Sometimes food manufacturers get it right on the first try. And Field Roast is one of those success stories with their Chao Creamery division. Chao Vegan Cheese Slices launched about five years ago, and quickly became one of the most popular dairy-free cheese alternatives. They haven’t had to change a thing about their formula or packaging – well, except for selling bulk quantities.
Chao Vegan Cheese Slices hit Costco and Double Distribution Nationwide
Field Roast has released a bulk pack with three Creamy Original Chao Vegan Cheese Slices at more than 150 Costco stores. Look for them in the Midwest, Southwest, Texas, and Ontario, Canada regions.
If you aren’t in one of those regions, or don’t have a Costco membership, there are other options. Because Field Roast has doubled the distribution of their Chao Creamery products to Target, Safeway, and Albertsons stores. They are also debuting Chao Vegan Cheese Slices at Sprout stores, increasing the availability of this product line to roughly 1500 grocers nationwide.
Why Field Roast’s Chao Vegan Cheese Slices are So Popular
Chao Vegan Cheese Slices were indeed a pleasant surprise, mimicking the unique bite of dairy cheese slices with impressive ease. I found the texture to be remarkably similar to Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheese Slices (not their Vegan Gourmet line), and for good reason. The two have nearly identical ingredients. Chao Creamery uses just one special ingredient to set their dairy-free cheese alternative apart: a touch of fermented chao tofu.
Surprisingly, the fermented tofu does add that “umami” factor to each flavor. We enjoyed all three, but the Creamy Original was my favorite. It has a provolone meets white cheddar flavor that is rich and just bold enough. My friend Tess loves the subtle earthy flair of the Coconut Herb, spiked with oregano and black pepper. And I think Tony was partial to the spicy heat of the Tomato Cayenne – perfect for quesadillas or kicking up that dairy-free grilled cheese!
As you can see by my picture below, Chao Vegan Cheese Slices do indeed melt easily when broiled or sandwiched and heated. That said, I thought they were quite tasty cold, for noshing as a snack or adding another sandwich layer.
Creamy Original
Ingredients: filtered water, coconut oil, modified corn and potato starch, potato starch, fermented tofu (soybeans, water, salt, sesame oil, calcium sulfate), sea salt, natural flavor, olive extract (antioxidant used as a preservative) and beta carotene. Contains: coconut and soy.*
Nutrition (per 20-gram slice): 60 calories, 4.5g fat, 4g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 0g protein.*
Tomato Cayenne
Nutrition (per 20-gram slice): 60 calories, 4.5g fat, 4g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 0g protein.*
Garden Herb
Nutrition (per 20-gram slice): 60 calories, 4.5g fat, 4g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 0g protein.*
More Facts on Chao Vegan Cheese Slices by Field Roast
Price: $5.99 per 7-ounce package; $10.89 for a 3-pack at Costco
Availability: Chao Vegan Cheese Slices are sold at Target, Safeway, Albertsons, and Sprouts stores in the U.S., and in select Costco regions in the U.S. and Canada. Look for them in the refrigerated section.
Certifications: Chao Vegan Cheese Slices by Field Roast are Certified Vegan.
Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Chao Vegan Cheese Slices are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, vegan, and vegetarian.*
For More Product Information: Visit the Field Roast website at fieldroast.com.
*Always read the ingredient and nutrition statement prior to consumption. Ingredients, processes, and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company or product. Contact the company to discuss their manufacturing processes if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. No food product can be guaranteed “safe” for every individual’s needs. You should never rely on ingredient and allergen statements alone if dealing with a severe food allergy.
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What Others Are Saying ...
Amazingly delicious!
This is the best Vegan cheese I’ve ever tasted! I snack on it with Walnuts every day for a nutty cheesy treat! Yumm!
The Best By Far
Out of all the Vegan Cheeses that I’ve tried Chao Creamy Original is the best in taste and texture. Would love to see this as a shredded Cheese Version but I’ll never stop looking for this one on the refrigerator shelf in my local stores (Ingles, Whole Foods, Walmart and Target).
Delicious!!!
The best non-dairy cheese I have, ever, tasted. It should get 10 Stars…⭐
Love it!!!!! ?
INCREDIBLE
i hate vegan cheese, its always awful, but this one is actually really good??? very shocked. melts like normal cheese and also tastes really good and i actually had a really good time for the first time ever
The Original Flavor
I’ve tried so many vegan cheese products and am often extremely dissatisfied. Chao is amazing. I prefer original flavor. It actually melts like cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. This product is the closest thing to dairy cheese in the market.
