Grate Expectations: A Guide to Vegan Cheeses

Wooden serving board with vegan snacks

Photo Credit: Iri Gri / Shutterstock

Grate Expectations: A Guide to Vegan Cheeses

Photo Credit: Iri Gri / Shutterstock

We’ve reached the end of the “but I couldn’t give up cheese!” era. Today, vegan cheeses offer all the flavors, textures, and aromas we crave––without the cruelty.

Breaking up with Big Dairy doesn’t mean giving up the Goudas and Gruyéres of the world. With growing demand and recent advancements in the vegan cheese space, plant-based cheese bears no resemblance to the tasteless, waxy bricks from years past. In fact, market researchers are projecting the $2.5 billion plant-based dairy industry will nearly double by 2025.

“The plant-based cheese market has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, almost a revolution,” says world-renowned chef Matthew Kenney of Plant Food + Wine, Double Zero, and Bar Verde. “It’s evolved from a fringe option to one of the most forward-thinking parts of the culinary world; I’m constantly impressed with the innovation.”

In other words, a bon vivant lifestyle is no longer inextricably linked to pain and suffering. If given the chance, what would Kenney tell the skeptics?

“I wouldn’t say a word,” he says. “I’d bring them a bottle of red and a tasting of plant-based cheeses that would change their minds immediately.”

Market researchers are projecting the $2.5 billion plant-based dairy industry will nearly double by 2025.

The New York Times, May 2021

Hands holding large half wheel of white cheese

Conscious Culture‘s Barn Cat is a tangy cashew cream with a vegetable ash streak. (Photo Credit: Steve Lagato / Courtesy of Conscious Cultures)

Too Gouda To Be True

Pairing plant-based cheese with wine is as much about trusting in your tastebuds as it is about considering the complexities of the flavors. For vegan chef and sommelier Sunny Gandara, the key is ensuring that one doesn’t overpower the other.

“Flavor is not just about taste, it’s about texture and aroma,” she says. “Vegan cheeses are usually earthier, less fatty, and more subtle—even the stinkier ones.”

Gandara, who is also Querciabella’s brand director, offers simple advice: “As long as you have quality cheese, traditional pairing techniques will work well. And remember: What grows together, goes together.”

Here are Gandara’s favorites for a perfect cheeseboard.

Flavor is not just about taste, it’s about texture and aroma

Sunny Gandara

Cheese Board MVPs

Hands slicing a wheel of white cheese

Conscious Culture‘s Maverick is cave aged with a bloomy rind and double cream. (Photo Credit: Steve Lagato / Courtesy of Conscious Cultures)

Rosemary Olive Aged Cashew Wheel (Reine)
“I am in love with the cheeses from Reine—their rosemary olive and cracked pepper dill are so, so good. It’s one of my favorites for cocktail parties.”

Cave Aged Maverick (Conscious Cultures Creamery)
“When eating a salty or soft creamy cheese, I would pair it with a sparkling wine. Conscious Cultures Creamery from Pennsylvania has this amazing cheese called Maverick that’s wonderful with anything sparkling.”

CheBrie (Rebel Cheese)
“Rebel Cheeses from Austin, Texas, has some incredible vegan cheeses. I’m really into their CheBrie—it’s a mix of Cheddar and Brie—as well as the British-style Shropshire.”

Riverdel Cheese
“The entire line of Riverdel cheeses—all made in-house at their shop in NYC—is fantastic. Try the Pepper Billy or Fig and Caramelized Onion if you want something savory and sweet.”

The Big Melt:

Favorite snack foods, meet your vegan cheese upgrade

Black bowl with colorful vegan nachos

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Honest Stand

NACHOS
Cheese MVP: Dairy-Free Mild Nacho (The Honest Stand)
Why we love it: The versatility factor—great for heating, dipping, or causing.
Prep tip: Heat in the oven for a perfect golden finish.

CHEESE QUESADILLA
Cheese MVP: Vegan Gourmet Shreds, Fiesta Blend (Follow Your Heart)
Why we love it: It’s a little picante to spice things up.
Prep tip: Cook the tortillas on a cast iron skillet over a lower heat than you’d normally use. Cook until crisp on both sides.

