Vegan cheese

[Grayveggie]

Hello all! I'm wondering what is the best tasting vegan cheese out there? I have not tried ANY, I'm waiting for some suggestions. I have not seen any vegan cheese in the grocery stores near me, but I haven't check the health food store yet. I especially want one to use for pizza and grilled cheese.

 

[shyvas]

What country are you from ?

 

[Poppy]

US - Daiya is a popular brand and one that is frequently available in regular grocery stores - Daiya Foods. Dairy, gluten and soy free.. It's good, but does have a unique taste. It melts well. I tend to like the blocks (especially the smoked Gouda) and the shreds more than the slices.

Follow Your Heart makes excellent vegan cheeses. The problem is that it makes two different kinds - the new "Blocks and Slices" which are excellent, and the older "Vegan Gourmet" line which actually tastes like butt. Vegan Cheese

Field Roast makes Chao Cheeses, which are very good. Chao Slices - Field Roast Field Roast also makes my favorite sausages and lunch meat (tomato loaf!!!). I love their products.

If you want to spend a fortune, treat yourself to Miyoko's Kitchen cheeses - Miyoko's Kitchen - Artisan Handcrafted Vegan Cheese. The Herbs de Provence and the Smoked Farmhouse are incredible to spread on crackers. Here they run around $12 a package, but they are amazing.

 

[Grayveggie]

Thank you so much! I'm in the United States, by the way. I am going to look for some of these cheeses. I did find some cheese slices called Go Veggie I think, but they are not vegan, they have casein in them.

 

[shyvas]

Thank you so much! I'm in the United States, by the way. I am going to look for some of these cheeses. I did find some cheese slices called Go Veggie I think, but they are not vegan, they have casein in them.

 

[Grayveggie]

Hey thanks for that!!!! I'm definately going to try some of the vegan cheese slices!!!

 

[silva]

I'll have to check out vegan Go veggie!
I like Daiya cheddar shreds for a grilled cheese--taste just like American plastic wrapped slices to me! I keep the bag in the freezer as it takes me a long time to use it
I buy Trader Joes vegan mozzerella shreds to use in enchiladas- it makes for a good textural difference more than taste. I also like them sparingly on pizza, or mixed into a nutritional yeast mac and cheese sauce

 

[SuicideBlonde]

If it is not daiya and just says lactose free on the front then you really should read the label. Some of the ones are not vegan, most GoVeg and an almond cheese has dairy.

 

[PTree15]

So the grocery store in my new neighborhood does not sell Daiya cheese, but I did see Chao slices and decided to try them. I just tried a slice (creamy original flavor), and I found it really bland. The texture was OK, but it had absolutely no flavor. Are there other flavors, and if so, which ones would you recommend? My store had only the creamy original. I think I will write to Stop and Shop and ask them to stock Daiya, because the closest place I can find it is at Whole Foods, and that's at least 10 or 12 miles away. That's not awful, but I was spoiled by my former Stop and Shop, which was only 2 miles away (first-world problems!).

 

[Poppy]

Chao makes a tomato cayenne flavor, I do believe. I love the creamy original, though. Funny how different we all are!

 

[MadamSarcastra]

@Middleagedseeker I second the Chao creamy original... if you can find them. Really tasty! IMO, they taste like provolone deli slices.

 

[PTree15]

LOL, my tastebuds must be fried or something. Thanks for the recommendation, Poppy.

 

[shyvas]

So the grocery store in my new neighborhood does not sell Daiya cheese, but I did see Chao slices and decided to try them. I just tried a slice (creamy original flavor), and I found it really bland. The texture was OK, but it had absolutely no flavor. Are there other flavors, and if so, which ones would you recommend? My store had only the creamy original. I think I will write to Stop and Shop and ask them to stock Daiya, because the closest place I can find it is at Whole Foods, and that's at least 10 or 12 miles away. That's not awful, but I was spoiled by my former Stop and Shop, which was only 2 miles away (first-world problems!).

Don't complain PTree. My closest vegan shop is in Lyon which is about a 1 h 30 mins away on the TGV.

