February 28, 2018 • Tips & Tricks

From blocks, to shreds, and gourmet spreads the world of vegan cheeses is ever expanding. The breadth of choices, when considering style, flavor and brand, is expansive and it would take quite some time to try them all. So I haven't tried each and every option out there, but I've had my fair share and I have more than a few thoughts on which ones stink and which ones you'll wheely like .

When I was transitioning to veganism, about eight or nine years ago, cheese was always my weakness. A several week streak of plant-based living could be quickly shattered by a friendly invitation to have a slice of NY-style pizza. But vegan cheese is one of those things you adjust to. Your taste buds usually conform to your new eating habits and are quickly satisfied by dairy-free alternatives. It’s not always appealing at first, but you clumsily explore the options - retrying more than a few products for lack of organization and memory. Eventually you find your favorites, ban the unappetizing and start a wishlist of cheeses to try.

MY FAVORITES:

NOT MY FAVS:

WISHLIST:

These lists have been aged and refined over years of taste-testing. It was a long process for two primary reasons. 1. New brands and products come out all the time, so the list of products to review is endless. 2. I rarely kept track of what I had tried. If you are as determined to find the best of the best then write stuff down! I gave Follow Your Heart Cream Cheese one too many accidental chances before it became a non-negotiably banned product. And yet there are those who like it, so take these lists as recommendations of where to start and what direction to go in.

There are several conflicting factors when in search of the holy grail of vegan cheeses. You might want it to be less obviously vegan...but not too realistic. You might want it to melt...but have good ingredients. You might find the pinnacle of vegan cheese...but it breaks your budget. There are a lot of considerations when it comes to vegan cheese and the priorities of your quest are subjective. I emphasize texture over taste. My mom prioritizes nutrition over price. Many others seek flavor over contents or sustainability over flavor, melts easy over soy-free or nut-based over accurate taste.

THE BASICS

Most Common Brands

Daiya

Blocks



Slices



Shreds



Cream cheese

Go Veggie *

Sheds



Singles



Bars



Parmesan

Follow Your Heart

Parmesan



Slices



Blocks



Shreds

Tofutti

Cream Cheese



Sour Cream



Ricotta

What To Consider

Ingredients

Carrageenan: there has been a lot of hype and skepticism about the nutritional properties and possible health concerns of this ingredient. It is a seaweed derived thickener and commonly used in dairy-free milks, cheeses and more. Scientific research concludes it is a safe food additive and should not concern consumers.



Oils: the nutritional difference between a lot of oils is minimal and the “best” to use depends on what your health goals or concerns are. Something else to consider is that tropical oils are less environmentally sustainable. If this concerns you, avoid coconut and palm oils.



The unreadable: though not all hard to pronounce ingredients are unhealthy, if you’re going for a whole foods take on a plant-based diet then nut cheeses are cheeses for you.

Process

Processed foods aren’t inherently bad for you, but the intensive production often degrades the nutritional value. If you are seeking a health-first, minimally refined diet then avoid the shreds, slices and blocks.

Packaging

Go Veggie probably ranks worst on the packaging meter. They offer single slices, which come individually wrapped within already disposable packaging. Their little cheese “bars” also come individually wrapped in plastic inside a plastic bag.



Daiya blocks are easily the most frustrating to use. They come in a flexible plastic that does not re-seal and, therefore, usually requires additional containers to maintain freshness.



Treeline on the other hand uses minimal and 100% recyclable packaging.

Allergens

Soy: Even some mainstream brands like Daiya are soy-free! You should be able to find at least one soy-free alternative to any type of vegan cheese you’re looking for.



Nuts: artisan nut cheeses rank the healthiest of vegan cheeses, but are unfortunately off-limits to anyone with a cashew allergy. There are currently no (well-known?) alternative nut based vegan cheeses. Cashews are known for their creaminess, but who says macadamia nut cheese couldn’t be equally as mouthwatering?



