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    You are at:Home»Product Reviews»Discontinued Products»Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese (DISCONTINUED)

    Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese (DISCONTINUED)

    20
    By Alisa Fleming on December 29, 2014 Discontinued Products, Product Reviews

    It was actually a rather sad story. Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese was the best on the market, but they had a bad recall and the product never returned. Though none have quite matched up, there are now a lot of Dairy-Free Mac & Cheese Products on the market.

    Sometimes, I’m truly impressed with how natural food companies are able to recreate nostalgia. Sure, there are some big misses, but once in a while, they hit it out of the park. And from my vantage, Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese is definitely a home run.

    Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese - dairy-free Cheddar and White Cheddar flavors

    To keep things in perspective, this review isn’t about nutrition or the best food to add to your diet every day. It’s about comfort, familiarity, and an occasional convenience to prevent that “missing out” feeling or to help put lunch on the table in a pinch.

    Tasting Notes for Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese

    So does Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese taste like Kraft? I can’t say for sure – obviously those boxed dinners aren’t stocked in my pantry. But, I think it’s pretty darn close. The preparation is delightfully familiar – boil the macaroni (yes, it is wheat-based, not gluten-free!), drain, and stir in the cheesy packet, buttery spread, and milk alternative. And the end result sure looks like an enticing replica.

    Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese - dairy-free Cheddar and White Cheddar flavors

    Cheddar

    This flavor has a pleasant, mild, cheesy, and generally good flavor that I easily devoured in mere minutes. In fact, it was hard to keep from eating the whole box in one sitting! Fortunately, I didn’t as 10 minutes after eating just half a box with some broccoli, I was quite full.

    White Cheddar

    I found that this variety was similar, but slightly sharper in taste. Straight up, I liked the orange Cheddar a little better – and think it is the closer of the two to Kraft – but the White Cheddar holds its own nicely with more flavor add-ins.

    The only change I would make to Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese is in the instructions. A full 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of milk alternative made it a bit too soupy. I would add the milk alternative last, and only as needed. I ended up liking about 2 tablespoons.

    The Facts on Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese

    Go Dairy Free - The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance and Casein-Free LivingCertifications: Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese is labeled as vegan and non-GMO, but I didn’t note any certifications.

    Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Earth Balance Vegan Mac and Cheese is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian. Nonetheless, check with the company on their manufacturing processes for all varieties if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. Processes and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company / product.

    For More Product Information: Visit the Earth Balance website at www.earthbalancenatural.com.

    Alisa Fleming
    • Website

    Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

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    20 Comments

    1. Candace. on March 26, 2017 5:29 pm

      The best Gf and DF mac and cheese is made by Daiya.

      Reply
    2. Deborah on March 5, 2016 10:47 am

      That’s great that it’s dairy free and taste good but can the combine gluten free with that too. It’s really hard to find the best of both dairy and gluten free in any package.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on March 13, 2016 9:10 am

        Good news, they just did Deborah! We sampled the gluten-free, vegan new mac and cheese from Earth Balance at Expo West just yesterday! It should be in stores pretty soon 🙂

        Reply
    3. Webby on December 10, 2015 9:48 pm

      Bought one box from ThriveMarket.com to try. As a recent (but committed) Vegan, I can still remember what cheese is supposed to taste like, so i was skeptical. Skepticands rejoice! This is delicious. While the macaroni was draining i used the hot water to flash-cook some fresh string beans and sliced mushrooms.. about 3 mins. Drained that over the pasta, and then in the pan put the Earth Balance butter and Almond milk and stirred to remove all the powdery lumps. Then tossed it all together and called it Mac N Cheeze Primavera. Best compliment from the family: “Is there more?” Note to self: Buy this by the case next time.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on December 11, 2015 9:33 am

        Haha, now that is a ringing endorsement! Thanks for sharing your own review Webby.

        Reply
    4. Stephanie on September 17, 2015 8:35 am

      Thanks for reviewing this product! Over the past 5 years I’ve become totally intolerant to dairy, glad to know there are non-dairy cheesy options I can have that taste good!

      Reply
    5. Stephanie Jensen on September 10, 2015 5:07 pm

      I tried this several months ago. I agree that it close to the Kraft and generic versions of that. Mine was also soupy, but that was okay. I have always seen Earth Balance as a winner so far.

      Reply
    6. Kaitlyn on July 12, 2015 11:04 pm

      Which type of milk did you use? I’m torn between almond, soy, or cashew.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on July 13, 2015 7:12 am

        I usually like cashew better for these types of dishes, but any should work okay. Soy usually adds nice body and goes withthe flavor.

        Reply
    7. Virginia on May 25, 2015 10:35 am

      I am raising my 18 mo. old grandson who I have had since he was born. He had problems with dairy from day 1. My challenge is to buy/prepare a variety of dairy free snacks and meals mainly that he can take to preschool (no special diet menu) and enjoy at home. Any direction you can give me is very much appreciated. I am a brand new follower and look forward to more sharing your knowledge and recipes. I know nothing about this subject!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 27, 2015 9:12 am

        Hi Virginia, I believe you emailed and already said you have bought my book, which will hopefully provide you with many ideas! I would also check out these sections on Go Dairy Free:
        Snack products – http://www.godairyfree.org/product-reviews/snacks
        Bar products – http://www.godairyfree.org/product-reviews/energy-and-granola-bars
        Snack recipes – http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/snacks2

        There is so much more, too! I would identify the naturally dairy-free foods that he loves and build meals and snacks around those. Will he eat avocado? Make tortilla roll-ups with turkey, avocado, a touch of mayo and any veggies he will eat (tomato, lettuce, shredded carrot, coleslaw mix, etc.) – for example.

        Reply
    8. Sarah on May 13, 2015 8:20 am

      we just tried these last week. We’re going to buy more we liked them so much. Thank you for listing review for dairy free options.

      Our little one (3 years old) is newly diagnosed cows milk dairy allergy. She’s allergic to the casein protein.

      Thank you so much again and I can’t wait to try more dairy free products listed.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 13, 2015 5:25 pm

        So glad you are finding some scrumptious dairy-free foods! I’ll keep adding more here each week 🙂

        Reply
    9. Erin on May 12, 2015 9:18 am

      I really like both flavors. I use the 1/4 cup of milk alternative the box calls for. I found that the sauce thickens up if you cook it for a few more minutes after mixing in the pasta.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 12, 2015 5:53 pm

        Maybe I was too impatient 🙂 Thanks Erin!

        Reply
    10. Rob on March 18, 2015 11:12 am

      Last night I tried this for the first time – it was so good that today I ordered 2 CASES from Amazon!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on March 18, 2015 7:20 pm

        Awesome! Thanks for sharing your take Rob.

        Reply
    11. Kate on March 17, 2015 9:20 am

      Oh my goodness, I have been looking for a boxed vegan mac-n-cheese ever since I had to stop eating dairy! I will have to look for this!

      Reply
    12. Elk A. on January 18, 2015 9:07 pm

      Earth Balance vegan mac & cheese is currently in the process of becoming certified by the Non-GMO Project.
      See http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-participating-products/search/?brandId=73
      for more information.

      Reply
      • Ronda on May 12, 2015 7:18 pm

        Excellent news! These are really good. I always let it cook a little after adding the milk, and it thickens up nicely. They really need an Alfredo flavor. I hope they’re working on that too.

        Reply

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