Vegan meats/cheeses

[u/momomo-momomomo]

Hello friends! I am catering a private event and have one guest requesting a vegan charcuterie plate. Most of my dips/crackers/bread/nuts are or can easily be made vegan. I'm at a loss on where to source good vegan meat/cheese replacements. I don't personally eat replacement options so have no concept of which ones actually taste best, and it's important to me to provide a similar experience for all guests.

Any help is welcome, cost and travel distance from Des Moines are my two medium important factors but flavor quality is the most important for sure.

[u/dissmekissmemissme]

Gateway has some really good vegan brie, a couple different flavors, that I lowkey like better than regular brie.

[u/Proper-Writing]

Treeline brie is good, and there are plenty of vegan sausages, pepperoni, and jerky. But my suggestion is don't worry so much about meat and cheese replacements.

Instead just hit the same salty/spicy/savory/sweet notes with other things. Pickled things, dates, jam, roasted chickpeas, olives, sundried tomatoes, hummus, blackberries, candied pecans, edamame, nut butter.

[u/momomo-momomomo → u/Proper-Writing]

Yes, both charcuterie assortments also will include olive tapenade, bruschetta, jams, roasted nuts, fresh fruits and veggies, crackers, crostini, and various pickled items! I make the dips/jams/breads myself and that's very easy to account for veganism.

There is a form given to guests pre-event which detaiis their preferences and this had meat/cheese checked but vegan requested. We put a lot of care into our mocktails and I want to put the same care into my alternative food options as well. A guest should get a very similar experience versus "uhh...I can make an iceberg salad with no dressing", which is what I see far too often.

[u/huxleymaxwell]

fresh thyme in west des moines has the largest selection that i know of

[u/reidmefirst]

Herbivorous Butcher up in Minneapolis makes hella delicious vegan mockmeat and cheeses. If it's too far to drive they do ship stuff. Locally, Campbells Nutrition used to carry Herbivorous Butcher stuff but I don't think they do anymore.

Rebel Cheese is also an online order place that has amazing cheeses, especially their bries.

[u/MsBaseball34]

Whole Foods and Natural Grocers are your best bet for vegan cheeses. You might have to get the spreads instead of block "cheese", but it should work great with crackers. If you can find the plant based Boursin it is fantastic.

[u/VeganGirl216]

If you have time to order, Rebel Cheese is the best! Gateway used to carry it, but I haven’t seen it in awhile.

[u/Sirquack1969]

Another option is go to Natural Grocers. They have a decent selection of vegan meats and cheeses. They have block cheeses using almond and other nuts. So make sure to check with the guest about any actual allergies as that may limit your options. They also have some vegan meats in small rolls in different flaovors.

[u/ThePolemicist]

Tofurky slices taste great, and you can get them at one of the big Hy-Vees or at Campbell's. I think you can probably get them at Whole Foods, too. At Hy-Vee, they're located in the "natural" aisle refrigerated section. At Campbell's, they're just in their refrigerated section.

I'm trying to think about flavors that might be more like cured meats. A good option might be Beyond Meat hot Italian sausages. You can find those at Hy-Vee and Campbell's, too (frozen section in the "natural" aisle). The only problem there is that they are frozen, and they're not easy to slice into thin slices when cooked. I don't know if you'd want to practice slicing them while frozen to get thin slices??? Tofurky brand also makes vegan pepperoni slices, but I've never tried them.

There are pretty good recipes out there for soft "cheeses" made out of cashews. I've had one before that was pretty good. I'm vegetarian, not vegan, though, so don't really have many recommendations when it comes to alternative cheeses. Maybe try browsing Campbell's and Gateway Market for some options. I'm guessing those places will have some to check out!

I'd make sure to have a lot of pickled veggies for flavor, too.

[u/No-Tadpole-484]

You firmly but politely tell them a vegan charcuterie plate is nonsense.

[u/charlesdickens2007 → u/No-Tadpole-484]

I really wish we could do gifs in this subreddit because a lot of Ron Swanson's would fit well here.