What are the most realistic vegan cheeses?

[KLS52]

Yes it is... Chao rocks for grilled cheese. That orange peppery one?! Daaaaaang.... Super melty and oozy.

Myokos products taste fabulous but I wouldn't say you would confuse them with dairy cheese.... although their butter is a dead ringer for dairy butter.

If you're rich and live in a big city on the west coast there are some artisanal vegan cheese shops popping up that look great but are out of reach from here in Montana.

I agree about her butter. I’m addicted but luckily I have to watch my calories because it’s super expensive here. I have two in the freezer and use it sparingly. Even my omni family prefers it over dairy butter.

I was not impressed with her cheese, however. The mozzarella was ok but nothing like dairy mozzarella.

 

[Raven]

Follow Your Heart Dairy Free Smoked Gouda Slices 200g is £3.79 which is $4.73.

Violife Feta Style Non-Dairy is £2.70.

I think I have tried the vegan Follow Your Heart mayo when it was on offer.

 

[Veganite]

I don't know if anyone here has tried Parmela Nutcheese products, but I decided to try out their aged cheddar slices today for the first time. After reading about people making grilled cheese sandwiches with Chao slices, I got a craving for a traditional grilled cheese sandwich. I had never seen this product in the store before today, so I thought I would give it a try. I have one 3 letter word to sum up my thoughts...WOW!

I thought Chao was marginally okay, flavour wise, but not quite the texture you want, as it doesn't melt really well. I am so impressed with Parmela's product that I just had to share. Not only does it melt really well, the flavour is absolutely incredible!! I am 100% certain I could fool just about any non-vegan into believing they were eating a real grilled cheese sandwich. It was that good!

I am just blown away by the flavour of this cheese. Having said that, I tried a little piece in its natural un-melted state. It was very good, but not exactly like authentic real cheddar. Yes, I am nitpicking, but still, this is an excellent choice for anyone missing that old fashioned grilled cheese taste.

They do make other cheeses. I tried their mozza style shreds on a pizza a couple weeks ago. The flavour was very tasty, but didn't melt as well as I had hoped. The cheddar slices, on the other hand, melted incredibly well. Overall, I would recommend this product for anyone that loves grilled cheese sandwiches at the very least.

Products - Parmela Creamery

PRODUCTS There’s a Parmela cheese for any recipe that needs topping or plant-based craving that needs satisfying. Check out our vegan, cultured & aged Slices & Shreds.

www.parmelacreamery.com

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[beforewisdom]

I've been impressed with Violife parmesan and feta. I ate both by themselves in chunks like omnivores do with good cheese.

 

[Raven]

I haven't tried the Violife parmesan, but I wasn't a fan even when I ate cheese. I love the Violife feta.

 

[shyvas]

I haven't tried the Violife parmesan, but I wasn't a fan even when I ate cheese. I love the Violife feta.

I can assure you that it tastes nothing like authentic parmesan.

 

[Raven]

Parmesan isn't even vegetarian, I've read. It has animal rennet in it. I think the smell is nasty anyway.

 

[Poppy]

My advice would be to stop eating dairy cheese, then go a period of time - maybe a month? without trying to substitute and just doing without. It's easier than you might think. Add extra salt (or olives) if you need to. But yeah, skip the cheese on pizza, burritos, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, etc. for a block of time before trying vegan versions. I think you'll find vegan versions more acceptable/pleasurable if you haven't had dairy cheese recently.

 

[shyvas]

Parmesan isn't even vegetarian, I've read. It has animal rennet in it. I think the smell is nasty anyway.

That's right. It may smell bad but it does taste good.

 

[houseunderpool]

I am still a vegan n00b. About 8 months ago, I had a crisis when my wife had a two-week hospital. My sons looked like they were losing weight. So I feared that my boys would need to eat dairy products. Nobody seemed to judge me as unworthy because I might need to return to dairy cheese. I thought there was no way that I could afford vegan cheese. In addition, I feared that they would never accept vegan cheese. While the fear was completely unnecessary and blown out of proportion, the fear seemed very real to me.

