Fresh Mozzarella Gone Plant-Based
Servings: 36 1 teaspoon sized small balls
Calories:
Discover the creamy delight of fresh mozzarella gone plant-based. It is perfect for salads, appetizers, on pizza and so much more. Explore PLANTifull Fare recipes and tips for enjoying this classic Italian cheese made without dairy and oil!
Print Recipe
Equipment
- High speed Blender
- Sauce Pan
- Bowl of Ice Water
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews 140g
- 1 cup unsweetened plant-based thick yogurt 245g
- ¼ cup water 59mL
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch optional
- 1 teaspoon salt or salt substitute 119mL
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon agar powder
Instructions
- Soak the cashews. Soak the cashews for 2 hours, or, for a faster soak, pour boiling water over them, cover, and soak them for 20 minutes. Then drain them.
- Make the cashew mixture. Combine the following ingredients in a small blender and blend until smooth. The tapioca starch is optional and the only way to get any sort of stretchy cheese. It will have a slight tapioca starch flavor so use at your own desire. Set mixture aside until the agar is ready.
- Make the agar liquid. Whisk together the agar powder and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium low heat, then turn it down and simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.
- Separately, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- Combine and create balls. Once the agar liquid is ready, immediately pour the cashew-yogurt mixture into the agar mixture and combine well with a whisk. (It may be lumpy at first.) Continue cooking over medium heat, 3–5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk, until the mixture is smooth and stretchy.
- Now scoop balls of the cheese with a cookie scoop or measuring tablespoon, dropping them into the ice bath. For best results, immerse the scoop in the ice water each time before scooping.
- To create the most common shape, use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons). This size is called fior de latte.
- To create ovolini, use a smaller cookie scoop (2 tablespoons). I prefer using a 1 metal measuring 1 teaspoon size for creating cherry sized shapes.
- To create bite-sized balls of 1-inch diameter, use a ½- or 1-tablespoon measure to create a size somewhere between the golf ball-size known as bocconcini and cherry-size pearls known as ciliegine.
- Let the balls sit in the ice water for 20–30 minutes until firm. Then drain the water and use the balls or store them in an airtight plastic or glass container.
- They will last about 5 days in the refrigerator. They cannot be frozen.