Vegan Cashew Mozzarella

About

Your mouth is going to thank you for making this recipe! Let your cheese cravings be quenched with this easy Keto vegan recipe. Vegan mozzarella cheese is made mainly from cashews, which also have a mild flavor. The natural oils in cashews give them a slightly creamier texture than other nuts too. Once softened, blend the cashews with a few other natural Keto-friendly ingredients. Nutritional yeast adds the cheese flavor it’s known in the community for. A little cooking magic turns your cheese paste into a beautiful ball of mozzarella “cheese”. Slice it, eat it plain, or melt it over a meal just like you would with real mozzarella. Keep the cheese store in an airtight container in your refrigerator to stay fresh.

Why Does Nutritional Yeast Taste Like Cheese?

One of the qualities of yeast is that it has a nutty flavor, which is curiously also one of the flavor qualities of cheese. Nutritional yeast is the same type of yeast that is used in other commercial products like beer. Many would describe the taste as a cheese flavor, but what is really being tasted is umami. Your mouth is experiencing a particular blend of flavors that makes you salivate, which is similar to how cheese, beer, and other “nutty” flavored products taste.

Other Ways To Soften Cashews

Not interested in standing over a boiling pot of cashews? If you plan in advance, you can leave the cashews soaking in plain, room temperature water overnight. They’ll be soft by the time you’re ready to make the cheese. This way, you can blend the ingredients, cook off the extra moisture, and store the cheese away to chill much faster.

Ingredients

½ cup cashews
2 teaspoon tapioca flour
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 fl oz water

Instructions

Fill a pot with the cashews and enough water to fill the pot 4-5 inches high. Cover and bring the pot to a boil on high heat, then continue boiling for another 15 minutes or until the cashews are soft. Since the cashews need to boil for a while, add water as needed to avoid burning them. Once the cashews are soft, drain the water and add them to a food processor. Blend the cashews while they’re hot until they come together in a chunky paste.
Next, add the remaining ingredients listed to the food processor. Blend the ingredients until you have a thick, creamy paste. You may need to scrape the food processor down with a spatula and blend multiple times to achieve the right consistency. You may taste and adjust the mixture but including more salt, lemon juice, yeast, or other flavorings. However, remember this is mozzarella cheese and should taste quite mild.
Scrape all the paste into a clean pot set over medium heat on the stove. Continually stir the paste while it heats. As the moisture evaporates, the paste will begin to turn into a dough that rolls together in a ball. When the mozzarella ball is no longer sticky, transfer it to a container to cool. Once it cools to room temperature, cover and chill the cheese in your refrigerator for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.