Thanks to the growing vegan cheese options on the shelves these days, giving up cheese is becoming easier and easier.

I get a lot of new clients who say, “I would go vegan, but I just can’t imagine life without cheese!”

Well let me just tell you… Vegan cheese has come A LONG WAY since I went vegan 22 years ago! In fact, vegan cheese has come a long way in just the last year. The options getting more and more realistic both in taste and texture. Just recently, vegan cheese products are also becoming healthier too. How cool! 

Here are my top 5 brands and favorite vegan cheese products. Explore and enjoy!

Brand: Follow Your Heart

Favorite Product:

Smoked Gouda Style Slices

I don’t remember ever trying smoked Gouda cheese before going vegan at 15 years old. When I discovered Follow Your Heart’s smoked Gouda style slices I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. Perfectly smoky and creamy, these slices make a killer grilled cheese or melt. Being the southern girl I am, I absolutely love it in grits too. This vegan cheese is one of my staple “comfort foods”.

Pepper Jack Style Slices

All the spicy goodness you love without the horrific animal abuse. Try this flavor in quesadillas or on pizza, or just eat with crackers!

Brand: Daiya Foods

I recommend this brand for all your cheese needs. Not only are the products 100% vegan, they are also free of soy, gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts (except coconut), but they have their own factory to eliminate the risk of cross-contamination. Daiya is becoming available in more and more mainstream grocery stores as well.

Favorite Products:

Mozzarella Style Shreds and Pepper Jack Style Shreds 

These are great tasting and they melt just like “the real thing”!

The mozzarella is perfect for making a delicious vegan pizza, and the pepper jack couldn’t be better for topping burritos and making quesadillas.

Havarti Style Wedge and Jack Style Wedge

I used these at a house party recently, on a platter with olives and crackers. The non-vegans had NO IDEA that the cheese was non-dairy. In fact I received compliments on the Havarti wedge and it was gone in no time. They couldn’t believe it when I told them later that it was vegan. Go Daiya!

Brand: Heidi Ho Veganics

Favorite Product:

Chia Cheeze Sauce

Go Heidi Ho! I’ve had the privilege of meeting the awesome women behind this up and coming vegan cheese brand. This is the healthiest “nacho cheese” alternative out there to date. The kicker… It tastes incredible!

Brand: Kite Hill

Favorite Product: 

Cream Cheese Style Spread (Chive)

Kudos to Kite Hill for creating the single most healthy vegan cheese on the market today. Unfortunately, because they are a relatively young company, there is a good chance their products have not made it to your local stores yet. Be patient though, I have no doubt Kite Hill will grow exponentially. Not only is their vegan cream cheese the healthiest, it’s also the best tasting. How exciting is that?!

The chive flavor is my favorite, but the classic plain flavor is good as well. When I need a savory treat, I spread it on seed or rice crackers, and sometimes add slices of cucumber… yum! When I have guests I serve it with whole grain or gluten-free bagels and get nothing but compliments.

Brand: Galaxy Nutritional Foods

Favorite Product:

Vegan Cream Cheese Substitute, Chive & Garlic

I only get this every once in a while because it is still a processed food, but of the vegan cream cheese that are available in many main stream grocery stores, this is one of the healthier, has the best consistency, and tastes great!

I’d love to hear your favorites in the comments! 

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Ella Magers, MSW

Founder & CEO at Sexy Fit Vegan®

A passionate vegan for the last 28 years, Ella Magers, MSW is a leading voice for revolutionary transformation in the fitness industry. Ella connects people with the information, tools, support, and guidance they need to develop holistically healthy habits, claim mental and emotional well-being, and live more fulfilling and fiercely compassionate lives. Ella is a professional speaker, published author, and coach. She is the spirited host of the inspiring Rise & Thrive Podcast and the Vegan Life Coach Podcast, founder of Sexy Fit Vegan®, and creator of the 22Reboot total transformation system. As a plant-based athlete and former bodybuilding champion, Ella was recognized as one of the world's top personal trainers by bodybuilding.com and Shape Magazine. Having healed from her own struggles with disordered eating, Ella Magers shows people that there are alternatives to crash diets and excessive workout regimens, and how to align their lifestyle with true health by using compassion as their compass. Ella is on the founding board of Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary, a 501(c)3 nonprofit with the mission of creating the best possible life for farm animals while inspiring compassion for all living beings.

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