• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Throbbing Eggplant
  • Home
  • FAQ
  • Recipes
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Let's Work Together
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Cheeses and Cheesy Sauces

    Tofu Mozzarella

    Published: Oct 1, 2021 by Amber Asakura · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using an affiliate link, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    If you're looking for a nut-free vegan cheese that's soft, creamy, and perfect for pizza, lasagna, or a refreshing caprese salad, this oil-free tofu mozzarella is for you!

    Vegan tofu mozzarella ball, cut in half, sitting on a wooden cutting board with more cheese balls in the background.

    Before we get to the recipe, I have a little announcement to make.

    This little ol' blog you're now reading is moving forward with a (hilarious, immature, easy to remember) new name. Please say hello to The Throbbing Eggplant!

    *techno music pumping*

    *eggplant wearing a glittery speedo, dancing gyrating*

    *me, chugging cheap champagne and furiously petting a cat*

    😳😳😳

    Ok, now that that part is out of the way, let's move on to this glorious tofu mozzarella.

    Ah, cheese. The hardest animal product for 90%* of vegans (or people just trying to eat a more health-conscious diet) to give up.

    *Not a fact-based statistic. Just me pulling a number out of my ass based on my experience and that of others.

    Cheese is creamy and melty and just adds that extra somethin' to SO MANY meals. Pizza, enchiladas, nachos, lasagna...

    Sure, you can use some packaged faux-cheese, but the ingredients are sometimes sketchy (I'm lookin' at you, carrageenan), the nutritional value is unimpressive, and, well, they're fucking expensive for the most part.

    ...and most of them aren't even that good.

    Homemade vegan cheeses and cheesy sauces are where it's at.

    This nut-free vegan tofu cheese was inspired by the magical cheese goddess Miyoko's buffalo mozzarella recipe published in the Fall 2012 issue of VegNews Magazine. I've been making it several times a year for almost ten years (!!!), tweaking it a bit more each time.

    Now, since I've been trying to lose all the extra blubber that came along with trying to make a low-carb vegan diet work for for two painful years (that's a story for another day... and I'm finally back down to a healthy weight because carbs are life), I've been trying to cut out unnecessary calories where I can. I still love my nuts (I mean, not *my* nuts, but *eating* nuts), but if I can lower the calories and keep the nutrition up in a recipe without compromising flavor or texture, you bet your sweet ass I'm going to go for it.

    So that's exactly what I did with this gloriously low-calorie nut-free vegan cheese right here.

    (And if you need a healthified pizza crust to go with your tofu cheese, this easy oat flour pizza crust is perfect!)

    Close up view of a freshly baked vegan oat flour pizza with melty tofu mozzarella cheese.

    Let's talk about the recipe!

    Jump to:

    • Recipe Highlights
    • Ingredients
    • Recipe Steps
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Helpful Tips
    • FAQs
    • Take me to the Tofu Mozzarella recipe!

    Recipe Highlights

    • This tofu mozzarella recipe is oil-free and nut-free.
    • It's inexpensive to make and the "specialty" ingredients can be found at Asian markets, health food stores, or on Amazon for a reasonable price.
    • A high speed blender is not required. I use my favorite little $20 blender (affiliate link) to make this every time!

    Ingredients

    The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, but here's a quick look at the ingredients you'll need to make your very own tofu mozzarella.

    Ingredients for tofu mozzarella.
    • extra firm silken tofu (the kind in the cardboard/aseptic package)
    • canned coconut milk, for creaminess (you can't taste it!)
    • tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
    • lemon juice
    • white or yellow miso
    • salt
    • apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
    • water
    • agar powder (see the FAQ below for more info on this ingredient)
    • ice

    Recipe Steps

    First, blend the tofu, coconut milk, ¼ cup water, tapioca flour, lemon juice, miso, salt, and vinegar until smooth.

    Tofu mozzarella ingredients in a blender after being blended.

    Next, combine the ½ cup cold water and agar powder and heat it until it's nice and thick.

    Thickened agar and water mixture in a saucepan.

    Now whisk the tofu mixture into the agar mixture and stir, stir, stir! It will start to look chunky and gross, but keep stirring! It will turn smooth and glossy and thick.

