Vegan Cheese Guide

Adopting a vegan, or even dairy-free, diet requires a lot of compromise. For many years, excluding dairy products was synonymous with giving up cheese dishes altogether. But in recent years, the vegan diet craze, food allergy awareness and the emergence of curious omnivores have led to the explosion of a very unique market: vegan cheeses.

Discover "fauxmages", these healthy alternatives that allow you to give up dairy products without compromising the pleasure of eating.  

What is a vegan cheese?

Vegan, plant-based or "fauxmage" cheese is a vegan food product made from a combination of ingredients designed to taste, feel or imitate dairy cheese.

Basic ingredients may include soy, cashew nuts, almonds, vegetable oils, coconut and starches.

Thanks to different manufacturing processes, "fauxmages" can take on a variety of shapes, making them suitable for different dishes and cooking methods. Among the shapes found on the market are soft artisan cheeses, sliced fauxmages, blocks and fauxmages à gratin.

Vegan artisan cheeses

Artisanal vegan cheeses abound on the refrigerator shelves of La Boite à Grains. In recent years, many artisans have started making fauxmages, and the local industry offers a wide range of artisan vegan cheeses, each more succulent than the last.

The majority are imitations of soft dairy cheeses. Delicious when served with a baguette or crackers, they are the perfect accompaniment to an aperitif or the end of a meal. Some of these artisanal fauxmages can be incorporated into hors-d'oeuvres, sauces, spreads, tapenades or even... vegan cheese fondues!

The world of artisanal fauxmage features products from several North American companies, including :

La Frauxmagerie Georgian Bay. This Ontario-based company offers succulent vegan cheeses made with cashews, nutritional yeast and probiotics. Among the flavors offered by La Frauxmagerie are Botanical Parm (vegan parmesan) and their greatest asset... the "crotte" fauxmage!

La Fauxmagerie Zengarry. An up-and-coming Canadian company, this fauxmagerie makes soft vegan cheeses. The company's greatest achievements include artisanal garlic and herb fauxmages as well as tomato and basil fauxmagemade from basil grown on the factory's green wall.

To pay tribute to authentic French cheese-making techniques, the vegan cheese dairy Happy Heart Vegan Gourmet specializes in the preparation of delicious fauxmages with authentic flavors. Their selection of fine fauxmages includes Petit Cam (camembert)Camembert Petit Bleuand Petit Cendréthe Petit Fuméand Spicy and Shèvrethe latter recalling the smooth, silky texture of goat's cheese.

In the same tradition of handcrafted, artisanal cheeses, the company Nuts for Cheese stands out with its fermented cashew nut fauxmages, offering soft cheeses with flavors of Blue, Brie, Chipotle cheddar, Smoked artichoke and herbs as well as Red crust with turmeric and paprika.

Sliced vegan cheeses

If there's one thing that makes vegans nostalgic, it's grilled cheese. That famous comfort food with just two ingredients: bread and sliced cheese. Now, with the launch of sliced vegetable cheeses, it's possible to rediscover the pleasure of vegan grilled-cheese.  

Thanks to Tofuttia pioneer in vegan cheeses, which has marketed slices of vegan mozzarella cheese. The company offers several flavors of sliced cheese Earth Island. Add spice and variety to your sandwiches with slices of fauxmage flavored with Smoked Gouda, Pepper jack or opt for the classics: Mozzarella and CheddarThe latter two flavours are also offered by the Daiya company, which also offers slices of Provolone slices and Smoked Gouda.

Vegan cheese blocks

Vegan cheese blocks offer the practicality of a brick format. Sliced or grated, vegan cheese blocks are versatile and easy to integrate into everyday cooking.

Daiya's artisanal vegan cheese blocks are available in the following flavors Havarti, Medium Cheddar, Monterey jack and Smoked Gouda. These blocks of fauxmages are excellent alternatives to dairy cheeses. As well as being tasty, they are made healthily from tapioca and non-GMO oils.

Vegan cheese au gratin

What could be more comforting than a delicious home-cooked meal au gratin in the oven? Some vegan cheeses offer the possibility of gratinating dishes without the need for any dairy products.

This is particularly true of Gusta's au gratin blocks. While the original flavor taste is reminiscent of strong cheddar, the suisso block has a milder, Swiss-style taste. The block americano offers an all-purpose taste. These au gratin blocks give life and flavor to gratins, pizzas, raclettes, pastas and more.

For a simple, ready-to-eat alternative, Daiya's vegan cheese shavings are available in the flavor of Cheddar, Mozzarella and Pepper Jack add a touch of tasty vegan bliss to any dish.

For browning, garnishing and adding distinct flavor, Georgian Bay Frauxmagerie and Earth Island offer vegan parmesan cheese. A must for your vegan pantry.

Whether it's for reasons of restriction, food allergy or simply to taste the variety of local fauxmages, let yourself be tempted and inspired by the range of possibilities offered by vegan cheeses.

Enjoy your discovery!

About the author

Naturopaths of La Boite à Grains

Team of licensed and certified naturopaths (ND) in Gatineau, Outaouais.

Original article written by Véronique Cousineau, Naturopath