Making this vegan burrata cheese is SUCH a rewarding process! Based on cashews, this plant-based cheese is packed with healthy fats & super easy to make.
Meet my latest addiction - a vegan alternative to burrata cheese.
Jump to:
💌 Why I Love This Recipe
- Super easy
- Turns out perfect EACH time
- Simplified recipe
- Contains healthy fats
- Super stretchy texture
- No coconut oil needed
- Pairs so well with cherry tomatoes & fresh basil
If this is your FIRST time making a vegan cheese recipe, I’m here to guide you every step of the way. We’ve got step-by-step photos & expert tips ready to make this recipe a success.
Plus, the measurements are available in both US cups and grams/milliliters.
🥛 Ingredients
Let’s see what goes into this yummy vegan burrata cheese.
Ingredient Details
Cashew nuts - These form the base of our recipe. Find them in the nuts section of your local supermarket. Make sure you are using raw (untoasted & unsalted) cashews.
Almond milk - Make sure you are using vegan milk with NO sugar. Check the nutritional label and look for a 0 next to the sugars section. If you don’t have almond milk on hand, you can replace it with soy milk or oat milk. Avoid coconut milk due to its strong taste (well, unless you’re hoping for a coconutty version of burrata in which case please go ahead).
Arrowroot Powder OR tapioca Starch - You can use either of these two. Simply choose the one that’s more widely available in your part of the world. They both serve as a thickener in this recipe, helping the burrata keep its shape & texture.
Citric Acid OR lemon Juice - to add acidity to our burrata. Citric acid is my go-to choice, usually available in health stores or online on Amazon. However, if you can’t find citric acid, don’t just skip it - use lemon juice instead. This is an important element of the recipe and one that absolutely should not be left out.
Agar-Agar Powder - While arrowroot or tapioca add thickness, agar-agar helps this vegan cheese set. It’s not usually available in smaller grocery stores so I recommend buying it online or at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s & other health stores.
Aside from the main ingredients, you’ll also need some salt & ice cubes.
🥄 Equipment
You will need:
- A high-speed blender or food processor
- Plastic wrap (cling film)
- An airtight container
- A non-stick pan or pot
- A silicone spatula (or another non-stick spatula)
⏲️ Steps
TIP - This is a quick visual overview of how to make vegan burrata cheese. If you prefer to skip this and not read my tips & FAQ, just scroll to the bottom of this page for recipe details.
- Place raw cashews in a bowl and fill with boiling hot water until they are covered completely. Soak until soft - approx. 20 minutes.
2. Rinse the cashews with cold water and then drain.
3. Place cashews in a high-speed blender or food processor. Add all the remaining ingredients (except for the ice).
4. Blend until completely smooth and no bits remain.
5. Pour the mixture into a non-stick pan. Slowly heat up while stirring continuously with a silicone spatula.
6. In a few minutes, you will notice the mixture starting to thicken. Keep stirring on the heat for a further 1-2 minutes until the mixture feels very sticky, elastic & stretchy.
7 & 8 - Grab a large piece of plastic wrap (cling film). Divide the mixture into two balls. Place each ball on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it tightly
9. Dunk each wrapped burrata ball into the ice water mixture.
10. Place the wrapped balls in an airtight container. Let cool in the fridge for 20-30 minutes (or longer) before eating.
The end result will be a gorgeous fresh mozzarella-like ball that’s simply irresistible!
💡 Expert Tips
- Prepare your plastic wrap (cling film) AHEAD. The cheese mixture sets quite fast so you don’t want to be wasting any time.
- You can also prepare the ice bath ahead.
- Be quick - don’t let the cheese mixture stand around in the pan for too long.
- Serve it with a drizzle of olive oil & some sea salt flakes.
- It’s also great drizzled with some balsamic vinegar.
- Traditionally served at room temperature but I prefer it straight from the fridge.
❓FAQ
When pulled apart into smaller pieces (see photo above) this burrata has a remarkably real texture resembling real cheese. However, to keep this recipe as fuss-free & simple as possible, it does NOT have a super gooey center.
Yes! You’ll just need to use GF-suitable milk. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
I think cashews work so well so I haven’t tried using anything else yet. If I do try that, I’ll update this blog post right away.
It does! It melts pretty well, similar to most vegan cheeses. It won’t be quite the same as using regular cheese but it will melt a fair bit, making it great for pizzas or paninis.
Yes!
🌱 Variations
Here’s how to jazz up this cashew cheese burrata a bit.
Nutritional yeast - adds a cheesy flavor. Simply add it to the mixture (before blending). Find it in health stores like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Holland & Barrett etc.
Garlic powder - if you want to add a garlicky kick.
🧀 Serving
You’ve made your gorgeous burrata. Now what?
If you think Caprese salad is the only use for this burrata, I’ve got good news for you.