    Tofu mozzarella mixture looking curdled part way through cooking.
    Tofu mozzarella mixture in a saucepan looking smooth and thick and ready to be scooped into balls.

    After that, use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to scoop up the mixture and drop it into an ice bath.

    Cookie scoop full of tofu mozzarella mixture being scooped out of the sauce pan.
    Cookie scoop full of tofu mozzarella mixture being dropped into the ice bath.
    Bowl of ice water with tofu mozzarella balls chilling insode.

    Finally, refrigerate the bowl o' balls until they're nice and firm (lolololol, why can't I be mature about this?), then use them wherever you'd use cheese.

    I've really been loving it sliced and placed on top of whole grain sourdough with tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, and a little bit of salt and pepper, but if we're being honest, I usually just eat the cheese straight out of the fridge. It's that good.

    Slice of bread on a cutting board topped with vegan tofu mozzarella, halved cherry tomatoes, and herbs.

    Substitutions and Variations

    I haven't made this recipe using any substitutions, but you are welcome to try. Here's what I think *might* work (but I'm not making any promises).

    The coconut milk adds fat and makes the cheese creamy, but if you can't have coconut, another plant milk can be used (with less-creamy results).

    Shaun actually put a few of the finished mozzarella balls in his Traeger smoker and they were... incredible. Next time I make these, I'll have him smoke a few and pay attention to the time and temperature so I can share that.

    For a fun smoked mozzarella variation without a fancy smoker, you can add ½ teaspoon liquid smoke to the ingredients in your blender.

    Helpful Tips

    • When your agar mixture is thickened, be sure to whisk CONSTANTLY while pouring the tofu mixture in. If you stop before the mixture is fully combined, you can end up with gelatinous chunks in your cheese. It tastes fine, but totally messes up that creamy, smooth texture you're going for.
    • While you're stirring the mixture and waiting for it to become thick and stretchy, it will look curdled and lumpy at some point. Don't freak out! This is normal. Just keep stirring.Eventually it will turn smooth and glossy.

    FAQs

    What is agar powder? Where can I buy it?


    Agar powder (also called agar-agar powder) is a vegan alternative to gelatin and is made out of algae/seaweed.

    I've found Telephone brand agar powder at my local Asian market for around $2 a packet. You can also buy it on amazon.

    Packet of Telephone brand agar-agar-powder on a marble countertop.


    Can I freeze tofu mozzarella?


    I don't recommend freezing this. The texture changes A LOT. It loses the smooth creaminess and becomes spongy. However, it still tastes good, so you can freeze some if you made too much and don't want it to go to waste. Just know it will be a completely different cheese after freezing.

    Vegan tofu mozzarella ball sitting on a wooden cutting board with more cheese balls in the background.

    Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a rating and comment below, and share a picture on Instagram so I can drool all over my phone.

    Vegan tofu mozzarella ball, cut in half, sitting on a wooden cutting board with more cheese balls in the background.

    Tofu Mozzarella (Nut-Free Vegan Cheese!)

    Amber Asakura
    If you're looking for a nut-free vegan cheese that's soft, creamy, and perfect for pizza, lasagna, or a refreshing caprese salad, this oil-free tofu mozzarella is for you!
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 25 mins
    Chill Time 45 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
    Course Appetizer, Snack
    Cuisine American, Italian-inspired
    Diet gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, vegan, wfpb
    Makes 12 balls

    Equipment

    • Blender
    • #24 Cookie Scoop or ice cream scoop

    Ingredients
     

    In your blender, combine:

    • 1 package extra firm silken tofu, in the paper/aseptic package, not water-packed (335g-350g)
    • ½ cup (120 g) canned coconut milk, full fat
    • ¼ cup (60 g) water
    • 3 Tablespoons (24 g) tapioca flour, also called tapioca starch
    • 1 Tablespoon (14 g) lemon juice
    • 2 teaspoons (12 g) white or yellow miso
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

    In a small saucepan, combine:

    • ½ cup (120 g) cold water
    • 1 Tablespoon agar powder

    For the ice bath:

