Easy creamy vegan burrata (with cashews and sunflower seeds)

This cashew and sunflower seed-based vegan burrata has a rich and creamy texture that mirrors the diary burrata. It’s slightly sweet and nutty, with a richness that mimics the dairy version.

This cashews and sunflower seeds burrata is a delicious alternative to the dairy version, offering a rich creamy plant-based experience. It’s easy and quick to make and does not break the bank.

This plant based burrata is a revelation. Its creamy texture and rich flavor have captivated even the most ardent dairy cheese lovers. Some of our friends who are lovers of dairy burrata residing near Italy, where authentic burrata is a culinary hallmark, have wholeheartedly embraced this vegan alternative.

If you love vegan staples like this burrata, you’ll definitely want to try:

• Easy tofu feta
• Easy Cashew‑Based Vegan Cheese Sauce for Drizzling, Dipping & Nachos
• Tempeh bacon
• Air fryer tempeh topping

What is burrata

Burrata is a soft Italian cheese, made from either cow or buffalo milk. It has a soft runny center also called stracciatella, that is wrapped in a harder outer layer. At first sight, it may seem similar to mozzarella, but it has a sweeter flavor and a richer, creamier, and fattier center. You can find more info about burrata here.

Key differences between our vegan burrata and diary burrata

• Colour – Whereas the traditional burrata is white, the sunflower seeds give a light grey tone to this plant-based alternative.
• Texture – The vegan version might have a slightly different texture due to the plant-based ingredients. Traditional burrata has small curdled cheese pieces in the center and a harder outer layer, while vegan burrata has a uniform creamy texture.
• Flavor – Cashews give it a sweet base, which is similar to the traditional burrata. While the sunflower seeds mimic the traditional burrata by providing a rich and deep flavor, they add a nutty tone, which is only present in the vegan version.

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How to eat it

• Add it to salads made from veggies, or a combination of veggies and fruits (e.g. honey dew melon, watermelon, peach, or figs).
• Spread it on top of toast, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with lemon zest and basil.
• Incorporate into a creamy risotto, or orzo pasta, for a rich and indulgent dish.
• Add to a bowl of creamy tomato soup or a hearty vegetable soup.
• Use it as a replacement for mozzarella in a traditional caprese salad.
• Make it a stunning centrepiece for a plant-based spread in a charcuterie board.
• Transform the leftovers into a pasta sauce by blending the burrata with water and adding salt if needed.

Why you’ll love this vegan burrata

• So creamy! The soaked cashew nuts and sunflower seeds give this burrata such a smooth and velvety texture.
• Easy to make. Like most vegan cheeses, this recipe consists of three steps: First, soak the cashews and sunflower seeds to soften them. Second, blend the soaked ingredients until smooth and creamy. Third, allow the mixture to set in the refrigerator, transforming it into the desired burrata texture. This straightforward process makes it accessible for even novice home cooks to enjoy.
• Low-cost. Vegan cheese can be expensive, as can the dairy-free burrata. This vegan burrata is much cheaper to make.
• Keeps for a week. You can easily make a supply that will provide you with an entire week of burrata goodness.
• Versatility. You can incorporate it into staters and sides such salads and sours, into mains such as pizza, toast, and risotto. The possibilities are endless.
• Full of healthy fats that will keep you satisfied and full for longer than a meal without them.

Ingredients list

• Cashew nuts are naturally rich in oil, which gives them a creamy and buttery texture when soaked and blended. The oil content emulates the fat content in dairy-based burrata, creating a silky texture and a luscious mouthfeel.
• Sunflower seeds are high in protein and rich in healthy fats, as well as antioxidants and Vitamins E and B12. They will add to the creamy texture and will enhance the flavour by adding mild nutty notes.
• Refined coconut oil is neutral and has no distinct coconut taste or aroma. This is because it’s made from coconut meat that’s filtered and dried before being pressed into oil. We are using it to add more of a buttery texture to the cheese.
• Sea salt will enhance the flavor of other ingredients.
• Water to thin out the cashew and sunflower seeds.
• Tapioca starch will help the mixture thicken up into a shapeable mixture.
• Agar agar is also a thickening agent and will help the mixture to hold its shape.
• Ice is needed for the process of shaping the balls.

Step-by-step process: How to make vegan burrata

Soaking and blending

• Soak about 120 grams of cashew nuts and 35 grams of sunflower seeds for 15 minutes in boiling water, if you have more time, you can soak for them for longer. These are approximate values, as different bands of nuts will vary slightly in how much water they absorb. Therefore, we normally weigh nuts when soaked. Nuts and seeds can also be soaked overnight.
• Drain the nuts and seeds and weigh 150 grams of cashews and 45 grams of sunflower seeds.
• Add the soaked seeds and nuts into the blender together with 330 grams water, half a teaspoon salt, two tablespoons of starch, and one and half tablespoons agar agar.
• Blend until you get a smooth liquid (about 2 – 3 minutes).
• Slowly add the two tablespoons of coconut oil while the blender runs to allow infusion.
• Blend for another minute. This is the cheese base.

Cooking the cheese base

• Preheat a frying pan on medium-high.
• Transfer the cheese base to a frying pan.
• Cook the base for about 9 minutes and mix constantly, because it burns quickly. Heat will active the starch, which will thicken up the mixture. It should start thickening up in 5 minutes. Continue mixing and cooking for another 4 minutes, until the mixture is thick enough to stay separated when you run through with a silicone spatula.
• Turn down the heat.

