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Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)

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I honestly couldn’t be more excited to share this Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese.

It’s easy to make, uses natural ingredients (including one almost magical one!), and the texture is the closest thing to real cheese that I’ve ever tried. If you don’t believe my words, let me convince you with these photos…

Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)

I’ve experimented with vegan toasted sandwiches in the past, but hadn’t tried making anything with “cheese”, as I didn’t think anything would measure up to the melty, stretchy phenomenon that is real melted cheese!

I did consider using something like tofu ricotta or cashew cheese, but didn’t like the fact that I knew it wouldn’t melt properly like normal cheese.

I wanted to create something using entirely natural, neutral-tasting ingredients that I could use as a base for adding more flavours, and of course something that would have that essential melty, stretchy texture.

Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)

It seemed impossible at first…then I started thinking about mochi…mochi are Japanese sticky rice cakes, which are made from pounding rice until it becomes sticky and glutinous (don’t worry, despite the name it is still gluten-free).

It is sold in many different forms, one of them being in small, hard blocks. When these blocks of mochi are melted, they become incredibly sticky, stretchy and gooey…like real cheese!

And that was when I realised that melted mochi would be my magical secret ingredient – the perfect thing to create a Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese!

You can buy mochi in Asian supermarkets, some local health stores, or online – just make sure you get the hard, firm type that’s sold in blocks.

One word of caution: melted mochi is extremely sticky, so once you have removed the sauce from the pan, please soak your pan in boiling water immediately – otherwise you’ll have a very tricky washing-up situation on your hands!

Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)

But obviously I knew I couldn’t rely on mochi alone…and so I decided to add some boiled potatoes, which also become extra starchy when blended, also contributing to the overall stretch factor of the cheese.

Amusingly, the idea to combine mochi with potatoes to create a melty, stretchy vegan cheese came from my Japanese grandmother.

She always used to make these things called imomochi, which are these savoury mochi “cakes” made with potatoes – the texture is naturally melty, sticky and stretchy, just like the dairy-free cheese that I was after!

Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)

In terms of flavour, you can’t really get any more bland than mochi and potatoes, which means they’re the perfect ingredients for vegan cheese, because they work as a great base for adding other flavours.

Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)

Just like with my Vegan Mac and Cheese, I decided to flavour the cheese with miso, which adds an umami-rich, salty, fermented flavour, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, and a touch of vinegar for a slightly sour cheddar-like flavour. Incidentally, all of the ingredients I used happen to be oil-free and nut-free too!

Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)

I was a bit worried that using potatoes and mochi to make a cheese to go between two slices of bread would mean the whole thing would be far too starchy and heavy, but it surprisingly doesn’t taste overly starchy at all.

I think the contrasting textures of the crisp toast and the gooey cheese prevents this. However, if you’d like to make this grilled cheese a little healthier, you can use white beans instead of potatoes – I’ve tested this too and it’s equally delicious, more nutritious and has more protein + fibre too. I’ve included both options in the recipe below.

Obviously as this particular grilled cheese requires cooking potatoes and mochi first and then blending them, it’s a little bit more effort than your classic grilled cheese…but, if you’re dairy-free and missing cheese, you really gotta try it! Also, a big batch keeps well in the fridge for up to a few days – just pop in the microwave or reheat on the stove before using.

Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)

I really hope you’ll love this Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese as much as I do! It’s melty, stretchy, sticky, melts in your mouth and is absolutely perfect for sandwiching between slices of warm, crispy toast!

Looking for more dairy-free cheese recipes? You might like my:

Looking for more great sandwiches? You might like my

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

If you’d like to see how to make this, check out this 40-second video here:

Helpful tools to make this Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese:

measuring jug

food processor

blender

hand-held stick blender

5 from 6 votes
Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)
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Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Stretchy Melty VEGAN Grilled Cheese with a magical ingredient! Completely natural, nut-free, oil-free, gluten-free.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dairy-free cheese, vegan grilled cheese, vegan stretchy melty cheese
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Calories: 265 kcal
Ingredients
  • 8 slices of bread (gluten-free if necessary)
For the cheese:
  • 1 medium to large-sized potato, peeled and diced*
  • 70 g (2.5oz) mochi (the hard firm mochi sold in blocks)
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 heaped teaspoon miso (ensure gluten-free if necessary)**
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
  • Optional: 1/4 teaspoon (Dijon) mustard
  • Salt + pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Boil potatoes until soft enough to pierce with a fork
  2. Drain away most the water (leaving just 100ml/a little less than 1/2 cup) and keep the potatoes in the saucepan
  3. Place the mochi underneath the potatoes and cook on a low heat for a further 5 minutes or so until mochi has melted and become sticky
  4. Turn off heat and add nutritional yeast, miso, vinegar, mustard and salt + pepper
  5. Use either a blender, food processor or hand-held stick blender (this is the easiest option as you can just do it in the same saucepan) and whizz until completely smooth
  6. Toast your slices of bread and spread a generous amount of the sauce over half of the slices, then sandwich them together***
  7. Best enjoyed immediately, but leftover cheese keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a few days - just pop in the microwave or reheat on the stove before using
Recipe Notes

