Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheels are Cultured, Organic, Cashew-Based Alternatives

As shared in my announcement about VegNews magazine’s relaunch party, I had the chance to sample several varieties of Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheels all in one place. It is completely dairy-free, vegan, soy-free, and gluten-free. It’s made simply of organic cashews and organic chickpea miso, with additional pure ingredients to differentiate the flavors.

The offerings from Miyoko’s Creamery range from very soft double cream to semi-hard in consistency. Both Hannah and I seemed to prefer the middle of the slice-ability pack. Although the Aged English Smoked Farmhouse was an exception, which was on the firmer side. It was hands down our favorite with its unique smoked gouda appeal. Next up in out favorites line was the Brandy-Cured Grape Leaf. Unfortunately it was a Limited Edition flavor (that is actually the Fig Leaf variety shown below, which looks similar). But, we also adored the earthy yet elegant French Style Winter Truffle. Thankfully that variety is fixture on the Miyoko’s Creamery menu!

I did forget to take more specific notes as my appetite quickly took over when presented with two tables full of Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheels (I mean, how often do you get to go to a party and enjoy huge dairy-free cheese platters?). But since Miyoko sent everyone home with a wheel of the Mt. Vesuvius Black Ash, I was able to do a proper tasting of that single flavor later in the week.

The wheels are much bigger than they appear in my picture, packing in a 1/3 pound of dense, flavorful richness. The Black Ash was quite rich, but it fell in that “middle ground” of consistency. It was both sliceable and thickly spreadable – soft, but not quite creamy. I could really taste the depth of the miso, which seemed to serve as the primary flavoring agent. The black ash added a little unique sandy interest, but I didn’t detect its influence otherwise.

The Facts on Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheels

Price: $11.99 per 6.5-ounce wheel

Availability: Miyoko’s Creamery is based in San Francisco, but they now have distribution throughout the U.S. So you can find Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheels in many natural food stores.

Certifications: Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheels are labeled as vegan and are made with mostly organic ingredients, but we didn’t note any certifications on the box.

Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheels are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian. Nonetheless, always read the ingredient statement and 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 Miyoko’s website at miyokos.com.

What Others Are Saying ...

Vegan Cheese Wheel

5.0 rating

July 19, 2019

The Cheese Wheels with no coconut oil are perfect and are highly recommended. Smoked English Farmhouse, Sharp Farmhouse, Fresh Loire Valley and Black Ash, all have excellent ingredients. Taste and texture are great, I eat one of these flavors with matzoh or crackers for breakfast daily. I avoid coconut oil as I believe it’s health benefits to be completely over the top and avoid it, and hope the fad of coconut will soon be over. Enjoy!

Michael Chesler

Sharp English Farmhouse was Disgusting

1.0 rating

April 18, 2019

I’m sorry to have to say this as I would love to support vegan products but this was just inedible. I paid 15 bucks for a very small hunk of what was sold as vegan cheese but tasted like a miso paste with extra salt and a lot of vinegar. It was not “semi firm” but a paste pretty much just like miso. I tried smearing it on a cracker but the taste was seriously off and way too strong. I am vegan and have found a few other vegan cheese I like and was looking forward to a cultured cheese. I ended up taking it back to the store for a refund.

MB Ortiz

A culinary array of vegan nut cheeses

5.0 rating

February 21, 2019

Though Miyoko doesn’t have cheese-making in her Asian roots, she is an expert in culturing and displays her mastery of the art in a culinary array of vegan nut cheeses. The wide selection of double cream, soft, and semi-hard wheels means that everyone will probably have a different favorite – and really, all that we tried were delicious. But for us, it was hard to forget the Smoked Farmhouse, which caused a brief reminisce over smoked gouda cheese.

Alisa