The best vegan cheese you can buy in the UK (top 5 options)
Cheese might be the best thing in the world, and it's often the number 1 thing that vegans miss when they ditch dairy. Despite efforts to make a vegan alternative to cheese, for years vegans had very few ways to recreate that deliciousness.
Nowadays there are lots of vegan cheese alternatives which is great, but we'll be the first to admit that many of them aren't very good at all. We've got guides about specific types of vegan cheese like vegan camembert and vegan halloumi, but we thought it would be useful to create a list of the very best vegan cheese products out there for you to buy and try. Let's get into the guide:
Violife original flavour slices
Violife is one of the biggest vegan cheese brands in the UK, and you'll find their range in most UK supermarkets. The flavour isn't perfect, but the texture of the cheese is great and we love that it's free from soya. There are so many variations of their cheese including a mozzarella style and extra mature style, but we're pretty happy with the 'original flavour' slices. You can buy them here - amazon.co.uk
Babybel
Anyone who enjoyed packed lunches at school will probably be familiar with Babybels, but definitely won't associate them with being vegan. The plant-based range from Babybel is quite a recent addition to their range, but we think it's really great and tastes very similar to the real thing. One great thing about these plant-based Babybels is that they're pocket-sized and perfect for kids. We also love to see a brand associated with cow's milk cheese making a vegan product - that can only be a good thing for the industry. Learn more here - babybel.co.uk
Applewood
We'd probably go as far as saying that this Applewood vegan cheese might be the best-tasting vegan cheese you can buy in the UK - the taste is smoky but not overly so, and it beautifully melts over anything from toast to tortilla chips. Because it melts so well, it's ideal for use on pizzas and for mixing with pasta too. Not everybody is a fan of smoky cheese so if you're buying this product expecting a classically "strong cheese" taste then you might be a little disappointed. But if you're looking for a versatile cheese with a smoky taste, this is top-notch.
Asda Free From
We have to admit that the vast majority of own-brand supermarket vegan cheeses we tried were far from good, but the Asda Free From mature cheddar alternative slices actually taste pretty good. Again, the texture here was what really sold it for us - if you're looking for a vegan cheese to use in sandwiches, this is a great choice. Learn more about this product here - asda.com
Nurishh
Parmesan is a strong cheese with a distinctive taste, so it's quite surprising to us that there are lots of nice-tasting vegan alternatives to parmesan cheese. Nurishh makes a great vegan parmesan cheese with natural flavours and colours, and also fortifies it with Vitamin B12. If you're looking for an awesome vegan cheese to grate over your pasta dishes, this is probably your best option. Learn more about the product here - nurishh.co.uk
As we said in our introduction, replacing real cheese is not an easy thing. But as time passes more and more excellent vegan cheese alternatives are popping up on supermarket shelves, and we're very excited about the way things are going. Hopefully, you've enjoyed the above list, let us know if you've tried any of them! If you want to read something similar, we've got guides about great vegan alternatives to marshmallows and vegan jelly.
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.