Gluten: All of the “Most Common Brands” I listed produce gluten-free vegan cheeses. Go Veggie is even safe for those with celiac disease.



Coconut: Chao is the only well-known coconut-based cheese. Most vegan cheeses do not contain coconut meat, but several use coconut oil. For example, Daiya is free of all other common allergens, but does contain coconut oil.

DISCOVERIES

NOT all vegan cheese melts. The best vegan cheeses for melting are shreds. The best way to melt vegan shreds are through contact with liquid. If you put Daiya Cheddar Shreds into a lentil vegetable soup it will melt quickly and add flavor and a creamier consistency to the soup. Same if mixed into pasta with sauce. Avoid dry foods and/or dishes that it cannot be mixed into. Keep in mind that vegan cheese often takes a bit longer and hotter temps to see results.

Try shredding the blocks. Blocks of vegan cheese, Daiya for example, can actually be shredded into realistic gratings. These are grate (wink wink) for tacos and topping off a baked potato. They don’t melt the same as shreds though, so consider what the purpose of the cheese is in your dish.

Artisan cheeses are spreadable, not meltable. Treeline and Miyokos , among other artisanal vegan cheese brands, serve more singular purposes than most other cheeses. They are best as the highlight of a dish, not an ingredient. These are hard not to gobble up in one sitting, but the price might encourage you to spread them a little thinner. They are great on a toasted whole-wheat baguette for breakfast, with celery for a healthy afternoon snack or with seedy crackers for a party hors d'oeuvre.

Some vegan cheeses are too realistic for the veteran vegan. Though I’ve always thought I wanted the most accurate alternative...it turns out that’s just a faux-fantasy of times remembered. Two Boots Pizza , a NYC chain, has offered vegan slices for quite a few years. They recently switched from traditional Daiya shreds to Daiya “ Cutting Board Shreds .” This new cheese was disconcertingly cheesy. Should I be happy their vegan slices will appeal to more non-vegans now or disappointed that I need to find a new favorite slice?

*Not ALL Go Veggie Products Are VEGAN. There’s nothing worse than excitedly grabbing a pack of Go Veggie only to get home and realize this cheese ain’t vegan! Blame it on the ca-ca-ca-ca-ca casein. Casein: a milk derivative and the most weasley non-vegan infiltrator of nearly-vegan foods. So double and triple check that your Go Veggie label states “VEGAN,” because they do also offer “Lactose-Free” alternatives that are not fully plant-based.

Popularity doesn’t translate to preference. There are several vegan cheese brands that might not be as well known or accessible, but get rave reviews from customers. Numu is a specialty vegan cheese produced in Brooklyn, NY and is only available at select NYC restaurants. Do some research about local vegan cheese companies in your state. To some peoples’ surprise Trader Joe’s offers it’s own vegan shreds and they should not be overlooked. VioLife is one of the new companies on the block and can only be found in 91 stores across the entire United States. But some things are worth traveling for!

JUST DIY

When you go through several eight dollar containers of Treeline cheese a month, you start questioning your priorities. There is no denying that it is worth the taste or the convenience. But for those of us that like to experiment in the kitchen this could be a money saving alternative. Here is one of many easy to follow recipes for a DIY vegan cheese.

CONCLUSION

Veganism doesn’t limit or restrict you, it simply challenges your creativity and sense of adventure. There are easily accessible dairy-free alternatives to nearly every type of cheese to be desired. You can find vegan cheeses offered at most local grocery store chains all across the US, including Fairway, Safeway, King Soopers, Stop & Shop, Acme and more. If you are especially determined in the pursuit of amazing vegan cheese then there are specialty stores and less common brands that will reward your efforts with deliciousness. Buying vegan cheese can involve as little, or as much, thought as you like. Enjoy them all or whittle a specific list of cheeses to meet your particular needs and beliefs. Whatever your relationship with vegan cheese, we support you.

With love,

Naomi

Co-Founder of R&F