My partner developed lactose intolerance at 34. It wasn’t a great surprise; many people find their bodies start making unexpected decisions about food as they age. One October Tuesday, tired of watching her long for my grilled cheese, I thought, “How hard could it be to find a good vegan cheese?”
I was so wrong.
What followed was an intense six-week quest to discover every plant-based cheese within a 20-mile radius, plus a few special orders based on Reddit recommendations. I went through 47 grilled cheese sandwiches, taking notes as if I was preparing for a big test. My local Whole Foods cashier even started calling me “cheese person.”
Here’s the truth about vegan cheese: it’s not trying to be actual cheese. It aims to capture the essence of cheese, often falling short. Many of these products prioritize looks over taste, trying to achieve that perfect melted appearance rather than focusing on flavor.
Eventually, I found a winner among the cheeses I tested, and it required digging into food science to understand why it worked when so many didn’t.
I followed a strict testing protocol for fairness:
- Bread: Always Pullman white to keep things simple.
- Fat: Earth Balance butter for consistency.
- Heat: Medium-low, covered for two minutes, then uncovered for one.
- Criteria: I evaluated meltability, taste, stretch, and my own quirky metric called “mouth satisfaction.”
I had two friends and my partner help me with blind tastings. By the seventh sandwich, one friend joked that he felt like he was part of a psychological experiment.
The Disasters
Daiya Cheddar Style Slices: This one tasted like you were chewing on plastic. It didn’t melt but just became a sad, gooey mess.
Follow Your Heart American: This cheese turned liquid faster than a snowman in summer. It ended up being unsettling to watch.
Sweet Earth Benevolent Bacon Cheddar: The bacon bits couldn’t save it; they were like a single player on a losing team.
The Almost There
Miyoko’s Creamery Farmhouse Cheddar: This one was confusing. It melted well but left me feeling uneasy, like it was too close to the real thing yet missed the mark.
Violife Mature Cheddar: A solid option, melting beautifully but offering a strange flavor that didn’t quite match expectations for American cheese.
The Winners
Parmela Creamery Sharp Cheddar: Surprisingly good. It melted nicely and had a flavor that was reminiscent of cheese but more like a distant cousin.
Field Roast Creamy Original: A crowd-pleaser, though you could taste the coconut oil if you were looking for it.
The Shocking Champion
Boursin Dairy-Free Garlic & Herbs: This wasn’t even marketed as a melting cheese, but it managed to change everything. When I spread it between two slices of bread and grilled it, magic happened. It didn’t just melt; it transformed into a creamy, flavorful sauce.
The oils in Boursin helped the bread crisp perfectly, creating a new category in grilled cheese – one that just happens to be vegan rather than a desperate attempt to replicate cheese.
The Science Behind It
Real cheese melts because of its protein structure. Vegan cheeses often use a mix of plant-based proteins and stabilizers. Most don’t succeed because they aim too high, trying to mimic traditional textures while also melting perfectly.
Boursin, however, works because it’s closer to a flavored fat emulsion than cheese. Its melting point is low, meaning it becomes wonderfully gooey with heat, offering a flavor explosion.
Reflections on My Journey
I didn’t need vegan cheese, and I’m not vegan. But as I dove deeper into this project, my obsession with finding the perfect substitute grew. The internet has its share of opinions about food tourists like me, people who dabble in dietary restrictions for fun.
Yet this journey unearthed a truth: most vegan cheese fails because makers assume vegans have forgotten what cheese tastes like.
The best vegan options don’t shy away from their identity. They embrace what they are, raising the standard for everyone.
The Aftermath
Since discovering Boursin grilled cheese, my partner has made it several times a week, sometimes adding tomatoes or caramelized onions. It’s no longer about missing out; it’s about enjoying something different yet delicious.
This shift represents the future of alternative foods: not mere substitutes, but innovative creations worthy of their own recognition. Boursin Dairy-Free costs around $7.99 for 5.3 ounces—quite a price tag! But seeing my partner enjoying her lunch makes it worth every penny.
In the end, it’s not about re-creating what’s lost but embracing new things that bring joy.
