Looking for a dairy free cheese substitute? These Daiya vegan cheese shreds come highly recommended by several readers!
When my son was first diagnosed with multiple food allergies in 2007, including a dairy allergy, cheese options were far and few between. At the time, I remember missing cheese more than any other food. (Well, cheese and ice cream!)
Fast forward 10+ years later and we’ve got many more options! One of our favorite cheese options is from Daiya foods. Daiya cheeses are free of the top 8 allergens and are made with pea protein and various plant starches.
These cheeses come in shredded form as well as slices and there are a variety of flavors including cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack.
As you would expect, this cheese does have a different texture than dairy cheese but it melts like regular cheese and has a similar flavor. We use it in a variety of dishes including Mexican lasagna, tacos, and quesadillas.
In my opinion, Daiya cheese is the best dairy free cheese available and I’m not alone! Following are a few “food find” submissions from readers:
A Food Allergy Parent writes:
We buy the cheddar style & mozzarella style shreds on a regular basis. (and recently found pepper-jack style shreds) They are all wonderful! The "cheddar-like" shreds taste a bit like smoked cheddar, but still yummy. The product melts & stretches.
These "cheeses" are dairy, lactose and casein free... gluten and soy free... cholesterol free!
They are a God-send for my daughter that has dairy, whey, casein, soy, peanut & kidney bean allergies!!!
Deb G. from Attleboro, Massachusetts added:
So far, I've found I like the Daiya brand best for cooking. I've tried both the mozzarella and cheddar cheese. They both melt wonderfully and come closest to the texture and consistency of the real thing once.
And Marta in Minnesota had this to say:
My favorite non-dairy cheese. It tastes best when melted, the texture is a little off when not. There are three flavors: cheddar, mozzarella and pepper jack - the mozzarella is great on pizza!
Leave a Reply