Vegan Cheese - Yum or Yuck?

[easysurfer]

I like a good cheeseburger like the others that do. But have been avoiding and getting a plain hamburger for years due to not handling dairy well.

Forgot why, but I ran across an article (or commercial) about vegan cheese and thought to myself, maybe I should give that a try.

So, the other day I bought a couple packs of Daiya brand american cheese slices at my local grocery store. Claims, lactose, gluten free and more.

My plan was to make a good cheesburger today, but last night was thinking, maybe I should sample first to make sure the "cheese" doesn't ruin a good burger.

So, like I used to do in earlier days, I popped a slice in my mouth and ate. The cheese did have a stronger cheese smell (more like sharp cheddar than american) and was a bit salty, but did taste, well, like cheese. But within I say an hour, I didn't feel that great. No bloating like diary, but a little queasy. Even now, still feel a bit queasy.

Doing a little research (probably should have done before making the leap), looks like others too don't handle the Daiya cheese so well.

Now I don't know what to do. Should I, like Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods at least try something twice before deciding? Or Should I just toss and cut my losses? (I hate wasting food, and a pack isn't cheap. But I could've been better off just buying regular cheese and using Lactaid tablets if had a big cheeseburger craving).

All this contemplating over a slice of cheese. Oh well .

 

[38Chevy454]

At my old work there was a lady who was vegan. We had a potluck type lunch, and she brought some vegan taco kind of dish. I decided to try it, and the vegan cheese on top. All I can say is it was awful to me. I am glad I only took a little. The cheese was not like real cheese. I dod not even finish the small a mount of that vegan dish I had on my plate.

As for OP easysurfer, I think you should just cut your losses and throw it out. chalk it up to lesson learned.

 

[twaddle]

I'd check the ingredients of any "fake" food.

Just took a quick peek at that one, and it's basically potato starch + oils (mostly coconut oil). I've known people who don't handle coconut oil very well, but that looks like it should be a fairly small quantity.

 

[harllee]

I have a dairy allergy and I have tried all the fake cheeses and I think they are all awful. For anything that needs cheese I usually substitute humus. Humus on a hamburger is good.

 

[braumeister]

I have a dairy allergy and I have tried all the fake cheeses and I think they are all awful. For anything that needs cheese I usually substitute humus. Humus on a hamburger is good.

Doesn't sound very good.
humus: a brown or black complex variable material resulting from partial decomposition of plant or animal matter and forming the organic portion of soil

Now hummus OTOH would be a much better choice.

 

[Aerides]

Honestly, any substitute food is going to be a hard sell to someone who likes the real thing. But perhaps to a person committed to Vegan, or zero dairy, they will find a brand that tastes good to them, especially if they've had no cheese for a long time:

Love your full sugar sodas? You'll hate Diet Coke. But drink Diet Coke for 30 years and you can't imagine going back to full sugar.

Low fat potato chips? Meh, but if you've avoided chips for a year in any kind, they are wonderful.

Gluten free flours/pizza dough/beer/cookies? Kinda yucky but if you have celiac or gluten intolerance, and haven't had any of these in a while, you'll find brands that are good enough.

etc

 

[braumeister]

Honestly, any substitute food is going to be a hard sell to someone who likes the real thing.

They're also getting much, much better at it.

I remember when gluten free beers first came out -- they were awful. But there are a number of them now that are very drinkable.

 

[pacergal]

I can eat vegan cheese inside sandwiches, but not plain.
But if it makes you ill, I would not continue to eat it.

I carry lactaid pills with me also, the only dairy product I can eat that does not cause trouble is yogurt.

 

[flintnational]

Some folks that can't handle cow's milk cheese can eat goat's milk or sheep's milk cheeses or aged cheeses.

 

[easysurfer]

At my old work there was a lady who was vegan. We had a potluck type lunch, and she brought some vegan taco kind of dish. I decided to try it, and the vegan cheese on top. All I can say is it was awful to me. I am glad I only took a little. The cheese was not like real cheese. I dod not even finish the small a mount of that vegan dish I had on my plate.

As for OP easysurfer, I think you should just cut your losses and throw it out. chalk it up to lesson learned.

I've decided that I'm going to cut my losses and toss out. To not feel so bad over "spilled milk" I've declared today toss out stuff I can't handle day. Along with the vegan cheese, some spices, and bag free pretzels that has garlic.

I think it's the oils in that [-]fake[/-] vegan cheese that doesn't agree. I may in another day try a brand that's nut based. Maybe .

Years, back, trying to eat chips that wasn't made of salt I bought a bag of chips that had what was like baking soda instead of salt. I made me feel sick for days. These healthier alternatives can kill somebody!

 

[bloom2708]

We make a plant based cheese that has a base of potato and carrot.

No oil. Nutritional yeast and some spices. Green chilis. It has a nacho cheese flavor.

Goes good on a sandwich or tacos/burritos.

We don't buy the oil based vegan cheeses. The trend will be toward healthier, oil free, plant based options.

Try some recipes. Find one you like. Will it be like cow teat squirt cheese? No, but it is the taste you are trying to replicate.

 

[Ready]

We have some vegan cheese from Trader Joe’s in the fridge. The main ingredients are cashews, coconut oil and potato starch. If any of those ingredients don’t agree with you I would avoid the product.

As for taste, it’s not going to taste as good as real cheese. But if you are a vegan and it’s vegan cheese or nothing, it’s not that bad.

 

[Letj]

I recently switched to eating mostly plant based and eliminated all meats. I tried the Daiya cheese. I don’t like it in anything but found when I used it to make an egg white omelet it was quite good.

