The BEST Vegan Burrata Cheese with Cashews (Dairy-Free) - My Vegan Minimalist (2024)

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.

💌 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.

1. Placeraw cashewsin 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 thendrain.

3. Place cashews in a high-speedblenderorfood processor. Add all theremaining ingredients(except for the ice).

4. Blenduntilcompletelysmooth and no bits remain.

5. Pourthe mixture into anon-stick pan. Slowlyheat upwhilestirringcontinuously with a silicone spatula.

6. In a few minutes, you will notice the mixture starting tothicken. Keep stirringon the heat for afurther 1-2 minutesuntil the mixture feels very sticky, elastic & stretchy.

7 & 8 - Grab a large piece ofplastic wrap (cling film). Divide the mixture into two balls. Place each ball on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it tightly

9. Dunkeach wrapped burrata ball into theice watermixture.

10. Place the wrapped balls in anairtight container. Let cool in the fridge for20-30 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

🌱 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