Cheese is one of our all-time favorite foods. You’ve probably already figured this out about us. That being said, we have a lot of people in our life that can’t enjoy cheese for a variety of reasons. Whether it be lactose intolerance or simply living a vegan lifestyle, cheese boards are simply not something most feel they can enjoy. We wanted to change that, so we came up with a guide to building the perfect Vegan Cheese Board.

Items Necessary to Build a Vegan Cheese Board

Vegan Cheeses

Vegan meats (if you desire a more of a charcuterie feel)

Pickled Vegetables (this is a huge trend in restaurant cheese boards)

Nuts

Crackers

Fruit (if desired; we chose to skip fruit)

The Cheese

A variety of cheeses is crucial to a good cheese board. We recommend at least 3 for a good selection. On our board, we used 4. They were:

Heidi Ho‘s Ne Chevre (Black Lava) – We really enjoyed the texture and flavor of this cheese. We will say, though, the lemon used in this cheese makes it taste a bit more like hummus than an actual chevre. For garnish, we topped it with fresh parsley.

– We really enjoyed the texture and flavor of this cheese. We will say, though, the lemon used in this cheese makes it taste a bit more like hummus than an actual chevre. For garnish, we topped it with fresh parsley. Treeline‘s Chipotle Serrano Pepper – This cheese also good texture and flavor. We wish the spiciness was a bit more present, but otherwise, it was quite tasty. They also have several flavors if you are looking for something a bit more traditional. For this cheese, we garnished with a bit of fresh cilantro.

– This cheese also good texture and flavor. We wish the spiciness was a bit more present, but otherwise, it was quite tasty. They also have several flavors if you are looking for something a bit more traditional. For this cheese, we garnished with a bit of fresh cilantro. Daiya‘s Jalapeno Havarti Style Farmhouse Block – This cheese seemed to be the crowd favorite in terms of substituting for real cheese. The texture was the closest to the cheese it replaced, as was the flavor. We’ve also been told that it is great for queso.

– This cheese seemed to be the crowd favorite in terms of substituting for real cheese. The texture was the closest to the cheese it replaced, as was the flavor. We’ve also been told that it is great for queso. Kite Hill‘s Soft Fresh Truffle, Dill & Chive Almond Milk Cheese– We have used this cheese in the past for a twice baked potato recipe and it was the first dairy free cheese we had ever tried. While the flavor is really fantastic, the texture could use a little work. We garnished this cheese with a bit of fresh dill.

The Other Stuff

Nuts – Nuts are a great element to add for texture. To have both a sweet option and a savory one, we used Marcona almonds and candied walnuts.

– Nuts are a great element to add for texture. To have both a sweet option and a savory one, we used Marcona almonds and candied walnuts. Crackers – Crackers are an item all about preference. Since we were serving this to someone who was also gluten intolerant, we tried Jilz Gluten Free Crackerz in Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper flavor. These were the perfect flavor for these cheeses!

– Crackers are an item all about preference. Since we were serving this to someone who was also gluten intolerant, we tried Jilz Gluten Free Crackerz in Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper flavor. These were the perfect flavor for these cheeses! Pickled Vegetables – Ever since our cheese tasting at Murray’s, we have been huge proponents of adding pickled items to our cheese boards. This is a great item to use on a vegan cheese board because obviously, it is naturally vegan without substitution! For the best pickles, we suggest McClure’s!

– Ever since our cheese tasting at Murray’s, we have been huge proponents of adding pickled items to our cheese boards. This is a great item to use on a vegan cheese board because obviously, it is naturally vegan without substitution! For the best pickles, we suggest McClure’s! Vegan Meats– If you want to have a board that has a bit of charcuterie in it. Vegan meats are an option. They tend to be a bit tricky to work with and the flavor profiles may not be the best. Use at your own risk.

We hope this guide helps all of you cheese lovers who, for whatever reason, can’t have dairy. What are some of your favorite dairy free cheeses? We’d love to hear all about them! Leave a comment below or use the hash tag #GeekEats!

*The Geeks were not compensated or given any comped items to facilitate this write-up. All opinions are wholly our own. View our Disclosure Policy for more info.

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