 

[bloom2708]

I recently switched to eating mostly plant based and eliminated all meats. I tried the Daiya cheese. I don’t like it in anything but found when I used it to make an egg white omelet it was quite good.

Now you need a replacement egg

I didn't mind the Daiya cheeses. I just prefer to not use them. My wife is more of a vegan junk foodie.

 

[Chris7]

I have had several, pretty good vegan cheeses of late. They even melted like real cheese. It was so good that I ate too many servings of Vegan nachos.


And Beyond meat makes a pretty darn good Vegan, polish sausage. I have a pretty severe dairy/meat allergy.



cd :O)

 

[bloom2708]

I like both Beyond and Impossible. I only eat them maybe 0-1 times a month.

My wife was skeptical. She bought a 12oz pack of Impossible. Cooked it up. No grease to drain. It didn't shrink up like a 16oz pack of burger. We had tacos and used part for pasta. She loved it! I laughed. We eat whole food, plant based most of the time and fail a little bit on the vegan side. 2+ years and still interesting and fun. So many good options these days.

 

[rodi]

Older son was vegan for a while - and some of the fake cheeses he tried were awful. Cheese was actually one of the reasons he downgraded (upgraded?) to vegetarian.

That said - impossible beef and beyond burger make decent products. He makes a burger that tastes almost as good as a burger made with our kirkland organic beef.

The biggest upgrade in flavor for a burger is to carmelize some onions and put those on the burger.

 

[easysurfer]

My vegan cheese logic was faulty.

I totally happy with and like lactose free milk, lactose free chocolate milk and ice cream. I also am fine with soymilk or almond milk.

So my thinking was to just add lactose free cheese also without doing my homework first. Good thing I was smart enough to just try one piece of vegan cheese first instead of just assuming everything is good.

I'm still feeling the after effects of that one slice .

 

[Letj]

Now you need a replacement egg



I didn't mind the Daiya cheeses. I just prefer to not use them. My wife is more of a vegan junk foodie.

Lol. I do but I did try a vegan egg salad; it was quite good. It was tofu with spices including turmeric.

 

[Letj]

I have had several, pretty good vegan cheeses of late. They even melted like real cheese. It was so good that I ate too many servings of Vegan nachos.


And Beyond meat makes a pretty darn good Vegan, polish sausage. I have a pretty severe dairy/meat allergy.



cd :O)

Be careful with those imitation meat. I was horrified when I saw how much saturated fat they had. I may as well not eat them and use turkey. If you’re vegan for other reasons besides just health, then I guess these imitation meats may not bother you.

 

[regenaeb]

If you had this kind of reaction to Daiya, you will probably to all of them. Because as you have said coconut oil is a big part of vegan cheese. We are dairy free in my house, not just lactose free. My daughter and I have reactions to dairy protein casin. Even in lactose free items we still react. So no dairy, except in very limit quantities on very special occasions and then we both prepare for the skin itchies that come for the next three days.

For any others that are interested in this post, my favorite vegan cheese is called VioLife. They have a feta that you would swear is real feta. They are a Greek company. I also like their shredded mozzarella and use it in my baked ziti recipe and to make my own pizzas.

I am plant based vegan by choice and I tend to stay clear of most vegan replacement items except when I am traveling or out to eat at a restaurant. There are some really good vegan substitutes, but they are expensive and usually contain a lot of oil or other ingredients that I would not say are healthy. They are healthier then animal products, but not healthy overall like say whole foods are.

OP, good for you to being open to trying something new, it never hurts to try. Well usually, I guess in your case, it hurts a little

 

[easysurfer]

...

OP, good for you to being open to trying something new, it never hurts to try. Well usually, I guess in your case, it hurts a little

Yeah, not good when I'm here thinking a regular case of lactose intolerance would be welcome to the vegan cheese by comparison. Think I may fast or just go for a healthy bowel or ramen soup (minus the seasoning) tonight.

Actually, I'm not against vegan food at all (why I tried in the first place). I have a niece and her husband who are vegans. A few years back at her marriage celebration all they served was vegan food ("fake" beef, chicken, you name it). Actually tasted pretty good. Just say the word kale and I'll be the first to say that is good stuff.

 

[Jerry1]

Some folks that can't handle cow's milk cheese can eat goat's milk or sheep's milk cheeses or aged cheeses.

This^^

DW is allergic to dairy. Allergic is not the same as lactose intolerant. Fortunately, of all the diet changes we’ve made, giving up dairy hasn’t been too bad. I haven’t tried any fake cheeses, but goat and sheep cheeses are very good. We are most happy with goat ice cream. It’s right up there with high end ice creams. The ice creams made with cashew “milk” are pretty good and we’ll buy them on occasion. There’s also an ice cream parlor near us that has a vegan ice cream - we think it’s almond “milk” based. I’ve heard the cashew based cheese isn’t bad, but since we’re not jonesing for a cheese burger, we haven’t tried it.

 

[bloom2708]

Be careful with those imitation meat. I was horrified when I saw how much saturated fat they had. I may as well not eat them and use turkey. If you’re vegan for other reasons besides just health, then I guess these imitation meats may not bother you.

Studies show the fiber (real meat has none) and no cholesterol make them a healthier option. But, not a health food by any stretch.

If people swap out beef for one, their cholesterol and BP drops.

 

[harley]

If I want fake cheese I'll have a slice of American, or Velveeta. I have vegetarian and vegan relatives, and I admire their discipline. But not their food (other than the fresh veggies part).