Not all vegan cheese melts well – why not?

Vegan ‘cheese’ can now be found in a great many shops, and of course the major supermarkets are not being left behind. Albert Heijn and Lidl recently significantly expanded their range of plant-based dairy products, and the popularity of these products is probably partly due to the fact that there is constantly so much innovation and improvement involved. So toastie lovers no longer have to grumble either, because many vegan cheeses now melt perfectly, just like real cheese. But not all of them do – so what’s the deal?

Let’s be honest: the cheese pull, in other words the thick, hot strands of cheese that form when you pull apart a diagonally cut toastie, are a big part of the fun and the experience when it comes to making a really good toastie. With some vegan cheeses, however, that whole melting story unfortunately doesn’t apply, and this is why:

They melt the cheeses

Traditional cheese is, of course, made from milk. Milk contains two important types of protein: whey protein and casein protein. Casein makes cheese melt when heated. But it only naturally occurs in animal milk, so it isn’t found in vegan cheeses.

Plant-based pleasures

With the first generations of vegan cheeses, the emphasis was not yet on melting ability. But now that eating plant-based is something many people want while they also want delicious pizzas, (veggie) burgers and toasties with shitloads of melted cheese, the market has changed enormously. There’s plenty of choice now!

Market research

But of course, one vegan cheese is not the same as another, which is why we recommend doing some proper research online if you want to make the switch to eating plant-based cheese. Apparently, there are some very good alternatives to ‘real’ melting cheeses such as young cheese and cheddar, but they don’t all melt equally easily. So it’s worth doing a little research, and you’ll soon discover which slices and grated versions work well on your toastie. At least, Violife apparently performs well in melting terms (both the slices and the grated version; the block somewhat less so). But however you approach it from a plant-based perspective, your karma points are definitely in good shape!

Also read:

• Science proves it: cheese is highly addictive
• The sobering truth about vegan cheese
• How do you build the perfect cheese board?