Best Vegan Cheese for Pizza

Vegan pizza cheese melted over a pizza with fresh basil, olives, and red onion.

5 from 1 vote

The best vegan cheese for pizza is an easy, no-cook recipe with wholesome plant-based ingredients made in the blender with raw cashews in less than 20 minutes.

Prep Time15

Total Time20

Course: Condiment, Ingredients

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 126kcal

Author: Denise Perrault

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon miso paste
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon tapioca starch see notes
½ cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them soak for 15 minutes while you gather the rest of the ingredients.
Drain and rinse the cashews. Add them to a blender with the remaining ingredients, plus ¼ cup of water.
Start blending at a low speed, adding more of the remaining water until the mixture is smooth. The cheese should be slightly runny and spreadable.
Spread the cheese on a prebaked pizza crust with sauce and toppings until the cheese is slightly firm and brown.

Notes

Cornstarch, cassava flour, potato flour, and arrowroot are good substitutes for tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
Soaking cashews is one way to avoid a gritty consistency. I also recommend using a blender because the shape pushes the ingredients downward and compresses them. This is better than the larger container of a food processor. The longer you blend, the smoother the consistency.
Store vegan pizza cheese for 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stir it before using.
Freeze cheese for 3 months and thaw it before using. Stir and add ½ a teaspoon of tapioca starch if it is too runny. If the cheese is slightly gritty, blend it for a few minutes.
Use ground sunflower seeds for a nut-free option. Sunflower seeds have a strong flavor. Adjust the lemon juice and nutritional yeast accordingly.

Nutrition