I'm actually planning to do a day trip to the city with a British pal and stock up with vegan cheese and also revisit the city.

 

[KLS52]

So, last year my favorite supermarket, Hannafords, was bought out by Topps and I hated it. I went there today because they did a complete overhaul and I wanted to check it out. No Daiya but they Go Veggie and I saw a vegan one so I bought it. I tasted it when I got home and I think it might be ok with certain things.

 

[MadamSarcastra]

So, last year my favorite supermarket, Hannafords, was bought out by Topps and I hated it. I went there today because they did a complete overhaul and I wanted to check it out. No Daiya but they Go Veggie and I saw a vegan one so I bought it. I tasted it when I got home and I think it might be ok with certain things.
View attachment 11979

I get the Go Veggie shreds at Kroger all the time.

 

[PTree15]

So, last year my favorite supermarket, Hannafords, was bought out by Topps and I hated it. I went there today because they did a complete overhaul and I wanted to check it out. No Daiya but they Go Veggie and I saw a vegan one so I bought it. I tasted it when I got home and I think it might be ok with certain things.
View attachment 11979

I love Hannaford's!! I always make my friend Meg take me there when I visit her in Maine. They have a really good olive tapenade that I like to stock up on when I go there.

OK, re: the Chao slices. When they are melted they actually aren't bad. I made a grilled cheese sandwich with them and it was halfway decent. I think they melt better than Daiya and really do a good job of seeming cheese-like. So if that's my only option for a bit, I will just make sure I eat the Chao melted. I'm guessing it might be pretty good on a veggie burger as well.

 

[Andy_T]

but I did see Chao slices and decided to try them. I just tried a slice (creamy original flavor), and I found it really bland. The texture was OK, but it had absolutely no flavor. Are there other flavors, and if so, which ones would you recommend?

I agree with you 100%, as far as most of the flavours are concerned. I am basing it on the "Violife" and "Wilmersburger" cheese, which are also made by the same company Viotros in Greece. IMO, those kind of vegan cheeses are where dairy cheese was in the 1970's in Germany ... processed, bland cheese without much taste, before the advent of more specialized, strong-tasting local and special cheeses.

However, I keep buying it, as it is somehow a kind of cheese - not perfect, but better than nothing. I normally go for the stronger tasting varieties, the "smoked" flavour that Violife is offering or the one with mushrooms or olives.

For a real tasty vegan cheese, I would suggest "Vegusto". Also have heard good things about the (much more expensive) artisanal cheeses like Miyoko's, but have not had the possibility to taste any of these.

 

[PTree15]

I agree with you 100%, as far as most of the flavours are concerned. I am basing it on the "Violife" and "Wilmersburger" cheese, which are also made by the same company Viotros in Greece. IMO, those kind of vegan cheeses are where dairy cheese was in the 1970's in Germany ... processed, bland cheese without much taste, before the advent of more specialized, strong-tasting local and special cheeses.

However, I keep buying it, as it is somehow a kind of cheese - not perfect, but better than nothing. I normally go for the stronger tasting varieties, the "smoked" flavour that Violife is offering or the one with mushrooms or olives.

For a real tasty vegan cheese, I would suggest "Vegusto". Also have heard good things about the (much more expensive) artisanal cheeses like Miyoko's, but have not had the possibility to taste any of these.

I will see whether these are available in my area. I do have a nice vegan candy shop nearby that also sells artisanal vegan cheeses, but I buy them only as an occasional splurge because they are pricey. They are so good, though. They mostly do the softer cheeses, but they are delicious. Even my dairy-cheese-loving mom described the herb-encrusted chevre-esque flavor as "not bad." The fact that she would even entertain eating vegan cheese is monumental.

 

[AllenH]

Daiya is probably the most popular. It is kind of pricey though. I always see it in whole foods which should tell you something lol

 

[silva]

Daiya is the cheapest where I'm at, and the one that goes on sale! Ohio, US. I again specify- it's the blocks that are really good, not the shreds!
Daiya was bought out by a bigger company that uses animal testing. I'm not too familiar with the specifics.