump to:
- Why Make Homemade Vegan Mozzarella Cheese?
- Vegan Pizza Cheese Ingredients
- Vegan Pizza Cheese Ingredient Substitutions
- How to Make Vegan Mozzarella Cheese Recipe
- How to Make Vegan Pizza
- Oil-Free Pizza Sauce Substitutions
- Vegan Pizza Topping Suggestions
- Recipe FAQs
- Tips
- Vegan Italian Recipes to Enjoy!
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
In my opinion, the best vegan cheese for pizza melts and tastes creamy. One of my favorite restaurants with the best vegan pizza, La Grande Orange, makes their cashew cheese in-house.
So, one night, I sat at the counter where the chefs interacted with the guests. I tried making vegan mozzarella before, but I failed to get the texture and taste I wanted. Finally, without a lot of effort, the chef told me his secret.
Why Make Homemade Vegan Mozzarella Cheese?
I don't care for many store-bought vegan cheeses. Most vegan cheese doesn't melt unless you bake or broil at 400 degrees. And the ones that do melt easily contain coconut oil, which I prefer not to eat.
So, I decided to make vegan cheese for pizza using my newfound knowledge. Of course, the didn't give me amounts or all the ingredients, so it took a few attempts before I was happy with the results.
Vegan Pizza Cheese Ingredients
First, I made two versions of vegan pizza cheese, one with cashews and one with white beans, for people with nut allergies.
Both recipes were the same, except the cashew version was slightly creamier. But both tasted the same, so the difference is in the texture only.
Cashew Vegan Cheese
- Water: The water thins the ingredients in teh pizza cheese.
- Raw Cashews: Raw cashews are a whole foods option for making creamy sauces and cheese.
- Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is full of vitamin B12 and tastes cheesy.
- Garlic: Garlic adds a savory component to cheese for pizza.
- Lemon Juice: The lemon juice provides a little acidity which enhances the flavor of the ingredients.
- White Miso Paste: White miso paste is the savory umami ingredient. It's the secret ingredient for the perfect vegan mozzarella cheese.
- Salt: The salt adds another layer of flavor.
- Arrowroot Powder: Arrowroot powder is a great thickener and can easily replace cornstarch. Even better, arrowroot powder has no taste and leaves food glossy and clear, whereas cornstarch has a slight taste and leaves food cloudy and opaque.
Nut-free Mozzarella Cheese
- Water: The water thins the ingredients in teh pizza cheese.
- White Beans: White beans are an alternative to cashews and a nut-free option.
- Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is full of vitamin B12 and tastes cheesy.
- Garlic: Garlic adds a savory component to cheese for pizza.
- Lemon Juice: The lemon juice provides a little acidity which enhances the flavor of the ingredients.
- White Miso Paste: White miso paste is the savory umami ingredient. It's the secret ingredient for the perfect vegan mozzarella cheese.
- Salt: The salt adds another layer of flavor.
- Arrowroot Powder: Arrowroot powder is a great thickener and can easily replace cornstarch. Even better, arrowroot powder has no taste and leaves food glossy and clear, whereas cornstarch has a slight taste and leaves food cloudy and opaque.
Vegan Pizza Cheese Ingredient Substitutions
- Sunflower seeds replace nuts as a seed alternative.
- Pine nuts, almonds, or blanched almonds work as well.
- Silken tofu is another option to replace nuts or white beans.
- Miso paste or soy sauce often replaces nutritional yeast in recipes. Choose Tamari or liquid aminos for a gluten-free option.
- Use bottled lemon juice when fresh lemon juice isn't available.
- Try cornstarch instead of arrowroot powder.
How to Make Vegan Mozzarella Cheese Recipe
- Collect the ingredients, and then blend in a high-speed blender until smooth. As a result, the liquid is thin and resembles plant milk.
- Once the liquid is exposed to heat and continuously stirred, the mixture thickens. However, the thickening process takes time and patience.
- Even though the mixture begins to thicken, the more time and stirring, the thicker the substance becomes.
- Next, allow the mixture to cool.
- If cooled at room temperature, the mixture thickens; however, once refrigerated, it hardens.
- I used the cheese at room temperature because I made pizza while I made the vegan mozzarella cheese.
- But, if refrigerated overnight, the cheese thickens further, requiring shredding.
- Either way, it melts when heated in the oven.
How to Make Vegan Pizza
Since I prefer to make my oil-free pizza sauce and dough, I always make batches of dough and sauce and freeze them when making pizza or pizza pinwheels.
Oil-Free Pizza Dough Ingredients
- Warm water (run the tap until warm)
- Dry active yeast
- Vegan raw sugar
- Whole wheat flour
- Vital wheat gluten (optional) or replaced with more wheat flour
- Flaxseed meal
- Maple syrup or date syrup
- Salt
- Cornmeal for the bottom of the pizza stone
Oil-Free Pizza Sauce Ingredients
- Tomato Puree: I used Muir Glen Organic or POMI crushed tomatoes.
