Say Oui to Plants! Vegan French Cheese Brands
French cheese is some of the most popular in the world. But there are now many brands worldwide that offer plant-based versions of all your favourites, from Brie to Camembert to stinky blue cheese! Also below are some (for chefs!) recipes.
Avoid blue cheese for pregnancy/nursing, children and low immunity. And keep vegan cheese away from pets. Recycle packaging at supermarket bag bins, if your kerbside doesn’t recycle.
Types of French cheeses
France is the unofficial cheese capital of the world, producing over 1000 types, made usually from cow, goat or sheep milk, often having strict production laws by area. The main types are:
- Soft-ripened (bloomy rind) has white mould exteriors and creamy interiors. Examples are Brie and Camembert.
- Washed-rind is similar, but the brine is aged and washed with brine, wine or brandy, resulting in a pungeant aroma and orange rind.
- Pressed cheeses are less well-known, these are aged for months to develop nutty flavours. Examples are comté (cooked) and Cantal (uncooked)
- Blue cheese is pierced with needles to let mould grow inside, for a sharp salty taste. The best-known version is Roquefort (not even vegetarian, as it contains calf or sheep rennet).
- Goat (Chèvre) is not the same as feta Greek cheese. This is a soft spreadable log of cheese, again aged to create earthy tangy flavours.
Vegan Brie cheese
Honestly Tasty Bree is a soft and creamy cheese with a wonderful rind. The earthy tones make this is a best-seller and it’s also sold in many good supermarkets across the UK.
Nuts for Cheese Un-Brie-Lievable (US) is a rich and creamy wedge that can be enjoyed as part of a vegan cheeseboard, or used in recipes.
Vegan Camembert cheese
Honestly Tasty Shamembert is infused with truffle oil for rich earthy tones. Nice on crackers or dunk with bread!
La Fauxmagerie Camemvert is made by a London cheesemonger. It contains vegan cultures and miso for a tangy taste, infused with truffle oil and enveloped in a white bloom rind. With a gooey texture ideal for spreading or baking.
Sojade Camm’vert is made by a French organic vegan yoghurt company, which runs on solar energy. This is organic with live cultures.
Jay & Joy vegan camembert is from a French company, so totally authentic. The makers are so in love with her, they have named this cheese Le Joséphine!
Violife Le Rond is not so artisan (it’s made with coconut oil), but this is the brand that you’ll find in most groceries.
Vegan blue cheese
Kinda Co Blue Cheese is made in Somerset, sold in eco packaging. This tangy cheese with spirulina is ideal with pear and walnut salad.
Honestly Tasty Blue is made with real Pencillin roquefort, and mould-ripened for that authentic blue cheese taste.
La Fauxmagerie Balham Blue is made in London. It’s made with sweet potato and coloured with annatto, ideal with crackers, grapes and a glass of vegan red wine!
Jay & Joy is a French company, so this blue cheese must be good! Lovely on toast or vegan pizza.
Nuts for Cheese Super Blue is a rich and piquant cheese, made with spirulina marble.
Vegan goat cheese
Jay & Joy vegan goat cheese is from France, you can’t get better than that!
The Vegan Dairy (Australia) offers a nice log of vegan goat cheese, rolled in dill herb for a tangy taste.
Vegan ‘Boursin’ cheese
Kinda Co Garlic + Chive is made in Somerset, and sold in eco-friendly packaging.
Honestly Tasty Garlic & Herb is a great alternative to Boursin. Du pain, du vin, du Honestly Tasty vegan garlic and herb cheese!
Again, Violife sells a less artisan version in tubs, sold in most groceries.
Boursin does now sell its own plant-based Boursin, which you can find in shops worldwide.
In Australia, The Vegan Dairy offers a vegan garlic and herb cheese.
Thomas’ vegan French cheese recipes
Thomas is a French chef at Full of Plants, who runs (alongside his Vietnamese wife) a wonderful recipe blog. And he specialises in recreating authentic cheeses from his home country like this washed rind cheese.
These do require a few unusual ingredients, but he tells you where to find them. A few recipes for the chefs! Try his recipes for:
Vegan sun-dried tomato camembert has a cheesy garlic taste, with a white fluffy rind.
Vegan ash-ripened camembert uses activated charcoal to run a thin black line through the white mould, to resemble Morbier cheese.
Vegan blue cheese is naturally cultured and made with just 5 ingredients, for a sharp creamy rich taste. For something similar, try this vegan blue cheese sauce.
Fried goat cheese balls are melty inside and crispy on the outside, made from cultured cashew cream.