Buttery flavor
Texture like sliced Chedder. Never found before in a vegan cheese.
Amazing cheese!
I loved Chao creamy original slices. I turned out taking two slices and making 4-5 servings or macaroni and cheese and stored the left overs in the fridge. It’s literally MY FAVORITE CHEESE! and I’m finding it is making the dairy free transition a lot easier (allergy to dairy) and I found mine at Walmart! It’s only downside 11 slices per pack for $5.50. But there are BIG slices.
Great cheese alternative that melts
Donning a captivating “product of Greece” label, we expected great things from this cheese alternative, and were not disappointed. With a delightful bite that we found pleasing both cold and melted, each flavor had tasty “umami” underpinnings from a not-so-secret ingredient.
25 Comments
I Love Chao Cheese. Thank You so much!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel alot of Vegan cheeses just don’t taste all that great…BUT FIELD ROAST CHAO cheese slices are the bomb! Not only do the slices taste like REAL CHEESE….when you MELT it onto something…this other WONDERFUL cheesy nutty flavor comes out..its like WOW..a whole different cheese taste and its sooo yummy! I only like the CREAMY ORIGINAL, but I HIGHLY recommend it! And if you check,,there isn’t a whole lot of fat/calories..etc..like real cheese..I don’t mind paying a little extra more for this product!
I love love love the tomato cayenne slices.
Me too – they are so hard to find!
Please send to Guam! SOS we need Chao Cheese !!!
Is it soy free as well? Sadly, so many vegan foods contain soy. My husband is allergic to soy, my son and daughter to dairy (NOT lactose intolerant!). My daughter is also allergic to eggs.
Hi Sonya, this one does contain a very small amount of fermented tofu for flavor. However, the Follow Your Heart Slices & Blocks (NOT their Vegan Gourmet line) are actually the identical ingredients/formula, minus the soy. Definitely just as good and soy-free. Here is info on the Follow Your Heart ones -> https://www.godairyfree.org/product-reviews/follow-your-heart-cheese-alternative
Where can I buy this please
They have a store locator here -> http://fieldroast.com/where-to-buy/
I would trust anything from Field Roast. Amazing company. I buy all my vegan sausages from them which are flavorful. Has anybody tried cheese from Miyoko’s Kitchen? It’s mail order but looks amazing in Vegan News magazine. Still waiting for this site to do a review on vegan cheesecake and not just cheese 🙁
Yes, we’ve reviewed that one, too, Avi! It’s cultured, so it has bolder flavors than many nut cheeses, and we like a few of the flavors. Here are my notes: http://www.godairyfree.org/product-reviews/miyokos-creamery-non-dairy-artisan-cultured-nut-cheese
Thank you so much….
I went out and bought a chao cheese original after reading this review in my inbox and I have to say that it was delicious both hot and cold….
I live in Buffalo, N.Y and I am trying to find the Daiya cheese cake, if you could please help me I would greatly appreciate it…
Thanks again,
A.C
Hi A.C., So glad you enjoyed it! I’m actually going to be trialing those cheesecakes myself soon and will review here. I’ve seen them at Whole Foods and Natural Grocers, but have not seen them in conventional grocers. If you have a natural food store in your area, I would check with them to see if they can order in.
Hi Alisa! I just tried the coconut herb. I heated it in my spaghetti and it gave it this yummy, creamy texture. It was also delicious on the rosemary turkey sandwich. Thank you so much!
Yum! Thanks for sharing this Sylvia!
I’m still hoping to find one that is dairy AND soy free. 🙁
Did you not see my recent Follow Your Heart review Jessica? Their new blocks and slices are dairy-free, soy-free, top allergen-free and impressive: http://www.godairyfree.org/product-reviews/follow-your-heart-cheese-alternative
I’ve yet to find a dairy-free cheese that I’ve really liked, but the pictures of this one look promising!! Will research and see if I can find some before my son comes home from college!
I do not lie Kim, nor does the picture, it’s pretty darn promising 🙂
You will LOVE Field Roast Creamy Orginal. It’s mind blowing good!!! It tastes like cheese with an amazing texture without being too bold!!
Agreed! Thanks for sharing your feedback Pamela – so helpful!
This one is seriously amazing! The original is so good, it tastes like real cheese. Before I tried it I never ate vegan cheese because it never tasted good. I am honestly obsessed with this cheese now and pretty much eat it with everything!
So awesome that it fit the bill for you Chloe! I really like it too.
K and I just tried this cheese recently. It is amazing! I can’t wait till it’s available closer to where we live.
Awesome, so glad you guys liked it, too!