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OK so this is not the only meltable vegan cheese recipe I have under my belt (more to come!), BUT it definitely takes the cake in the simplicity department.

It’s oil-free, coconut-free and requires no cooking – just a little blending. Plus, it’s healthy, low-fat, melts beautifully, has a gorgeous creamy texture and a mild cheesy taste that’s ideal for pizza, nachos, toasties, baked potatoes… or whatever your little soul desires!

There are a few different ways to achieve the creamy, melty properties of a good mozzarella cheese. This recipe uses cashews and psyllium powder…

The Process

The first step for this recipe is to pre-soak the cashews. As with all cashew recipes that require blending, this allows them to become soft enough to create a nice smooth paste. Don’t let them soak for more than 6 hours though, as this can turn them bitter and slimy.

Next, we drain and rinse the cashews and blend them with half of the water, plus all the other ingredients (except for the psyllium) until really smooth. You want it to look smoother than hummus. Depending on your blender, this could take anywhere from 1-4 minutes or so.

Third step is to add the remaining water followed by the psyllium powder and blend immediately. Like, I’m talking the second that psyllium hits the blender, you want to get it going! I’ll explain why…

Psyllium Powder

You might have already heard me harping on about psyllium powder in my vegan spelt pancakes recipe. Not only does it keep you regular (too much info?!), it’s also what gives this recipe its melty, stretchiness. Also, make sure you use the psyllium powder as opposed to the whole husks – these would still work, but would result in a more ‘grainy’ cheese.

There’s something you really need to know about psyllium before using it in recipes – it starts to thicken literally as soon as it comes in contact with a liquid.

So, after adding it just before your second blend, you’ll only need to blend it for about 10 seconds before noticing that it thickens into a really tacky paste.

You’ll want to spoon and pat it into your baking paper-lined bowl ASAP before sticking it in the freezer. It should be frozen and good to grate within about 4 hours – how easy is that?!

Hot Tips:

#1 – Flavour Variation: If you’re feelin’ a more mature ‘cheesy’ taste instead of this very mild mozzarella flavour, you can add some extra flavours to your first blend. Try half a teaspoon of white miso paste, an extra tablespoon of nutritional yeast OR a half teaspoon of vegetable stock powder. A bit of dijon mustard and extra salt are also good for adding more of a cheddar-style flavour.

#2 – Grating: Don’t grate it straight out of the freezer – it will likely be too hard and you’ll risk cutting yourself. Let it sit at room temperature for around 5 minutes first, and rotate while grating so that you grate the softer parts first. The grated cheese will start to soften quickly, so it’s best to grate it directly onto your food.

#2 – Grilling/cooking: Because this recipe is oil-free, if you let it grill or cook for too long it can dry out. The mozzarella won’t brown when grilled since it’s oil-free, but it still goes a little crispy on top – yum. And you can totally go crazy and use as much as you want since it’s guilt-free!

Hope you enjoy – do let me know what you think! x

PS: You should also check out my other homemade vegan cheese recipes too:

• Vegan Tahini Cheese
• Cashew Cream Cheese
• Almond Ricotta Cheese