Much of this information on how to substitute cheese is from my book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. However, I’ve also added some product reviews and a few fun recipes that are here on the website.
Tips to Substitute Cheese
Cheese is definitely a sensitive subject when you mention going dairy free. Fortunately, if you opt to remove it from your diet (completely, not a dairy trace!), the cravings will usually subside within about a month (give or take, depending on the person). In the mean time, you may need to substitute cheese to hold back the addiction.
Nutritional Yeast
The name may sound horrible, but nutritional yeast is actually a fairly simple ingredient that offers a cheesy vibe to foods like no other dairy-free ingredient. Typically fortified with B vitamins (including B12), many people love the taste of nutritional yeast sprinkled on like Parmesan. If the flavor seems to strong for your taste buds, don’t cast it aside without trialing it in full blown recipes first. Nutritional yeast can be used in very small amounts to add a delicious savory flavor to many meals and recipes.
To find nutritional yeast, check the baking goods aisle and the bulk food section of mainstream and natural grocers. If you can’t find it in store, it is readily available online.
Tofu
Sliced smoked tofu mimics mozzarella or provolone on sandwiches or with crackers. Also, in some American-style recipes I have added cubes (or a mash) of extra-firm tofu, and noticed a cheesy taste and texture. Not cheese by any means, but the basic tasty vibe.
For a very simple cottage cheese or ricotta substitute, you can blend or mash some Firm Silken Tofu with a dash of lemon juice. Silken Tofu can substitute cheese in many recipes, replacing cottage cheese or ricotta in dips, sauces, smoothies, pies, and pasta dishes. For more “complex” ways to substitute cheese, see the recipe and product ideas later in this post.
Cookbook Help
If you are a self-proclaimed “cheese addict” then you may need an arsenal of recipes to get you over the hump. But, even if you are okay without cheese, cheesy recipes can offer fulfilling bold and pungent flavors. Some good cookbooks for making homemade dairy-free cheese alternatives are The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, Artisan Vegan Cheese, Vegan Cheese, and Go Dairy Free.
Recipes: Homemade Dairy-Free Cheese Alternatives
Expanding culinary limits, the following dairy-free recipes offer one or more cheesy characteristics, from meltability to pungency.
- Basic Dairy-Free Parmesan (Just 3 Ingredients!)
- Bold & Raw Cheese Sauce
- Cashew Pimiento Cheese Sauce
- Chipotle Cashew Cheese: A Super-Fast, Dairy-Free Spread Recipe
- Creamy Vegan Pine Nut Cheese Pasta infused with Green Tea
- Dairy Free Cheese Sauce (like Fuddrucker’s!) with Baked Baby Potato Wedge Fries
- Dairy-Free Almond Feta “Cheese”
- Dairy-Free Buffalo Mozzarella
- Dairy-Free Goat Cheese Alternative that will even Impress Naysayers
- Dairy-Free Yogurt Cheese: The Easy Recipe with Key Tips
- Easy Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce for Pasta, Potatoes, and Vegetables
- Healthy Nacho Cheez Sauce
- Homemade Vegan Cheez
- Lessarella Cheez
- Meltable Mozzarella Vegan Cheese Alternative
- Meltable Muenster Vegan Cheese Alternative
- Melty Cheese II
- Mind-Blowing Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce
- Non-Dairy Swiss Style Cheese (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
- Sharp Vegan Cheddar Cheese Alternative
- Simple Melty Cheese Sauce
- Simply Vegan Sunflower Seed Cheese
- Tofu Cream Cheese Alternative (The Classic Recipe)
- Tofu Cream Cheese Alternative Recipe II (plus flavors)
- Tofu Ricotta
- Vegan Cauliflower Queso is a Cheesy Way to Spice Things Up
- Vegan Herb Seed Cheese
- Vegan Mexican Seed Cheese with Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds
- Vegan Parmesan
- Vegan Parmesan Flakes
- Vegan Pimento Cheese
- Vegan Sunflower Seed Cheese with Probiotics & Sprouted Options
Products: Cheese Alternatives at the Store
When shopping for a cheese alternative, be sure to read the label carefully. Although some soy cheeses have passed flavor and texture tests, many of these do contain casein (milk protein). Below are the products we’ve had a chance to taste-test and review here on Go Dairy Free, which were completely dairy-free at our time of review.
