“I Could Never Give Up Cheese”

“I could go vegan, but I could never give up cheese.” It might be the most common excuse there is. And, to be fair, cheese can be a difficult habit to break. It is salty, fatty, familiar and built into everything from pizza and pasta to sandwiches and cheeseboards.

But difficult is not impossible.

Why Is Cheese So Hard to Give Up?

Milk contains a protein called casein. During digestion, casein can produce peptides called casomorphins, which are opioids belonging to the same chemical family as morphine and opium, inducing euphoric feelings and lowering pain.

But there is a much simpler explanation for why people crave cheese. It is calorie-dense, fatty, salty and extremely familiar. We also associate it with foods specifically designed to be irresistible: pizza, burgers, toasties, nachos and creamy pasta. So yes, giving it up can feel difficult. That doesn’t mean you can’t.

Stop Looking for an Exact Copy

One of the biggest mistakes people make is buying their first vegan cheddar and expecting an exact molecular duplicate of dairy cheese. Then they decide: “Vegan cheese is disgusting.”

There are dozens of completely different products made from coconut oil, nuts, soya, starches and fermented ingredients. Some melt brilliantly. Some don’t. Some are fantastic cold but terrible hot. The trick is finding the right cheese for the right job. And if you’re struggling, just remember you don’t actually need vegan cheese at all.

Nutritional yeast can add a savoury, cheesy flavour. Hummus, avocado, pesto and nut butters can replace some of the richness and creaminess you previously got from cheese. Give your tastes time to change rather than continually comparing everything with dairy.

So, Which Vegan Cheese Should You Try?

Thankfully, the UK vegan cheese aisle in 2026 looks nothing like it did a decade ago.

Cheddar 🧀

For sandwiches, crackers and general everyday use, try:

Cathedral City Plant-Based

Sheese Mature Cheddar Style

Applewood Plant Based

M&S Plant Kitchen Mature Cheddar

Supermarket own-brand alternatives:

Aldi

Asda

Lidl

Sainsbury’s

Tesco

Cathedral City, Applewood, Sheese and supermarket ranges are now widely available, so finding an everyday replacement doesn’t require hunting through specialist shops.

For Pizza and Melting 🍕

Not every vegan cheese melts equally well. Try:

Cathedral City Dairy-Free Grated

Violife Mozzarella Grated

I AM NUT OK Bluffalo Notzarella

Julienne Bruno Superstraccia

MozzaRisella

Applewood is also particularly useful for toasties, pizza and pasta.

Cream Cheese 🥯

This is probably one of the easiest dairy cheeses to replace. Look for:

Boursin Plant-Based

Philadelphia Plant-Based

Violife Creamy

Nush Almond Cream Cheese

Julienne Bruno Crematta

There are also increasingly good supermarket own-brand versions.

Feta and Salads 🥗

Try:

Violife Greek White

M&S Plant Kitchen Greek Style

Sheese Greek Block

I AM NUT OK Fetamorphosis

Or just reach for olives, nuts, seeds, hummus, or avocado instead.

Proper Cheeseboard 🍷

This is where vegan cheese has changed dramatically. Cultured nut cheeses can now deliver the rind, fermentation, sharpness and complexity people actually want from a cheeseboard.

Look at brands including:

Honestly Tasty for Bree, Shamembert and blue-style cheeses

I AM NUT OK for cultured artisan cheeses

Kinda Co for cultured cashew cheeses

Mouse’s Favourite for aged and Camembert-style cheeses

Palace Culture for cultured cashew and almond cheeses

This isn’t merely coconut oil pretending to be cheddar. It is an entirely different category of food.

What If You Still Miss Dairy Cheese?

Then miss it. You don’t need to convince yourself that you hated cheese all along.

Veganism isn’t about eliminating every desire you’ve ever had. It is recognising that wanting something doesn’t give us the right to take it from someone else.

Dairy requires cows to become pregnant and produce milk intended for their calves. Mothers and calves are separated because humans want the milk. That’s the part worth remembering.

You can experiment. Try different brands. Go without cheese for a while. Use nutritional yeast. Find an absurdly expensive fermented cashew Camembert and demolish the entire thing. Whatever works.

Because you aren’t really giving up cheese. You’re just learning to eat it without involving a cow.