AD / We were gifted the range of Violife vegan cheese for review as well as paid for an editorial feature on our site. All of our opinions are always our own and not influenced in any way.
It’s not always easy to find vegan cheese options at the grocery store. I’m not a vegan anymore, but I have tried veganism in the past and it was quite difficult to find vegan alternatives that were close to the real thing. Giving up dairy was one of the hardest parts of going vegan for me, but the first time that I discovered that cheese lovers had options, well, it was certainly much easier.
If you’re looking for vegan cheese alternatives either because you are a strict vegan or because you are looking to make swaps and alternatives then this post is for you. Today we are looking at vegan cheese options. Violife was kind enough to send us a variety of their cheeses so we could give them a taste. Let’s see how we got on.
First things first
It goes without saying that vegan cheese alternatives are just that, cheese alternatives. They are not dairy cheese and thus you can’t expect them to be real cheese or dairy cheese. Each one of these vegan options is a great vegan cheese substitute and helps to add texture and interest to your vegan recipes. They say our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, so it makes sense that many times we can miss the look of certain dishes. Of course, they are also reminiscent of our favourite cheeses taste-wise, making them great options in their own right.
I didn’t want to wait to cook a meal to give the cheeses a try as I was going away so I knew that I had to go in with a blind taste test to see what the cheeses were like and if they could become my favorite vegan cheeses.
Violife cheese slices
I was sent 2 options of sliced vegan cheese options. These sliced cheese bits are perfect to use as you normally would use sliced cheese. I immediately thought of a cheese sarnie, so really wanted to taste them. The original flavour is very mild, and would work fine for people who like mild cheddar cheese. So all in all it’s a great addition to your shopping list if you’re trying to find dairy-free alternatives. Perfect for cheese sandwiches!
The smoked one actually has quite a decent flavour and is not too overpowering. Reminded me a bit of eating smoked turkey. It was quite nice and the smoked flavour was good. Another good addition to add to your vegan diet.
Violife original flavour grated
I suppose that in my mind grated cheese has a certain texture and flavour that I am set on and I couldn’t get myself to like the grated cheese no matter how much I tried. The texture and the flavour just didn’t really do it for me. Again, I gave these products a blind taste test and didn’t make a recipe per se, but I will definitely give it a try using vegan cheese recipes. Maybe a vegan pizza would be something to try next time. Or perhaps just trying to make a vegan version of something that I normally would eat. The cheddar shreds are not completely for my palate, but they could be very good dairy-free cheese alternatives for many.
Epic Mature
I love strong cheeses like blue cheese and sharp cheddar, so this is the cheese block that I most intrigued by. I was pleasantly suprised to taste that it does have a bit of a mature cheese tang. So the flavouring wasn’t too far off.
The texture does take a little bit of getting used to, but again, this is what happens with vegan alternatives and one does get used to it. It’s not fair to do a 1:1 comparison with dairy-based cheese so do keep that in mind when trying out plant-based cheeses.
Vegan camembert
I was most pleasantly surprised by the camembert. The camembert has a very creamy texture and is flavoursome. If you put a bit of thyme on it it’s so tasty and even though it’s quite pale, it was actually quite good! I can certainly see myself eating this one again.
It would be perfect to serve for any of my vegan guests and would be good for an appetiser platter or to have with some crackers and a glass of wine. This definitely belongs on a cheese board and is my favourite of these products on the vegan cheese market.
In conclusion
Violife is one of the best vegan cheese brands and they are a perfect choice for anyone that is vegan or making the transition. Their variety of cheeses isn’t confined to these options as they also carry different flavours like a vegan feta alternative, which is technically a greek style cheese or greek salad cheese since the name feta is on the protected designations of origin registry. But that’s a whole other story. They also have cream cheese alternatives that I am looking forward to trying.
Whether your main concern is what goes on in the dairy industry, your own health, or doing your bit for the planet it is always good to know that there are dairy-free cheese options and vegan cheese options available for you. I know that when I was vegan, I was grateful to have them and as Violife products can attest to, the options for this type of vegan cheese are getting better and better.
About Violife
Violife is a Greek company that adopted it’s name from the Greek work “vios” – which means life. They have been developing and producing vegan products and vegan cheese options for over 30 years.
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