You might be vegan, but some friends or family aren’t. If you’re planning a get-together, catering to vegans and non-vegans can be hard. I’ve compiled this list of the 10 best cheese brands for vegans.
If dairy products are not cool with you, you don’t entirely lose much; why? Because there is vegan cheese for you. Vegan cheeses can be really good and, at the same time, very terrible, depending on the variety of cheese you choose. This is to say that not all cheeses are nice options for vegans.
Are you struggling to choose the right cheese for your vegan diet? Luckily, below is a list of the ten best vegan cheese brands out there to help put a check on your dairy-free cheese option.
Which Cheese Is Best For Vegans?
There are plenty of vegan cheese brands, but it can be hard to find the best ones. We’ve rounded up some of the most popular vegan cheeses and broken them into categories based on taste and texture.
On this list, we have various cheese brands, and of course, some cheeses are singled out from various brands as a result of the whole brand not being vegan-friendly. Here’s a list of our favorite vegan-friendly cheese brands.
1. Field Roast Vegan Cheese
Field Roast is one of the best cheese brands for vegans out there. It is plant-based and made from Tomato, Cayenne, and original Coconut Herbs. It has a creamy texture and melts very well.
Chao Vegan Cheese Slices, one of the cheese varieties in the Field Roast cheese brand, is a pleasant surprise, mimicking the unique bite of dairy cheese slices with impressive ease.
Its flavor nicely complements the major toppings from a vegan recipe. Although made from coconut and fermented tofu, it impresses and enhances the vegan cheese taste with its mild and soft texture and half-sweet flavor.
You can take this nice vegan-friendly cheese on a sandwich, as a snack, or with a cracker.
2. Treeline Vegan Cheese
This type of cheese brand is made from cashews and contains natural cultures. Treeline cheeses are aged for a long time. Hence they have a lovely, deep and distinct aged cheese flavor. Treeline vegan-friendly cheeses are stretchable, great for toasts and crackers, and are undoubtedly one of the best cheese brands for vegetarians.
The treeline cheese brand comes in different varieties ranging from Herb-Garlic and Cracked Pepper to Scallion and Chipotle Serrano. Each variety is dairy-free and goes down well with vegan toppings to produce an awesome, delicious, and enticing flavor. However, treeline cheese is best for cheese plates, with crackers, or as snacks.
Treeline cheese is entirely vegan-friendly; it is plant-based and goes down well with vegetarians.
3. Kite Hill Vegan Cheese
Kite hill, a smooth, plant-milk cream cheese brand, is perfect for vegans. However, this is a rare form of cheese that cannot be easily gotten. Kite hill is an exceptional vegan cream cheese with a slight touch of familiar tartness, and its ability to stretch nicely for baking, unlike most cream cheese, makes a perfect snack for vegans.
Kite Hill Ricotta has a consistency that aligns perfectly with thick and whipped. No sour taste or graininess is recorded once you incorporate this velvety cream vegan cheese into recipes. Since it has a short shelf life, you must use it early enough before it turns bad.
If you are allergic to dairy or animal-based products, or in fact, you are a vegetarian, you can switch to Kite Hill Ricotta. It is plant-based and a perfect vegan-friendly cheese for you.
4. Violife Vegan Cheese
Violife is fast becoming a vegan favorite cheese brand. It has a semi-distracting coconut-like flavor and parm-like texture and can be grated or sliced for cheese boards. Violife works well for huge shreds for salads and nicely grates into wisps that easily melt into soups and hot pasta dishes.
Although the texture is smoother than a real Parmesan, the flavor is still nutty, earthy complex. The brand offers different types of cheese with different flavors (cheddar, cheddar, Swiss) that can be used in recipes such as pizza and salads. Violife also makes other vegan foods, such as dips and spreads.
Violife has all the characteristics that make it perfect for vegetarians; it is made from plants and is highly vegan-friendly. Due to its soft and smooth texture, storing your Violife in an airtight container or bag is best.
5. Follow Your Heart Dairy-Free Vegan Cheese
If you are looking for cheddar shreds that act exactly like the yellow cheddar of your childhood and are vegan-friendly, thumb up, you have found it. If you need a melty vegan cheese, follow your heart cheddar shreds can be substituted. They pair nicely with tacos and salads that require a flavor kick.
Follow Your Heart cheddar shred. Don’t clump together when inserted in a bag. They hold up when served and melt into nice hot dishes. Even though its preparation has no nutty ingredient, it has a nutty and creamy flavor.
