There are umpteen brands making plant-based cheese, but they don’t cater to everyone’s tastes. Some prefer an elevated, luxurious, high-end, gastronomic cheese-eating experience. And in an increasingly crowded, there are a handful of companies that deliver just that. Here are some artisanal vegan cheese brands that are truly a cut above the rest.
A lot of us have eaten the blocks masquerading as plant-based cheese that don’t melt, and taste like no cheese ever has. And that’s okay – there’s a place for those alternatives in a vegan cheese market that’s set to reach $4.4B in 2027.
But there’s also a place for the ultra-cheese fans – the camembert dippers, the burrata savourists, the mozzarella melters and blue cheese aficionados – and these brands are catering to this space with premium, artisanal and mind-bendingly good vegan cheese offerings. Below, we roundup some of the best.
Julienne Bruno (UK)
London-based Julienne Bruno is up there with the very best. Founded in 2020, the brand has three Italian cheeses in its portfolio: a vegan ricotta called Crematta, a stracciatella alternative called Superstraccia, and its flagship burrata substitute, Burrella.
The latter was a winner at the 2023 World Dairy Innovation Awards. All the cheeses are made with soy milk and coconut oil, and naturally fermented through a bespoke system. They also have vegetable fibres and vegan cultures. The company, which raised £5M last November, says this is Collection 01 – so it stands to reason that we can come to expect more premium Italian cheeses.
You can find Julienne Bruno’s plant-based cheeses online, as well as at various health food stores and restaurants in the UK.
I Am Nut OK (UK)
Founded in 2017 by an American-Italian couple living in east London, I Am Nut OK produces artisanal nut-based cheeses. It has a vast portfolio of Italian dairy-free delights, including a buffalo mozzarella, parmesan, stracciatella and herb-infused wedge.
The brand also sells aged cheeses like those infused with black truffle, paprika, smoky charcoal, and Cabarnet Sauvignon, alongside an extra mature C’é Dairy? version. Additionally, I Am Nut OK makes a black pepper log, smoky vegan melted cheese, and a plant-based feta. All cheeses are made using a base of cashews and coconut oil.
You can find I Am Nut OK’s dairy-free cheeses online and at various retailers and restaurants in the UK.
MozzaRisella (Italy)
Speaking of Italy, organic brown-rice-based cheese maker MozzaRisella hails from Veneto. Since launching in 2017, it has expanded to retail and foodservice both domestically and in the UK. Its flagship product is a mozzarella alternative, which is shaped like a cylindrical log, so you can cut circular slices reminiscent of mozzarella in Caprese salads.
Now, its product portfolio is vast, with vegan smoked, spreadable and medium-hard mozzarella alternatives, as well as blue cheese, ricotta and mascarpone substitutes. MozzaRisella also sells Cheddar and basil-infused mozzarella slices, and has a range of ready meals as well as a basil pesto made with its cheeses.
You can find MozzaRisella online, as well as pizza and fast-food chains across Italy and the UK.
Vertage (US)
Co-founded by award-winning chef Margaux Riccio – who developed a dairy allergy in childhood –Vertage is another US brand making artisanal vegan cheese, but solely for foodservice (as of now). The main ingredients for most of its cheeses is fermented cashews and coconut oil, and the cheeses leverage mycelium fermentation and microbial bio-design.
Vertage’s lineup includes a sliceable mozzarella log (which also contains aquafaba and coconut oil), American Cheddar and Pepper Jack slices (both without cashews, but using shiitake-fermented pea protein), and classic and Everything But the Bagel cream cheeses.
You can find Vertage’s cheeses at various restaurants across the US.
Miyoko’s Creamery (US)
One of the pioneers of the alt-dairy movement, Miyoko’s Creamery has been around for a long time (at least for the artisanal vegan cheese world). While its namesake founder, Miyoko Schinner, is no longer at the brand, the 2014-launched company is still going strong with its range of vegan dairy products.
In terms of cheese, Miyoko’s makes a host of cashew- and coconut-based cultured alternatives. This includes chive, sundried tomato, garlic and herb, European truffle, smoked English farmhouse, black ash, herbs de Provence, and smoked Gouda flavours.
Miyoko’s also makes three mozzarella varieties (classic, smoked and liquid), as well as four cream cheeses, in classic, scallion, cinnamon-raisin and everything seasoning flavours.
You can find Miyoko’s online, and at various retailers and restaurants across the US and Canada.
Kinda Co. (UK)
Back to the UK, Kinda Co. is an award-winning plant-based cheese brand from Somerset. Also championing cashews, its ingredient lists are as limited as its cheese lineup is vast and varying.
Kinda Co.’s dairy-free cheeses can be divided into blocks and jars. The former comprises smoked (with smoked water), summer truffle, farmhouse, garlic and herb, chilli, blue and feta varieties, while the latter includes a grated parmesan, a nacho dip, and cream cheeses in lemon and dill, farmhouse and sour cream and chive flavours.
The brand also sells limited-edition flavours (the latest was a sundried tomato block), and is very transparent with its consumers. It currently sells an alternative farmhouse block made with a different culture than its regular counterpart – the cheesemonger says it isn’t as happy with its flavour, but to avoid waste, it is selling the cheese at a cheaper markup.
You can find Kinda Co’s cheeses online, and at health food stores and retailers across the UK.
Palace Culture (UK)
A fully organic vegan cheese brand based in south London, Palace Culture was launched to battle the dairy intolerance of the founder’s son and the conception that plant-based cheese is bland.
Palace Culture makes dairy-free cheese wheels, creamy cheeses and feta from cashews, coconut milk and/or almonds. The wheels contain the former two, with flavours ranging from the European-inspired Sácre Bleu, Ubriaco, truffled camembert, herbs de Provence and mouldy goat’s cheese, to the Korean-influenced Kimcheeze and a minced truffle ash and black pepper variant.
The brand also makes a feta with all three aforementioned base ingredients, alongside a cashew- and miso-based range of cream cheeses in smoked, chives and shallots, truffle and black pepper flavours. On top of that, it offers a ricotta made with just almonds, live cultures, water and sea salt.
You can find Palace Culture’s range of plant-based cheeses online, at various UK retailers, and at London’s Borough Market on weekends.
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