- Onion Powder: Although dried onion is just the onion flesh, onion powder can also include dehydrated skin and roots.
- Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is the dried and finely ground form of garlic.
- Dried Oregano: Fresh oregano, for example, is sharper and more peppery fresh, while the dried stuff is flavorful but mild.
- Fresh Basil: I love fresh basil on everything, especially pizza.
- Crushed Red Pepper: Crushed red pepper gives
- Ground Black Pepper: I prefer fresh ground black pepper.
- Pure Maple Syrup: I love using maple syrup to sweeten the sauce lightly.
- Smoked Salt: Smoked salt is created when rock salt or sea salt is smoked over a wood fire. The salt is either hot or cold smoked, but both methods impart a rich smoky flavor and aroma.
Oil-Free Pizza Sauce Substitutions
- Try a canned or jarred vegan pizza sauce for a shortcut. But, if you follow an oil-free plant-based diet, make sure to check the label. A lot of jarred or canned pizza sauce also has a lot of added sugar.
- Many substitutes for tomato puree include marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, and Rotel tomatoes. However, it is essential to remember that each of these substitutes will change the flavor and consistency of your dish slightly.
- Date syrup is an excellent substitute for maple syrup.
- Onion powder is three times more potent than dried onion, so for 1 cup of fresh onion, you would substitute only 1 tablespoon of onion powder.
- To substitute garlic powder in recipes, use equal amounts of freshly minced garlic. Or, use one medium-sized fresh garlic clove for every ⅛ teaspoon needed. OR - Equal amounts of granulated garlic. Alternatively, use chopped shallots or onion.
- Dried herbs can be more potent than fresh herbs (unless they've been sitting in your spice drawer for 5 years). This means you need fewer dried herbs than fresh ones when substituting one for the other. A good rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
- If you don't have smoked salt, add ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke instead.
- Once the dough is rolled out and shaped to fit the pizza stone, cover the entire surface of the dough with sauce.
- Then, spread the vegan cheese for pizza over the top of the sauce evenly.
- Next, choose your toppings.
Vegan Pizza Topping Suggestions
For my vegan pizza, I chose to include various vegetables.
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
Other Great Vegan Pizza Toppings
- Jalapenos
- Mild banana peppers
- Red bell peppers
- Red onions
- Olives
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Eggplant
- Artichokes
- Red pepper flakes
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Recipe FAQs
Store-bought vegan mozzarella cheeses are generally made from soy, cashews, or macadamia nuts, vegetable oils, such as coconut oil, and a thickening agent, such as tapioca starch or arrowroot powder.
Arrowroot powder is made from arrowroot vegetables. It is made into a powder and used as a thickener similar to tapioca starch or cornstarch. Arrowroot powder is gluten-free and contains more calcium than cornstarch.
Local grocers such as Whole Foods and other retail locations sell arrowroot powder in the baking section of the grocery store. Bob Red Mill's brand is popular in grocery stores.
Tips
- Sprinkle cornmeal on the surface of a pizza stone to prevent the dough from sticking to the pizza stone.
- Once the dough is rolled out, place it on top of the cornmeal-covered pizza stone and shape it into a perfect circle.
- Evenly add the sauce to the top of the dough before adding the vegan cheese for pizza.
- For a spicier sauce, add more crushed red pepper flakes.
- If sensitive to spice, I suggest adding the crushed red pepper flakes in smaller amounts, taste, and adjust for personal preference.
- For a gluten-free pizza crust, choose gluten-free flour, and skip the vital wheat gluten.
- For quick and easy pizza, buy a vegan pizza crust and sauce at the grocery store instead of making your own sauce and crust.
- Instead of making one large pizza, make mini pizzas, and have a pizza bar where guests or family make their pizzas with selected toppings and vegan mozzarella cheese.
- You may also enjoy making a vegan cheese ball if you enjoy making cheese.
- Use this cheese grilled cheese sandwich, a panini, or cheese bread.
If you love pizza, give this vegan mozzarella cheese recipe a try! You will love how vegan cheesy it is!
Vegan Italian Recipes to Enjoy!
If you love this vegan cheese for pizza recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below! We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Cheese for Pizza
Ingredients
Vegan Cheese for Pizza
- 1 ½ cups water If using silken tofu or white beans, reduce the water to ¾ cup
- ½ cup raw cashews Or substitute soaked sunflower seeds, silken tofu, or white beans.
- 4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon white or yellow miso paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ Tablespoons arrowroot powder
Pizza Recipe
- 1 recipe oil-free sauce and oil-free dough
- 1 recipe pizza sauce
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup organic spinach
- ½ white onion
- 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in halves
Instructions
Vegan Cheese for Pizza
- Soak raw cashews overnight unless you have a high-speed blender.
