Rebel Cheese Review: The Next Big Thing In Dairy-Free Cheese?

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If you avoid dairy by choice or necessity, you may feel as I do: cheese is one of the great joys in life, but vegan cheese is just not there yet. There are some standouts, like Chao slices and Miyoko’s mozzarella, but on the whole, the category hasn’t hit on the kind of ridiculous cheesy masterpieces we all so desperately want. But what about Rebel Cheese?

I don’t watch Shark Tank, but I did watch the episode that Rebel Cheese appeared on. Four of the five sharks loved the products, and it was a hoot to see the rich and powerful get genuinely excited about vegan cheese. They said things like, “Oh my God that’s so good,” “wow, the brie is incredible,” and, “the one you nailed it on is the brie—there is no way to tell the difference.” Intriguing, methought.

The simplicity and quality of Rebel Cheese’s products also called to me. The Brie (which must have been updated slightly since its TV appearance) uses just six ingredients: organic cashews, water, fine salt, fava bean protein, enzymes, cultures. That’s exciting, because as anyone who regularly eats dairy-free cheese can attest, the standard base of coconut oil and potato starch starts to get old pretty quickly.

So I ordered the Brie, Gruyère, Honee Pistachio Chèvre, Balsamic Fig Fromage, and their Salami Budapesti (just for kicks). And these are my thoughts.

Rebel Cheese Review

Only after planning and drafting this post did I find myself thinking… am I really the best person to be reviewing vegan cheese, having not tasted dairy cheese in over 10 years? Hmm, food for thought. But as I looked inward and tried to round out this Rebel Cheese review by incorporating input from non-vegans, I came up short-handed. Online forums and stores that discuss the brand are vegan-centric (and, for the record, full of rave reviews), so that didn’t really help.

Instead, in the name of journalistic integrity (ooh la la), I’ve woven in comparisons between traditional cheeses’ tasting notes and my own experience with these vegan versions. With that, let’s dive in.

The Brie

I was floored by this one. Brie was one of my favorite things prior to going vegan, and Rebel Cheese’s take on it brought me back. It reminded me of carving off hunks of Brie with reckless abandon at my aunt’s house, and the absurd cracker-to-Brie ratio. Cracker shmacker when you’ve Brie to eat, am I right? The rind is exactly as I remember it (still my least favorite part), and the interior is luxuriously rich and creamy. It’s a little mind-blowing.

Having said that, I don’t actually agree with the shark who said that there’s no way to tell the difference between this and dairy Brie. I still hold that dairy has such a particular type of buttery (voluptuous, even) creaminess that cashews haven’t been able to mimic it exactly yet. It is remarkable how close this comes, but I wouldn’t go quite as far as to say that it’s indistinguishable.

Still, an easy 10/10 in my book. And as far as impressions from non-vegans go, look no further than the sharks.

The Honee Pistachio Chèvre

The chèvre was SO good. It’s soft and creamy, and the plant-based honey and pistachio coating offer some perfect texture and complexity. It’s got a touch of sweetness, which is nice for some added variety on a cheese board.

Since traditional chèvre is made from goat cheese, it’s worth noting that Rebel Cheese’s version didn’t have any of that characteristic tanginess (to my taste). Theirs is creamy and slightly sweet, and not so much earth and tangy. So bear that in mind if you’re looking for something truly chèvre-ish.

My fiancé and I tried these cheeses together and out of all of them, this was his favorite. It was my second favorite after the Brie.

The Gruyère

I thought the Gruyère was tasty, if not super-special like the Brie. It was fun to have a hard vegan cheese in the mix, and I appreciated its tiny bit of sharpness. That was a flavor I always used to love in Swiss cheese. Otherwise it was somewhat plain relative to the others, but it did add something unique to the line up and would make for a lovely appetizer with interesting crackers and wine.

Traditional Gruyère is creamy, salty, and mildly nutty, and I’d say that this basically checked those boxes. I didn’t get very creative with our Gruyère wedge – I added it to a vegan charcuterie board – but other reviewers did more interesting things like grate it over an onion tart, stuff it in a quesadilla, and melt it over french onion soup, with great reported success.

The Balsamic Fig Fromage

If the Gruyère leaned on the plainer side, the Balsamic Fig Fromage is on the other end of the spectrum. It’s somewhere between hard and soft, and full of flavor from the figs, walnuts, and balsamic. I’d say it’s sweet enough to be considered a dessert cheese, but not overly sweet. It’s also got some savoriness from the cashews and walnuts. Very, very tasty.

As this is a generic, “fromage,” there isn’t really a traditional cheese to compare it to. It stands proudly as its own thing anyway. Next to the brie, this is another fan favorite product according to reviews on Rebel Cheese’s site. One reviewer said, “I WEPT. Actual tears of joy cascaded down my face as I took a chunk of this delicious cheese and spread it on some swedish crisp bread, like I used to do when I was little, with dairy cheese.” Tear-inducing vegan cheese? Okay, Rebel Cheese!!

Final Thoughts on Rebel Cheese

Rebel Cheese’s products are pretty spectacular work, I would say. I’d reorder them as a treat for our household, and every single cheese we tried I would be proud to serve to vegan and non-vegan guests alike. I would also happily gift them to any vegan in my life.

One consideration is that each cheese is around $20, so these may feel more like artisanal or special occasion cheese than something to keep stocked in the fridge at all times—also because online ordering can be less than convenient. Though note that they have a store locator on their site to find their products in retail and restaurants. And if you’re ever in Austin or NYC, stop by their dedicated shops!

Next up? I’ve got my eye on the Strawberry Basil Fromage and Truffle Brie. Mmm, mm.