Trader Joe’s vs. Daiya Vegan Cheese
Hey guys!
It’s no secret that I am obsessed with Daiya cheese and specifically obsessed with making quesadillas with it. When I found out that Trader Joe’s was coming out with their own version of vegan cheese, I was stoked because I have to travel to Whole Foods for Daiya when TJ’s is closer (and also my predominant grocery store). While Daiya has three flavors on the market (mozzarella style, cheddar style & pepper jack style – “style” being the indicator that it’s not really cheese, but, rather, cheese-like), Trader Joe’s has thus far only come out with a mozzarella-style flavor.
I wanted to do an apples-to-apples comparison, so I bought a mozzarella-style version of both brands and decided to rate on the following characteristics:
- Meltability
- Stretchability
- Taste
- Ingredients
Here’s how they compare aesthetically, which is not one of the factors I’m rating:
Trader Joe’s mozzarella style shreds (L) versus Daiya’s mozzarella style shreds (R)
Trader Joe’s meltability is a 10. It freaking melts and it melts more quickly than Daiya.
Trader Joe’s stretchability is a 5. It stretches, but it stretches in a clumpy gross way and once it gets on your fingers it’s like glue.
Clearly, I am not a food critic lol.
Daiya’s meltability is a 7. It melts, but slower than TJ’s version and it requires a little “help” (i.e. I flatten it so the oil seeps out and creates the melt factor.
Daiya’s stretchability is an 8. It stretches and how delicious does it look?
Now, the factors that really matter cannot be photographed (well, I guess I could photograph my facial expressions to the taste, but, alas, just imagine).
Taste:
Trader Joe’s mozzarella-style vegan cheese comes out the package much like Parmesan cheese. It has a chalky, stale texture. What’s worse? …. It tastes like Parmesan cheese mixed with mayonnaise mixed with foot. It is atrocious. I couldn’t finish the quesadilla because I was too busy gagging. This why my whole rating system is bogus anyway because once you taste the cheese, the meltability & strechability factor only reminds you that it “melts” because it looks and tastes like mayo. Blegh! Taste = 0.
Daiya’s mozzarella-style vegan cheese comes out the bag a bit greasy. It’s the oil, after all, that makes it melty and stretchy. When eaten, however, it tastes like heaven. It has this mellow, genuine mozzarella flavor, that is divine. I could eat it all day. I could even eat it straight from the bag. Taste = 10!
Ingredients for Daiya mozzarella-style:
Filtered water, tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and /or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, vegan natural flavors, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, citric acid (for flavor), titanium dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral).
Nutrition facts for Daiya mozzarella-style:
Serving size 1 oz (28g/about 1/4 cup): 90 calories, 6g fat, 2g sat fat, 280mg sodium, 7g carbs, 1g fiber, 0g sugars, 1g protein
Ingredients for TJ’s mozzarella-style:
water, canola oil, cornstarch, vegetable glycerin, arrowroot starch, tricalcium phosphate, pea protein, salt, natural vegan flavors, rice maltodextrin, lactic acid (non-dairy), sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, annatto (color), powdered cellulose (to prevent caking)
Nutrition facts for TJ’s mozzarella-style:
Serving size 1 oz (28g/about 1/4 cup): 90 calories, 6g fat, 0g sat fat, 201mg sodium, 7g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 1g protein
So, you can see the “cheeses” are very similar in nutrition profiles with Daiya having more sat. fat and sodium than TJ’s, though boasting 1g fiber per serving whereas TJ’s has none. I’d say I’m satisfied equally with these nutrition profiles.
All in all? Daiya for the win. TJ’s, sorry, but I almost-literally vomit when I think of your vegan cheese.
I used Daiya this weekend when I cooked for my mom’s birthday party, which my boyfriend and I hosted.
I made three types of enchiladas though all had a sweet potato base. The variations were add black beans, vegan chorizo & Daiya. Pictured is a version with black beans, sweet potato, & vegan chorizo. The enchilada sauce is the pre-made kind from Trader Joe’s which is vegan (though not gluten-free).
Get in mah belly!
Ok, spill, have you tried either cheese? What are your thoughts?
<3,
The Cranky One
Tags: daiya vegan cheese, trader joe's vegan cheese. trader joe's
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13 People have left comments on this post
I’ve tried Daiya a few times and I’ve noticed that it gets better the longer I’m vegan. Still, fake cheese is hard for me to swallow. I usually use a cheese sauce that I make from veggies and nutritional yeast or I eat things sans the cheese.
I like Daiya, but typically use Follow Your Heart because Daiya is so expensive. Like you, I found the Trader Joe’s cheese completely inedible. I put it on a beautiful homemade pizza, and it pretty much ruined the pizza–I don’t know how anything can be so oily and so gluey at the same time.
i found the taste awful on trader joes regret getting 4 at the same time, but ehh lesson learned. Never buy more than 1 item at the same time thats new to me je je, i thought it was going to taste like daiyas. Well i decided to add some tomato chili sauce my father had made and bamm taste became from a 0 to a 5 jah you just have to melt both at the same time if making quesadillas. Again the sauce better taste bomb in order for the cheese to taste tolerable.
I find the trick with the Trader Joe’s stuff is to cook it only as long as needed, and to use it in much smaller amounts than usual. I make a whole bag last over a month! If you’re making a pizza, cook it with everything on top but the cheese and add the cheese in the last few minutes, just long enough so it starts to melt, and don’t coat the entire top. I’ve never had Daiya so I can’t compare, but hopefully I’ll find it someday
It’s just a shame that daiya cheese has titanium dioxide, which believed to be a carcinogen. Very frustrating.
@Kristine Except it’s only considered a POSSIBLE carcinogen when inhaled, so until you start snorting daiya, it most likely is fine.
I just picked up some TJ’s vegan mozz shreds this week and I’m addicted. Way better tasting quesadillas, in my opinion, but I make very thin ones, so it’s not a lot of cheese all at once. I like Daiya, but find its flavor a bit too fake. TJ’s tastes way more like cheese. Only drawback I see is that TJ’s vegan cheese is not non-GMO
I’m very confused by this.. In taste test I agree it is no contest and the arm up clearly goes to TJ’.s It mimics cheese more, and tastes better and doesn’t have that gross funk taste that Daiya has. I usually cook it up with some nutritional yeast and they go great together. Reminds me a lot of provel cheese (something you probably won’t be familiar with if you’re not from St. Louis or spent time there). This has become a no-brainer for me as TJ’s is cheaper and tastier.
My friend and I regularly make our own pizzas and I was SO delighted when I found the much cheaper TJ’s knock-off daiya…however, my friend can hardly swallow the stuff so there goes that! While it does have a more pungent taste, I think both are gluey so that doesn’t bother me so much. Om nom nommmm.
I tried both and found TJ to taste much better (milder) and melt much better also. Its a bonus TJ is so much cheaper too.
I like mixing both cheeses together on a pizza. The synergy between the two is delightful.
I’ve been a HUGE fan of Daiya since it came out. I’d even get it in the 5lb bags..of both kinds. Now, I just saw TJ’s VC and picked up one bag to try. I was very happy with the price. We both tried it on quesadillas and were both sold on the taste and meltability. I’ll have to go with TJ’s on this one flavor, while keeping with Daiya on the other…at least until TJ’s comes out with a cheddar to try. I love ‘em, but I’m glad to see some real competition for Daiya. The price was over $5 at Kroger last week. That’s just too much for 8oz of vegan cheese, in my opinion.
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