How to Substitute Cheese

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.

• “Cheezy” Sauce
• 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 Brie Cheese with Truffled, Black Garlic, and Camembert Options
• 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, Rice & 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
• Chao Vegan Cheese Slices make it to Mainstream Distribution
• Chee Vegan Cheese Sauces by Bit Baking are Truly Plant-Based
• CORE + RIND Cashew Cheesy Sauces are Boldly Vegan and Paleo
• Creamy Sheese is an Award Winning Dairy-Free Alternative to Cream Cheese
• Daiya Blocks are Dairy-Free Alternatives to Classic Hard Cheese
• Daiya Cream Cheese Style Spread is Available in Four Varieties
• Daiya Cutting Board Shreds are the Dairy-Free Cheese that Melts
• Daiya Deluxe Cheeze Sticks Offer Two Ways to Snack Dairy-Free
• Daiya Shreds are the Classic Dairy-Free Cheese Alternatives
• Follow Your Heart Cheese Slices Comes in 7 Dairy-Free Varieties
• Follow Your Heart Dairy Free Cream Cheese is now Soy-Free, Too
• Follow Your Heart Dairy Free Shreds come in Classic Cheese Flavors
• Follow Your Heart Dairy-Free Feta Crumbles are a First for Vegan Cheese
• Follow Your Heart Dairy-Free Parmesan is Available Shredded and Grated
• Go Veggie Vegan Cream Cheese Comes in 3 Flavors and 2 Sizes
• Go Veggie Vegan Parmesan is a Cheesy Grated Style Topping
• Good Planet Cream Cheese Alternative is Spreading to Stores Nationwide
• Good Planet Dairy-Free Cheese Shreds Supply Retail & Food Service
• Good Planet Dairy-Free Cheese Slices are Made for Everyone
• Heidi Ho Cheeze Dips Make a Plant-Powered Comeback
• 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 Cultured Vegan Cheese Debuts in Nut-Free Slices, Shreds, and Blocks
• Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheels are the Cultured Side of Cashews
• 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
• Nuttin Ordinary Cashew Cheese is Made Simply – No Oil, Dairy, or Gluten
• Parma! Vegan Parmesan is Sold in Classic, Spicy, Garlicky & Bacon Flavors
• Sheese Vegan Cheese Blocks, Wedges, and Shreds Cover Every Flavor
• So Delicious Dairy-Free Shreds are Making Many People Say Cheese
• Spread’Em Kitchen Cashew Soft Cheeze is Cultured in Several Savory Flavors
• The Honest Stand Dairy Free Dips are Oh-So Cheesy
• Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese comes in Classic, Flavors, and Whipped
• Tofutti Better Than Ricotta Cheese is a Unique Dairy-Free Alternative
• Tofutti Dairy-Free Cheese Slices are a Vegan American Tradition
• Treeline Aged Artisanal Nut Cheese is a Solid Dairy-Free Option
• Treeline Cashew Cream Cheese Spreads it on Thick in Three Flavors
• Treeline Creamy French-Style Soft Nut Cheese Spreads Flavor on Thick
• Urban Cheesecraft Dairy Free Mixes make Blocks, Wheels, and Sauces
• Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative by Follow Your Heart
• Vegan Valley Cashew Cheeze Sauces range from Nacho to Alfredo
• Violife Vegan Cheese Shreds come in Classic Cheesy Flavors
• Violife Vegan Cheese Slices are Just Like Cheddar and Provolone
• Violife Vegan Feta Cheese Alternative is All Greek to Us
• Violife Vegan Parmesan Wedges into the Dairy Alternative Market
• Vtopian Artisan Cheeses are Cultured, Aged, and Naturally Vegan
• 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