How do I ensure my homemade vegan mozzarella becomes stretchy?

To achieve stretchy mozzarella, blend all ingredients until smooth, then cook in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it becomes a cohesive, thick, and stretchy mass.

Why do the cashews need to be soaked for the pesto and mozzarella?

Soaking cashews for 8 hours cold or boiling them for 15 minutes softens them, ensuring a completely smooth and creamy texture for both the basil pesto and the vegan mozzarella.

What should I do if the vegan mozzarella mixture looks like it's curdling while cooking?

It's normal for the mozzarella mixture to appear to curdle or separate after a couple of minutes of cooking. Simply reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring constantly until it thickens into a cohesive mass.

Can I prepare this Margherita pizza ahead of time and freeze it?

Yes, you can assemble a pizza without baking it, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze it until you are ready to bake and serve it fresh.

Can I use store-bought pesto instead of making the fresh basil pesto?

While the recipe provides instructions for fresh basil pesto, you could substitute with a store-bought vegan pesto if preferred, though the homemade version offers a distinct fresh flavor.

2.7K Views 10 years ago

Margherita Pizza With Fresh Basil Pesto and Mozzarella
[Vegan]

Name: Margherita Pizza With Fresh Basil Pesto and Mozzarella [Vegan]
Cook time: 45 min
Yield: 2 pizzas
Ingredients: 2 pizza crusts (pre-baked or pre-bought); 1 cup tomato sauce; 1 large tomato, very thinly sliced; 1/2 cup soaked cashews, soaked 8 hours cold or boil for 15 minutes; 1/2 cup olive oil; 2-3 cloves garlic; 2 cups packed basil leaves; 1/4 cup soaked cashews (soaked 8 hours cold or boil for 15 minutes); 1 cup hot water; 2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon tapioca starch; 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional); 1 small garlic clove, minced; 3/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; 1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast; More salt and nutritional yeast to taste (optional)

JH By: Jennifer Harmon

Author Bio

Jennifer Harmon is the founder and recipe developer of the vegan food blog, Peppers and... Read More

Build your own custom collections — save, add notes, customize and print!

Order with Instacart Download Our App

Baked vegan Margherita pizza with stretchy cashew mozzarella, basil pesto, and sliced tomatoes.

For brands

Want to reach our audience?

Partner with One Green Planet →Not a brand? join our membership!

Discover more recipes with these ingredients

Cheesy Recipes

Margherita Pizza With Fresh Basil Pesto and Mozzarella [Vegan]

1240.0

2 pizzas

Dairy Free

This pizza tastes like Italian summer in your mouth! Or at least what I imagine Italian summer tastes like. The crunchy yet chewy crust is topped with tomato sauce, thinly sliced tomatoes, homemade vegan mozzarella and fresh from the garden basil pesto….mhmmm. It is creamy, chewy, fresh, and most of... Read More

Ingredients You Need for Margherita Pizza With Fresh Basil Pesto and Mozzarella [Vegan]

For the Pizza Base:

2 pizza crusts (pre-baked or pre-bought)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 large tomato, very thinly sliced

For the Fresh Basil Pesto:

1/2 cup soaked cashews, soaked 8 hours cold or boil for 15 minutes
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
2 cups packed basil leaves

For the Vegan Mozzarella:

1/4 cup soaked cashews (soaked 8 hours cold or boil for 15 minutes)
1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon tapioca starch
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
1 small garlic clove, minced
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
More salt and nutritional yeast to taste (optional)

Build your own custom collections — save, add notes, customize and print!

Order with Instacart Download Our App

How to Prepare Margherita Pizza With Fresh Basil Pesto and Mozzarella [Vegan]

Start by preheating your oven to 375°F.
To make the pesto, combine all pesto ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
To make the mozzarella, blend all ingredients together in a high-speed blender until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
Pour into a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly over medium-high heat. After a couple of minutes the mixture will start to look weird, like it’s curdling or separating. This is totally normal, reduce heat to medium and keep stirring so you don’t burn the cheese to the bottom of the pot.
Keep cooking and stirring until really thick (about 2-3 more minutes) and the mixture becomes like a cohesive mass of melted dairy cheese and begins to stretch. Remove from heat and let cool.
Pour 1/2 cup tomato sauce on each raw pizza. Evenly distribute thinly sliced tomatoes on both pizzas.
Using a spoon, place spoonfuls of cheese mixture evenly over both pizzas.
Finally, drizzle the basil pesto evenly over both pizzas until you run out.
This part is optional, but recommended: sprinkle a little more salt and nutritional yeast over both pizzas.
Place one or both pizzas in oven to bake about 20 minutes. Watch the pizzas, you want the mozzarella to brown a little on top. Serve immediately. If you choose to save the other pizza, do not cook it. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in freezer until ready to bake.

Notes

*The vegan mozzarella is adapted from Vedged Out's Foxy Moxy cheese recipe.

Nutritional Information

Note: The information shown is based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.