Cheese analogue

Sliced soy cheese on a snack platter

Open package of soy cream cheese

Cheese analogues (more widely known as cheese alternatives) are products used as culinary replacements for cheese. These include vegan cheese alternatives as well as some dairy products, such as processed cheese or Kraft Singles, that do not qualify as true cheeses. These foods may be intended as replacements for cheese, as with vegan products, or as imitations, as in the case of products used for salad bars and pizza-making, which are generally intended to be mistaken for real cheese, but have properties such as different melting points or lower costs that make them attractive to businesses.

Vegan cheese alternatives

Vegan cheese alternatives are most frequently made from soybeans but also made from rice, almonds, nutritional yeast and other non-dairy ingredients.^[1] Cheese alternatives, just like plant-based milk substitutes, are available in many of the same varieties as their cheese counterparts. These products are usually consumed due to certain dietary preferences, such as veganism, religious restrictions, lactose intolerance or milk allergies.

Types

Cheese alternatives are available in these types:

Nutrition

Vegan cheese alternatives may be lower in fat compared to their dairy counterparts. However, they are generally equal in fat compared to their low-fat dairy counterparts. Cheese alternatives are cholesterol-free and are often a source of soy protein and isoflavones. Many soy cheese alternatives have calcium added.^[23]

Comparison to dairy cheese

Some cheese analogue brands melt similarly to dairy cheese (in a very hot oven or broiler), while others stay mostly firm, or melt only when grated.

Analogue pizza cheese

Provel pizza cheese in a five-pound block. This product is commonly used in the preparation of St. Louis-style pizza.

One variant of pasteurized processed cheese dairy products is designed to melt well on pizza,^[24] while remaining chewy. These types of cheeses are sometimes referred to as analogue pizza cheese^{[25][26][27][28][29]} They are used on some commercially-produced pizzas in North America. These types of cheeses may be formulated for processing with basic cheese-making equipment but without the additional equipment and processing that Mozzarella cheese requires, such as the processes of mixing and molding.^[30] They tend to have a soft texture and once melted, may have a slightly "stringy" quality when pulled or bitten into. They may lack in a fusion, or melt together when cooked.^[25] It has been stated that pizza cheese appears to be the leading type of cheese analogue produced globally.^[31] Each year in the United States since 1987, over 700 million frozen pizzas are sold, three-fourths of which contain cheese substitutes.^[32]

See also

• List of meat substitutes
• Specialty foods
• Veganism

References

Soy General Soy allergy Soy candle Soy ink Soy molasses Soy paint Soy protein Soybean Soybean diseases Soybean meal Soybean oil Soy based dishes Aburaage Agedashi tofu Bai ye Douhua Dubu kimchi Edamame Hiyayakko Kongguksu Kongnamul Mapo doufu Miso soup Sundubu jjigae Tahu goreng Tofu skin roll Yong Tau Foo Milk substitute Cheese analogue Soy milk Soy yogurt Meat analogues Beanfeast Tempeh Textured vegetable protein Tofu Tofurkey Vegetarian hot dog Veggie burger Sauces and condiments Doenjang Doubanjiang Douchi Fermented bean curd Kinema Miso Nattō Soy sauce Sweet bean sauce Teriyaki Tauco Tương Yellow soybean paste Various other foods Mamenori Okara Oncom Soy flour Soy milk based infant formula Stinky tofu Tofu skin List of fermented soy products Companies 8th Continent Alpro Boca Burger Gardenburger Morningstar Farms Plamil Foods Silk So Good Tofutti Turtle Mountain Vitasoy Yeo Hiap Seng