5-Minute Vegan Pizza Mozzarella
This easy Vegan Mozzarella Sauce is the best vegan cheese topping for any vegan pizza recipe or pasta bake. Just blend up 9 simple ingredients, pour on the liquid mozzarella, and watch it get thick and gooey as it bakes in the oven. This vegan cheese recipe made with silken tofu (and no cashews!) takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, and the results are fantastically versatile! It even browns while it cooks, making realistic from-scratch vegan pizza a delicious reality!
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I’ve been making this vegan mozzarella sauce from silken tofu for years and after posting it in a few other recipes and on our IG Stories and hearing from all of you, I decided it’s time it gets its own post!
We call this dairy free cheese sauce “pizza mozzarella” in our house because it is the best last-minute pizza cheese to use on T’s homemade pizza dough, but it’s also a fantastic topping for pasta bakes like baked ziti or baked vegan meatballs!
Basically, any time I need a melty mozzarella topping for anything I’m baking, this is the recipe I turn to. And it never disappoints!
This recipe is a total staple in our plant based home, and we love finding new recipes to use it in. We hope you find it as handy as we have!
Why is this the best vegan mozzarella for pizza?
Here’s why you’re going to love this simple recipe as much as we do:
- It’s easy to throw together in under 5 minutes.
- The recipe is cheaper than buying store-bought vegan mozzarella cheese and saves you from having to go to the store!
- This vegan cheese melts and gets all gooey and even browns in the oven just like the “real thing”!
- It’s a great recipe every person following a plant-based diet needs in their back pocket!
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What is vegan mozzarella made of?
You only need 9 simple ingredients to make this awesome vegan mozzarella sauce recipe.
We will walk you through some ingredient notes in this section to ensure you get the best possible results, but the full recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
- Silken tofu – I like to set this on the counter for at least 10-20 minutes before making this recipe. It helps the overall texture and doesn’t shock the melted coconut oil back to its hardened state. (IYKYK)
- Refined coconut oil (melted) – Make sure you’re using a coconut oil labeled “refined” and NOT one labled “unrefined” or “virgin”. You don’t want your vegan mozzarella to taste like coconut!
- Tapioca starch – This is a key ingredient that adds that gooey texture when it bakes. It’s also called tapioca flour.
- Lemon juice – If you don’t have lemon juice, you can sub miso paste or chickpea miso, yellow mustard, stone ground mustard, white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar for a sharper taste.
- Nutritional yeast – This is a deactivated yeast that adds a cheesy flavor. Nutritional yeast is a staple ingredient in plant based cooking!
- SPICES: sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil
Substitution Options
Here are our best substitution tips! If you try any substitutions, let us know in the comments how they worked out so we can include that information for future readers. Please remember that substituting any ingredient may not always lead to a pleasant result.
For the silken tofu: Soft tofu also works! You can also make a version of this recipe with raw cashews, but you will have to play with adding hot water to the mix.
For the refined coconut oil: This is a really important ingredient to add that gooey texture to your vegan mozzarella! It cannot be replaced by other oils like olive oil. Although olive oil would add a great taste, it would not perform the same functionally. You may be able to sub vegetable shortening or vegan butter, but we have not tried these!
To replace the dried basil: You can also use dried oregano, Italian seasoning, or a blend of dried oregano and dried basil.
For the tapioca starch: In a pinch, you can substitute cornstarch or arrowroot starch here, but they act very differently than tapioca starch and you won’t get the same gooey texture.
For the nutritional yeast: This is not interchangeable with other yeasts. If you don’t have it, you can sub half the amount of ground mustard powder.
For the garlic powder: You can sub minced or fresh garlic here or use a bit of both! If you don’t do garlic, try more onion powder.
How to Make Vegan Pizza Cheese
All you have to do to make this dairy free pizza mozzarella sauce is blend the silken tofu with the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor on high for at least 1 minute to allow the ingredients to emulsify.
When the mixture is thick and shiny, it’s ready! That shiny part is really the key. If it looks even a little grainy, it’s not ready!
How to Use Dairy Free Mozzarella Sauce for Pizza
To use this melty stretchy gooey vegan mozzarella, drizzle this sauce on top of a delicious pizza with tomato sauce and your favorite toppings or atop a baked pasta dish before baking.
