Why You Should Avoid Go Veggie Vegan Cheese At All Costs
Vegan cheese doesn't have the greatest reputation, even among vegans. In the last decade, however, there's been somewhat of a renaissance in that department. That isn't to say there aren't still stragglers holding the plant-based category back, and looking back at Tasting Table's 14 vegan cheese brands ranked from worst to best, one such brand name comes to the top of mind: Go Veggie. Now, our taste testers gave this brand multiple chances. Despite being unimpressed the first time, they went ahead and gave the brand's cheddar-style shreds another go.
Unfortunately, it still came out last. Described as plastic-like in taste and texture, Go Veggie fails pretty atrociously at mimicking the flavor and mouthfeel you'd get from real cheddar cheese. While the issue of melting is one shared by most dairy-free cheeses — the reason being the lack of a protein called casein — usually a short blast in the microwave will do the trick. Only, when our taste testers tried it on Go Veggie's shreds, they didn't budge one bit.
That can probably be attributed to the fact that the primary ingredient in them is potato starch, which doesn't melt or spread like a saturated fat such as coconut oil would. Containing no saturated fats, Go Veggie is considered a healthier alternative to other vegan cheese brands. But what's the good in that if it melts like a crayon? It's 2024, and people expect an alternative cheese that tastes and melts the part — and despite some of your doubts, they do exist.
Finding a quality vegan cheese that melts
Vegan cheese has come a long way, but as we've seen in the example of Go Veggie's plant-based shreds, not every alternative is created equal. These days, vegan cheese can be divided into three tiers: the nonfermented, the fermented, and the small-batch artisan vegan cheese. Named in respective order according to their quality, flavor, and texture, you'd be right in assuming that Go Veggie's cheese falls into the bottom category, the nonfermented vegan cheese. This is the same kind of vegan cheese you'll find inside most grocery stores and even includes some of Tasting Table's top-ranked brand names like Violife and Earth Grown.
The second tier introduces traditional cheesemaking methods by fermenting plant-based milk alternatives. These plant milk cheeses are becoming more common, a popular example being Miyoko's Creamery. However, like the small-batch artisan vegan cheese that's out there, the brand has seemingly avoided the sliced and shredded cheese category, sticking almost entirely to soft cheese rounds. While they'll pass on a charcuterie board, they won't work in your breakfast burritos or grilled cheeses.
In doing so, they've managed to dodge the age-old question: Why doesn't vegan cheese melt like regular cheese? There is one brand that rose to the challenge, offering hard, shredded, and sliced vegan cheeses, however — and it was Daiya. Its new formulation, released in 2023, now involves fermentation. So, if you're looking for shredded or sliced cheese that tastes and melts like the real deal, Daiya could be your go-to.