You can use it:
- On top of pizza along with my 5-minute green pizza sauce,
- On fresh sourdough bread with green vegan pesto and some Italian herbs,
- Sprinkled on salads
- With freshly baked dinner rolls or this show-stopped garlic herb bread.
Alternatively, you can simply eat it with a knife and fork.
Burrata has a mild flavor so you could also pair it with fresh summer fruits. Peaches and berries both pair well with burrata.
The options are endless!
📦 Storing
To store - Place the burrata in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
The burrata will lose some of its shape over time and become a little bit softer after a few days.
If that’s not to your taste, I recommend eating it fresh & finishing it as soon as possible.
Sadly, I would NOT recommend freezing this dish. It simply doesn’t freeze well and will be completely unappetizing.
This wraps it up!
Got any questions? Just leave a comment below!
Made this vegan replacement for burrata? If so, it would mean a LOT to me if you could leave a comment & star rating below - seeing your comments always makes my day! Don’t forget to check out more of my amazing recipes (all vegan!).
🍴Recipe
The BEST Vegan Burrata Cheese with Cashews (Dairy-Free)
Equipment
- A high-speed blender or food processor
- Plastic wrap cling film
- An airtight container
- A non-stick pan or pot
- A silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews raw
- 1 cup almond milk unsweetened - or other vegan milk
- 2.5 tablespoon arrowroot or tapioca powder
- ¼ teaspoon citric acid or 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon agar
- 20 ice cubes
Instructions
- Place raw cashews in a bowl and fill with boiling hot water until they are covered completely. Soak until soft - approx. 20 minutes.1 cup cashews
- Rinse the cashews with cold water and then drain.
- Place cashews in a high-speed blender or food processor. Add all the remaining ingredients (except for the ice).1 cup almond milk, 2.5 tablespoon arrowroot or tapioca powder, ¼ teaspoon citric acid, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon agar
- Blend until completely smooth and no bits remain.
- Pour the mixture into a non-stick pan or pot. Slowly heat up while stirring continuously with a silicone spatula.
- In a few minutes, you will notice the mixture starting to thicken.
- Keep stirring on the heat for a further 1-2 minutes until the mixture feels very sticky, elastic & stretchy.
- Remove from heat.
- Add ice cubes to a medium-sized bowl and fill it with cold water (don't fill it all the way, leave some room on top).20 ice cubes
- Grab a large piece of plastic wrap (cling film). Divide the burrata mixture into two balls. Place each ball on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it tightly (see photos).
- Dunk each wrapped burrata ball into the ice water mixture.
- Place the wrapped balls in an airtight container. Let cool in the fridge for 20-30 minutes (or longer) before eating.
Notes
- Tip 1 - Prepare your plastic wrap (cling film) AHEAD. The cheese mixture sets quite fast so you don’t want to be wasting any time.
- Tip 2 - You can also prepare the ice bath ahead.
- Tip 3 - Be quick - don’t let the cheese mixture stand around in the pan for too long.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The nutritional information above is calculated automatically. The author of this post cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of this data.
Deanne
Hi 😊, I don’t have a non stick pan. Will this recipe work in a stainless steel pan ?
Thank you
Tajda Ferko
Hi lovely! I haven't personally tried it in a stainless steel pan. Non-stick, Tefal-style pan definitely works best but I think stainless steel could work too - you would definitely need to stir it a little bit more frequently and vigorously in order to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan if that makes sense. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions just let me know! 🙂
ALRhoads
Does it taste like nuts? That’s the only thing I worry about. I’ve never had vegan cheese but I really wanna try this, It looks amazing!
Tajda Ferko
I think it tastes a little bit nutty - however, it's not overpowering or super noticeable. I notice the salty/savory/acidic flavor a lot more. Hope this helps and let me know if you end up making it! 🙂 x
chiara
Gorgeous recipe 😊 just one wee question: I've been making vegam cheeses for a while and they come out delish but they always have a yellowish tinge I personally don't like - I suppose it's because of the cashews.. is there any way to get them as white as your burrata in the pictures? Thanks 🙂
Tajda Ferko
Hi Chiara, thank you for your lovely comment & rating! Oh, that's interesting, mine always turn out very close to white (non-yellow), perhaps a very light beige. I assume you are using raw (untoasted & unsalted) cashews, right? Another thing that could make a difference is the type of plant milk you are using, for example, I find that certain types of milk (e.g. almond) are a lot whiter than others (e.g. soya, oat). There can be noticeable differences between different brands as well so I'd try to find the whitest version possible (this might depend on your location, Almond Breeze is a great option in the UK - their almond milk is very white.) I hope this helps a little! Generally I'd say try to follow the recipe to the dot as that is always the safest bet to get it as close to the images on my blog as possible. Thank you for reaching out! xx
Carol
Hi Chiara. I've found that adding some Citric Acid to the cashew soaking water seems to whiten them a bit