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Vegan Oaxaca-Style Cheese

Name: Vegan Oaxaca-Style Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 40 g Tapioca starch; 20 g Nutritional yeast; 0.5 cdta Garlic powder; 1 Lime; 2 cdas Coconut oil; Salt; Vegetable oil; 150 g Cashews

20 min (10 prep + 10 cook) Medium 8 servings Moderno MX

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 30 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

About this recipe

Stretchy, meltable vegan cheese made from soaked cashews, tapioca starch and nutritional yeast — melts and pulls just like the real Oaxaca quesillo.

History & Origin

Oaxaca cheese — known locally as 'quesillo' — is perhaps Mexico's most famous cheese. Made using a process of kneading and stretching similar to Italian mozzarella, it has a characteristic fibrous texture that pulls into long threads. This vegan version recreates that elastic, meltable texture through a clever combination: soaked cashews provide fat and creaminess, tapioca starch creates the elastic, stretchy texture, nutritional yeast delivers that umami, subtly dairy-like flavour, and coconut oil contributes to the meltability. The result is a fully functional cheese: it melts over quesadillas, pulls apart over tacos and tops Mexican pizzas with the same generosity as the original. It is the key ingredient for any vegan cook wanting to recreate Mexican cuisine without sacrificing iconic flavours and textures. Once you master this base recipe, you can adjust the tapioca to make it more or less stretchy depending on your needs. It is the perfect demonstration that modern vegan cooking can pay homage to tradition with complete fidelity.

Estimated cost

£4.50

Total cost

£0.56

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

120

Calories

Protein

Carbohydrates

Fat

Fibre

280mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Soak the cashews in cold water for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse well before using.
💡 The longer they soak, the creamier the cheese will be.
2
Blend the drained cashews with 200ml of fresh water until completely smooth. Add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, lime juice, coconut oil and salt. Blend again until fully combined.
3
Add the tapioca starch to the blended mixture and whisk well until no lumps remain.
💡 Tapioca starch is the secret to the stretchy texture — do not omit it.
4
Pour the mixture into a non-stick saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a silicone spatula. Within 5-8 minutes the mixture will thicken, turn glossy and pull away from the sides.
5
When the dough is elastic, glossy and comes cleanly away from the base, remove from the heat. Work it with the spatula for another minute until smooth and homogeneous.
6
Pour into a lightly oiled mould. Smooth the surface and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour to set. Unmould and use for quesadillas, tacos or pizzas.
💡 For a 'quesillo' effect, stretch the cheese while it is still warm.