You only need two ingredients to make this creamy, festive vegan queso recipe. No, for real.
You guys! Field Roast is making vegan cheese now! I grabbed all three varieties of Chao Slices to review and cooked with them. The sacrifices I make for you!
Note: If you’re just here for the 6-minute Queso recipe, it’s at the very bottom. I will not be offended if you scroll straight there without stopping!
Chao Cheese Review
Field Roast makes my very favorite store-bought fake meats. Their apple and smoked sage sausage is a staple in our house during grilling season, and their deli slices are my favorite treat for making a quick sandwich.
So!
When I saw that Field Roast had entered the world of vegan cheese, I freaked out a little. Really. When I saw these cheeses on the shelf at Whole Foods, I stopped in my tracks and said, “WHAT!” before promptly filling my shopping cart.
Related: Earth Balance Mac and Cheese Review
The slices are nice! They’re a little bit firmer than American cheese slices, and the chao gives them the fermented tanginess that you find in really good vegan cheese.
Chao is the secret to Field Roast’s cheeses. It’s made with fermented soybeans and sounds sort of like a Vietnamese version of natto.
Tomato Cayenne Chao Slices
Darrol Henry and I busted into the Tomato Cayenne right away. Maybe we ate seven of the ten slices in the package while standing at the kitchen counter. That’s what I get for going hungry to the grocery store.
I liked these slices a lot. They were very spicy, which is a plus for me. The spice did overpower the fermented flavor a little bit, but you still get that tang at the end.
We ate most of these straight up or on crackers, but I did manage to save a few slices to make a grilled cheese sandwich and test its melt factor.
Ya’ll. I used three slices to make the grilled cheese sandwich. The package lists one slice as one serving. If anyone has eaten one of these Chao Slices without reaching for at least a second one, I would like to know about it!
That hasn’t happened at my house yet, even after going through four packages in less than two weeks.
So, back to the sandwich! When you look at this grilled cheese, it looks like the cheese didn’t melt, but actually it melted pretty well. These slices hold their shape, but when you bite into the sandwich, the cheese is wonderfully melty. Promise!
Coconut Herb Chao Slices
Well, that lasted two days, so I got to bust into the Coconut Herb cheese sooner than expected. Yay!
This one wasn’t spicy at all, but it did have a nice peppery flavor. If you’re not a fan of coconut, you may want to skip this cheese. It’s right in the name, but I was still surprised by the coconut flavor. By the second slice, though, I was super into this cheese.
OK, so I know that this is basically grilled cheese on thinner bread, but my next test was turning this cheese into a quesadilla. I just broke up three slices, stuffed them into a tortilla, and pan-fried them up in Earth Balance on medium high heat.
Easy peasy, and so, so melty. When it’s more melted like this, it has that nice, stretchy pull that’s hard to find in vegan cheese, too.
Creamy Original Chao Slices
I had a hard time finding the Creamy Original version of the Chao Slices, so when I finally got my hands on some, I maybe bought two packages.
It’s a good thing, because at this point, when he sees me opening one of the packages, Darrol Henry stands next to me at the kitchen counter, reaching up and shouting, “Cheese! Cheese!”
I think that these were my favorite. You could really taste the fermented flavors, but this cheese is also neutral enough to work in pretty much any recipe.
It sort of reminded me of one of my favorite cheeses growing up: Muenster.
For the final test, I decided to try making a microwave queso dip with one of my packages of original Chao Slices. I wanted to really put this cheese through its paces, so I adapted a recipe for a very, very non-vegan queso.
You guys.
This cheese performed like a champ. I am in queso heaven!
6-Minute Vegan Queso
Ingredients
- 1 7-ounce package Chao Creamy Original Slices - cut into 1" pieces (Just cut through the whole stack of slices, like in the photo above.)
- 1 cup diced tomatoes and green chiles - undrained (about half of a 15 ounce can)
Instructions
- Put cheese and tomatoes into a small microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave on high for 3 minutes, and stir. Keep microwaving in 1-minute increments, stirring well each time. Your cheese will be fully melted before it looks fully melted. Before deciding to pop the dip back in, try breaking up the chunks of cheese with your spoon. They might just need a little bit of help to combine into the queso. My queso took just two 1-minute rounds in my little low-power microwave, for a total cooking time of 5 minutes. A more powerful microwave might not need that extra minute.
- Serve with your favorite things to dip in queso!
Lykia
I know that this is an older post, but I tried this last night and it was amazing! Recently I realized that dairy is no good for me and have been looking for a dairy free cheese that doesn’t taste like wood chips or Elmer’s Glue. This cheese was recommended to me be a friend, who is vegan, and then I lucked out to find this awesome recipe. It was perfect! As someone who has recently had dairy based queso and cheese, I can honestly say that this does taste like cheese and further more it tasted like real queso. I wasn’t missing anything by using this substitution. Thanks for this post!!!
Becky Striepe
I am so glad to hear that!! Enjoy the queso, and thank you for taking the time to come back and leave such a thoughtful comment!
Nicole OShea
Also try bio life cheese!
Nicole OShea
VIO LIFE , sorry
Becky Striepe
Yesss! I love their shreds! Great suggestion.
