The best vegan 'cheese' taste tested 2023
If you're following a vegan diet, dairy-free alternatives to cheese can be a real game-changer. We blind taste tested vegan varieties to bring you our top buys.
More people than ever are following a vegan diet but vegan ‘cheese’ has always been one of the most difficult alternatives to match up to the real deal. According to Sainsbury’s, sales of its dairy-free cheeses surpassed the company’s predictions by more than 300%, so there is demand but does the quality match? Whether it is the briny tang of feta or the soft melt of mozzarella on a pizza, dairy cheese is hard to beat. Yet there have been incredible strides made in the taste and texture of vegan cheese, as well as new additions such as vegan camembert.
What is vegan cheese made of?
Most commonly, it’s made from coconut oil which replicates the fattiness of dairy rounded up with thickeners such as xanthan gum or starch, which helps to bind it together. Nuts, such as cashews or almonds, are often used as they contain a lot of natural fat that gives a creamy texture once blended. Many brands also use a vegan lactic acid to add the tang and umami that gives that quintessential cheese flavour.
Is vegan cheese healthy?
In terms of health, vegan cheese is generally considered better for you than dairy cheese as it’s lower in saturated fat and often has added vitamin B12, which contributes to a healthy nervous system. However, do watch out for a higher sodium content and it doesn’t contain the same amount of protein as regular dairy cheese.
Here, we’ve taste tested top brands from Violife to Sheese, available in major supermarkets and online, to find the best cheese alternatives available. So whether you’re looking for the perfect cheddar cheese for a vegan toastie or the best vegan feta for a classic Greek salad, we’re sure to have something for you. We’ve also rounded up the best vegan crackers for the dairy-free cheeseboard of your dreams.
For more unbiased expert buyer’s guides, visit our reviews section to find 400+ round-ups, including vegan ice cream and plant-based fish.
Best vegan cheese to buy at a glance
- Best vegan cheese slices: Cathedral City Dairy-free Large Slices, £2.30
- Best smoked vegan cheese: Violife Smoky Cheddar Flavour Slices, £2.80
- Best vegan cheddar block: Sheese Mature Cheddar Style, £2.50
- Best vegan grated cheese: Violife Original Grated Non-dairy Cheese, £2.75
- Best vegan mozzarella: Green Vie Mozarella cheese block, £3.15
- Best vegan mini cheese: Applewood creamy and smoky vegan minis, £2
- Best vegan baked cheese: Sheese Jalapeno and Chilli Bake, £3.75
- Best vegan soft ‘cheese’ (plain): Nush cream cheese-style spread, £2.75
- Best vegan soft ‘cheese’ (flavoured): Nush Chive cream cheese-style spread, £2.75
- Best vegan feta: Green Vie Greek style block with oregano and olive oil, £2.19
- Best vegan camembert: Violife Le Rond Camembert Flavour, £3.40
Best vegan cheese to buy 2023
Cathedral City Dairy-free Large Slices
- Available from Sainbury's (£2.30) Tesco (£2.30) and Ocado (£2.30)
Best for sandwiches
Rating: 5/5
When we saw this popular cheese brand had added new vegan products to their offering, we were worried they might not be as tasty and versatile as the dairy-based versions – we couldn't have been more wrong. These slices have a spot on cheddar-like texture and a slightly nutty but not overwhelming flavour that had us going back for more. Perfect for stuffing into sarnies.
Available from:
Sainbury's (£2.30)
Tesco (£2.30)
Ocado (£2.30)
Violife Smoky Cheddar Flavour Slices
Best smoked vegan cheese
Rating: 4.5/5
We're not sure if it's the round slices or hickory smoke-flavoured rind, but this reminded us of the Bavarian smoked cheese you can find in most supermarkets. This was less starchy in flavour and texture than over vegan cheese we tried. We enjoyed tucking a few slices into a pitta, wrap or sandwich.
More like this
Available from:
Sainsbury's £2.80
Ocado £2.80
Sheese Mature Cheddar Style
- Available from Ocado (£2.50)
Best vegan cheddar (block)
Rating: 3.5/5
Good on its own, this cheddar has a smooth, creamy taste with a distinctive tang thanks to the added lactic acid. It also has an aged flavour from the yeast extract without an odd aftertaste. Its slightly crumbly texture mirrors dairy cheddar, as does its neutral yellow colour.
This could be eaten alone, on a cracker or in a sandwich. When cooking, it melted well and the more ‘aged’ flavour intensified.
Available from:
Ocado (£2.50)
Violife Original Flavour grated
- Available from Ocado, £.275
Best vegan grated cheese
Rating: 4/5
A slightly tangy taste with a hint of saltiness, this grated vegan cheddar melted quickly and quite evenly, which was good when making vegan mac and cheese. It does have a more pronounced flavour, but we didn't mind it.
Available from:
Ocado (£2.75)
Green Vie Mozzarella cheese block
- Available from Navesu (£3.15)
Best vegan mozzarella
Rating: 3.5/5
If you’re looking for a vegan ‘mozzarella’ to use in salads and sandwiches, this is our top choice. It has a super creamy, cheesy flavour when eaten raw, but it’s not overpowering. It also has a good level of salt. When melted, it still stayed unified, so we think it would work well on a vegan pizza or toastie as it didn’t run thin or turn to liquid like the other alternatives.