It will thicken up considerably (and magically!) as it bakes, leaving you with a dairy free melty cheesy topping!
You can also brown the vegan mozzarella by placing your vegan pizza or pasta dish under the broiler for a few minutes at the end of your bake time.
Plant Based Mozzarella Serving Ideas:
Of course this vegan mozzarella recipe is amazing for pizza night! But there’s so much more you can do with it too!
- Vegan Cheese Pizza: Our homemade pizza dough + your favorite pizza sauce + this vegan mozzarella sauce!
- Vegan Baked Ziti: Whether on a vegan baked ziti pizza or a traditional pasta bake, this dairy free mozzarella was MADE for baked ziti!
- Vegan Chicken Parmesan: Use it to top the breaded tofu cutlets in our classic Vegan Chicken Parm recipe or on a Vegan Chicken Parm Pizza!
- Vegan White Pizza: This mozzarella sauce is the perfect white sauce for a Plant Based White Pizza on our vegan pizza dough recipe!
- Homemade Vegan Margherita Pizza: Dollop this delicious vegan cheese on top of a margherita pizza with fresh basil leaves!
How to Store Leftover Plant Based Pizza Mozzarella
We usually get 2 pizzas worth of mozzarella sauce out of this recipe. You can totally store this vegan liquid mozzarella or make it ahead of time for meal prep!
Store leftover vegan mozzarella sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Do not freeze this dairy free mozzarella sauce. Silken tofu does not freeze well and will become a cottage cheese type texture when frozen. You have been warned!
Because of the coconut oil, the vegan mozzarella sauce gets very thick when it chills in the fridge, so I recommend letting it sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes before using it.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
Everyone needs some good vegan cheese recipes in their back pocket! Here are more of ours:
- Easy Vegan Queso Dip
- Silken Tofu Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Cheese Ball
- Cashew Cheese Sandwich with Strawberries
We can’t wait to see how you use this vegan pizza mozzarella in your own kitchens! If you make this incredible dairy free cheese recipe, we’d love to hear about it!
When you make it, we’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a star rating and review on the recipe below. This helps more people find our vegan recipes, and we love when you bring us into your kitchens with you!
Now, go and make ALL the melty vegan cheese pizzas and pastas. Enjoy!
Vegan Pizza Mozzarella Sauce
This easy Vegan Mozzarella Sauce is the perfect dairy free cheese topping for plant based pizza and pasta bakes. Just blend up 9 simple ingredients, pour on the liquid mozzarella, and watch it get thick and gooey as it bakes in the oven. This vegan cheese recipe made with silken tofu (and no cashews!) takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, and the results are fantastically versatile!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz. silken tofu
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil melted
- 2 Tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
Instructions
- Melt and measure the refined coconut oil. Then, add all the ingredients to a small food processor or blender, starting with the tofu and ending with the melted refined coconut oil.
- Blend all the ingredients, starting at a low speed and slowly increasing to high, for at least 1 minute to allow the ingredients to emulsify. When the mixture is creamy and shiny, it’s ready. That shiny part is the key indicator!
- TO USE: Pour or drizzle this liquid vegan mozzarella sauce on top of any pizza or baked pasta dish before it goes in the oven. The sauce will be a thinner texture at first but will thicken up and brown considerably as it bakes, leaving you with a delicious melty cheesy topping!
- TO STORE: Store leftover vegan mozzarella sauce in the fridge for 5-7 days. Do not freeze. We usually get 2 pizzas worth of mozzarella sauce out of this recipe.
Video
Notes
- Tapioca starch is a key ingredient that adds that gooey texture when it bakes. We do not recommend substituting other starches like cornstarch or arrowroot because they act differently.
- Make sure you’re using a coconut oil labeled “refined” and NOT one labeled “unrefined” or “virgin”. You don’t want your vegan mozzarella to taste like coconut!
- Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is not interchangeable with other yeasts. Nutritional yeast is a staple ingredient in plant based cooking! If you don’t have it, you can sub half the amount of ground mustard powder.
- You can use silken tofu and soft tofu interchangeably in this recipe.
- If you don’t have lemon juice, you can sub miso paste, yellow mustard, stone ground mustard, white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar for a sharper taste.
