Cheese analogues are cheese

Cheese

Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....

 substitutes made most frequently from soybean

Soybean

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...

s but also made from rice, almonds, nutritional yeast

Nutritional yeast

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The scientific work of Louis Pasteur made it possible to isolate yeast in pure culture form. Nutritional yeast is produced by culturing the yeast with a mixture of sugarcane and beet molasses for a period of 7 days and...

 and other non-dairy

Dairy

A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...

 ingredients. Cheese analogues, just like plant-based

Plant milk

thumb|right|250px|A cup of [[amazake]] .Plant milk is a general term for any milk-like product that is derived from a plant source. There is no formal or legal definition for plant milk...

 milk substitute

Milk substitute

A milk substitute is a liquid that replaces milk in a diet or recipe. This overlaps with but is distinct from the group of milk-like liquids called "milks" because of their similarity to the liquid produced by mammary glands....

s, are available in many of the same varieties as their cheese counterparts. These products are usually consumed due to certain dietary preferences, such as veganism

Veganism

Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...

, religious restrictions (most cheese analogues are kosher pareve, after approval of a Rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

), lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance, also called lactase deficiency or hypolactasia, is the inability to digest and metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk...

 or milk allergies

Milk allergy

A milk allergy is a food allergy, an adverse immune reaction to one or more of the constituents of milk from any animal...

.

Brands

The following most widely known vegan cheese brands contain no casein: Cheed, Cheezly, FYH Vegan Gourmet Cheese, Sheese, Teese, and Tofutti

Tofutti

Tofutti Brands Inc. is a US company founded by New York restaurateur David Mintz that makes a range of soy-based, dairy-free foods. Best known for an innovative ice cream substitute, Tofutti targets niches such as the lactose-intolerant, kosher, food allergy sensitive, vegetarian and vegan...

. Soy-free vegan cheeses include: Daiya

Daiya

Daiya Foods Inc. is a Canadian-based vegan cheese food company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was established in 2008 by Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake. Daiya is made from cassava and arrowroot and is known for its cheese-like consistency and melting properties...

, Dr.Cow, Chreese

Chreese

Chreese is a vegan, plant-based, cheese substitute made with nutritional yeast. The product is manufactured by Road's End Organics, a U.S. company that specializes in food for people with special dietary needs. Chreese is organic, lactose-free, cholesterol and saturated fat-free...

 and Veganrella (all are certified

Product certification

Product certification or product qualification is the process of verifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests or qualification requirements stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specifications...

 vegan and therefore 100% casein free).

Types

Cheese analogues are available in these types:

• American
  American cheese
  American cheese is a processed cheese. It is orange, yellow, or white in color and mild in flavor, with a medium-firm consistency, and melts easily. American cheese was originally only white, but is usually now modified to yellow. In the past it was made from a blend of cheeses, most often Colby...
  
  
• Blue
  Blue cheese
  Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold, and carries a distinct smell, either from that or...
  
   
• Cheddar
  Cheddar cheese
  Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, yellow to off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting cheese, produced in several countries around the world. It has its origins in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset....
  
  
• Cheshire
  Cheshire cheese
  Cheshire cheese is a dense and crumbly cheese produced in the English county of Cheshire, and four neighbouring counties, two in Wales and two in England .-History:...
  
  
• Cream cheese
  Cream cheese
  Cream cheese is a soft, mild-tasting, white cheese with a high fat content. Traditionally, it is made from unskimmed milk enriched with additional cream....
  
  
• Edam

• Gouda
  Gouda (cheese)
  Gouda is an orange cheese made from cow's milk. The cheese is named after the city of Gouda in the Netherlands, but its name is not protected. However, the European Commission has confirmed that "Gouda Holland" is to be protected...
  
   
• Monterey Jack
  Monterey Jack
  Monterey Jack is an American semihard cheese made using cow's milk. It is commonly sold by itself, or mixed with Colby to make a marbled cheese known as Colby-Jack . Cheddar-Jack varieties are also available....
  
  
• Mozzarella
  Mozzarella
  Mozzarella is an Italian Traditional Speciality Guaranteed food product. The term is used for several kinds of Italian cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting :...
  
   
• Parmesan
• Swiss
  Swiss cheese
  Swiss cheese is a generic name in North America for several related varieties of cheese which resemble the Swiss Emmental. Some types of Swiss cheese have a distinctive appearance, as the blocks of the cheese are riddled with holes known as "eyes". Swiss cheese has a piquant, but not very sharp,...
  
  

Nutrition

Cheese analogues may be lower in fat

Fat

Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...

 compared to their dairy counterparts; however, they are generally equal in fat compared to their low-fat dairy counterparts. Cheese analogues are cholesterol

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...

-free and are often a source of soy protein and isoflavones. Many soy cheese analogues have calcium

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...

 added.

Comparison to dairy cheese

Some cheese analogue brands melt similarly to dairy cheese (in a very hot oven or broiler

Grilling

Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below.Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat quickly and meat that has already been cut into slices...

), while others stay mostly firm, or melt only when grated

Grater

A grater is a kitchen utensil used to grate foods into fine pieces. It was invented by François Boullier in the 1540s.-Uses:...

.