Available from:
Navesu (£3.15)
Applewood creamy and smoky vegan minis
- Available from Morrisons £2
Best vegan mini cheese
Rating: 5/5
We can imagine these dairy-free snackable cheeses being just as popular as regular Applewood. Lightly smoked, not noticeably vegan and easy to eat on the go or pack in a lunchbox. The only challenge is not eating them all in one sitting.
Available from:
Morrisons £2
Sheese Jalapeno and Chilli Bake
- Available from Morrisons £3.75
Best vegan baked cheese
Rating: 5/5
Gooey, stringy and with a good hit of chilli spice, this clay pot of vegan baked cheese goes down a treat. We enjoyed it for lunch with crunchy crudites and bread, but it would make a great vegan dinner party starter, too.
Available from:
Morrison's £3.75
Nush cream cheese-style spread
- Available from Ocado (£2.75), Waitrose (£2.75)
Best vegan soft 'cheese' plain
Rating: 4/5
Packed with over 60 almonds per pot for a fantastic source of protein, it’s hard to believe this spread is vegan. It’s creamy, a tiny bit tangy thanks to the live cultures in it, and simply delicious. Perfect on crackers, as a dip or even as a sauce base for a white pizza.
Available from:
Ocado (£2.75)
Waitrose (£2.75)
Nush Chive cream cheese-style spread
- Available from Ocado (£2.75), Sainsbury's (£2.75), Waitrose (£2.65)
Best vegan soft 'cheese' flavoured
Rating: 4/5
This has a creamy texture and the sharp tang of regular cream cheese. Like it’s plain counterpart, it didn’t split when cooked, so it could be stirred through risottos and pastas or used in sauces. The chive flavour is delicious and slightly salty; it mirrors a garlic and sour cream flavour so it could work well in a bagel or as a dip for tortilla chips.
Available from:
Ocado (£2.75)
Sainsbury's (£2.75)
Waitrose (£2.65)
Green Vie Greek style block with oregano and olive oil
- Available from Navesu (£2.19)
Best vegan feta
Rating: 3.5/5
There is a classic brininess and soft texture to this vegan feta and it easily crumbles, which impressed us. It’s salty but perhaps milder than a regular feta and when it firsts hits the tongue, the acidity is a bit intense but that quickly fades to replicate a very good dairy feta. The olive oil and oregano flavour is lovely and does a good job at covering any potential synthetic taste.
Available from:
Navesu (£2.19)
Violife Le Rond Camembert Flavour
- Available from Ocado (£3.25), Waitrose (£3.40), Sainsbury's (£3.25)
Best vegan camembert
Rating: 5/5
At room temperature, this vegan camembert has a remarkably similar taste to the regular kind. It has a slightly salty but mild, tangy flavour with a characteristic sour odour that’s weaker than the dairy variety but still present. It’s quite a solid, creamy cheese and lacks a typical wax, which may distract non-vegans. When melted, it stayed quite liquid for longer than regular camembert, but the flavour is strong and it has a nice runny rather than sticky texture.
Available from:
Ocado (£3.25)
Waitrose (£3.40)
Sainsbury's (£3.25)
How we tested vegan cheese
A range of nationally available vegan ‘cheeses’ was tested. The products were served out of their packaging so that no brand prejudice could play a part in the judging. The cheese alternatives were served at room temperature and water and a cracker were given between tastings in order to cleanse the palate. All the vegan cheeses were tasted with a plain cracker, so only the cheese could be judged. Any cheese we judged when cooked was heated in a ceramic container under the grill for 5 minutes in order to see how quickly it melted. This was then tasted with a plain corn tortilla chip.
What we looked for...
Vegan: All entries were strictly free from dairy and animal products.
Taste: We looked for a vegan cheese alternative that tasted as close to the dairy version of each cheese type as possible. Specifically, we looked for creaminess, saltiness and acidity, as well as a cheesy aroma.
Texture: We looked for a vegan cheese alternative that was as close in texture as its dairy version. We looked at whether they cut or grated the same as regular cheese, and how they felt on the tongue.
Cooking: All the vegan mozzarella and camembert alternatives were melted under the grill, added to pasta or baked to see how they behaved when cooked. We looked for a texture as close to melted cheese as possible, and for the flavour to remain unaffected or improved after cooking.
Best vegan crackers
Nairn’s Fine Milled Oatcakes
- Available from Tesco (£1.15), Sainsbury's (£1.10)
Nairn’s oatcakes have a strong, thick base and are a softer cracker than most, which means they’re good with a thick layer of vegan cream cheese or a chunk of vegan cheddar.
Available from:
Tesco (£1.15)
Sainsbury's (£1.10)
Ryvita Dark Rye crispbread
- Available from Tesco (£1.35), Morrisons (£1.59)
These rye crackers are the crunchiest of the bunch as well as being high in fibre and a natural source of iron, magnesium and zinc. Pair with a softer cheese like a vegan cream cheese or camembert.
Available from:
Tesco (£1.35)
Morrisons (£1.59)
Carr's Table Water biscuits
- Available from Morrisons (£1.49)
A classic for a reason, these thin table water crackers are a great all-rounder. They’re sturdy and plain enough to dip into a flavoured vegan cream cheese but also contrast well with a mature vegan cheddar.
Available from:
Morrisons (£1.49)
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Visit our vegan section
For more product picks, visit our reviews section.
This review was last updated in January 2023. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.
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