- Drain cashews and add all ingredients to a high-speed blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- The mixture will be thin.
- Add the contents of the blender to a saucepan.
- Heat stove to medium-low, and continuously stir as the mixture heats.
- Be patient; it takes a while for the arrowroot powder to work its magic.
- Do not leave the mixture; instead, continue to stir as it thickens.
- When the mixture is thick, remove it from heat and cool completely.
- Use once cool or transfer to a safe refrigerator container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- This recipe makes enough cheese for 2 large pizzas.
Pizza Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
- Prepare the oil-free pizza dough and sauce.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal on a pizza stone
- Roll out the dough into a similar size to the pizza stone
- Place the raw dough on the pizza stone and shape it, so all the dough is on the pizza stone and not hanging off.
- Using a spoon, spoon a layer of sauce onto the raw pizza dough and spread it evenly across the edges.
- Add the vegan mozzarella cheese (if still thick and saucy without being refrigerated, drizzle and spread on the pizza sauce, or if solid after refrigeration, shred and add to the sauce)
- Scatter the toppings around the pizza.
- Cook on the center rack for 12 minutes. Check the bottom of the dough by lifting an edge with a spatula. If still not brown, return to the oven for 2-3 minutes.
Notes
- Sprinkle cornmeal on the surface of a pizza stone to prevent the dough from sticking to the pizza stone.
- Once the dough is rolled out, place it on top of the cornmeal-covered pizza stone and shape it into a perfect circle if more significant than the stone.
- Evenly add the sauce to the top of the dough before adding the vegan cheese for pizza.
- Choose any vegetables or topping you like.
- The dough freezes well. Freeze once the dough is thoroughly mixed and forms into a ball. Wrap in wax paper and place in a zip lock bag or container to freeze for up to 3 months.
- Completely thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator, then knead and roll out, following the instructions for the freshly made dough.
- Once the dough is rolled out, place it on top of the cornmeal-covered pizza stone and shape it into a perfect circle.
- If sensitive to spice, I suggest adding the crushed red pepper flakes in smaller amounts, tasting them, and adjusting them for personal preference.
- Evenly add the sauce to the top of the dough before adding the vegan cheese for pizza.
- For a gluten-free pizza crust, choose gluten-free flour and skip the vital wheat gluten.
- For quick and easy pizza, buy a vegan pizza crust and sauce at the grocery store instead of making your own sauce and crust.
- Instead of making one large pizza, make mini pizzas and have a pizza bar where guests or family make their pizzas with selected toppings and vegan mozzarella cheese.
- Use this cheese grilled cheese sandwich, pizza pinwheels, or cheese bread. For a spicier sauce, add more crushed red pepper flakes.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Brenda Jones
You list nutrition information for the cheese sauce but I didn’t see the serving size? Did I miss something? Thanks
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Brenda, the cheese is enough for 2 medium pizzas, so it depends on how many slices you plan to eat. A typical medium pizza has 8 slices, but that varies depending on how to slice it up. I hope this answers your question.
Deb Z
Hi Kathy!
Can I sub something for arrowroot? Thanks!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Deb, yes, you can use tapioca starch, potato starch, or flour.
Kathleen
Sounds good can’t wait to try it.
Kathy Carmichael
Kathleen, let me know what you think if you try it. I'd love to hear your opinion.
Becky
How long will this keep? Can it be frozen? Does it matter if cashews or beans are used for freezing?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Becky, you can freeze this sauce in an air-tight jar or a zipped bag. Then, thaw it in the fridge overnight. You may need to re-blend it with a little more nut milk, vegetable broth, or water since it will get very thick. However, the bean version does not freeze as well and becomes a bit grainy.
Kristin
Hi Kathy. We have a soy allergy. What can we use instead of the miso paste?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Kristin, Miso Master produces the only organic soy-free miso in the natural food industry. It's made with chickpeas. Or you can use 1/2 teaspoon coconut aminos to replace 1 Tablespoon of miso paste.
Elena Middleton
I’ve searched and can’t find the recipe card with ingredient measurements . Maybe it’s my iPad.
Maybe I’m just missing it.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Elena, all the ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can print it or Pin it too! I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Darcie
Just to clarify, if nut free, you simply sub 1/2 up white beans for the cashews? No other changes? Thanks!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Darci, yes! You substitute the cashews with drained white beans.
Deborah Williams
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for this cheese recipe! Can't wait to try it. I was reading the nutritional info and wondering where the 1mg of cholesterol is coming from?
Thanks for all you do!
Deb
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Deborah, it must be an error in the calculation. There isn't any cholesterol. Thank you for letting me know. I didn't notice.
Sue Ann Johnson
Question?? I may have missed it, but what is the quantity of Cashews or White beans for the cheese sauce recipe?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Sue Ann, 1/2 cup. The specific ingredients are in the recipe card at the bottom of the recipe.