Vegan Cheese: What is it good for?

The biggest complaint I hear about transitioning into a plant-based diet to then transition into a vegan lifestyle, is that vegan cheese sucks. That may very well be true… if you don’t know how to use them. The vegan cheese industry has come a LONG way, even since I became vegan 5 years ago. So heres a little list of some vegan cheeses and what they’re best used for.

 

Trader Joe’s Vegan Mozzarella: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By far my favorite cheese to use on pizza. Sometimes I’ll mix this mozz with a little bit of cashew cream to give a ricotta feel on pizza. Use sparingly. It melts pretty great, but if you put it in the broiler keep a close watch as it does burn easily.

Daiya Provolone Slices:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This cheese is not my favorite when eaten plain out of the package. HOWEVER, when you put it on top of sandwiches like a chicken parm or meatball sub it melts perfectly in the broiler even giving you a bit of char on top.

Kite Hill Cream Cheese:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hands down the best cream cheese in the plant based market. I love to chive cream cheese on bagels, but use their plain cream cheese to make things like ricotta. Video on how to make the ricotta HERE. Oh, and since we’re talking about Kite Hill, their plain yogurt is a staple in my fridge to make sour cream or healthy creamy sauces.

Miyoko’s Smoked Farmhouse Cheese: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve eaten a whole wheel of this cheese in one sitting. I don’t recommend you do that, but I do recommend picking this up for parties. It’s always the favorite on any cheese board I put out. It’s a great spreadable cheese. Miyoko’s whole line of cheeses are pretty incredible, but this is the stand out one for sure.

Follow Your Heart American Cheese:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was a kid I would eat sliced American Cheese by the package. My cheese addition was very strong. Follow Your Heart NAILS the exact taste I treasured as a kid. It is the only sliced cheese I have found that I can snack on all by itself with no other preparation. It’s great on grilled cheese, as long as you grill low and slow with a cover on your pan.