I was wrong. Affordable vegan cheese is readily available. Moreover, if you mix even the cheap vegan cheese with other stuff nobody can tell the difference. For example, my family went wild over the grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches. The trick was adding a little cooking oil when grilling the sandwiches.

I personally choose to avoid vegan cheese for myself because it reminds me too much of the real thing.

I wish I had some words of wisdom to help you. But, I do not.

Still, I will say that Lou and KLS52 are excellent sources of advice.

You add oil to the vegan cheese itself? What does that do, if so? Thanks

 

[KLS52]

You add oil to the vegan cheese itself? What does that do, if so? Thanks

I can’t speak for hog but I’m thinking you put a little oil in the pan when frying? I like to use a little bit of oil and vegan butter. The butter adds a nice flavor. You don’t need a lot...just enough to coat the pan.
But let’s see what hog has to say.

 

[Hog]

I have never tried vegan butter. I did not even know vegan butter existed.

The oil makes the bread feel creamier on the inside and allows for a full flavor crispness on the outside. My vegan grilled cheese sandwiches are absolute junk food.

 

[shyvas]

None.

 

[silva]

I don't know if anyone here has tried Parmela Nutcheese products, but I decided to try out their aged cheddar slices today for the first time. After reading about people making grilled cheese sandwiches with Chao slices, I got a craving for a traditional grilled cheese sandwich. I had never seen this product in the store before today, so I thought I would give it a try. I have one 3 letter word to sum up my thoughts...WOW!

I thought Chao was marginally okay, flavour wise, but not quite the texture you want, as it doesn't melt really well. I am so impressed with Parmela's product that I just had to share. Not only does it melt really well, the flavour is absolutely incredible!! I am 100% certain I could fool just about any non-vegan into believing they were eating a real grilled cheese sandwich. It was that good!

I am just blown away by the flavour of this cheese. Having said that, I tried a little piece in its natural un-melted state. It was very good, but not exactly like authentic real cheddar. Yes, I am nitpicking, but still, this is an excellent choice for anyone missing that old fashioned grilled cheese taste.

They do make other cheeses. I tried their mozza style shreds on a pizza a couple weeks ago. The flavour was very tasty, but didn't melt as well as I had hoped. The cheddar slices, on the other hand, melted incredibly well. Overall, I would recommend this product for anyone that loves grilled cheese sandwiches at the very least.

Products - Parmela Creamery

PRODUCTS There’s a Parmela cheese for any recipe that needs topping or plant-based craving that needs satisfying. Check out our vegan, cultured & aged Slices & Shreds.

www.parmelacreamery.com

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I just had Parmela aged pepperjack slices. I liked them, and they definitely made great nachos-melts all bubbly- but did not like cold.
Daiya is still my favorite cheddar THE BLOCKS- not the shreds, and not the slices. I also love Daiya block jalepano havarti
I hate Chao-all chao

 

[KLS52]

Daiya blocks are the best and of course I haven’t seen any in the local stores the last few months. I don’t mind the slices. I think the are a little better than the shreds. But I can tolerate the shreds on nacchos and tofu scrambles or even tofu ricotta.

 

[Veganite]

I think "the best" depends on what you're using it for, in my own experience. I find Daiya good for some things, and not for others. I much prefer a locally made vegan mozzarella or if unavailable, Miyoko's mozza for pizza. I agree that Parmela isn't great cold, but it sure makes a good grilled cheese. I like the smoked gouda one.

I love Daiya melted on nachos, with some nacho-like toppings. Now I'm getting hungry


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[Raven]

I saw there is a new vegan cheese called Violife Epic mature. I want to try it out.

I have been craving vegan cheese like crazy the past few days!

 

[shyvas]

I saw there is a new vegan cheese called Violife Epic mature. I want to try it out.

I have been craving vegan cheese like crazy the past few days!

I've tried it and it is the most realistic cheddar style pb cheese that I've tasted.

 

[Vegbeast]

If anyone is in Canada, try vegcheese! Just found them and I’m obsessed. They melt so nicely and the mozz tastes a lot like dairy mozz, pretty freaky. They even have cheese curds for poutine, don’t squeak but they melt and taste exactly like curds.