Vegan Cashew Cheese Margherita Pizza

Name: Vegan Cashew Cheese Margherita Pizza
Prep time: 53 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 1 h 11 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3¾ cups (500 g) bread flour, plus extra for dusting; 1⅓ cups (320 ml) water, warm, about 95°F (35°C), comfortable on the inside of your wrist; 1¼ tsp (4 g) instant yeast; 1¾ tsp (10 g) fine sea salt; 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup (150 g) raw unsalted cashews, soaked in boiling water for at least 30 minutes, then drained; 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water, for soaking the cashews; ⅓ cup (80 ml) cold water, for blending, plus a splash more if needed; 2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice; ¼ cup (15 g) nutritional yeast; 1 small clove (3 g) garlic, peeled; 1 tbsp (18 g) white miso (optional); 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; ¾ tsp (4½ g) fine sea salt; 14 oz can (400 g) whole peeled tomatoes, with juices, crushed by hand until mostly smooth with a few small chunks; 1 clove (4 g) garlic, finely grated; 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; ½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt; 7 oz (200 g) cherry tomatoes, halved, cut sides patted dry with a paper towel; 3 tbsp (30 g) semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the peel; 1 cup (20 g) fresh basil leaves, loosely packed, torn just before serving; 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling after baking

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A chewy, blistered homemade crust topped with hand-crushed tomato sauce, creamy lemony cashew cheese dollops that soften and lightly brown in the oven, sweet cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil added at the end. Fully plant-based and very satisfying.

Prep: 53 min
Cook: 18 min
Wait: 1 hr 28 min
Total: 2 hr 39 min
Makes: 2 pizzas, 12 inches (30 cm) each, 8 slices total

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the dough
3¾ cups (500 g) bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1⅓ cups (320 ml) water, warm, about 95°F (35°C), comfortable on the inside of your wrist
1¼ tsp (4 g) instant yeast
1¾ tsp (10 g) fine sea salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
For the cashew cheese
1 cup (150 g) raw unsalted cashews, soaked in boiling water for at least 30 minutes, then drained
1 cup (240 ml) boiling water, for soaking the cashews
⅓ cup (80 ml) cold water, for blending, plus a splash more if needed
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
¼ cup (15 g) nutritional yeast
1 small clove (3 g) garlic, peeled
1 tbsp (18 g) white miso (optional)
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
¾ tsp (4.5 g) fine sea salt
For the sauce and topping
14 oz can (400 g) whole peeled tomatoes, with juices, crushed by hand until mostly smooth with a few small chunks
1 clove (4 g) garlic, finely grated
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt
7 oz (200 g) cherry tomatoes, halved, cut sides patted dry with a paper towel
3 tbsp (30 g) semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the peel
1 cup (20 g) fresh basil leaves, loosely packed, torn just before serving
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling after baking

Equipment (7)

Large mixing bowl
Baking stone or steel, at least 14 inches (35 cm) wide, or an inverted heavy rimless baking sheet
Pizza peel or rimless baking sheet for sliding the pizza
High-speed blender or food processor
Heatproof bowl or jar for soaking the cashews
Kitchen scale and measuring spoons
Pizza cutter or sharp knife

Steps

Before you start

Read the timing: the dough needs about 1 hour to rise, and the oven and baking stone need a full 45 minutes at 500°F (260°C). Start the preheat when step 7 says to.
Weigh the flour and cashews if you can. Scooped flour varies a lot and changes the dough texture.
Place a baking stone or steel on the upper-middle oven rack before heating the oven.
Use raw, unsalted cashews. Roasted or salted ones make a gritty, overly salty cheese.

