Review of Cheese Alternatives

By Gwende1yn

There are a number of vegan soy cheeses on the market. Unfortunately, every one of them contains hidden sources of MSG such as soy protein isolate, carageenan, etc. They’re great to help you transition, but I wouldn’t use them for the long run.

Parmesan

• Parmazano is a delicious vegan grated parmesan cheese. It's a little bit pricy, but not too bad, especially considering it's an imported product. You can order this from veganstore.com.
  
  
• Soymage also makes a vegan grated parmesan cheese...but I don't think it really tastes like parmesan and was extremely disappointed with it. You can find this product in the Mail Order Catalog.

Mozzarella & Cheddar

• VeganRella makes a vegan mozzarella and cheddar that melt well and taste pretty good, but they're hard to find.
  
  
• Soya Kaas makes a vegan mozzarella that melts well and tastes pretty good, but it’s hard to find. They also make cheddar, but I haven’t tried it yet.
  
  
• imearthkind makes a mozzarella that melts under high temps and is ok, but again is difficult to find.
  
  
• Tofutti makes a really good tasting mozzarella. Apparently their cheeses contain preservatives, though, so WholeFoods doesn't carry it. The melting factor isn't quite as good, but if you shred it small and keep it moist or just sprits a little oil on it, it will melt well.
  
  
• ChReese brand vegan cheese substitutes are of varying quality. The cheddar tastes fairly close to the standard nutritional yeast cheese-alternative recipes, but slightly better. I haven’t tried the mozzarella yet. These are powdered mixes that you just add water to (though I prefer to add soy milk and a little olive oil, and liquidate them more than is called for).
  
  
• Instead O' Cheese is another powdered cheese substitute. I haven’t actually tried it. You can also get this at veganstore.com

Cream Cheese

• Tofutti Cream Cheese tastes very similar to dairy cream cheese and can be used in most recipes calling for cream cheese, including cheesecakes. They make a variety of flavors, and most are quite tastey. The only downside to them is that they are somewhat high in sugar, and they contain hidden sources of MSG.
  
  
• Galaxy Foods also makes a sour cream substitute, but I havn't tried it.

Alfredo

• ChReese makes a pretty good Alfredo blend, though salty. It's still not quite alfredo, but it does taste good, especially topped with a little Parmazano.
  
  
• Dixie Diner Alfredo Sauce Mix is another powdered vegan cheese substitute. I wasn't too keen on it, but your mileage may vary. You can order direct from the company or at veganessentials.com.