The first time I tried Daiya was at Pizza Pi in Seattle, Washington, about two years ago. I hadn’t had cheese or anything cheese-like for the past four or five years, so biting into that first slice of amazing dairy-free Daiya-laden pizza was sort of shocking and weird, but in a very good way. Trying out this soft and slightly gooey fresh soy- and nut-free homemade vegan mozzarella brought back that same kind of omgwhatisthisamazingness feeling, although the taste of this cheese is very different from Daiya’s flavor and texture. To give this mozzarella its uniquely soft and velvety texture, I tweaked the the original recipe by adding in some tapioca flour and slightly increasing the amount of coconut vinegar, which reduced the agar’s ability to fully gel and set. This final texture is perfect for dolloping on to a pizza and, when removed from a piping hot oven, is beautifully melted and releases an amazing cheesy aroma.
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FRESH VEGAN MOZZARELLA PIZZA
- Yield: 1 cup mozarella
Ingredients
- 1 can good-quality coconut milk
- 1 tsp coconut vinegar
- 2/3 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp agar powder
- 1 TB tapioca flour
Instructions
- Place the coconut milk into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until well-emulsified. Add in the vinegar, salt and agar and whisk frequently for about 15 minutes, or until a small boil occurs. Reduce the heat immediately, then whisk in the tapioca flour and heat for 5-10 minutes more.
- Transfer to a flat-bottomed glass pyrex dish to slightly gel for about an hour.
- Place small dollops of the cheese onto a homemade or prepared pizza crust with other desired toppings and bake on a pizza stone at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Gina says
I am so excited about trying this. I haven’t been able to have cheese as the store bought kind contains xanthan gum which I can’t tolerate. I could only find agar flakes not the powder. Do I simply put it in my food processor? I hope that is not a stupid question. I am a newbie at cooking from scratch but I’m trying thanks to multiple new food sensistivites.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
erinwyso says
Hi Gina, not a stupid question at all! If you have the flakes, you can grind them in a food processor, but a coffee grinder would be best if you have one. You can also purchase agar online in powder form (Amazon sells Telephone brand in small packets, which is great). I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Anonymous says
I will definitely give it a try. I've tied several brands of vegan cheeses here in the US and so far they've all disappointed me. Daiya cheeses taste horrific to me 🙁
Anonymous says
Is it possible to make this a day ahead of time and refrigerate?
erinwyso says
Yep!
Anonymous says
this recipe is wonderful. I've tried it melted on sandwiches, on pizza and both ways it is very tasty. Have you ever tried making it with light coconut milk?
erinwyso says
Thanks for trying it out, and glad you like! This recipe is completely dependent upon a good amount of fat, so I am not sure using a light coconut milk would work here.
Anonymous says
I just tried the recipe for coconut milk mozerella. I even found the coconut vinegar at whole foods. I couldn't resist after 2 hours in the frig. The consistency is more like jello that is not yet firm. I cut a small piece and it collapsed before I could get it out. I dipped a cracker in, it tastes ok, but basically is nto firm. Any suggestions?
erinwyso says
This cheese is supposed to be sort of gooey so you can dollop it onto pizza. If you want it more firm, just add in a little more agar powder and be sure to boil it to activate it.