    • 3 cups ice
    • 3 cups cold water
    • 2 teaspoons salt

    Instructions
     

    • Combine the tofu, coconut milk, ¼ cup water, tapioca flour, lemon juice, miso, salt, and vinegar in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
    • Whisk together the ½ cup cold water and agar powder in a small saucepan. Cook on medium-high heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking often, until the agar mixture looks thick and syrupy.
    • Now, while whisking continuously, pour the tofu mixture into the saucepan and keep whisking until the agar mixture and the tofu mixture are completely combined.
    • At this point, I like to switch to a silicone spatula for stirring. Continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 5-7 minutes. Your arm might get tired. Your hand might start to cramp. The mixture will start to look lumpy and you might think things have gone horribly wrong, but keep stirring. Eventually the mixture will become smooth, glossy, thick, and stretchy. Once that happens, remove it from heat while you prepare the ice bath.
    • Add the ice, water, and salt to a large bowl, making sure to leave enough room in the bowl so you can drop the cheese balls in without the bowl overflowing. Give it a quick stir to help the salt dissolve slightly. When the ice bath is ready, give your cheesy mixture another quick stir before moving on to the scooping step.
    • Using a #24 cookie scoop (see notes for alternatives), quickly scoop up portions of the warm mixture and drop them into the ice bath. Place the bowl in the fridge and let the mozzarella chill for at least 30 minutes, until your balls are firm (haha).
    • You can either store the mozzarella in the bowl of water and cover with a lid or plastic wrap, or transfer the balls to a storage container, pour in just enough of the salted water to cover them, and put the lid on. The cheese will stay good in the refrigerator for up to a week. Freezing the cheese changes the texture and I don’t recommend it.
    • Slice mozzarella and use anywhere you would use regular mozzarella, or just eat it straight out of the fridge like I do.

    Notes

    If you don't have a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, you can use a tablespoon (for smaller balls) or a ¼ cup measuring cup (for bigger balls, haha). The mixture is sticky, so it helps to use a spoon to scrape the cheese out of the measuring cup and plop it into the ice bath.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 56.1kcalCarbohydrates: 4.4gProtein: 2.2gFat: 2.9gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 227mgPotassium: 82.86mgFiber: 1.6gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 0.49IUVitamin C: 0.55mgCalcium: 31.76mgIron: 0.83mg

    *Nutrition Disclaimer*

    Nutrition information is an estimate. If you are concerned about the accuracy of nutrition information, I encourage you to weigh your ingredients and use a tracking app like Cronometer for more accurate nutritional data.

    Keywords cheese, dairy-free, gluten free, mozzarella, nut-free, oil free, vegan
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating to let me know what you think!
    « Vegan Apple Cake
    Mexican Buddha Bowl with Garlicky Black Beans »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michelle McClintock says

      October 19, 2021 at 6:29 am

      What does it actually taste like? Wouldn’t something be missing without nutritional yeast that’s supposed to give a cheese-like flavor?

    2. Michelle McClintock says

      October 19, 2021 at 6:31 am

      I went through it too fast to notice that it DOES have nutritional yeast (sorry about that). But what does it taste like?

      • Amber Asakura says

        October 19, 2021 at 9:17 am

        Hi Michelle! It doesn't have nutritional yeast in it. I had tested it with nutritional yeast, but didn't like the flavor it added, so I removed it from the ingredients but forgot to take it out of the recipe steps. Sorry about that!

        The mozzarella is creamy and slightly tangy from the lemon juice and vinegar, with a little bit of salty umami from the miso. I hope you'll try it and let me know what you think!

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Amber!

    I'm here to show you that making delicious, nutrient-dense vegan recipes at home can be super easy, inexpensive, and pretty damn fun. Whether you're strictly whole food plant based or just looking to add a little nutrition to your life, I got you covered!

    Oh, and I hope you have a good sense of humor. If the name of this blog tells you anything, you might know I like to keep things interesting. :)

    More about The Throbbing Eggplant →

    Popular Recipes

    • Low-FODMAP Blueberry Muffins
    • Mango Overnight Oats with Banana and Coconut
    • Nut-Free Vegan Caesar Dressing
    • Easy Roasted Pepitas (Oil-Free)

    Recent Posts

    • One Bowl Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
    • Oat Flour Pizza Crust
    • Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Matcha Overnight Oatmeal with Tahini and Dark Chocolate

    Copyright © 2023 The Throbbing Eggplant on the Seasoned Pro Theme