Many people think all cheese is vegetarian, and add it to vegetarian casseroles, pastas and veggie burgers thinking they're fine. But this isn't necessarily true. In fact, most are not vegetarian cheeses.
Is Cheese Vegetarian?
Traditional cheese makers use animal rennet as the coagulant. The coagulant is important as it thickens the milk into the thick curds needed to make cheese.
Animal rennet typically comes from the stomach of a calf, goat or lamb. As a note, the animals are not killed for their rennet, but rather for their meat. The rennet is harvested from the stomach afterwards.
Over the years, a lot of research has been done to create vegetarian rennets. The two major types are plant rennets from the cardoon thistle / artichoke / nettle family and microbial rennets from a type of mold. Unfortunately, both of these rennets create inconsistent coagulation results for the cheesemaker, and can affect the flavor of the cheese. This is particularly true of the microbial rennet, and is therefore less commonly used than a plant rennet.
How To Know If a Cheese is Vegetarian
Check the labels. Cheesemakers are not required by law to state the kind of rennet they use on their labels. But if they go to the trouble of using a vegetarian rennet, they typically put it in the label so people will know.
The label will read either vegetable rennet, vegetarian rennet, or thistle rennet.
Another way to go with vegetarian cheeses is to purchase plant-based cheeses. These are vegan approved and contain no dairy product.
Plant-Based Cheeses
I recently came to the painful realization that I've developed some lactose intolerance. Switching to a non-dairy yogurt was easy. And I began using oat milk in both my morning cappuccino and lunchtime protein powder smoothie. All went smoothly until I hit cheeses.
I love cheese. Cow based, goat and sheep cheese -- Bring it on. Water buffalo mozzarella? The BEST!
I don't even need crackers.
Sure, I can take Lactaid, my new best friend, but it was time to investigate plant-based cheeses. So I launched a series of plant-based cheese taste tests, and this is the first one.
What are Plant-Based Cheeses Made Of?
Plant-based or vegan cheeses don't use any dairy products. Some lack any protein and many are heavy processed. Just because it's a plant-based cheese doesn't mean it's healthy for you.
The plant-based cheeses I found were either cashew-based, or used tapioca, tofu, coconut or almonds. Some had a long list of ingredients I've never heard of. And one used navy beans and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) with tapioca. So the protein and nutrient content are all over the place, and it's worthwhile to check the labels.
Check out this post on the ChooseVeg site for more information.
Which Plant-Based Cheeses Were Tested?
I chose to start with what I consider basic, everyday cheeses. Obviously, this means different things for different people. For me, this means:
- Cheeses I use regularly in dishes
- Cheeses readily available at my grocery store
This boiled down to 4 plant-based cheeses:
Cheddar
Mozzarella
Smoked Gouda
Parmesan
Note: My goal with testing smoked gouda was solely because I wanted a smoked cheese in the mix. I regularly use dairy-based smoked mozzarella and was looking for a plant-based substitute.
What Plant-Based Cheese Qualities Were Tested?
Since these would be my everyday cheeses, I wanted to see how they worked in the way I would use them. This means toppings, stirred into a casserole or in a sautéed dish. Therefore, how well they melted was almost as important as flavor. I kept it simple to 3 characteristics:
Appearance
Taste
Melting ability
Plant-Based Cheeses Taste Test Results
Taste is obviously very subjective so I enlisted my husband, Carnivorous Maximus (CM), to participate in the taste tests. His love of cheese goes way back, rooted in childhood grilled cheese sandwiches.
Here are the contenders and their results, starting with cheddar cheese:
Cheddar
Plant-Based Cheddar Cheese Alternative
Manufacturer: 365 (sold at Whole Foods)
Flavor: This one was my favorite of the bunch. It has a good solid cheddar flavor and no strange aftertaste. It was CM's second favorite.
Melt: It came in 2nd place for melting. But it began melting after 15 seconds in the microwave oven and well into melting at the 30 second mark. Very acceptable!
Other Notes: 0% protein.
