Today is the launch of another amazing new dairy-free cookbook: DIY Vegan: More Than 100 Easy Recipes to Create an Awesome Plant-Based Pantry by Nicole Axworthy & Lisa Pitman. And to celebrate, they’re sharing this teaser recipe from the book for dairy-free Buffalo Mozzarella.
To me, cookbooks like DIY Vegan are just plain fun. Mimicking simple store-bought items is not only easy, but healthier and often tastier! And as you can tell with the dairy-free buffalo mozzarella recipe below, these ladies definitely get creative. Here is a sample smattering of other recipes that you will find within this vibrant full-color cookbook:
Cashew Coffee Creamer- Cultured Nut Cheese
- Frozen Yogurt
- Toaster Pastries
- Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
- Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce
- Garlic Cashew Mayonnaise
- Chai Concentrate
- Pizza Dough Mixes (gluten-free & spelt)
- Dill Pickle Popcorn Shaker
- Homestyle Banana-Walnut Muffin Mix
- Quick Caramel Sauce
- Chocolate Pudding Snack Packs
- Cherry Pie
- Cinnamon Graham Crackers
To note, for almost every wheat-based recipe in DIY Vegan there seems to be a gluten-free recipe equivalent. Also, it is a mostly soy-free cookbook. And though they use “pantry” in the sub-title, it’s really a divide between recipes for your pantry and complete recipes or basic recipes for your refrigerator.
Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Buffalo Mozzarella
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 6 hours
- ½ cup + ⅔ cup water, divided
- ½ teaspoon dairy-free probiotic powder
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup agar flakes, or 2¼ teaspoons agar powder
- Drain and rinse the soaked cashews.
- In a blender, combine the cashews, ½ cup water, and probiotic powder and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a glass or ceramic bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and set aside to ferment for 24 hours.
- In a blender, combine the fermented cashew mixture, nutritional yeast, xanthan gum, and salt and blend until smooth and creamy.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the agar and ⅔ cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking often, for 10 minutes until all the agar has dissolved and the liquid begins to thicken.
- In a shallow medium bowl, combine the blended cashew mixture and the agar mixture. Whisk until the agar mixture is completely incorporated.
- Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.
- Divide the cheese into quarters. Put each portion on a square piece of plastic wrap. Pull the corners of the plastic wrap together over the cheese and twist to form the cheese into a tight ball, just like the classic buffalo mozzarella shape.
- Return to the refrigerator to chill for an additional hour or two before slicing. Store any leftovers tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
This recipe for dairy-free buffalo mozzarella is reprinted with permissions from DIY Vegan, St. Martin's Press, 2015.
14 Comments
Hi!
Can I use unsalted cashews?
Or is the salt in the nuts important for the correct moisture and consistency?
There are two issues with salted nuts that you would need to adjust for. One is obviously the salt level. You’ll likely need to reduce the salt, but I can’t say by how much. The other is that most salted nuts are roasted. Roasting makes the cashew flavor more pronounced, and can also alter the ability of the nuts to absorb water and become as creamy. So if you do use salted cashews, keep these aspects in mind for both adjusting the recipe and recognizing that it might not taste exactly the same as intended.
why do you have to use probiotics ?
This is a cultured cheese alternative recipe, so the probiotics are the bacteria used for culturing.
I used to be able to Buy Buffalo Mozzarella at Trader Joes or Harry and David stores. Its only offered seasonably but this might have to be tried in the meantime!
Production of probiotic powder seems way too elaborate to justify using it. I’m trying to go dairy free for health and eco reasons and just the fact that I would have to buy probiotic powder seems against all i’m trying to do. I guess no mozzarella for me! 🙂
Hi..need very much to try this recipe. How much gelatin would I use as Agar substitute?
Thanks for being there!
Frankie C.
I did some research and it looks like a 1:1 swap Frank. But gelatin just needs to be dissolved in warm water, you shouldn’t need the boiling step.
Hello! Can you use tapioca flour in place of agar? Thank you!
You can use a starch, but it won’t quite work the same. Gelatin and agar are more equivalent swaps, but gelatin wouldn’t be vegetarian, if that is a concern for you.
I would love to try this! Can the cheese be baked, or is it only to be served cold?
Yes, it can be baked! I’m not sure exactly how it melts, but it can be enjoyed on pizza 🙂
Adding it to my Amazon wish list now! I have been wanting to try to make my own vegan cheese and this looks like a good recipe to start with. I also want to make my own creamer and other non-dairy dairy items.
this recipe is dog-eared in my copy of this AWESOME book – this recipe and SO MANY others, ha!