One of the hardest parts of being a new vegan (or even an old seasoned vegan) is trying to keep up with all the new products out there. I must have spent over $50 looking for the "right" vegan cheese my first year being a vegan and I have over 50 vegan/vegetarian cookbooks in my arsenal but not all the recipes are the greatest. I’m the first born so I’m used to being a Guinea Pig and now I’m your Vegan Guinea Pig. So here are my recommendations and critiques. Let me know what you think!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

The Verdict On Cheezly


Let's just start with the bottom line. Cheezly is better than Sheese. If you're going to shell out over $7-8 for a faux cheese product I would choose Cheezly over Sheese hands down. Sheese has held the long time advantage of being available in more flavors in the U.S., but the fine folks over in Cheezlyland are starting to catch up. Currently Cheezly is available in mature white cheddar, mozzarella, garlic & herb, nacho and cheddar with faux bacon bits.

I taste tested Cheezly straight out of the package, in a loaded baked potato soup and in cheese enchiladas. By itself it was surprisingly good. The texture is perfect, it's not soggy or wet (like other meltable cheeses) and it is true to the flavor it represents. My omni friend even tried it more than once and he didn't go running for the hills so that's a good sign. In the other two recipes it was definitely good but, the flavor didn't really stand out. Frankly, this had more to do with the flavor of Cheezly I used (mature white cheddar) rather than the product itself. I really wish that the traditional cheddar flavors were available in the U.S. The white cheddar was delicious but it had a very subtle flavor that I wish was a bit more bold. But the white cheddar would go perfect for a panini or even mixed with other faux cheeses in a man & cheese dish or casserole. The mozzarella was dead on and perfect! I'm actually going to order some more and try my hand at making mozzarella sticks.

Not only are the flavors spot on but Cheezly melts like real cheese as well. If you've ever used Follow Your Heart brand melting cheese then I would use the same guidelines with Cheezly when baking - always bake at 450 degrees and give it a couple minutes under the broiler if it doesn't completely melt. In my loaded potato soup, it melted immediately but still left little pieces for me to get a burst of flavor as well, just like real cheese.

So if you're going to shell out $7-8 (plus shipping and handling) I would say go for Cheezly. If you're looking for a more bold cheddar flavor then you might want to stick to Sheese or even Follow Your Heart's cheddar flavor for now until Cheezly's version becomes available in the U.S. But if you know of anyone smuggling cheddar Cheezly across the pond let me know! :)

If you live in the Atlanta /Marietta area Cheezly is available at Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe and online at http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/ it is also available at Vegan Essentials.

13 comments:

  1. Great Review!
    Thanks!
    I've got to find this stuff...

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  2. Agree with your views; cheezly is better than Sheese. Now we do use the spreadable sheese all the time as a flavor addition to tofu for things like muffins (soft tofu) or lasagna (firm tofu blended) or even vegan mac and cheese. Cheezly we use for pizzas and all kinds of other applications where you want the melted look.

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  3. My curiosity induced me to try Sheese. I had to throw it away it was so gag-o-rific bad. It seemed to taint anything it touched.

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  4. Whaaaat ?? I have tried almost all flavors of Sheese, and I must say that most of them are DELICIOUS.I think I only didn't like one of them. As for Chezzly...I think it is disgusting. The worst vegan cheese I have had. Its dry, crumbly and nasty. And its made from like potato starch or something... I mean at least Sheese is made like traditional dairy cheese, but using soymilk!

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  5. mozzarella is perfect for pizza although not terribly healthy... and cheezly now has a nacho flavour, so good on corn chips

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  6. Melts like real cheese? Am i doing something wrong here? As a recently converted vegan i can safely safe it tastes nothing like real cheese in any shape or form and does not melt either!!

    I hope the other brand dont taste as bad as this because its put me off for life!

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  7. Thanks for your comment Anonymous. Vegan cheeses are a tricky thing to figure out when you're just starting. I personally don't like any of the cheddar flavors of vegan cheese out there except for Cheezly's Mature White Cheddar cheese. Before going vegan I was a vegetarian cheese snob and there is a profound difference in taste between your standard sharp or mild cheddar and a white cheddar or an aged/mature white cheddar (which is the what Cheezly is). So one would definitely be disappoint if you were looking for a sharp or mild cheddar taste and got an aged/matured white cheddar instead.

    As far as the melting goes all Cheezly flavors melt really well with he Mozzarella melting the best. Because of the lower fat content of vegan cheeses they do not melt as fast and at as low of temperatures as cow's milk cheese. In baking you need temperatures up-wards of 450 degrees F and even sticking the dish under the broiler or a minute will help it melt down perfectly.

    I encourage you to never be put off on a brand of type of vegan product for life. That's how this whole blog came about! When you are new to veganism you should really try any and everything you can because there are so many different taste, textures and flavors out there and as your palette changes your likes and dislikes will change. Good Luck!

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  8. I've tried Sheese and the aftertaste made me want to hurl. Still need to try Cheezly's

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  9. Now that Cheezly was bought by Heather Mills company and is called Cheezly by V-Bites, they have increased the water content, making it melt into a watery mess and requiring the use of far more product (since more of it is water and disappears) then you used to have to use for a pizza or lasagna. They have ruined the product and I won't use it anymore.

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  10. Oh no! I haven't used the product since it changed hands ( I didn't even know it had ). I'm so dissapointed. Looks like I might have to try the new stuff and give a new review.

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  11. How would you compare mozzarella Cheezly to mozzarella Daiya cheese in terms of taste/meltiness?

    When I tried Daiya, it melted just like regular cheese, but it smelled and tasted like vomit. (Hate to say that, but it's the only way to describe it.) The first bite made me sick and I didn't even swallow it.

    Is Cheezly any better than Daiya? I'm kind of looking for something odorless that tastes mild, I really just like the texture of cheese and how it tastes when combined with pizza sauce.

    I've been vegan for a while now, I don't really miss cheese much except on pizza. I've always been a cheese-pizza-with-no-toppings kind of girl so it's something I miss.

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  12. Hi Steph. It's taken me quite a while to be able to tolerate the taste of Daiya. It's still not something I enjoy at all but I tolerate it when there is nothing else around since it's sold everywhere now. I've found that Cheezly has a pretty good melt to it and I really love the taste. Follow Your Heart also has a really mild smelling and tasting mozzarella cheese.

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  13. :)))) I love the comments, made me laugh so much, must follow you more often guys! And thanks for the review!!!

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