I'm already a fan of Earth Balance Buttery Spread as a vegan butter replacement, so I thought I'd try their Vegan Cheddar Flavor Squares. It looks like they also make Vegan White Cheddar Flavor Puffs. I'll have to try those next!
The cheddar flavor squares are surprisingly cheesy tasting! I was blown away and couldn't stop eating them.
While I could tell that these plant-based crackers were not Cheez-Its, I could not tell that they were vegan. If it were a blind taste test, I would probably guess that they're off-brand Cheez-Its, but would not guess that they're vegan. The cheese taste is just too real.
Cheese is one of the most notoriously difficult foods to replicate in a vegan version. I guess it makes sense that the first vegan cheese I like would be in a cracker, because a cracker texture is easier to imitate than cheese by itself.
The cheddar flavor of these vegan cheesy crackers comes from a seasoning blend that includes yeast extract, which adds a savory, salty taste (not the same as nutritional yeast).
Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Flavor Squares ingredients: Unbleached pastry flour, enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, canola oil, corn starch, seasoning (maltodextrin, yeast extract, gum acacia, natural flavor), palm oil, sunflower lecithin, salt, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate, ammonium bicarbonate, sugar, paprika oleoresin color, yeast extract, annatto extract (water, annatto), lactic acid, dehydrated toasted onion, garlic powder.
Review: Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Flavor Squares
First impressions: Wow, these really tastes like cheese!
Taste: They actually taste more like cheese than real Cheez-Its. Not as salty.
Texture: Reminds me of Cheese Nips or off-brand Cheez-Its. Not quite as crunchy as Cheez-Its, but pretty close.
Can you tell it's vegan? No
Worth buying again? Yes, I will definitely buy these again.
Good enough to replace the non-vegan version? Yes, but more expensive.
Overall: 5/5
Usually what makes chocolate not vegan is the milk in milk chocolate, and most dark chocolate is vegan. These sunflower seed butter cups are also allergen friendly on another level by replacing the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter.
I hadn't tried sunflower seed butter at all before and wasn't sure what to expect. But it tastes a lot like peanut butter. Overall these were very similar to Reese's peanut butter cups. The sunflower seed butter was a little creamier than a peanut butter cup, but that could also be because it's less processed. I would definitely eat these again.
I'm not the biggest fan of dark chocolate, but the sunflower seed butter helped balance it out so it didn't taste as bitter.
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups ingredients: Dark chocolate (cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter), sunflower seeds, powdered sugar (cane sugar, tapioca starch), cocoa butter, sea salt.
Review: Trader Joe's Sunflower Seed Butter Cups
Taste: Tastes like a peanut butter cup. The sunflower balances the dark chocolate so it's not as bitter as dark chocolate by itself.
Texture: A little creamier than Reese's peanut butter cups and the chocolate is a little bit thicker. Otherwise very similar.
Can you tell it's vegan? No
Better than other vegan versions? I haven't tried any other vegan peanut butter cups but this will be hard to beat.
Worth buying again? Yes
Overall: 5/5
I was skeptical about the pumpkin and sweet potato, but had heard good things about Annie's Vegan Mac. Note that it doesn't say "mac and cheese." So it's not necessarily trying to imitate cheese, just providing a vegan comfort food alternative.
This is one of the first vegan products I've tried where the texture was spot on but the flavor was not for me. Usually texture is the more difficult part so this was surprising.
The taste was not bad, but would take some getting used to. If you're vegan and craving mac and cheese, this would do the trick. And it was better than some restaurant vegan macs I've tried. But for people who still eat cheese, this will probably not be good enough to replace your favorite cheesy mac.
I also liked that the ingredient list is pretty simple and recognizable, especially considering it's a processed food that comes in a box.
Annie's Vegan Mac Pumpkin and Sweet Potato ingredients: Organic Pasta (Organic Wheat Flower), Organic Pumpkin Powder (Organic Pumpkin, [Organic Maltodextrin, Organic Sunflower Oil, Sunflower Lecithin]), Organic Sweet Potato Powder (Organic Sweet Potato, [Organic Maltodextrin, Organic Corn Starch, Organic Sunflower Oil, Sunflower Lecithin]), Organic Corn Starch, Organic Tapioca Starch, Sea Salt, Natural Flavor, Organic Paprika, Organic Onion Powder, Organic Garlic Powder.
Review: Annie's Vegan Mac - Pumpkin and Sweet Potato
First impressions: When I was making it, it seemed identical to non-vegan boxed mac and cheese. Kids would have fun making this.
Taste: Not too sweet or pumpkin-y. It had a surprisingly cheesy flavor, especially given that there's no nutritional yeast. But after eating several bites, it felt like something was missing and wasn't quite as satisfying as cheese.
Texture: Creamy and very similar to traditional boxed mac and cheese.
Can you tell it's vegan? Yes
Better than other vegan versions? Yes, better than some vegan macs I've tried at restaurants.
Worth buying again? I probably won't buy this again but some people might like to eat it regularly.
Overall: 3/5
It seems that Beyond Burgers have spoiled me and my expectations were too high when I tried Gardein Fishless Filets. Too be fair, it's easier to imitate the texture of ground beef than fish.
These were not bad, but the texture was too obviously processed. They would probably be better in tacos than by themselves. I think I would have also liked them more if I tried them blindfolded, because I was too distracted by how the texture looked on the inside.
These might be ok for people who are less texture sensitive, or people who are used to eating faux meat and not expecting the texture to be like real fish. But for people who are not fully vegan and trying to choose more vegan options, this is not what I would recommend.
Gardein Fishless Filet ingredients: Water, Canola Oil, Textured Vegetable Protein Product (Soy Protein Concentrate, Color Added), Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Degerminated Yellow Corn Flour, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Salt, Wheat Gluten, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Paprika, Soy Flour, DHA Algal Oil, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Spice, Sugar, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Spices, Turmeric. Turmeric Extractives.
Review: Gardein Golden Fishless Filets
First impressions: They smell more like fish than I thought they would, and the breading looks good. But when I cut one in half, the inside looked more like processed chicken nuggets.
Taste: It tastes better than I expected, and it does taste more like fish than chicken.
Texture: The outside crunch is good but the inside is too mushy and not flaky. It might be better if it was thinner.
Can you tell it's vegan? Yes, the texture gives it away.
Better than other vegan versions? I haven't tried any other vegan fish yet.
Worth buying again? I probably won't buy these again.
Overall: 3 out of 5.
