The Miyoko's Creamery Fresh Vegan Mozzarella meets
the Violife Mature Cheddar Slices
Real fermentation, real flavor, no dairy. We tested it head-to-head against the Violife Mature Cheddar Slices ($5.99) across 6 key dimensions.
Miyoko's Creamery Fresh Vegan Mozzarella
“Real fermentation, real flavor, no dairy”
Violife Mature Cheddar Slices
“The reliable everyday cheddar that melts, stretches, and satisfies”
Head-to-Head Breakdown
Strengths & Weaknesses
Miyoko's Creamery Fresh Vegan Mozzarella
- Won VegOut blind taste test unanimously, beating 14 other brands including non-vegan tasters who couldn't believe it was plant-based
- Real fermentation with cashew milk creates depth and tanginess that coconut-oil-based competitors cannot replicate
- VegNews Cheese of the Year (Pourable Mozzarella) and Best Artisanal, validating both consumer and industry recognition
- At $8.49 for 8 oz, it costs 40-70% more than mainstream alternatives like Violife ($5.99) or Daiya ($4.99)
- Limited grocery distribution; you'll likely need Whole Foods, Sprouts, or a specialty store to find it consistently
- Cashew-based, making it unsuitable for tree nut allergy sufferers, and shorter refrigerated shelf life than coconut-oil alternatives
Violife Mature Cheddar Slices
- Only vegan cheese to appear in the top 3 of every major review source: Sporked 10/10, VegOut #2, Tasting Table #3, VegNews Best Staple
- VegNews Best Shreds winner three consecutive years, driven by consumer voting, not editorial picks alone
- Available at every major US grocery chain, so you can actually find it without driving to a specialty store
- Coconut oil base gives a waxy texture when eaten cold straight from the package; tastes best when heated or at room temperature
- Not fermented, so it lacks the complex tanginess and depth of cultured options like Miyoko's or Treeline
- Tasting Table noted it's 'expensive' relative to other coconut-oil-based competitors at $5.99 per 7 oz package
The Verdict
Our Bottom Line
Violife scores 90.3 overall compared to Miyoko's 86.8, driven by its near-perfect marks on Availability (98 vs 55) and Versatility (95 vs 80). The cheddar-slice format and nationwide grocery distribution give Violife a structural advantage in those dimensions. We chose Miyoko's as Best Overall because its fermentation technique produces a depth of flavor that no coconut-oil product matches, and that flavor difference is what every blind taste panel confirmed. The scores correctly reflect that Violife is the more practical cheese; the editorial pick reflects that Miyoko's is the better one.
Miyoko's Creamery Fresh Vegan Mozzarella
Miyoko's Creamery won because it does something no other brand on this list does: actual fermentation. Founder Miyoko Schinner applies traditional European cheesemaking techniques to organic cashew milk, and the result is a mozzarella with tanginess and depth that coconut-oil competitors can't replicate. VegOut Magazine put 15 vegan cheeses through a blind taste test, and Miyoko's was the unanimous #1 pick across the entire panel, including non-vegan tasters. The panel specifically noted a 'tanginess that genuinely surprised' them.
- You care about fermentation and traditional cheesemaking techniques applied to plant-based ingredients
- You're hosting mixed vegan/non-vegan gatherings and want cheese that genuinely surprises dairy eaters
- You have access to Whole Foods, Sprouts, or specialty grocers for regular shopping
- You prioritize organic certification and clean ingredient lists over price
- You mainly use cheese for pizza, pasta, and cooked dishes where mozzarella is the right format
Violife Mature Cheddar Slices
Violife Mature Cheddar is the only vegan cheese that placed in the top 3 of every single source we consulted. Sporked gave it a perfect 10/10 and named it Best for Burgers. VegNews readers voted it Best Staple Cheese. It won Best Shreds three consecutive years. VegOut's blind panel ranked it #2. Tasting Table put it at #3 of 16 brands.
- You want a dependable everyday vegan cheese for sandwiches, burgers, and quick meals
- You shop at mainstream groceries (Walmart, Target, Kroger) and need something consistently in stock
- You're new to vegan cheese and want the safest first pick with the broadest appeal
- Budget matters, and you're buying cheese every week, not as an occasional splurge
- You need a cheddar-style cheese that works across the widest range of applications