Planning your next TJ’s visit? This complete guide covers all of Trader Joe’s vegan cheese options including non-dairy cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, and Boursin. Plus, I highlight how to make the most of them.
As a vegan of 19 years, I remember when non-dairy cheeses were a rarity. Today, they’re commonly sold in most supermarkets and big box stores.
I’m an equal opportunity vegan cheese lover, but Trader Joe's vegan cheeses are ones I come back to again and again.
They’ve become refrigerator staples, in part because they’re reasonably priced, and easy to grab on my weekly Trader Joe’s run.
I’ve tried every option in their line-up. While TJ’s doesn’t have an extensive amount of vegan cheeses, the 5 types they offer satisfy the most common needs:
- Melts well on burgers and pizzas
- Slices for sandwiches
- Creamy spreads for bagels and crackers
I’m rounding up the current 2026 options, and sharing my favorite ways to use them.
For even more TJ’s love, be sure to check out my 50 favorite vegan products at Trader Joe’s.
In this post:
Cheddar style slices
Trader Joe’s cheddar style slices are cultured and aged, which translates to a mild cheddar flavor and a dry texture that’s slightly powdery.
I use them on vegan egg mcmuffin sandwiches for a grab-and-go breakfast (shown above), and chop them onto vegan chef salads (shown below).
Most commonly, dairy-free cheddar slices are my go-to for simple deli sandwiches with sliced vegan turkey, pickles, onions, and lettuce. Great for a lunchbox or roadtrip.
But these cashew cheese slices aren’t just good cold, they also melt beautifully.
When you’re making a veggie burger, after it has browned on one side, flip it over, add a cheddar slice, lower the heat, and cover with a lid. It doesn’t take long for it to melt – usually just a couple of minutes.
Cheddar style slices
Price: $3.99
Ingredients: Cashew base (water, cashews), coconut oil, modified food starch (modified potato starch, modified cornstarch), potato starch, sea salt, natural flavors, nutritional yeast (dried yeast, niacin [vitamin B3], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], thiamine hydrochloride [vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid, vitamin B120, natural flavor, annatto extract (for color), lactic acid, yeast extract, cultures.
Mozzarella style shreds
For many folks, it just isn’t pizza without cheese. Dairy-free mozzarella style shreds make it easy. These simple shreds are made with cashews.
While you’re not going to get a cheese pull from this non-dairy mozzarella, they still melt well for a creamy base, thanks to the addition of coconut oil.
They have a light, nutty flavor that adds to a dish without overwhelming or drawing a lot of attention to itself. They’re a supporting player, not a starring role.
My favorite ways to use Trader Joe’s mozzarella style shreds:
- Vegan supreme-style pizza (on Trader Joe’s flatbread)
- Vegan pizza bagels
- Air fryer eggplant parmesan
- Seitan reuben sandwich
- Spicy vegan hot sausage sandwich (shown above)
- Eggplant parmesan sandwich
- Rachel sandwich
Mozzarella style shreds
Price: $3.99
Ingredients: Cashew base (water, cashews), coconut oil, potato starch, modified cornstarch, sea salt, natural flavors, yeast extract, cultures, annatto extract (for color).
Parmesan cheese alternative
Shredded parmesan cheese alternative is a vegan version of grated Parmesan. It has a mildly nutty and sharp flavor that tastes amazing right out of the bag, as well as cooked.
Between the mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan, this sleeper hit is the most delicious of all their bagged cheese options.
A little fancier than shaker-style vegan parmesan, this salty and savory cheese is perfect for sprinkling on:
- Vegan pesto pasta with artichokes
- Vegan garlic butter noodles
- Air fryer lasagna
- Air fryer garlic bread
- Roasted vegetables
- Soups like creamy vegan tomato soup
- Air fryer stuffed peppers
- Caesar-style salads
It’s also terrific melted onto a vegan French dip sandwich with jus for dunking (shown above)!
Shredded parmesan cheese alternative
Price: $3.99
Ingredients: Parmesan cheese alternative (water, modified potato starch, coconut oil, salt, natural flavors, yeast extract, turmeric oleoresin [for color], annatto extract [for color]), pea starch (anti-caking agent).
Boursin Dairy-free
If you love garlic, you’re going to adore Boursin Dairy-free with garlic and herbs.
This soft, creamy, and spreadable cheese is dotted with parsley and chives.
It’s divine on a vegan cheeseboard along with:
- Crackers
- Toasted bread
- Homemade vegan pepperoni
- Veggies: Carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber slices, and bell pepper slices
- Pickled vegetables: Pickled red onions, pickled shallots, and marinated artichoke hearts
- Olives: Grilled olives, Castelvetrano, kalamata, fried olives, or olive tapenade
In addition to simply spreading it on crackers, vegan Boursin can be used in these tasty ways:
- Spread onto bagels or sandwiches
- Stirred into mashed potatoes
- Stuffed into mushrooms
Boursin Dairy-free
Price: $5.99
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.
Vegan cream cheese alternative
Vegan cream cheese alternative at Trader Joe’s is made with a coconut oil base. That means it’s very firm straight from the fridge, which can make it a little more challenging to spread at first.
(Coconut oil hardens in cold temperatures, and liquifies when warm.)
If you’re spreading it on a bagel, I recommend adding it while the bagel is warm, and then letting the cream cheese melt a little before doing a final swipe for even application.
It has a slight coconut flavor, but not in a way that’s overwhelming.
I wouldn’t say this is the best vegan cream cheese out there. However, for the price point and availability, it’s good enough. (Miyoko’s is my favorite, but it’s hard to find right now.)
Ways to use Trader Joe’s cream cheese alternative:
- Toasted everything bagel with pickled red onions
- Bagel breakfast sandwich
- Vegan jalapeno poppers (shown above)
- Vegan pickle roll-ups (shown below)
- Vegan bacon wrapped dates
- Roasted asparagus bruschetta
- Vegan crab rangoon
- Cranberry jalapeno cream cheese dip (Great for fall and winter holidays!)
Vegan cream cheese alternative
Price: $2.99
Ingredients: Water, coconut oil, modified potato starch, chickpea protein, sugar, salt, natural flavors, sodium citrate, deactivated yeast, lactic acid, citric acid, yeast extract, guar gum, xanthan gum, nisin.
Vegan sour cream hack
Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese can also do double duty as a non-dairy sour cream.
They used to have vegan sour cream on the shelves, but Trader Joe’s discontinued it. After that, I started making my own by whipping their cream cheese with water.
Get all the details on how to make vegan sour cream.
This vegan sour cream is great as a topping, layer, or dip in:
FAQ
Sadly, no. Trader Joe’s vegan feta was beloved, but it’s now on my list of Trader Joe’s discontinued vegan products. If you can find Violife feta in other stores, I’m pretty sure it was just repackaged from them.
Not anymore. They used to have Mexican style shreds, which was my favorite dairy-free option of theirs. But it was discontinued in October 2025. In their place, I recommend Violife's Mexican style shreds sold elsewhere.
No, their nacho dip was discontinued. However, you can find most of the ingredients for homemade cashew queso at Trader Joe's, which is terrific on nachos and similar in taste. For something heartier, make vegan chili cheese dip.
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