One word of caution: melted mochi is extremely sticky, so once you have removed the sauce from the pan, please soak your pan in boiling water immediately - otherwise you'll have a very tricky washing-up situation on your hands!
*If using white beans instead of potatoes, sub the potatoes with 150g/5oz tinned white beans - make sure they've been drained and rinsed. There's no need to boil them first, so just cook the mochi in 100ml (a little less than 1/2 cup) water for around 5 minutes until soft and melty, then add the white beans and continue to cook for another couple of minutes until heated through
**If you have trouble getting hold of miso, you can substitute with soy sauce (or tamari), and add extra nutritional yeast and salt if necessary
***I was lazy and just toasted my slices of bread and spread the cheese sauce between them, but you can alternatively use a grilled cheese maker or a frying pan

Nutrition Facts
Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese
Amount Per Serving
Calories 265
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of these films, a small percentage will come to me, with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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Comments

    • Hi Shirley! Mochi is a Japanese sticky rice cake made from pounding rice until it’s sticky and glutinous (but still gluten-free!). There are loads of types of mochi but the type I used for this recipe is the kind that’s sold in hard, firm blocks. You can buy it from Asian supermarkets, some local health stores and online! I hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!

  2. That is one inspired idea and something I’d never have thought of in a million years. I am very impressed! Shared!

    Reply

  4. Rhian, how smart n clever. Sounds delicious ? but too many carbs for me, I’m sure many others will enjoy it.

    Reply

    • Thank you so much! I do agree about the carbs…I mentioned in the post it could work with white beans instead of potatoes. I will be testing out that version very soon! I suppose it could be nice with a grain-free bread too. Thanks again!

  7. I’ve never heard of mochi either! This looks so interesting. I’m pretty impressed with some of the store-bought vegan cheeses out there today but this looks like fun to try at home. This looks so easy too compared to some of the vegan cheese recipes out there. Can’t wait to try this!!

    Reply

  8. Now that looks like a cool choice! I will try to make some for my kids, to try some vegan food. I think they will love it. 🙂 Thank you for the idea! 🙂

    Reply

  9. Looks great! I love mochi — have a sweet version in the fridge (I cook and stuff it with various things, very delicious), so will try with a plain version next time I grab some from the store.

    Just a note you have duplicated one of the images near the end, last two are exactly the same.

    Reply

  10. I tried this today. It tasted quite nice, but never ever got stringy. I followed the directions as listed and kept waiting for the first part to get stringy, but it never did. Then I added the vinegar etc. and it came out kinda like gloopy mashed potatoes.

    Any thoughts?

    Reply

    • Hi, thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad the taste was ok, and I’m so sorry about the texture. What type of mochi did you use? I posted a video for the recipe the other day: https://youtu.be/DNeTnNtx68c. How does the video compare to what you did? I used white beans in the video but potatoes work well too. Thanks!

    • Your video doesn’t follow the recipe here. In the video, you put the mochi in first and then you added the white beans. I guess I should try it like that, be ause mine came out gloopy as well.

    • So sorry it was unclear! I used white beans in the video whereas the recipe is for potatoes. For the white bean version, I’ve included the instructions in the recipe notes: “If using white beans instead of potatoes, sub the potatoes with 150g/5oz tinned white beans – make sure they’ve been drained and rinsed. There’s no need to boil them first, so just cook the mochi in 100ml (a little less than 1/2 cup) water for around 5 minutes until soft and melty, then add the white beans and continue to cook for another couple of minutes until heated through”. If yours came out gloopy I would suggest adding less water. Let me know if you have any other questions!

  11. Hi, this recipe and your other mochi cheese recipes look awesome! Do you think that cauliflower could work in place of beans or potatoes?

    Reply

  13. Can I use mochiko and tapioca flour instead? As far as I know they are the main ingredients of mochi. Has anybody tried that?

    Reply

    • Hi – I tried using just mochiko and the texture didn’t turn out so good, was a little grainy and not as stretchy. Do let me know how you get on if you try anything though! Thanks!

  15. I haven’t tried the cauliflower yet, but I did try butternut squash. Nice color but too sweet! I am working my way up to cauliflower, but I’m sure it will work now!

    Reply

    • I don’t think mochi rice would work. I tried with mochiko flour once and the texture wasn’t as good as mochi but it could be an option if you can’t get hold of mochi. Another good option is tapioca flour!

  20. Such a great idea to use mochi – used this as a pizza topping and it was incredible thank you!!

    Reply

  21. This looks great but I can not have nutritional yeast. Any suggestions to what to use in stead nutritional yeast?

    Reply

  22. Wow sounds epic! Is the mochi from the Asian Shops just made of rice or do they add sugar and weird ingredients in it? Would to try it but would love to keep it healthy. Thank you so much!

    Reply

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