Trader Joe’s Almond Mozzarella Style Shreds Reviews
99% lactose free, but not completely vegan.
Trader Joe's Reviews
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Search from over 5,000 products and 15,000+ ratings! Not affiliated with Trader Joe's.
99% lactose free, but not completely vegan.
Annika –
I try to avoid saturated fat- which most non-dairy cheeses are loaded with. When I found these shreds, I was overjoyed! They do not so much “melt and stretch” like a very popular vegan cheese so proudly advertises- but they are delicious… even right out of the bag (which the “other guys” are NOT!). My favorite trick with these shreds is to order a “take and bake” pizza with no cheese, then add a couple cups of TJ’s “Mozzarella.” Perfect every time!
Kariun –
I’ve tried maybe 4 or 5 different types of vegan mozzarella cheese and this is hands down the best by far but these are not really vegan.
Karla –
THIS IS NOT VEGAN CHEESE. After finishing the entire bag I flipped over the back of the bag to find out that it had milk in it. Why on earth would you advertise this as a “Cheese alternative” when there is milk?
Brenda –
Completely disappointing to find out this is NOT vegan! It contains milk. People who are vegan are not vegan-ish. They do not want to be sold products with labels on it that make us think we are eating vegan when we are not.
YB –
I was also VERY disappointed and annoyed at this “cheese alternative.” I am vegan and bought it thinking this sounded perfect for home-made vegan pizza. The thing is mostly made with almonds; it says “cheese alternative,” I assumed (should not have) it was vegan. By the way, it does not say “NOT vegan” on the front. I also ate the whole thing (which is tasty and melts, that’s not the point). And when I was putting the bag away for recycling, I read “CASEIN” and “NATURAL MILK FLAVOR” in the ingredients. WHY? Seriously though. Why go 99% of the way there but make a cheese that appears to be vegan, but is not. I was very annoyed by this.
Dan A –
This product Never said VEGAN! It’s a cheese alternative. It has some mile solids in it but it doesn’t contain the cholesterol and saturated fat or a traditional cheese. I use this for pizza or right out of the bag for a cheese fix. Tip: if you miss the oilyness of real cheese, try drizzling some high quality olive oil on the pizza after you bake it. So good!
Dan A –
That was supposed to say Milk solids
Anonymous –
Response to Dan A:
So should we start label cabbages and broccoli as vegan just in case? Why is vegan cheese not allowed to be called cheese and is only allowed to be called cheese alternative, but a milk product can be called anyhow they want, including cheese alternative? This is a super dumb label.
Leyna Stemle –
This labeling is misleading and should advertise being lactose free and not almond based !
Reya –
Disappointed that this product is advertising itself as almond cheese but still contains milk. Why? Deceptive packaging.
Nate –
I too wish they could make this product as 100% vegan
Kenny –
It may not be vegan but it doesn’t have saturated fat which is the purpose of “dairy free” alternatives. All the others are loaded with coconut oil = saturated fat. And this one tastes and melts just fine. I’ll take it. But they seem to not be carrying it anymore
Jeanette –
Also VERY DISAPPOINTED to purchase this before realizing it has parmesan cheese in it. This needs to be CHANGED ASAP..
I am on a thyroid reset diet and need to avoid animal dairy in general because of the iodine. PLEASE LABEL APPROPRIATELY and state THIS IS NOT A VEGAN PRODUCT – CONTAINS SOME ANIMAL DAIRY or something along those lines
Anonymous –
As a highly lactose intolerant vegetarian, I had no issues with the product digestion wise. I thought it had a decent flavor and it had the meltability and cheesy fermentation funk vegan cheeses don’t always give me. That being said, I wish it was a vegan product as many people lament it not being. People have commented that there is no point to this product since it’s not vegan, but I think they forget about us lactose intolerant folk who want an alternative that suits our needs too.
