I wanted to ask/post about vegan cheese.  I am a cheese lover (addict) from way back.  I had no problem ditching the milk and cream products but butter and cheese seem to be a bit more difficult.  I love the Earth Balance, but when I went to find vegan cheese, the selection was limited.  And because I am an avid label-reader I noted on this particular brand (can't remember if for reference here though) had casein in it.  This is a milk protein that has been implicated by T. Colin Campbell (The China Study) as a carcinogenic!  As a 2x cancer survivor...I would rather not go there again!!  So is there any true vegan cheese out there???  And what brand is it?  And does it taste good? 

You'll have to dig. I know the first time I bought "vegan cheese" I got it home, read it, and realized it had casein in it.  We ate it so we didnt waste it, but Ive been more careful in the store now with reading the labels. WFs, surprisingly, doesnt have much by way of cheeses without casein. But I did dig to the back and found whole blocks (not already shredded) completely vegan cheese. Moz and cheddar. I cant remember the brand, but it was tricky to find! It tastes just as good, but doesnt melt nearly as well. Good luck!

Dr. Cow cheese is really vegan.

http://www.dr-cow.com/products/

I recently tried the cream cheese as well as the cashew nut cheese and it was delicious. I don't really care that much about cheese though so I don't know how often I'll go out of my way to get it.

Hey Everyone. What is Casein????

Here is a definition:
Casein is a protein that is found in milk and used independently in many foods as a binding agent. Technically, it is part of a group called phosphoproteins, collections of proteins bound to something containing phosphoric acid. Casein may also be called caseinogen, particularly in European foods.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-casein.htm

casein is the name of the protein found in dairy. definitely not vegan

Catgirl, where did you find that Dr. Cow cheese?

Really! Is it only in chesse, or can it be in hemp milk? Soy Yogert? Why would they do that?

Hi there - you  may have long since found your cheese but I wanted to chime in with one I found at WF.  Rice Shreds by Galaxy Foods.  Works out pretty good but not a lot of flavor per se.  It does melt.  I've only tried this one but they offer others. Good luck and thank you for info on Casein. 

http://www.galaxyfoods.com/Products/

I've heard rave reviews about Daiya vegan cheese. I'm a four day Vegan but because I was so excited, I looked up where to buy Daiya on their website - http://www.daiyafoods.com/where.html
They have an Italian blend and a cheddar blend. I bought the cheddar, but later regretted it because the local gluten free market I bought from says they are currently only selling 5lb bags, though Daiya should start producing smaller sizes this spring or summer. Thought you might want to check out their website and give it a try. There is a pizza chain that uses Daiya on one of their pizzas so maybe you could locate somewhere like this and give it a try before buying. The grocer (non-vegan) I bought from said she eats cheese and thought the Daiya Italian blend was very good and melts well. Let me know what you decide! Below is a list of ingredients (no casein) but you can also find out much more on the website:

Purified water, tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, natural flavors (derived from plants), xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, vegan enzymes (no animal rennet or animal enzymes), vegan bacterial cultures, citric acid (for flavor), annatto.

Isn't follow your heart cheese vegan? no casein?

Yes, Follow your Heart is vegan, no casein.

Thanks to all of you for your responses!!  I will look into these cheeses and information!  I was beginning to think that true vegan cheese was going to be impossible to find if not cost prohibitive!!

Hello, Amy!

Follow Your Heart does make pretty good vegan cheese, and I get it at my local health food store and also Whole Foods, but my new favorite vegan cheese is the Daiya brand!  It totally ROCKS!  You don't have to get it in 5 lb. bags.  I order mine from Pangea vegan store - website is: www.veganstore.com.  I think it is like a 12 oz. bag of shreds - either Italian (mozzarella) or cheddar.  It is absolutely delicious on pizza or in grilled cheese sandwiches.  I hope more stores start carrying it so I don't have to do mail order.  It's worth it though.  Hope this helps! 

Lisa in Barnegat, New Jersey

I love Follow Your Heart. YUM! I put it in my bean burritos!!!!

i am glad you mentioned the caesin! Scary! I JUST bought a different brand of vegan cheese to try and did not even think to check if caesin was it in. Dang it! Thanks for the heads up!

In the book Skinny Bitch they reccomend checking ingrediants of vegan products often because companies change them from time to time. What was once vegan, no longer is! They also reccomend complaining to the company. Let them know that you will not buy the product until the non-vegan items are removed. Most of the "healthier" companies do try to please their customers.