1
Soak the cashews
- Put the 150 g (1 cup) cashews in a heatproof bowl and pour 240 ml (1 cup) boiling water over them.
- Leave them to soak while you make the dough; they need at least 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Cashews are plump and a cashew squeezes easily between your fingers.
Tip: Soaking in boiling water softens the nuts faster and gives a smoother cheese than a cold soak.
2
Mix the dough
- In a large bowl, whisk 500 g (3¾ cups) bread flour with 4 g (1¼ tsp) instant yeast and 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine salt.
- Add 320 ml (1⅓ cups) warm water and 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Stir with a wooden spoon, then your hand, until no dry flour remains and the dough forms a shaggy, sticky mass.
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Ready when: No dry flour is left and the dough looks shaggy and sticky.
Tip: Water hotter than 115°F (46°C) can kill the yeast, so use it only warm.
3
Knead until smooth
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead for 8 minutes: push it away with the heel of your hand, fold it back, and turn it a quarter turn.
- Dust with only a teaspoon of extra flour at a time if it sticks badly.
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Ready when: The dough is smooth, elastic, and springs back slowly when you poke it with a fingertip.
Tip: The dough should stay slightly tacky. Too much flour makes a dense crust.
4
Let the dough rise
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and set it somewhere warm (75–80°F / 24–27°C).
- Let it rise for about 60 minutes total.
- You will make the cheese and sauce during the last 15 minutes.
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Ready when: The dough has doubled and a floured finger leaves a dent that fills back in slowly.
Tip: A cold kitchen slows the rise. Put the bowl in the oven with only the light on.
5
Blend the cashew cheese
- Drain and rinse the soaked cashews.
- Add them to a blender with 80 ml (⅓ cup) cold water, 2 tbsp lemon juice, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, 1 small garlic clove, 1 tbsp olive oil, ¾ tsp salt, and the miso if using.
- Blend on high for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides, until very smooth and thick like soft ricotta.
- Add water 1 tbsp at a time only if the blender stalls.
- Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
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Ready when: The mixture is silky with no grit when rubbed between your fingers, and it holds a spoonful shape.
Tip: Keep the cheese thick. A thin cheese runs and makes the crust soggy.
6
Make the tomato sauce
- In a bowl, stir together the hand-crushed canned tomatoes, grated garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, and ½ tsp salt.
- Do not cook it; it cooks on the pizza.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes and pat the cut sides dry.
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Ready when: The sauce is spoonable and not watery. If runny, spoon off excess juice.
Tip: Crush the tomatoes by hand, not in a blender, to keep a fresh, textured sauce.
7
Divide, rest, and preheatOven 500°F / 260°C
- Place the stone or steel on the upper-middle rack and heat the oven to 500°F (260°C) for a full 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, divide the risen dough in half (about 420 g each), shape each into a tight ball, and place on a floured surface.
- Cover with a damp towel and rest for 40 minutes.
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Ready when: Dough balls are soft, puffy, and flatten slightly when pressed.
Tip: A properly preheated stone gives the crispy, blistered bottom. Don't shorten the 45 minutes.
8
Stretch the first crustOven 500°F / 260°C
- Dust the peel generously with semolina.
- On a floured surface, press one dough ball from the center outward with your fingertips, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) rim.
- Lift and stretch over your knuckles to a 12-inch (30 cm) round, then lay it on the peel.
- Shake the peel to be sure the dough slides freely.
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Ready when: The round is about 12 inches wide, evenly thin in the middle, with a puffy rim, and slides on the peel.
Tip: Never use a rolling pin; it pushes out the air bubbles that make the crust light.
9
Top and bake first pizzaOven 500°F / 260°C
- Spread about half of the sauce over the dough, leaving the rim bare.
- Dot with about a quarter of the cashew cheese in 8 to 10 spoonfuls, then scatter on half the cherry tomatoes, cut side up.
- Slide onto the hot stone and bake for 8 to 9 minutes at 500°F (260°C).
- Remove with the peel.
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Ready when: The rim is deep golden with dark blisters, the underside is crisp, and the cheese dollops are lightly browned at the edges.
Tip: Top the pizza quickly just before baking; a wet topped dough sticks to the peel.
10
Shape and bake second pizzaOven 500°F / 260°C
- While the first pizza cools slightly, repeat the stretching on a freshly semolina-dusted peel with the second dough ball.
- Top with the remaining sauce, another quarter of the cashew cheese, and the remaining tomatoes.
- Bake 8 to 9 minutes at 500°F (260°C) until the crust is deeply golden and blistered.
- Keep any leftover cashew cheese for serving.
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Ready when: Same as the first: golden, blistered rim, crisp underside, browned cheese edges.
Tip: Let the stone reheat for 2 minutes between pizzas if it seems cooler.
11
Finish and serve
- Rest each pizza on a rack for 3 minutes.
- Scatter with torn basil, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil in total, and add a few dollops of the leftover cashew cheese if you like.
- Slice into 4 wedges each and serve hot.
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Ready when: The pizza no longer steams heavily and the slices cut cleanly.
Tip: Add basil after baking; it blackens and turns bitter at 500°F.

Good to know

Tips

Spoon the cheese in dollops instead of spreading it. It browns and softens in spots while the sauce stays bright.
Pat the cherry tomatoes dry; excess moisture makes a soggy center.
Without a stone, preheat an inverted heavy baking sheet for the same time and bake on it.
For extra stretch and tang, blend 1 tbsp tapioca starch into the cheese, but expect a slightly stretchier, less spoonable texture.

Make ahead

The cashew cheese can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. The dough can be kneaded and refrigerated in an oiled covered bowl for up to 48 hours instead of rising at room temperature; bring it to room temperature for 1 hour before dividing.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Fridge: wrap slices airtight for up to 3 days. Freezer: freeze slices on a tray, then bag for up to 2 months. Reheat in a 425°F (220°C) oven or a covered skillet for 5 to 8 minutes until the crust is crisp; add fresh basil afterward.

Substitutions

raw unsalted cashews → blanched almonds or raw sunflower seeds. Soak the same way; the cheese will be slightly less creamy and may taste a bit earthier.
bread flour → all-purpose flour. Use the same weight; the crust will be a little softer and less chewy.
whole peeled tomatoes → 1 cup (240 g) good-quality passata. Season the same way; drain any excess liquid if thin.
white miso → extra ¼ tsp salt plus ½ tsp more lemon juice. Miso adds a fermented depth; skip it for a milder cheese.