Categories: Austin

Vegan Cheese in Austin

Plant based cheese has been elevated to a new level in Austin

Rebel Cheese

In Austin’s Mueller neighborhood sits a unique cheese shop and restaurant called Rebel Cheese.

Rebel Cheese only opened in 2019, but they’ve made a big impact on the Austin vegan community with their 100% plant-based cheeses and meat-substitutes.

Now, when you hear the phrase “vegan cheese” you might turn up your nose. And, until recently, you’d be right to do so. After all, vegan cheese was pretty bad. It was gummy and flavorless or it had an odd chemical aftertaste.

But those days are past.

And places like Rebel Cheese are making outstanding cheeses that rival the traditional milk-based ones.

Rebel Cheese deli case, Austin, TX (photo: Brent Petersen)

Rebel Cheese uses mostly nuts (cashew and almond) along with coconut for the base of their cheeses. Then, they add salt, spices and other ingredients like miso and nutritional yeast to give each cheese it’s unique flavor.

The cheeses are aged and fermented just like traditional cheese and then, voila, they’re ready to try!

Rebel cheese makes hard and soft cheeses, aged and young cheeses, even blue cheeses. I’ve tried several of their offerings and my favorite might be the Brie. It’s simply made with only a couple ingredients, but the flavor and texture is superb.

Rebel Cheese-Half Pigless in Paris croissant and Bacon, Brie, Me sandwich (photo: Brent Petersen)

In addition to their cheeses, Rebel Cheese also makes outstanding sandwiches. I love the Bacon, Brie, Me, maybe because it features my favorite aged Brie vegan cheese. It also has pig-less bacon and a yummy fig jam with caramelized onions and arugula. On Sunday, for brunch, we enjoyed a Pigless in Paris sandwich made with pig-less ham, vegan Swiss and Cream Cheese. Divine!

Rebel Cheese also has a selection of other vegan products on their shelves including vegan wine. Outdoor seating is available. Highly recommended.

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Monsaraz, and Evora in Portugal. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.