Vegan Mozzarella Sticks

4.67 from 3 votes

Vegan Mozzarella Sticks

Level up your snack game with these incredibly delicious, crunchy, creamy, melty vegan mozzarella sticks! Made with homemade Cashew mozzarella. They're perfect with some marinara for dipping.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cashew mozzarella cheese, cashew mozzarella margherita pizza, vegan mozzarella sticks

Servings:

Author: Vegan Richa

Equipment

deep skillet

Ingredients

For the Mozzarella

1/2 cup raw cashews slightly heaping
1/2 cup firm tofu no need to press, or firm silken tofu , or use 1/4 cup raw cashews instead
1 cup water
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yellow miso or chickpea miso(for soyfree)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour or more tapioca starch for gluten-free option

For the Dredging Stations

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon flax meal
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup panko breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs of choice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Italian herb blend
1 tablespoon vegan butter melted, or use oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the cashew mozzarella block.

Blend all of the mozzarella ingredients until really creamy. Blend for 1 minute, then let the mixture sit for 5 minutes for the mixture to rehydrate. Then, blend again for 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 3 times until very creamy. Transfer the mixture to a skillet over medium heat, cook stirring frequently to avoid lumps. Initially the mixture will thicken unevenly, but it will even out after a few minutes of boiling and stirring. Cook until homogeneously thickened and starting to stiffen or brown a bit at the bottom.
Switch off the heat, and transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined or well greased loaf pan(9 by 5 inch or similar size). Even out with a spatula, and let it cool for 10 minutes, then put it into the freezer to set.

Prepare the dredging stations.

Place the flour in one shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix the non-dairy milk, flax meal, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian herbs, and melted butter or oil, mixing well.

Assemble the mozzarella sticks.

Check on the mozzarella after half an hour to see if it’s set and easy to slice, otherwise let it chill for a bit longer. When it’s set, remove from the freezer and tap to release it from the loaf pan or use the parchment paper to remove it. If the cheese is still somewhat soft, freeze for a bit longer. When it’s firm, slice into 1/2” or less thick slices and get them ready to dredge. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, you may want to slice and freeze again while you get the dredging station ready and preheat the oven or oil.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat each stick in flour, then the milk mixture, then use a new fork to transfer to the breadcrumb mixture and coat well. Then place on the baking sheet. Repeat for all sticks
To bake: Bake at 425° F (218° C) for 6-8 minutes, then broil for 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown.
To pan fry: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the mozzarella sticks without crowding the pan, Pan fry for a minute then flip and continue until golden. Another half a minute or more. Remove from the skillet.
Serve these immediately with marinara sauce or dipping sauce of choice.

Video

Notes

Frying: If planning to deep fry these sticks, double bread them, I.e repeat the whole breading after breading once, this will ensure that the mozzarella doesn’t leaks out of the sticks and mess up the oil.

For a stringier cheese, use 3/4 cup cashews total, no tofu, and 2 extra teaspoons of tapioca starch.

Gluten-free use the tapioca starch instead of flour in cheese. The sticks can be made gluten-free, as well, with flours like rice and oat and gluten-free breadcrumbs.

For nut-free, use hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds instead of the cashews, and blend the mixture a bit longer. The mozzarella will have a little bit of color from the pumpkin seeds.

To make this soy-free, use a soy-free block of vegan mozzarella and make sure that if you use vegan butter, it’s also soy-free.

Storage: Store mozzarella cheese and breading ingredients separately, because breaded mozzarella sticks will soften in the fridge. The mozzarella can be stored in the fridge for upto 3 days. You can freeze the breaded unbaked mozzarella sticks, and bake them directly from the freezer.
Reheat: If you do have leftover cooked and breaded mozzarella sticks, you can reheat them in the oven to crisp them up a little bit, but they do have the best texture if you serve them immediately.

Nutrition