It’s one of the best vegan cheese brands I’ve tried and affordable. I love that it comes in various flavors that can be used as a substitute for regular cheese. This cheese goes well with any topping and is a wonderfully made vegan-friendly and plant-based meal or snack.
6. Daiya Vegan Cheese
Daiya (pronounced “dye-ya”) is a vegan cheese brand with various flavors and textures, including cheddar, pepper jack, mozzarella, and American. Daiya also makes cheese shreds that are perfect for pizza crusts and nachos.
It is purely plant-based, made from Potato Starch, Safflower Oil, Coconut Oil, or other plant ingredients. Hence it is perfect for vegetarians. There are a lot of vegan cheese brands out there, but few are as versatile and delicious as Daiya. It’s a brand that’s been around since 2008, and it’s never stopped evolving.
When melted or cold in a sandwich, Daiya cheese produces a creamy mouthfeel with a slightly sharp flavor. Its slices are not sticky; hence they separate without breakage. Daiya Swiss cheese is delicious; kids love them.
Daiya Swiss cheese is a creamy cheese alternative for vegans that melts very well. With grilled Daiya Swiss-style cheese, you are good to go with your vegan-friendly meals.
7. Siete’s Cashew-Based Queso
Trust me, Siete’s Cashew-Based Queso is one of the best-tasting plant-based cheeses you will ever put in your mouth. It can be entirely cold or warm, and change your vegan cheese choices. Like most traditional cheeses, this tasty treat is made from cashews, not milk.
It is grain-free, soy-free, and Paleo-friendly cheese. You can warm up your queso for your parties; keep it simple with a few toppings or use it as an alternative for your cheese, macaroni, and other pasta dishes. You can add toppings like vegetables and yeast with a soft and creamy texture and mild nacho flavor.
Siete Cashew Queso is best for those allergic to animal or dairy products or vegetarians.
8. Tofutti Milk-Free Better Vegan Cheese
Tofutti is a vegan cheese brand with no dairy, eggs, or cholesterol, making them great for anyone who doesn’t want to give up cheese. If you are craving a slight creaminess in your comfort food, don’t worry; you are safe. Tofutti Vegan Cheese Ricotta is one of the best alternatives to most cheese sold.
It has a black flavor, so it cannot be smacked alone. Going plain on it is not a good idea; using it in cheesecakes, pasta, and even vegan is advisable. This cheese alternative is highly vegan-friendly; it is purely plant-based.
It is made from soybean, olive, and palm fruits.
9. Miyoko’s Cashew Milk Vegan Cheese
This is one of the perfect cheese options for vegans. Many dieticians have revealed that Miyoko’s Fresh Vegan Mozzarella is one of the best-tasting vegan cheeses on the face of the earth.
Like real dairy products, it is soft and melts very well, but it is not too gooey so that it can hold up in Caprese salads. It’s made from cashews, which have a similar texture to milk and an authentic flavor similar to dairy-based cheeses.
This plant-based cheese alternative contains several ingredients, from coconut oil, tapioca starch, sea salt, organic agar, mushroom extract, organic konjac, and cultures to make the perfect cheese.
All of the ingredients mentioned above are purely plant-based, making this cheese alternative best suited for vegetarians. This vegan cheese also has less sugar than regular cheese, making it a sweeter and healthier alternative to most cheese.
10. Trader Joe’s Cashew Grated Vegan Cheese
Trader Joe’s cashew grated cheese is made with fair-trade and organic cashews. It tastes great, exactly like grated Parmesan cheese. This cheese brings zest to your pasta, salads, and soups.
Cashew grated cheese does not have to be refrigerated; you can bring it to zhoosh up your meals anywhere. It has a funky flavor that pairs nicely with all the accompanying toppings.
Cashew grated cheese is plant-based; it is nice when eaten alone, but you can still pair it with sauce, soup, pizza, or bread for a more complex flavor.
It can be difficult for vegans or those with dietary restrictions to find cheese brands free of questionable ingredients and cruelty-free.
Your ethical concerns will increase quickly if you buy relatively expensive cheese. Luckily, you can use many affordable vegan-friendly cheese brands to satisfy your cravings and conscience.
The best cheese for vegans is non-dairy products, pure plant-based cheeses. The cheeses mentioned above are entirely plant-based and highly vegan-friendly. If you are allergic to dairy products or vegetarian, the above-listed cheeses are the best cheese alternatives.