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Shaping vegan burrata

• Add one-third of ice into a small bowl. There should be just enough ice to cover the bottom.
• Add the rest of the ice in a bigger bowl with a little bit of water, so the bottom is covered with 1 cm height.
• Lay cling foil over the little bowl with ice, so that the foil is touching the ice.
• Grab a serving spoon and fill it with about one-fifth of the burrata mixture (the mixture should yield 5 burrata balls).
• Transfer the spoonfull on top of the foil.
• Wrap the foil, so that the burrata is completely covered.
• Tighten the burrata wrapping with a silicon kitchen band.
• Place the wrapped burrata in the big bowl with ice and water.
• Repeat this four times, until you’ve made all five burrata.
• Transfer the burrata pieces into the fridge for at least 40 minutes so that it has time to set.
• Keep them in the cling foil in the fridge for up to a week.

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How to adapt this recipe

• Lose the cling foil. If you want to use less plastic, you can keep the burrata in a jar, like a spread, rather than wrapping each individual one in cling foil.
• Make it nut-free. If you are allergic to cashew nuts, you can replace them by sunflower seeds. The result will be a deeper flavor, that is richer to the traditional burrata, but if you like sunflower seeds, this will taste delicious. Sunflower seeds will also add a more grey color to the final product, if this is a problem, you can change the color by adding a few sun-dried tomatoes, or basil leaves, when blending all the ingredients.
• Add spice and herbs. Think of our recipe as plain hummus – it’s perfectly delicious, but sometimes we want a spicy jalapeno hummus. Similarly, different flavors can easily be added to this burrata, such as basil, pesto, lemon zest, roasted garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. The sky is the limit!

Storage information

Keep the burrata in the fridge for up to a week. If you are using the cling foil method, you don’t need to keep it in a container. If you are making a paste, rather than individual burrata, keep it in an airtight container.

We’d not recommend freezing this burrata as that process is likely to mess up the texture, by separating the water and oil.

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More recipes you’ll love

If you like this vegan burrata recipe, you’ll also enjoy the recipes below:

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Easy creamy vegan burrata (with cashews and sunflower seeds)

Author: Darja

This cashew and sunflower seed-based vegan burrata has a rich and creamy texture that mirrors the diary burrata. It's slightly sweet and nutty, with a richness that mimics the dairy version.

4 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Snack, Vegan essentials

Cuisine Italian, vegan, vegetarian

Servings 5 Pieces

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• 1 Frying pan
• 3 Medium bowls
• 1 Small bowl
• 1 Blender
• 1 Cling foil
• 1 Silicone spatula
• 1 Serving spoon
• 5 Silicone rubber bands

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Dry nuts and seeds

• 120 grams cashews
• 35 grams sunflower seeds

Cheese base

• 150 grams soaked cashews
• 45 grams soaked sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 330 grams water
• 2 tablespoon tapioca starch
• 1 1/2 tablespoon agar agar
• 2 tablespoon refined coconut oil (odourless)

Ice bath

• 1 cup ice

Instructions

 

Soaking the nuts and seeds

• Soak about 120 grams cashews and 35 grams sunflower seeds in boiling water for 15 minutes. Nuts and seeds can also be soaked overnight.

Cheese base

• Drain the nuts and seeds from the previous step and weight 150 grams soaked cashews and 45 grams soaked sunflower seeds.
• Add the soaked seeds and nuts into the blender together with 330 grams water, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoon tapioca starch, and 1 1/2 tablespoon agar agar.
• Blend until you get a smooth liquid (about 2 – 3 minutes). Not blending long enough will result in a grainy texture and a less creamy burrata.
• Slowly add the 2 tablespoon refined coconut oil (odourless) while the blender runs to allow infusion.
• Blend for another minute.

Cooking the cheese base

• Preheat a frying pan on medium-high.
• Transfer the cheese base to a frying pan.
• Cook the base for about 9 minutes and mix constantly, because it burns quickly. Heat will active the starch, which will thicken up the mixture. It should start thickening up in 5 minutes. Continue mixing and cooking for another 4 minutes, until the mixture is thick enough to stay separated when you run through with a silicone spatula.
• Turn down the heat.

Shaping burrata

• Add one-third of ice into a small bowl. There should be just enough ice to cover the bottom.
• Add the rest of the ice in a bigger bowl with a little bit of water, so the bottom is covered with 1 cm height.
• Lay cling foil over the little bowl with ice, so that the foil is touching the ice.
• Grab a serving spoon and fill it with about one fifth of the burrata mixture.
• Transfer the spoonfull on top of the foil.
• Wrap the foil, so that the burrata is completely covered.
• Tighten the burrata wrapping with a silicon kitchen band.
• Place the wrapped burrata in the big bowl with ice and water.
• Repeat this four times.
• Transfer the burrata pieces in the fridge for at least 40 minutes so that it has time to set.
• Keep them in the cling foil in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

Storage information: 

• Keep it in the fridge for up to a week. If you are using the cling foil method, you don’t need to keep it in a container. If you are making a paste, rather than individual burrata, keep it in an airtight container.
• We’d not recommend freezing this burrata as that process is likely to mess up the texture, by separating the water and oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 6gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 939mgPotassium: 221mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Best vegan cheese sauce, Cashew and sunflower seed cheese, Plant based cheese, Sunflower seed burrata, Sunflower seed vegan cheese, Vegan burrata