They kept it around for quite a while, but the “Vegan Gourmet” line from Follow Your Heart was eventually discontinued. It has been fully replaced by the Follow Your Heart Cheese Alternative line, which is soy-free.
Though Vegan Gourmet Cheese is getting edged out by Follow Your Heart’s newer soy-free cheese alternatives, it still has a loyal following and seems to still be regularly stocked at many natural food stores. But, you won’t find the variety that used to be available. They’ve discontinued several flavors, and are down to Cheddar and Mozzarella.
Vegan Gourmet Cheese alternative is soy-based, but it is non-GMO verified and made with over 70% organic ingredients, including organic soy.
Tasting Notes for Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative
Vegan Gourmet’s claim to fame is that it actually melts. Though I have read mixed reviews on this. Many people show beautiful pictures of the bubbling cheese alternative, while others are only able to coax it into softening. Determined to see it for my own eyes, I got out the cheese shredder and cranked up the oven. I immediately discovered a huge benefit of the softer texture. Vegan Gourmet Cheese alternative is very easy to shred! Beautifully thick slivers rolled off my grater with nary an ounce of muscle, completing half the package in less than thirty seconds.
Cheddar
The Cheddar version of Vegan Gourmet Cheese was a bit oily in the package, but I quickly got past it. For an initial test, I sliced off a small chunk for a “raw” taste. The texture was solid and slice-able, but softer than regular cheddar. The flavor was very notably cheddar, but milder than its namesake. As someone who never really liked the texture nor pungent taste of cheddar very much, these differences were actually welcomed.
My first medium of choice was the Polenta Casserole from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan. As for the melting, well, it didn’t really happen. The Vegan Gourmet Cheese alternative softened, and made for an excellent meal. Really, no complaints from my family … but I was unable to coax it into a creamy, gooey topping.
I used the remaining cheddar atop our spaghetti one night to add a cheesy punch to the marinara. It still didn’t melt, but my husband proclaimed the meal excellent. The Vegan Gourmet Cheese wasn’t really the star, but it served as a nice accent.
Ingredients: filtered water, organic expeller-pressed soybean oil, organic soymilk powder (organic soybeans), natural flavors (contains autolyzed yeast), inulin (chicory root extract), agar-agar, nutritional yeast, sea salt, organic soy protein, annatto, lactic acid (vegetable source). contains: soy.
Nutrition (per 1 ounce): 90 calories, 9g fat, 2g carbs, 1g fiber, 0g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 1g protein.*
Mozzarella
I was pleased to find a nice smooth block within the package, not a bit greasy. My initial taste of this Vegan Gourmet Cheese block was a bit of a surprise. The flavor of the mozzarella was good, but quite mild and a little bit underwhelming.
Regardless, I went for the gold on testing. I was determined to make Vegan Gourmet Cheese alternative melt atop pizza. I followed their high heat instructions, but alas, my shreds merely softened, and began to brown at the tips, without achieving the full melt. Not ready to give up, I slid the pizza into the broiler for one minute. This helped, at least a bit.
It really was a wonderful treat to have a pizza with “cheese,” but next time I would try a cheddar / mozzarella blend. The mozzarella seemed to be overpowered by the crust and sauce. Perhaps it might fair better with a mild pesto.
Ingredients: filtered water, organic expeller-pressed soybean oil, organic soymilk powder (organic soybeans), natural flavors (plant sources), inulin (chicory root extract), agar agar, sea salt, organic soy protein, lactic acid (vegetable source). contains: soy.
Nutrition (per 1 ounce): 80 calories, 8g fat, 2g carbs, 1g fiber, 0g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 1g protein.*
The Facts on Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative
Price: $4.99 per 10-ounce block
Availability: Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative is sold at natural food stores in the U.S. and some mainstream grocers, like Smith’s.
Certifications: Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative is Certified Organic, Non-GMO Verified, and Certified Kosher Parve.
Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Follow Your Heart’s Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
For More Product Information: Visit the Follow Your Heart website at www.followyourheart.com.
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What Others Are Saying ...
Liked the cheddar
It didn’t melt for me – perhaps due to a dry climate.
Love how it shreds.
The cheddar is good, but the mozzarella is just too mild.
Simply the best
Best melting vegan cheese!
It melted!
I have kids with multiple food allergies, but they are okay with soy. I decided to try the cheddar flavor in my baked macaroni and cheese; it turned out fantastic. And it seemed to freeze well. I used the mozzarella on lunch pizza bagels for my kids, and it ACTUALLY MELTED, just like the package stated. It tasted great too!
5 Comments
FYH Cheddar Shreds was so disgusting. My family is newly Vegan and we all hated the taste of the cheese. We will be trying Daiya next we are hoping it tastes nothing like this.. I’ve heard many vegetarians are vegetarian instead of Vegan because they can not give up real cheese.
Hi Lanna, I recommend that you trial the Follow Your Heart blocks, which are not labeled as Vegan Gourmet. They are VERY different from the shreds / Vegan Gourmet line – completely different ingredients and really quite impressive. They shred and slice easily and melt surprisingly well. I think they are MUCH better than the FYH Vegan Gourmet line. Here’s info on those: http://www.godairyfree.org/product-reviews/follow-your-heart-cheese-alternative
Daiya in bulk form caused temporary impotence due to the effect of the oil content.
My medical clairvoyant recommends Vegan Gourmet now.
We use the mozzarella cheese to make an individual size pizza for my daughter. We have that the best way to get the cheese to melt is to cover the pizza with a cake pan and heat it for about 15-18 minutes at 450 degrees. We take it out of the oven and let it set for a few minutes before cutting it. Otherwise, the cheese is too runny.
Thanks for posting this, it was an interesting read! We have tried Daiya and Vegan Gourmet… so far my 9 year old son would rather have no cheese than either of these, so I am still looking 🙁