Anonymous –
Misleading name and packaging. If I see a non-dairy cheese alternative, I’m going to assume it’s vegan. It really needs to be made clearer on the packaging that this product contains milk. The tiny “99% lactose free” is too small. Better yet — just make it vegan. Really disappointing.
Anonymous –
People should realize that the term “cheese alternative” has been around for decades and has almost always been a casein-based product. It’s unfortunate, and the labelling should probably be more explicit, but this is not intentional misleading by TJ’s.
And this is NOT 99% vegan, or close to vegan. The main protein source is casein which is MILK PROTEIN. It’s a product for people specifically needing to avoid lactose or saturated fat. Not generally healthy no plant-based.
Courtney –
The packaging is very misleading. “Cheese alternative” has almost exclusively referred to vegan cheese before so I don’t know why they’re using it to describe something that still has milk in it
Bruce Davis –
Do not cook with it!!!! Used it in egg plant Parmesan. After baking, in the casserole, it had the flavor and consistency of plain, unseasoned, wet breadcrumbs. As a topping, it did not melt but formed a hard, tasteless mat. On the positive side, oh wait, there is no positive side.
Teresa –
I’m also disappointed in this product. My daughter has a pretty severe allergy to dairy so I picked this up thinking it was ok as it’s called a “cheese product”. It wasnt until she started to break out in hives did we see the fine print on the back and realize it contains milk. It’s clearly trying to trick people into thinking it’s nondairy. Super frustrating.
Whine & Cheeze –
This is so good. For people who are lactose intolerant and looking for something similar to regular mozzarella, it’s very, very good. Vegans bombing the ratings are either unable to read or have the critical thinking skills of a 2-year-old. Does the bag say “vegan” on it? Does it say “completely dairy-free” or “100 percent lactose and dairy free” on it? You as the consumer are responsible for doing YOUR HOMEWORK about what you eat. Flip boxes over and read the nutritional information, nobody should have to baby you to give a sh*t about what you eat and make an educated and informed decision. 99% is not completely anything, so either way it was not free of dairy and you still picked it up. I don’t know what’s worse, not reading a label then being obnoxiously pi**y about it or not having the self-awareness to know how silly it is to essentially say “oh I didn’t read this and just shoved it into my face, why didn’t anyone warn me?” Please go travel abroad so you can have an idea of how little hand-holding you should need to survive a grocery aisle. You want vegan, get vegan cheese that is labeled as safe for you to consume (I say this as someone who was vegan then vegetarian). I cannot stand this “baby me” attitude when you need to read the fine print and hold yourself accountable.
Ian –
Love all the self absorbed vegans on here. Like you are the only people who exist. Some of us need products like this with lower saturated fat. Nowhere does it say vegan or dairy free. To call it misleading is to assume you are the only people who exist.
Joyla –
I love this cheese. It’s wonderful. Taste just like mozzarella. It’s a great cheese to use for low fat and low calorie diets too.. Or someone watching their cholesterol. I’ve used this for years. It freezes well too. Love it. And my family loves it too.
Joyla –
I love this cheese! I’ll never understand why so many are against it. It says that it’s a cheese alternative because that’s what it is. It doesn’t have to say “vegan.” This cheese has a wonderful taste. It is a little dry but sometimes I just spray some olive/avocado oil on it and it’s fine. It melts good too. Low calorie, no saturated fat and high protein. It taste better than those other fake cheeses. I’ve used this for years.
Brad –
Almost ended up at the hospital because of this product with my grandson who is very allergic to dairy. Normally I read the label carefully but it said almond cheese alternative in big letters on the front. They need to make it clearer that it contains milk instead of relying on the small print on back when the large print on front makes it sound like it us non dairy.
Chris –
NOT VEGAN! IT DOES NOT SAY VEGAN! Unlike vegan cheese, this is actually not bad for your heart. It tastes great, melts well and allows anyone with a heart condition to enjoy a melted cheese again. Thank you Trader Joe’s for this total winner!