Finding vegan cheese in your local supermarket!
This article was updated in June 2022
Going vegan in early 2008
When I went vegan over a decade ago, I had to go to a specialist health food store to get vegan alternatives for cheese, yoghurt, cream, mayo and so on.
How I felt about cheese before going vegan
I’d never really been a huge fan of cheese. I remember loving one cheese which I used to get from Sainsbury’s and I recall enjoying it by simply eating chunks of it without anything to accompany it.
I had cheese in sandwiches, on toast, in jacket potato, pasta and pies, but I don’t remember being adventurous and wanting to try different ones.
This lack of ‘need’ for cheese meant I chose to go without when I first went vegan. It wasn’t big enough of a deal for me to trek it to a health food store to get some. I wasn’t keen on paying the premium price being charged for it and I didn’t really want to shop in different places! Call it lazy, call it minimalism, call it dispassionate. Whatever it was, it suited me.
Being introduced to a variety of vegan cheeses at VegFest
I went to VegFest and got exposed to the many types of cheeses that Sheese made, as well as, the one or two other companies that existed then. As years have passed, there’s been an increase in vegan businesses that produce vegan alternatives, such as, cheese, and that’s been apparent through exhibitions like VegFest.
Getting excited about vegan cheese
I think I started getting excited about cheese after a few years of being vegan, when different companies starting popping up, each offering different types of cheese. There was suddenly a huge amount of choice in terms of flavour, style, texture and variations in the main ingredient that was used.
Supermarkets started offering vegan cheeses
After another few years, supermarkets started selling established cheeses like Violife. The game-changer was when Tesco introduced their own vegan range of cheeses, which was Sheese repackaged. Sainsbury’s followed suit and created their own brand of cheese. Morrison’s and Asda have recently done the same! Tesco, Sainsbury’s and others then started selling cheeses other than Violife. For example vegan cheese by Koko and Nush.
There’s no escaping vegan cheese!
So now that there’s no escaping it, I’ve tried a few and wanted to share my findings with you! Below, you’ll find out which cheese I like to use for various dishes and snacks. I’m hoping it will help your decision process a bit easier.
There's an abundance of cheese nowadays!
Toasted sandwiches
My two favourites are 1.) cheese and Marmite and 2.) cheese, fresh tomatoes and basil leaves.
In a bun
Potato Waffles in a bun with lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo and a slice of this. Yum!
Multiple options
This is yummy on crackers, in pasta and on toast.
Crackers
I like to spread this on crackers with or without sprinkling cumin seeds on top.
Crackers
Delicious on Ryvita.
Mac and cheese
It melts so well in Mac n Cheese and tastes so good!
Potatoes
Delicious in mashed potato or in jackets.
On pizza
For extra flavour and because it melts so well.
Salty crackers
It has to be grated, put on crackers and whole cumin seeds scattered on top!
Not my cup of tea but it might be just what you’re after!
Hubby loves it
It’s a bit too cheese-like for me.
Nope
Lots of people are raving about this but there’s something about the texture and taste which I don’t like.
Pongy & nice
It’s a bit pongy just like the dairy version would be. I enjoyed it when we grated it and added to pasta.
Versatile
We’ve enjoyed this in sandwiches, on and in pasta, on toast and in jacket potatoes.
Not for me
I found it bland and didn’t like the texture
Your views
If you have tried some different cheeses, do let me know what you made with it and what you thought of it.
If you try any of the ones I’ve mentioned and you echo my thoughts or if you have tried it with something else and liked it, drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.
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