Vegan Cheese: The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Cheese 2023
Vegans love cheese, so it’s a real treat that there are countless animal-friendly, dairy-free, and delicious cheesy goods out there for us to eat. Not only is vegan cheese yummy, it’s also cholesterol-free and usually lower in fat than cheese made from the milk of cows, sheep, or goats. Best of all? Buying it doesn’t support the cruelty of the dairy industry.
Here’s the ultimate rundown of the plant-based cheeses available in the UK. Whether you’re looking for sandwich slices, pizza cheese, or something suitable for a cheeseboard, you’ll be able to find an option for every occasion.
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Applewood
The unmistakable smoky taste of Applewood’s vegan cheeses make them a supermarket staple. They melt wonderfully, so use them to elevate toasties, pizzas, and pastas.
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Babybel
Small but mighty, Babybel’s plant-based mini cheese wheel is wrapped in a green version of its iconic wax, ready to be tossed in a lunchbox.
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Boursin
This rich and creamy vegan cheese spread is a delicious combo of garlic, parsley, and chives. It’s perfect for spreading on crackers and bread or for adding to your favourite recipes.
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Cathedral City
Cathedral City’s plant-based range offers the brand’s signature mature cheddar flavour with none of the cruelty to cows. It’s available in slices and blocks as well as grated, so you can bring vegan cheddar to any recipe.
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Cicioni
Cicioni is tangy, light, and fresh, making it the perfect addition to a salad, sandwich, or cheeseboard. This popular vegan cheese is made from almonds and cashews.
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Honestly Tasty
Craving the distinctive taste of blue cheese? Honestly Tasty’s smooth but firm Blue block is crafted with real Penicillium roqueforti and matured over several weeks to give it that authentic bite.
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I Am Nut OK
Featured on the Channel 4 show Aldi’s Next Big Thing, the artisanal cultured vegan cheeses by I Am Nut OK are worthy of the buzz. Its seriously indulgent flavours include black truffle, smoky charcoal, and a cabernet-infused cheese, plus familiar favourites like mature and Italian herb.
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Kinda Co
Cultured cashew cheeses in a variety of flavours are Kinda Co’s speciality. Choose the farmhouse variety for a sharp, mature cheddar-style flavour, the smoky chilli cheese for a spicy punch, or the lemon and dill cream cheese to top a toasted bagel. Discover your favourite flavour via its online shop.
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Koko
Koko’s plant-based cheese is fortified with calcium and vitamins D2 and B12, making it a nutrient-boosting option. Go for the Dairy Free Cheddar for an ideal addition to a cheeseboard, or opt for the Soft Cream Cheese as a smooth spread for your sandwich.
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Morrisons
Morrisons offers a selection of vegan cheeses, including everyday favourites like blocks and slices of cheddar and a spreadable garlic and herb soft cheese.
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Mouse’s Favourite
Specialising in fancy cheeses, Mouse’s Favourite offers vegan takes on classics like blue cheese and aged cheese wrapped in wax. The camembert is a long-time PETA favourite – a cashew-based delight with an authentic rind and soft, creamy centre.
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MozzaRisella
MozzaRisella is the plant-based cheese of choice for many restaurants – and it’s easy to see why. It has a subtle flavour and melts perfectly, making it ideal for melting on top of pizza and other dishes.
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Nurishh
Whether you want to enjoy gooey plant-based cheese toasties, make a vegan mac and cheese, or smother a bagel in animal-free cream cheese, Nurishh has you covered. Its camembert bakes up a treat.
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Nush
This spreadable cheese from Nush is made using artisanal almond milk to create a thick, creamy texture. It not only tastes great on crackers and oatcakes but also makes a brilliant base for a homemade cheesecake.
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Nutcrafter Creamery
If you’re looking for something a bit special, Nutcrafter Creamery creates handcrafted, artisanal dairy-free cheeses with exciting, rich flavours. You can find its products in health-food shops or order them from its website.
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Nutritional Yeast
Whilst not strictly vegan cheese, nutritional yeast is well known for adding a cheesy flavour to dishes. It’s ideal for putting in sauces, and not only does it taste great, it also contains loads of essential vitamins, such as B12. If you haven’t tried it, you have to give “nooch” a go!
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Palace Culture
Palace Culture’s vegan twist on traditional artisan cheesemaking techniques combines organic cashews and almonds with live cultures to create luxury nut-based cheeses. Order these delicacies direct from Palace Culture, check the company’s website for stockists, or, if you’re in London, sample them as part of the vegan cheeseboard at Gordon’s, the capital’s oldest wine bar.
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Sainsbury’s
Not only is Sainsbury’s Deliciously Free From Cheddar-Style cheese very yummy, it can also be grated, melted, or cut into chunks or slices – basically, it’s a perfect all-rounder. We recommend enjoying it in a sandwich or straight out of the pack.
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Sheese
Many Sheese products are award-winning, and it’s easy to taste why. Whether you go for the Cheddar style, Greek style, or creamy Sheese, they’re dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and full of flavour. The cream cheese–style spread can be used for cooking, baking, making cheesecakes, spreading on toast, or topping a baked potato – yum!
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Tesco
Tesco has a great range of plant-based cheeses, including cream, Cheddar, and blue varieties. They’re widely available and – best of all – kind to animals.
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The Big Vegan Cheese Making Kit
If you want to try your hand at making your own cheese, then this is for you. Get to know the ins and outs of making cheeses – like halloumi, feta, and Parmesan – that are 100% kind to animals and made entirely from plants.
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Tyne Chease
Tyne Chease offers a large selection of handmade artisan plant-based cheese, including soft cheeses flavoured with cranberry, truffle, chilli flakes, and more as well as some spreadable varieties. Its new Applewood smoked variety is sensational!
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VBites
Whether you’re after a hard, grated, or soft cheese, you can trust that VBites has a delicious vegan option available. Its Cheezly line boasts several varieties with a range of flavours and textures to choose from.
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Violife
Violife is one of the most popular vegan cheese brands, and the fact that you can grab its tasty products from most major supermarkets across the UK makes us love it even more.
Why Choose Vegan Cheese?
Cows raised to produce milk may spend their entire lives standing on concrete floors, which can make them lame, and they commonly suffer from painful udder inflammation and other health conditions. Workers take their calves away within a couple of days of birth, causing grief and anguish to both mother and baby.
All animals reared for food suffer. Females are repeatedly forcibly impregnated. Babies are torn away from their mothers, mutilated, kept in filthy and severely crowded conditions, and fed a cocktail of drugs, sometimes causing their bodies to become oversized, resulting in numerous health problems. Then, often when they’re only a few months old, they endure a stressful and terrifying trip to the abattoir, where many are killed while still conscious.
With so many delicious and healthy plant-based options available, going vegan is now easier than ever. Order our free vegan starter kit to get more tips from PETA on making the switch.
