Cheese analogue

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Sliced soy cheese on a snack platter
Open package of soy cream cheese

Cheese analogues (more widely known as cheese alternatives) are products used as culinary replacements for cheese. These include vegan cheese alternatives as well as some dairy products, such as processed cheese or Kraft Singles, that do not qualify as true cheeses. These foods may be intended as replacements for cheese, as with vegan products, or as imitations, as in the case of products used for salad bars and pizza-making, which are generally intended to be mistaken for real cheese, but have properties such as different melting points or lower costs that make them attractive to businesses.

Vegan cheese alternatives[edit]

Vegan cheese alternatives are cheese made most frequently from soybeans but also made from rice, almonds, nutritional yeast and other non-dairy ingredients.[1] Cheese alternatives, just like plant-based milk substitutes, are available in many of the same varieties as their cheese counterparts. These products are usually consumed due to certain dietary preferences, such as veganism, religious restrictions, lactose intolerance or milk allergies.


Cheese alternatives are available in these types:


Vegan cheese alternatives may be lower in fat compared to their dairy counterparts. However, they are generally equal in fat compared to their low-fat dairy counterparts. Cheese alternatives are cholesterol-free and are often a source of soy protein and isoflavones. Many soy cheese alternatives have calcium added.[23]

Comparison to dairy cheese[edit]

Some cheese analogue brands melt similarly to dairy cheese (in a very hot oven or broiler),[citation needed] while others stay mostly firm, or melt only when grated.

Analogue pizza cheese[edit]

One variant of pasteurized processed cheese dairy products are designed to melt well on pizza,[24] while remaining chewy. These types of cheeses are sometimes referred to as analogue pizza cheese[25][26][27][28][29] They are used on some commercially-produced pizzas in North America. These types of cheeses may be formulated for processing with basic cheese-making equipment but without the additional equipment and processing that Mozzarella cheese requires, such as the processes of mixing and molding.[30] They tend to have a soft texture and once melted, may have a slightly "stringy" quality when pulled or bitten into. They may lack in a fusion, or melt together when cooked.[25] It has been stated that pizza cheese appears to be the leading type of cheese analogue produced globally.[31] Each year in the United States since 1987, over 700 million frozen pizzas are sold, three-fourths of which contain cheese substitutes.[32]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Shurtleff, William; Aoyagi, Akiko. 2013. History of Cheese, Cream Cheese and Sour Cream Alternatives (with or without Soy) (1896-2013): Lafayette, California. 567 pp. (1,270 references & 227 commercial products; 104 photos and illustrations. Free online).
  2. ^ Tofutti American soy cheese slices
  3. ^ Galaxy Nutritional Foods American flavor from rice
  4. ^ Blue Sheese
  5. ^ Medium Cheddar
  6. ^ Vegan gourmet cheddar
  7. ^ Galaxy Nutritional Foods Cheddar flavor from rice
  8. ^ Cheezly from The Redwood Company
  9. ^ Cheshire Sheese
  10. ^ Dr Cow cashew nut cream cheese
  11. ^ Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
  12. ^ Edam Sheese
  13. ^ Gouda Sheese
  14. ^ Vegan Monterey Jack
  15. ^ Galaxy Nutritional Foods Pepper Jack flavor from rice
  16. ^ Mozzarella Sheese
  17. ^ Mozzarella soy cheese slices
  18. ^ Vegan mozzarella
  19. ^ Parma Zaan Sprinkles, almond based, by Vegetarian Express
  20. ^ Parmesan flavor rice product
  21. ^ Parma Raw Parmesan Cheese Alternative - Walnut based
  22. ^ Rice-based Swiss cheese by Galaxy Nutritional Foods
  23. ^ Soy Cheese - US Soyfoods Directory