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