Chantel Winfree
Love the review . I have been looking to try a vegan cheese just didn’t know where to start. I am not vegan but I love having the option to chose a vegan meal over all else. Great blog
Becky Striepe
Thank you! I’m glad it was helpful. It’s still by far our favorite vegan slices. I even shred it up sometimes for ultra-creamy vegan mac and cheese!
Shade
I love this stuff! I made the quesadillas – and have tried the grilled cheese!!
Being vegan is so much easier with Field Roast!
Becky Striepe
These are hands-down my favorite slices, for sure!
Dee
The original creamy works great in grilled cheese! I found the best way to get it to melt 100% to dripping cheesey grilled cheese is to cooknit low and slow and with a lid or make a foil tent. If I try to cool it too fast it does not melt as well.
Becky Striepe
Ooh, I’ll have to try doing it with a lid! I’ve started popping the sandwich into the microwave for 30ish seconds to start the cheese melting, then grilling.
Sheena B
OMG, OMG!! Ok so I love queso but since switching to a plant based diet I just couldn’t find any good vegan cheese! Some of the other cheese were good on sandwiches but I hated the way they melted. Then I was really craving some queso so I looked on Pinterest and came across your recipe! I always saw this brand in my local Winn Dixie but always turned my nose up to it for some reason but when I saw your recipe I instantly recognized the packaging. So I gave it a try. I was shook! This stuff is the truth! I can’t wait to try this in other recipes, thank you so much!!!
Becky Striepe
Oh my gosh, this makes my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to rate and comment, and enjoy your queso! 😀
Monika
Trying the coconut pepper one tonight…. You are right, one slice just doesn’t do. ;). I like this a lot and we’re going to try the quesadilla recipe. The one downside to Chao is the lack of real nutrients (no vitamins, minerals, protein, etc) though I wonder if the probiotic content is high. Probably?
Anyhow, what a fun treat!
Linda York
So okay, my husband and I just polished off the ENTIRE BOWL OF THIS STUFF and it’s AMAZING!!!! It even got him thinking we could make this and mix it with some Banza Chickpea Rotini Pasta for a zippy mac and cheeze. You could even add some vegan chili for a chili mac, etc. etc. OH MY GOODNESS!! Thank you so much for this inspiration, Becky!!!
Becky Striepe
Oh my gosh, I am loving all of these ideas! Let me know what you end up making!
Linda York
I just stumbled across this recipe today on Pinterest. I actually have the Coconut Herb and Tomato Cayenne in my frig right now. This evening for dinner we had a simple grilled cheese sandwich with the Tomato Cayenne. Delicious!! But tomorrow, I am going to the store to buy the Original and a can of Ro-Tel and make this recipe!! Who knew?? This cheese is a staple in our house. We don’t think there’s a better cheese on the market!!
Becky Striepe
It’s our fave for sure!
Mike
I know this is an old post, but this recipe is life changing for me. I am such a huge fan of queso and since switching to plant-based foods, has been a part of my life left sorely unfilled. I’ve tried a ton of recipes ranging from potato and carrot, tofu, cashew based, daiya, and others…and none have lived up to my expectations. They were all okay, but I’d never crave it and it was more of me forcing myself to want to like it…opposed to actually liking it.
This is different. This is like heaven. I’ve made your exact version a few times and love it. This last time I played around with it a bit and figured I’d share for others to try as well. I added some additional diced jalapenos, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, and crushed reds. I also like my queso a bit runny so I added a splash of coconut milk to thin it out.
Overall, thank you for the inspiration…I can say I will make this every week until I exceed Chao’s production capacity.
Becky Striepe
Mike, this comment is a day-maker! I’m so glad you found this recipe helpful and appreciate you sharing your variations! Thank you so much!
Katherine B
Ahh I just tried the creamy original flavor today and I looved it! Even my dairy-loving mom loved it. Said it tastes like mozzarella. (I don’t quite remember tbh.) I made a grilled cheese, too, and it melted so much that it was dripping down when I cut my sandwich in half!
Becky Striepe
I’m so glad that she liked it! Your comment is making me want to go directly to the store for more, so I can make another grilled cheese!
Ellen Lederman
Where in Atlanta/which WF did you get these at?
Ellen Lederman
Hi Becky,
Just found your blog, thanks to Vegan Richa. I’m also in Atlanta. Whgere did you get the cheese slices? Whole Foods in Duluth/Johns Creek didn’t have them…
Becky Striepe
Welcome, Ellen! I found them at the Whole Foods on Ponce.
Alina @ Vegan Runner Eats
Thank you for the review, Becky! Can’t wait to try these sometime soon!
Becky Striepe
You are so welcome. It was a grueling testing process! 😀
Cadry
Oh, you’ve got me so excited to try these! Field Roast hasn’t let me down yet. How great would a grilled cheese and tomato soup lunch be? I’m going to be near a Whole Foods in the next few days. If they stock them, I’ll definitely pick up a package or two! Thanks for the review and awesome looking recipe.
Becky Striepe
I’m with you on Field Roast. They so such a good job with all things vegan!