CR Made With Plants Dairy Free Mozzarella

Made With Plants Dairy Free Shredded Mozzarella | Chewsday Review

Today I'm on a quest to find a cheese substitute for dairy-free families. Let's see if this Made With Plants mozzarella is as grate as the packet promises, or one to kick to the curd.

Ingredients

Water, Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Coconut), Modified Starch (Potato, Corn), Potato Starch, Inulin, Mineral (Calcium Citrate), Salt, Nutritional Yeast, Acidity Regulator (270), Natural Flavour, Tapioca Starch, Preservative (202), Natural Colour (160a).
Most dairy free cheese substitutes contain water as their first ingredient, as well as a combination of oil, thickeners, flavours and colours to mimic the flavour and texture of regular cheese.
Unless there is calcium in the ingredient list, dairy-free cheese will not be a calcium source.
Allergens: nil.

Positives

This is one of the few dairy free cheese products on the market that contains calcium. And with 720mg per 100g, the calcium content is comparable to regular cheese! This is a big win for kids with a cow’s milk allergy or people following a vegan diet, as it can be hard to meet calcium requirements from non-dairy sources. A 40g serving of Made With Plants Dairy Free Mozzarella contains 288mg of calcium, which is more than half of a toddler’s daily calcium requirements, or 40% of a school aged child’s daily calcium requirements.
The saturated fat content of Made With Plants Mozzarella (7.0g per 100g) is above guidelines (aiming for less than 3.0g per 100g), but lower than the saturated fat content of regular mozzarella, which ranges from around 12g to 17g per 100g. It’s important to note that the source of saturated fat is different (coconut oil vs. cow’s milk), making this more of a neutral (and complex) point than a true positive.
If your child is unable to eat regular cheese, offering a dairy-free cheese provides an opportunity for them to learn about a similar flavour and texture.

Negatives

All cheese contains salt because it’s needed in processing. It’s interesting to note that the sodium content of this dairy-free mozzarella (750mg per 100g) is higher than most dairy containing mozzarella (around 500mg per 100g). This is likely to make the dairy free version more palatable. This sodium content is similar to other dairy free cheese like Bega Plant Based (651mg sodium per 100g), Sheese (760mg sodium per 100g) and Cheer Plant Based Shredded Cheese (860mg sodium per 100g).
Like most dairy free cheese, Made With Plants Mozzarella contains no protein, compared to regular mozzarella which contains around 25g protein per 100g. Most Aussie kids get enough protein, so if your child is eating a variety of other foods this is likely not a huge issue, but it can be a consideration in a vegan diet.
At $6.25 for a tiny 200g pack ($31.25 per kg), Made With Plants Dairy Free Mozzarella doesn’t come cheap! It’s around double the price of regular mozzarella.

Marketing

“This vegan mozzarella is a source of calcium and has no artificial colours or flavours.” True!
“Made with Plants Shredded Mozzarella melts like a dream – use it to create mouthwatering pizzas, creamy pastas, or even a showstopping lasagna”. This is a bit of a stretch for me. Although it does become softer when heated, I don’t find that dairy-free cheese melts in the same way as regular cheese.
“The creamy taste of mozzarella only made with plants!” Again, not a direct competitor for the taste and texture of mozzarella in my opinion, but a reasonable substitute for families unable to eat dairy.

Alternatives

I wouldn’t recommend buying this (or any dairy free cheeses) if your family can eat regular cheese, as this is higher in salt, doesn’t melt as well and is more expensive than regular mozzarella.
For families avoiding dairy, the Made with Plants range of dairy free cheeses are a reasonable alternative because they actually contain calcium.
If you want more, there is a complete guide to choosing cheese on both Baby Mealtimes and Toddler Mealtimes. This review is just a snapshot of what you get as a member! Join here.

The composition of food products changes regularly. The nutritional values of the products in this Chewsday Review were correct at the time of publishing.