The Best Dairy-Free Charcuterie Board Cheeses

A friend who’s been dabbling in dairy-free was enamored by the fancy vegan cheeses sold at our local natural food store. So we decided to do a tasting! I gathered my fabulous crew of taste-testers to help uncover the best dairy-free charcuterie board cheeses. Our selection included a full range of artisan nut cheeses and a couple nut-free options.

We’ve ranked them in order, with our top pick first. But there really were several winners among this bunch of dairy-free artisanal cheeses. Because charcuterie boards are usually varied, we aimed for a mix of textures, including soft vegan cheeses and firm sliceable options. The flavors we reviewed also depended on local availability. Most of these brands sell their full range online, but we stuck with the options you could pick up anytime in store. I’ll start with a quick list of category favorites, and then move onto the details.

These soft, creamy wedges won’t be fooling any cheese addicts. But everyone agreed this cashew cheese product is delicious, and fills the cheese void on dairy-free charcuterie boards nicely. The overall flavor is bold, rich, and perfectly salty, while the texture is mildly reminiscent of hummus.

Pros:

Cons:

Varieties: Black Garlic, Un-Brie-Lievable, Sharp Cheddar, Artichoke & Herb, Smoky Gouda Style, Super Blue, Chipotle Cheddar Style

Black Garlic Ingredients: cashews*, coconut oil*, quinoa rejuvelac (water, quinoa*), water, nutritional yeast, sea salt, chickpea miso (rice*, chickpeas*, sea salt, water, koji spores), garlic powder* , black garlic powder*, porcini mushrooms*, activated charcoal. *organic contains: cashew, coconut

They offer a full range of vegan firm cheeses, soft cheeses, and cave-aged cheeses. Their brie is an award-winner, but we only had access to a couple firm cheeses. We chose the Smoky Cheddar, which was full-flavored and satisfying. It didn’t receive perfect marks due to the crumbly texture, but we still ranked it as one of the best dairy-free charcuterie cheeses.

Pros: (firm varieties)

Cons: (firm varieties)

Varieties: Smoked Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Gruyere, Parmesan, Colby Jack firm cheeses; Cave-Aged Bri, Tomato Herb Fromage, Honee Pistachio Chevre, Balsamic Fig & Walnut Fromage, Truffle Brie, Truffle Chevre, Everything Fromage, Ash Chevre soft cheeses

Smoked Cheddar Ingredients: water, white rice flour, coconut oil*, mellow white miso*, nutritional yeast, cashews*, tamari soy sauce, fine salt, umeboshi vinegar, lactic acid, white vinegar, tomato paste, red bell pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, annatto, mustard powder. *organic ingredient

This spreadable cheese was the hands-down winner for smooth creaminess. One taster said it was “buttery” while two others likened it to whipped cream cheese. The bold garlic and herb flavor was pretty close to the original (according to the dairy consumers) and was a very solid “like” for most of our tasters.

Pros:

Cons:

Dairy-Free Ingredients: water, coconut oil, modified food starch, potato starch, dried garlic, salt, pea protein, sugar, potato protein, lactic acid, fruit extract, dried parsley, natural flavor, dried chives, white pepper.

This artisanal cashew cheese is quite creamy, but the underlying flavor is more milky than cheesy, relying heavily on the outer seasonings for flavor. That said, our two dairy cheese addicts gave it high marks (and most others generally liked it), especially as a cream cheese type alternative.

Pros:

Cons:

Varieties: Monroe Camembert, Coffee & Chutney, Za’atar & Spices, Chutney & Saffron

Za’atar & Spices Ingredients: organic cashew nuts, purified water, organic coconut oil, organic za’atar (organic toasted sesame seeds, sea salt, organic thyme, organic sumac berries, organic oregano, organic spices), himalayan pink salt, lactic acid, bacterial culture.

We could only get their “Goat Cheese” locally, which does have a stronger, more sour flavor. The dairy consumers in our group said it’s a pretty good copycat, we just didn’t have any goat cheese fans on hand. But we have done taste-tests with their other cultured cashew cheeses (firm and soft), and they are all quite delicious. This brand is still one of our top picks.

Pros:

Cons:

Varieties: Herb Garlic, Creamy Scallion, Pimento, Goat-Style, Blueberry Goat-Style, Garlic & Basil Goat-Style soft cheeses; Smoked Gouda, Cheddar, Cracked Pepper, Classic aged cheeses

Goat-Style Garlic & Basil: cashews, filtered water, sea salt, natural flavor, cultured brown rice, lactic acid, garlic, basil, parsley, cultures.

The combination of cashews and macadamia nuts in this Hawaiian cheese line creates a light sweetness that doesn’t marry well with the savory herbs. The thicker texture also didn’t work for any of our tasters. Our dairy cheese connoisseurs said “not even close” when it came to the “brie” title.

Pros:

Cons:

Varieties: Classic “Brie,” Black Truffle “Brie,” Herbed “Brie,” Maui Onion “Brie,” Creamy “Cheddar”

Herbed Macadamia Nut “Brie” Ingredients: hawaiian macadamia nuts, cashews, purified water, lemon juice, organic herb blend (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage), hawaiian sea salt.

There are several other brands of cheese alternative blocks, but the fancier impression of Good Planet’s Olive Oil blocks (and cubes) seemed charcuterie-worthy. Plus, I really wanted to recommend another allergy-friendly option. Unfortunately, this brand was loved by none and disliked by most of our group. We tried the Greek-Style Feta, which tasted heavily like kalamata olives. This was obviously a plus for the olive fans and a definite no for the olive haters. But it lost all of us with the texture. It was firm, not crumbly like feta, and had that rubbery mouthfeel that plagues many top allergen-free cheese alternatives.

Pros:

Cons:

Varieties: Mexican-Style Monterey Jack and Greek-Style Feta blocks; Smoked Gouda, Sharp Cheddar, Spicy Monterey Jack, and Tuscan Herb Mozzarella cubes.

Greek-Style Feta Ingredients: filtered water, food starch – modified (tapioca and potato), olive oil*, kalamata olives (kalamata olives, water, salt, sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, lactic acid, calcium chloride), faba protein, sea salt, natural flavors (vegan sources), potato protein, spices, oregano, tomato powder, dehydrated vegetables (garlic, onions), maltodextrin, yeast extract

We weren’t able to get these dairy-free charcuterie board cheeses for our taste test, but they might be available in your local area.

Here are a few delicious artisan-style recipes that you can make at home: