Vegetarian Parmesan 24 Lb (2024)

FAQs

What brand of Parmesan is vegetarian? ›

BelGioioso Vegetarian Parmesan is made with fresh milk gathered daily from our local farmers, and without any animal rennet.

Made from a base of highly refined coconut oil, our Parmesan Shreds are packed with all the same salty, nutty, and supremely savory notes of traditional, dairy-based Parmesan—but contain only plant-based ingredients.

Vegetarian, Raw milk cheese, using only Vegetarian rennet and Sicilian salt. The Cynara cardunculus is the true soul of a hard cheese that soaks in Sicilian salt brine from 10 to 15 days, then aged for over a year to get the typical complex flavour.

While Parmigiano Reggiano is not, it is possible to find vegetarian Parmesan cheese at the grocery store. If you want to avoid cheese made with rennet, look for cheeses labeled vegetarian or check the ingredient list for enzymes instead of rennet. You might just discover a new product to fall in love with.

If you look carefully at your food label, you might see just “enzymes” on the back of the package with little to no further explanation. This refers to either animal, plant, or microbial enzymes. Parmesan is always made with animal enzymes, also called animal rennet, meaning it's not vegetarian.

This is a hard cheese in the style of Parmesan and it's made with vegetarian rennet. Wonderfully, it's quite great for everything: homemade pesto, a simple cacio e pepe, and even as an after dinner snack.

Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano

Part-Skimmed Cow's Milk, Cheese Cultures, Rennet and Salt.

*Kraft Grated Parmesan uses microbial rennet, but can occasionally contain lipase, which is animal-derived. Check the label for “lipase” to make sure the cheese is suitable for vegetarians.

Made with unpasteurised cow's milk. Not suitable for vegetarians.

Most Sargento^® natural cheeses are made with non-animal rennets. The Sargento^® natural cheeses that may contain animal enzymes are those generally considered traditional Italian cheese styles such as Parmesan, Romano, Provolone, Asiago, and Fontina.

Does vegetarian Parmesan taste different? ›

While many take issue with the ethical considerations surrounding animal rennet—after all, it's a by-product of the veal industry—some experts argue it tastes better than these newer vegetarian alternatives. In Moskowitz's mind, “animal rennet fosters a wider, more complex flavor profile” than the microbial versions.

Typically, plant-based rennet for cheese comes from cardoon thistle, artichokes, or nettles. The plants are soaked in water to extract a thickening enzyme similar to chymosin.

Rennet is an enzyme that helps coagulate the milk during the cheesemaking process. Since 2016, we have utilized fermentation-produced rennet that has Kosher and Halal certification and is vegetarian. We believe it closely mimics the flavor and quality profiles of a traditional bovine rennet.

Most stomach-derived rennet is taken from the fourth stomach of young, unweaned calves. These animals are not killed expressly for their rennet; rather they are killed for meat production (in this case, veal) and the rennet is a byproduct.

There is at least one parmesan on the market that proudly advertises its lack of animal rennet: Bel Gioioso offers a vegetarian parm that is guaranteed to be animal rennet free.

Most Sargento^® natural cheeses are made with non-animal rennets. The Sargento^® natural cheeses that may contain animal enzymes are those generally considered traditional Italian cheese styles such as Parmesan, Romano, Provolone, Asiago, and Fontina.

Our cheeses still use fresh milk that comes from cows. A purely vegan cheese doesn't exist, but different types of rennets can be used. We exclusively use a non-animal rennet for our vegetarian cheeses. Some BelGioioso cheeses are certified by the Chicago Rabbinical Council or Orthodox Union.