Making Plant-Based Cheese

Avoid sedimentation of large particles to produce a cheesy mouthfeel

The sensory attributes present a formidable challenge to the preparation of plant-based cheese. The flavors, taste, and aroma of plant ingredients do not match those of dairy products. Blend your base mix with nutritional yeast, tapioca starch and/or different types of alternative milk such as soymilk and nut milk to obtain a dairy-like sensory profile.

Similarly, plant material gives a different mouthfeel, usually produced by the sedimentation of larger particles. Adding sodium bicarbonate softens the plant material to reduce the gritty texture often associated with cheese made from dairy free ingredients.

Cheesemaking without dairy is difficult for many reasons. But the biggest challenge was finding a dairy free ingredient that contained enough fat to make vegan cheese a possibility. However, Food manufacturers found that cashew nuts, coconut and almonds would solve the problem.

Labeling restrictions for plant-based cheese processing

Many jurisdictions restrict the term ‘cheese’ to animal-derived items. The European Union forbids the term for products made from plant ingredients but stopped short of banning related dairy terms like ‘creamy’ or ‘vegan alternative to cheese’.

In the United States, the standards of identity of cheese products include animal-based dairy products. But the Food and Drugs Administration is assessing proposals to update the definition and applicability of terms.