I had two friends contact me wanting more information on cheese.
Not just any cheese...vegan options for cheese.
I was happy to oblige them with the little bit of knowledge that I have and a sprinkling of personal experience on top.
For me the jump to vegan was always held up by cheese.
It was a food that I enjoyed, at least I thought I did.
Going vegan has meant experimenting and find new ways to enjoy old favorites.
So please allow me to present you my favorite cheeses on the market today, and these opinions are solely my own (I was not compensated in any way for this).
For starters, and my recommendation to my friends, was that it depends on what type of cheese you want to determine what company I would go with.
For example my favorite Parmesan substitute is:
It has the consistency and similar flavor to that of regular parm.
Sometimes with a sandwich I like to have a melted slice of cheese, my preference is for (by Galaxy Nutritional Foods, same makers of the parm):
The cheese melts nicely on a bun. It has the same consistency of conventional cheese slices (I think you would be hard pressed to know the difference in a taste test).
One of my favorite foods to eat is pizza. Where as I was not a huge mozzarella fan I think people look at you a little weird if you eat naked pizza...enter Daiya:
When melted it is gooey and stretchy. If I don't feel like making pizza at home I have found that Brixx and Mellow Mushroom both offer daiya as an alternative (without any extra charge).
Lastly cream cheese.
I have a tie here for favorite:
Tofutti and Follow Your Heart both have a smooth and spreadable product. Neither has an odd flavor to it, in fact the flavor is more more mild than traditional cream cheese.
In additional to spreading easily on bagels they also perform admirably in baking projects (and have made it possible to still enjoy cheesecake).
This by no means an exhaustive list, as there are products out there that I have seen in my local stores (like Daiya sliced cheese).
Additionally I have done very very minimal experimentation in the making of my own cheeses...although I did make this cheese spread from Dianne over at Veggie Girl.
Do you eat vegan cheeses? If so which ones?
Have you tried making your own? If so link up a recipe?
Sharing is caring :)
I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday and I will be mofoing it again tomorrow!
I don't eat much vegan cheese, but I have many friends that do. I'll have to share these reviews with them. Thank you for sharing with me!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteCheese was the hardest thing for me too! I think it took me a solid month or two to stop missing it when I started eating a Vegan diet. I too like the Daiya Mozzarella style. I have not tried the vegan parmesan but would really like too. My local grocery store has limited options, but I am grateful they do have some. I've been thinking about ordering a few things online to try. Have a great day!
I gave up on finding decent vegan cheese--although I DO love that tofutti cream cheese! No one can ever tell the difference on that one. I DO need to try homemade vegan cheese some time--it looks like a fun experiment if nothing else.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I love Daiya I try to limit its use in my recipes because it's still a processed food and has a higher-fat profile than I'd like. I made the following cheese-replacement in this Mexican Lasagna recipe and it was one of the best ones I've made (and I've made many!).
ReplyDeletehttp://sweatpotatopies.blogspot.ca/2012/09/from-mind-of-l-stretching-groceries.html
(I added garlic and onion powders and a pinch of cayenne but the spices can be adjusted for Italian or other cuisines.)
Actually the whole recipe was one of my favorite vegan Mexican dishes ever...highly recommended!
I love this! I'm not vegan, but I love vegan goods. Have you tried the Daiya wedge cheese? I like the pepper jack, but I really want to try the gouda!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest vegan cheese scares me, I would never buy it but I would try it if given a sample.
ReplyDeleteI love dairy, my uncles are dairy farmers but right now with my arthritis I am avoiding it to see if it makes a difference, I'll try anything.
I miss it though, is there any substitute for bleu cheese? I am sure not.
You're so lucky having such a great selection of vegan cheese over there in the US. Unfortunately, I'm yet to find any decent vegan cheese here in the UK. All the ones I've tried so far have weird processed flavours and textures. They're nothing at all like dairy cheese. Hopefully Daiya will make its way over here some time soon. Fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteI love making vegan cheese and make it for almost every party I go to or host. I like that it amazes people it is vegan. However, I don't make hard cheese with much success. So I was thrilled with Daiya came out with the cheddar wedge. So yummy!
ReplyDelete