Ways to Approach Vegan Cheeses

The same way you would pair a sharp cheese with crisp fruits, a spicy cheese with hearty crackers, or red wines with bold blue cheeses, vegan cheeses have many delicious possibilities. There are varieties for every occasion!

One of the biggest things to consider when trying vegan cheeses is that they are not one-for-one replicas of their dairy counterparts. While techniques and uses are similar, the rendering process for each cheese is not the same, dairy or not, yielding unique flavors out of every style.

There are many hidden benefits to choosing a vegan cheese over a dairy one. For one, they are easier for the human stomach to digest due to the lack of dairy. Vegan cheeses are also show not to harm arteries at all, as they don’t contain any cholesterol or saturated fats.

As the market for vegan cheeses has grown, the number of new developments in the industry has increased at an incredible rate. Every year we meet new vegan cheese makers who are all helping to expand their artform. Considering that dairy cheesemaking has been around for thousands of years, it’s definitely an exciting expansion to watch. Unfortunately, there are obstacles to expanding vegan cheese throughout the entire cheese chart, such as aging caves which are only available to makers at a premium and can be a major setback to independent operations that lack the capital for such an expense.

Overall, though, as industry professionals, it is important to not scoff at the idea of vegan cheeses as simple remakes of dairy cheeses. Rather, we should look at this expansion of the artform as an opportunity to take our menus to the next level and expand upon already established flavor profiles.