Mozzarella, (dippable) Vegan

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cooking Time

5 minutes

Yields

4 servings

Ingredients

  • ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (or boiled)*
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons tapioca starch, (also called tapioca flour)
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Softening the cashews:

  1. Add the (soaked or boiled) drained cashews along with the 1 cup of water and all the remaining ingredients to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. It will be very watery.
  2. Pour into a small saucepan and put over medium-high heat. Stir continuously while heating. The cheese will start forming clumps, keep stirring and it will continue clumping until the mixture turns from watery to a thicker, “melty” cheese sauce. This takes about 5 minutes. Serve hot or allow to cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 – 3 days. The cheese will get thicker as it cools but will stay in a melty state.

Notes

You can either soak or boil the cashews.  To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for overnight until tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using. To boil the cashews (if you forgot to soak them): add the cashews to a small pot, cover with water, and boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Either way you do it, drain before using.

Tapioca starch is essential for this recipe. It’s what gives the cheese it’s gooey and stretchy texture. Any other starch or flour will not get the same result.

If you have refrigerated the “cheese” and want to return it to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a splash of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.

To ensure a smooth cheese, you may also want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth before cooking to remove any cashew bits that didn’t grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture.

Borrowed from “It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken”