9 Fabulous Vegan Cheese Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What vegan cheese actually tastes like cheese? ›

Miyoko's Creamery: This brand offers a wide range of vegan cheeses that taste like real cheese, including mozzarella, cheddar, and brie. Their vegan mozzarella is great for making vegan pizza, and their cheddar can be used for mac and cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Does dairy-free cheese melt? Of course it does! But not the same way as its moo moo counterpart. The first thing you might notice when melting dairy-free cheese is that it doesn't brown like traditional cheese.

But when heated, the stable mixture softens rather than melts because there are no casein micelles to create this stretchy slip n' slide. “You will never get the same kind of texture and taste as dairy cheese,” Ismail says.

Is vegan cheese inflammatory? The vegan cheeses produced on a large scale that we are most likely to find in grocery stores are processed foods. As is the case with all processed foods, they can cause some inflammation in some consumers.

Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese: Ready to Spread, Melt or Dip

The Original tastes nearly spot on for Velveeta, but the ingredients are much more appealing. As promised, Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese is tasty as a cold, thick, creamy dip. It also melts with ease in the microwave for pouring on nachos or when broiled in the oven.

Some of the more processed types of vegan cheese contain large amounts of refined oils, preservatives, color additives and sodium while being mostly void of substantial nutritional value. In general, foods like this should be consumed minimally, if at all.

A few examples include cottage cheese, ricotta, feta, paneer. The reason these cheeses don't melt is because the curds are just plain milk protein, and protein does not melt nor can it spread.

Traditional butter is made with churned milk or cream, which usually comes from cows (but it can also come from other animals like goats), and that's why it's not vegan. Many people also use margarine, which is similar to butter in texture and color, but it's usually made with plant-based fat instead of animal fat.

Whether it is the briny tang of feta or the soft melt of mozzarella on a pizza, dairy cheese is hard to beat. Yet there have been incredible strides made in the taste and texture of vegan cheese, as well as new additions such as vegan camembert.

Vegan milks are made from a wide assortment of beans, nuts, seeds, and grains. The most popular varieties are soy milk, almond milk, and oat milk. Other popular brands are made from coconuts, peas, cashews, hazelnuts, or rice.

Why does vegan cheese not taste like cheese? ›

The vegetable protein and bacteria sit and break down further. Unlike the animal proteins in dairy cheeses, however, those in vegan cheeses don't naturally bond to one another. The result is flavors that tend not to be as complex and unique.

Including Color

The most commonly used option for plant-based cheese is oil soluble beta-carotene. This is because it not only has the right golden yellow cheese color, but also because of its consumer recognition as a natural colour, as well as widespread regulatory approval.

Parmela Shreds

Parmela nailed it (don't ask us how). These cashew-based shreds not only taste like cheese, but they also melt perfectly. Varieties include Mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Mozzarella, and Fiery Jack. The last one is phenomenal in dairy-free quesadillas!

Dairy-free cheese, also known as vegan cheese, is rapidly getting popular as a delicious substitute for typical cheese. Even though there is no dairy, vegan cheese has the same creaminess, texture, and taste.

Miyoko's mozzarella and gourmet cheese wheels were the first vegan cheese options to really turn heads and reach mass distribution. For many, Miyoko's is the gateway cheese. The brand has expanded into spreads, cream cheese, and even liquid mozzarella, but the wheels are where it truly shines.