CHEESEBURGER
Cheese MVP: Creamy Original Chao Slices (Field Roast)
Why we love it: The creamy coconut base—something our nut-free friends can get behind.
Prep tip: Pre-melt your Cheddar-topped buns in a toaster oven before building your burgers.

CACIO E PEPE
Cheese MVP: Pepper Billy Cashew Cheese (Riverdel)
Why we love it: All the creaminess of alfredo sauce with none of the casein, cholesterol, or cruelty.
Prep tip: Add a splash of cashew or oat milk to liquify faster. And don’t skimp on the cracked pepper.

GRILLED CHEESE
Cheese MVP: Cheddar (The Herbivorous Butcher)
Why we love it: It oozes. It stretches. It satisfies.
Prep tip: Place a lid over the assembled sandwich on the stovetop for a faster, more even melt.

TRUFFLE MAC & CHEESE
Cheese MVP: Creamery French Style Winter Truffle (Miyoko’s)
Why we love it: That subtle truffle delivers a salty, umami punch.
Prep tip: Sprinkle in a little smoked paprika and stir until extra smooth.

MARGHERITA PIZZA
Cheese MVP: Mozzarella Shreds (NUMU)
Why we love it: Handmade in Brooklyn by a purveyor of plant-based pizza.
Prep tip: Stick mozzarella in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up before grating.

FONDUE
Cheese MVP: Cheddar (Vromage)
Why we love it: It also works as a mouthwateringly rich raclette.
Prep tip: Bring a little olive oil and water with salt to a boil. Slowly add the cheddar and reduce heat until it thickens up.

Perfect Pairings:

Vegan Cheeses & the wines that love them

White wine being poured into a wine glass

Photo Credit: Jill Chen / stocksy.com

Cab Franc + Chipotle Cheddar (Three Girls Vegan Creamery)
TASTING NOTES: smoky spice that’s out-of-this-world good

Sancerre + Double Cream Classic Chive (Miyoko’s)
TASTING NOTES: herby, garlicky, can’t-put-it-down epicness

Chardonnay + Classic Cashew Brie (Jule’s )
TASTING NOTES: mild earthiness with a perfectly aged rind that rivals the real thing

Sauvignon Blanc + Cracked Pepper (Treeline Aged Artisanal Nut Cheese)
TASTING NOTES: creamy, “goat” cheese-like texture with a subtle peppery finish

Cabernet Sauvignon + Dill Havarti (The Uncreamery)
TASTING NOTES: rich, herbaceous, and—yes—delicious

White Burgundy + White Truffle (Cheezehound)
TASTING NOTES: tasty, truffly, and totally indulgent

Port + Cambleu (Rind)
TASTING NOTES: sharp and stinky in the best way possible

Brut Champagne + Parmesan (Violife)
Tasting notes: tangy, salty, and addictively good

Pinot Grigio + Royal Vegan Cuisine Smoked Gouda (Reine)
TASTING NOTES: dense and savory with slightly smoky undertones

Chenin Blanc + Artisanal Cheese Ricotta (Kite Hill)
TASTING NOTES: creamy, crumbly texture with a tart, cultured aftertaste

For a host of vegan-friendly wines, visit Barnivore.com.

Vegan cheese wheel on a cutting board with bread

Photo Credit: Pikoso.kz / Shutterstock

The Someone Project:

Meet cows again, for the first time

Pietro calf stands in a green field at Sanctuary

More than 3 million “spent” cows from the dairy industry are slaughtered each year in the United States.

Contrary to the “happy cow” caricatures depicted in dairy industry advertising, these nurturing animals endure systematized suffering on factory farms. Cows used by the dairy industry are intensively confined, continually impregnated, and bred for high milk production with little concern for their well-being.

Imagine how our conversations would shift if we focused on who cows are instead of focusing on how we can use them! The Someone Project does just that. Learn how this Sanctuary-sponsored, research-based initiative is re-introducing the world to cows.

Learn more
Pietro calf stands in a green field at Sanctuary