- Beyond Better Cheesy Sauce Mixes offer Plant-Based Pantry Convenience
- Chee Vegan Cheese Sauces by Bit Baking are Truly Plant-Based
- CORE + RIND Cashew Cheesy Sauces are Boldly Vegan and Paleo
- Creamy Sheese Dairy Free Cheese Alternative
- Daiya Cream Cheese Style Spread
- Daiya Cutting Board Shreds are the Dairy-Free Cheese that Melts
- Daiya Deluxe Cheeze Sticks Offer Two Ways to Snack Dairy-Free
- Daiya Farmhouse Blocks Cheese Alternative
- Daiya Shreds Dairy-Free Cheese Alternative
- Fauxmage Cheese from Trees: Vegan Artisan Cheese Spreads
- Field Roast Vegan Chao Cheese Slices
- Follow Your Heart Cheese Alternative – All New! (Slices & Blocks)
- Go Veggie Dairy-Free Parmesan Style Grated Topping
- Go Veggie Vegan Cheese Singles
- Go Veggie! Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Alternative
- Good Planet Dairy-Free Cheese Shreds Supply Retail & Food Service
- Good Planet Dairy-Free Cheese Slices are Made for Everyone
- Kite Hill Cream Cheese Style Spread Now Sold in 5 Popular Flavors
- Kite Hill Ricotta is made from Artisan Almond Milk, and Little Else
- Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheels are Cultured, Organic, Cashew-Based Alternatives
- Miyoko’s Vegan Cream Cheese Spreads it on Thick with 3 Classic Flavors
- Miyoko’s Vegan Mozz Fulfills Cravings for Fresh and Smoked Mozzarella
- Miyoko’s Vegan Roadhouse Cheese Spreads Show the Soft Side of Cheddar
- Nooch It Cashew Grated Cheeze is a Plant-Based Take on Parmesan
- Notcho Nocheez is Ready to Spread in 3 Nutty, Cheesy, Dairy-Free Flavors
- Parma! Vegan Parmesan
- Sheese Dairy Free Hard Cheese Alternative
- So Delicious Dairy-Free Shreds are Making Many People Say Cheese
- Spread’Em Kitchen Cashew Soft Cheeze is Cultured in Several Savory Flavors
- Ste Martaen Vegan Cheese Alternative: Artisan Muenster, Gouda and More
- This Is Vegan Cheese
- Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
- Treeline Aged Artisanal Nut Cheese is a Solid Dairy-Free Option
- Treeline Cashew Cream Cheese Delivers Dairy-Free Goodness to Your Home
- Treeline Creamy French-Style Soft Nut Cheese Spreads Flavor on Thick
- Urban Cheesecraft Dairy Free Cheese Kits
- Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative by Follow Your Heart
- Vegan Gourmet Cream Cheese Dairy Alternative by Follow Your Heart
- Vegan Gourmet Shreds Cheese Alternative
- Vtopian Artisan Cheeses: Vegan Cashew-Based Hard & Soft “Cheeses”
- Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese: Ready to Spread, Melt or Dip
- Wayfare Dairy Free Cream Cheese is the First Bean and Oat Variety
For more cheese substitute recipes and tips from my kitchen, see Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living.
*Photo with the two cheese recipes above by Hannah Kaminsky
42 Comments
Hello does your site have any tips for dairy free eggnog and cheesecake without gluten cause my mum’s friend reacts horribly to it.
Here’s our holiday beverage round up (with nogs – all gluten-free) -> https://www.godairyfree.org/news/dairy-free-holiday-beverages-vegan-eggnog
We have quite a few posts on dairy-free cheesecakes, store-bought and homemade. Most are or can be gluten-free -> https://www.godairyfree.org/?s=cheesecake
My body produces too much calcium, resulting in kidney stones , any suggestions on NO CALCIUM products ????!!!!
Hi Michele, all natural foods contain at least a little calcium. You are commenting on the cheese page, so I assume you are looking for cheese alternatives. Most dairy-free cheese alternatives are very low in calcium. Just avoid ones made with almonds.