Vegan Liquid Pizza Mozzarella

This vegan pizza mozzarella is going to change your mind about vegan pizza. Not only does it taste amazing, but it's also super quick and easy to make! No melting, heating over a stove, or anything other than just a blender and your oven.

As someone who's tasted and ranked the big store-bought brands of vegan mozzarella, I'm pretty picky about my vegan pizza. But this is now my go-to vegan pizza cheese for parties, events, and random Tuesday nights at home.

Buying store-bought vs. homemade

This recipe was inspired by Miyoko's liquid pizza mozzarella, and I was content to use store-bought for a long time. But I now live in a country where I can't buy Miyoko's cheeses, and a good vegan pizza is next to impossible to come by. (Until I created this recipe!) But there are many reasons why you might prefer to make this homemade version:

• No preservatives. Store-bought products need some type of preservative, but with this recipe, you won't need them since you're making it fresh.

• Easy. This vegan cheese recipe takes 5 minutes to blend up from ingredients you probably have at home. Even ordering the store-bought version from a grocery delivery service would take longer than that.

• Availability. If you're like me and live in a region where the store-bought version is inaccessible, this recipe is perfect!

• Substitutions. You can adjust the recipe to your liking! If you don't like a specific type of oil, you can swap it for another neutral oil. Or adjust the lemon and salt to your taste!

What pizza crust recipes should I use with this liquid mozzarella?

This vegan cheese is so versatile, you can use whatever you like, from store-bought to homemade. When I took the photos for this recipe, I used this pizza crust recipe from the r/Pizza subReddit.

I also love using this cheese with my Detroit-style pizza recipe because the cheese browns up beautifully on the edges. But I don't recommend putting tomato sauce on top of this cheese because it won't solidify. If you do want a red-top (sauce on top) pizza, I recommend using my traditional vegan mozzarella cheese instead.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Tapioca flour: Also known as tapioca starch, this is the key to getting this mozzarella to solidify in the oven.

• Cashews: Make sure your cashews are raw, and they've been soaked in hot water for 10 minutes. After that, they'll blend up into a creamy base for your vegan pizza cheese.

• Sunflower oil: Oil creates a smooth texture. You can use any oil you like here, but I recommend a neutral-flavored oil. Mozzarella has a light flavor, so an oil with a strong flavor like olive oil might overpower the cheese.

• Lemon juice: This creates the classic tangy flavor that mozzarella is known for. Some people might substitute vinegar here, but I think the flavor of vinegar is too strong. If you do use vinegar, I'd start with half the amount.

• Salt: Another key to enhancing the flavor of vegan mozzarella is salt.

What toppings can I use on my vegan pizza?

You can use any vegan toppings you'd normally use on any other vegan pizza here. Some ideas include basil, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, caramelized onions, pineapple, spinach, vegan feta or anything else you like. Try to avoid covering up the cheese too much, or it may not solidify.

My favorite toppings come after the pizza is baked: crushed red pepper flakes and vegan grated parmesan (another quick and easy vegan cheese recipe).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store this vegan liquid mozzarella? This recipe makes enough cheese to top approximately 4 10-to-12-inch pizzas. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks (use your best judgment here). Before using it again, make sure you shake or stir the cheese because it will separate over time.

Can I make this liquid mozzarella nut-free? I haven't tested a nut-free version, but I'll be working on it in the future!

Is this vegan mozzarella stretchy? Not really. It is absolutely delicious, melty, and browns up in the oven, but you won't see much stretch here. My traditional mozzarella cheese recipe does stretch a bit and has a similar flavor. You can also check out my review of store-bought vegan pizza cheeses, which ranks each cheese for stretchiness, so you can find the stretchiest cheese possible.

Why doesn't this recipe use nutritional yeast? Nutritional yeast is known as the vegan source of cheesy flavor, so you might expect to see it in every cheese recipe. But mozzarella has a very light flavor, and the taste of nutritional yeast is a bit too strong to replicate that flavor. The blend of lemon and salt in this recipe with a cashew base is much closer!

What's the difference between tapioca flour and tapioca starch? In the US, these terms are used interchangeably. If you're outside the US and these are two different products, then you're likely looking for tapioca starch (with the fiber removed).

I can't get cashews to blend into a cream, what am I doing wrong? First, if you don't have a high-powered blender, you should pre-soak your cashews in hot water for 10 minutes before attempting to blend them.

If you're still having issues, it may be your blender. But that doesn't mean you need to go out and buy a $500 Vitamix. I use this Oster blender that costs around $50 and it does the job perfectly!

More vegan cheese recipes

• Traditional vegan mozzarella cheese (solid)

• Grated vegan parmesan cheese

• Vegan ricotta cheese

• Vegan queso dip

• Vegan feta cheese