Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese is a soft, spreadable vegan cheese alternative that boasts versatility as a dip and a melty sauce or topping. I recently had the chance to sample every flavor, but it wasn’t my first encounter with this allergy-friendly brand.
Years ago, a tasty line of cheesy dips burst onto the dairy-free scene. It was made by the brand Wayfare Foods, and called We Can’t Say It’s Cheese. But almost as quickly as those tubs appeared, they seemingly vanished. Fortunately, they’re back. But they have dropped the cutesy name and simplified the look and the selection.
2019 Update: They have come out with new packaging, but the formulas are still the same. See the photos next to the ingredients below for their current look.
Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese: Ready to Spread, Melt or Dip
Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese used to come in three Cheddar flavors: Original, Nacho, and Jalapeno. But they merged the Jalapeno and Nacho flavors into one. The Original tastes nearly spot on for Velveeta, but the ingredients are much more appealing.
As promised, Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese is tasty as a cold, thick, creamy dip. It also melts with ease in the microwave for pouring on nachos or when broiled in the oven. It even worked like a dream in mac and cheese. I simply spooned some into the warm cooked noodles and it readily melted into a sauce that was thick enough to cling to the noodles. On the noodles, the flavor was a little bit muted, but a sprinkle of salt fixed the issue. The Nacho flavor was indeed the best on nachos. It had a little more flavor than the Original, but was still relatively mild.
Overall, Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese was a really fun product and our favorite dairy-free cheese, thus far, for topping nachos. I certainly wouldn’t say that it tastes like traditional cheddar, but it definitely has that comforting Velveeta vibe. But tell us what you think – leave your own rating and review below!
Cheddar
Ingredients: wayfare dairy free base (water, organic butter beans, organic oats), organic coconut oil, organic gum arabic, sea salt, organic nutritional yeast, natural flavor, cultured dextrose, organic sunflower oil, organic konjac root powder, sunflower lecithin, psyllium husk powder, yeast extract, natural colors, vitamin e.*
Nutrition (per 2 tablespoon serving): 40 calories, 3.5g fat, 2g carbs, 1g fiber, 0g sugars, 1g protein.*
Nacho with Jalapenos
Nutrition (per 2 tablespoon serving): 40 calories, 3.5g fat, 2g carbs, 1g fiber, 0g sugars, 1g protein.*
The Facts on Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese
Price: $5.99 per 12-ounce tub
Availability in Stores: This product line is gaining distribution at natural food stores in the U.S. Ask your local market to order it in if they don’t have it already.
Online Ordering: Wayfare also ships their products direct to consumers in ME, VT, NH, MA, NY, RI, CT, NJ, PA, MD, DC, DE, VA, WV, and OH. Visit wayfarefoods.com to order their Cheddar tubs online.
Certifications: Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese is Certified Kosher Pareve. It’s also labeled as vegan-friendly and non-GMO, but we didn’t note certifications for these.
Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, 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 or product.
For More Product Information: Visit the Wayfare website at wayfarefoods.com.
Average Reader Review
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What Others Are Saying ...
So gross!!
I’ve tried a few different vegan cheeses and this stuff was just awful! The jalapeno cheese is a funky color, bad texture and really odd taste, reg cheese not much better but a little bit. French dip ok, cream cheese gross. NO thanks! (Greek made vegan cheese the best so far!)
The best
Hands-down the best non-dairy cheddar dip/sauce on the market. The texture, consistency and taste outweigh anything my family has tried and we have tried a lot of substitutes.
Love the Cheddar Jalapeño!
So impressed with the flavor AND the ingredient list. Finally a healthy vegan cheese dip.
Versatile spreadable cheese alternative
This soft, spreadable cheese does indeed melt and has the versatility to cover dip, topping, and sauce needs. It isn’t Cheddar, as the name implies, but it is nearly spot on for Velveeta (with much better ingredients – see below). Since we like that comforting cheesy vibe, this product earned topped marks for enjoyability with our tasters. Read the rest of this post for more details.
19 Comments
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Nice! Gonna try! (shhhh … you had me at Velveeta!)
No shame in that 🙂
My daughter has sucrose maltase deficiency with lactose intolerance.Can you suggest some foods that are safe.
Hi Sainu, I’m sorry, but I’m not an expert in sucrose and maltase deficiencies or how to eat for them.
That chip dip pic makes me so excited! We haven’t had melty cheese in YEARS. I’m gonna have to look this up!
Dairy free cheese that melts is so rare! Great find!
I love all the dairy free brands that are available now and how many are no longer tree nut based, which is such a treat! Even for people who can have dairy this seems like a way better choice than some of those oil based cheese spreads.
I think so! I’m really not a big fan myself of many cheese alternatives, but this was simply a pleasure to eat!
Nice – I like that it has butter beans as the base. And its always good to hear about non-cheese that melts!
Right? That is such a unique idea, too!!
Thank You For Yogurt Suggestion!
Our Augratin Potatoes Tasted Delicious!
Bless You for Your Service 🙂
Alisa, Do you have ideas for a good substitute for cottage cheese? Not mashed tofu, but something tasty that will behave like cottage cheese in recipes? I have a fabulous recipe for a healthy red velvet ice cream that uses low fat cottage cheese and I would love to make it! It’s supposed to taste like red velvet cheesecake in ice cream form and I just don’t think I can get that from tofu…Help…
Have you considered using dairy-free yogurt in that recipe? I’m guessing it is the richness and slight tang of cottage cheese that gives it goodness. I would personally trial a combo of dairy-free yogurt and dairy-free, soy-free cream cheese alternative if using packaged products, or would make a nut cheese for it.
I was looking at the dairy list, I saw goat milk but not sheep milk… why is goat considered dairy and not sheep?
Hi Danielle, sheep milk is considered dairy, too, but it isn’t as readily available in the US.
Cheese is by far my weakness, so thanks for posting this!
My daughter was recently diagnosed with celiac and several new allergies, dairy and egg. Do you have any suggestions for substitutes for these items???. And shes allergic to soy too.
Dianne, see the substitutes section on this site under Grocery Guide and the product reviews section, and I always recommend starting here – http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-free-information/new-to-the-dairy-free-diet-start-here.