Farmhouse Cheddar Cultured Vegan Cheese
Manufacturer: Miyoko's Creamery
Flavor: This was CM's favorite for taste, and my 2nd favorite. It has almost a smoky flavor, and is a little tangy. Aftertaste is ok.
Melt: It softened slightly after 15 seconds in the microwave oven, and was softer but a little rubbery at 30 seconds. It never really melted.
Other notes: this product uses navy beans and chickpeas, and therefore has a 3g protein content per ¼ cup.
Just Like Cheddar Shreds
Manufacturer: Violife
Flavor: This one had a bland flavor that you wouldn't guess as cheddar in a blindfold test. Unfortunately, it had a strange, almost milky aftertaste that was unpleasant.
Melt: King of melt. It melted quite a bit at the 15 second mark in the microwave oven, but still tasted bland.
Other notes: 0% protein.
Smokey Chedda (smooth spread)
Manufacturer: The Cultured Kitchen
Flavor: I wanted to like this one for crackers, but it was my least favorite. It tasted cheesy, but not necessarily cheddar. There was a smoky flavor, and the aftertaste was only smoke. (CM couldn't taste this one because of nut allergies.)
Melt: NA
Other notes: This product uses cashews and therefore has a 2.5% protein in a 1 ounce serving.
Mozzarella
Plant-Based Mozzarella Cheese Alternative
Manufacturer: 365 (sold at Whole Foods)
Flavor: It has a very tangy flavor, and an overall unpleasant flavor for both of us.
Melt: There was some melting at 15 seconds in the microwave oven, and quite a bit at 30 seconds. There wasn't a big different in melting between the two mozzarella cheeses tested.
Other notes: 0% protein.
Just Like Mozzarella Shreds
Manufacturer: Violife
Flavor: This one had a Mild flavor, and was ok, overall. The flavor improved slightly after melting.
Melt: Melted more than the 365 product, but both were totally acceptable.
Other notes: 0% protein.
Smoked Gouda
Since both smoked goudas were packaged as slices, I performed the melt test by draping slices over apple slices.
Smoked Gouda Style (Slices)
Manufacturer: Follow Your Heart
Flavor: Very smoky, which overwhelmed any cheese flavor. The texture was rubbery when I tried it before melting.
Melt: This one melted the better of the two smoked gouda products, and began melting at 15 seconds. The texture drastically improved with melting, and became almost silky.
Plant-Based Smoked Gouda Cheese Alternative (Slices)
Manufacturer: 365
Flavor: Slightly smokey, and not rubbery. The flavor overall wasn't very strong, but not objectionable.
Melt: It melted more slowly than the Follow Your Heart product, and was more a softening than a true melt.
Parmesan
I've only found a product by Follow Your Heart so far in my markets called Dairy-Free Parmesan Style Shredded Cheese. It's worked very well for me in adding it to salads, pastas, and casseroles.
Note: Trader Joe's also has a line a dairy-free cheeses, but I didn't include them for now since not everyone has a Trader Joe's nearby.
Recommendations
Plant-Based Cheddar Cheese Alternative by 365 is a good all-round melting cheddar for casseroles, veggie burgers, pasta and eggs. I've used the Farmhouse Cheddar Cultured Vegan Cheese by Miyoko’s Creamery with great success when added to black bean Mexican dishes where melting isn't as important as a slight smoky, savory depth.
Just Like Mozzarella Shreds by Violife was far preferable in the mozzarella test, but because of its blandness, I'll keep looking for something even better. Until then, I'll use the Violife non-dairy cheese.
I didn't like either smoked gouda enough to purchase them again.
I'm open to using the Dairy-Free Parmesan Style Shredded Cheese by Follow Your Heart, as it works fine. When I throw it on a pasta dish, I can barely tell the difference. But I'll try others as I find them for comparison.
Generally, my takeaway so far is that the plant-based cheeses be used sparingly. They can be a great accent when needed in a dish - particularly the cheddars. But if you truly love cheese, you'll be disappointed in using them for snacking. I didn't do a comparison taste test against dairy-based cheeses for a reason.
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