A vegan friend shared a store-bought vegan cheese with no to small amounts of saturated fat – Good Planet Olive Oil cheese!
I knew I had to get my hands on it, because so many chain vegan cheeses contain loads of saturated fat – a fat we should limit for a variety of reasons, including heart health.
But I had to know: does this cheese actually taste good?
What does the rest of the nutrition facts look like (a question I ask a lot as a Dietitian)?
Keep reading because I’m sharing my raw review, plus a discussion about how healthy it is!
Disclaimer: This article is just providing education, and the authors own thoughts. It is not a substitute for medical or dietary advice. Talk to your doctor about any health or dietary concerns. Please note that prices, ingredients, and nutrition facts may change. See our Disclaimers for more details.
Quick Summary
Check out this quick video summarizing my thoughts of the flavor plus some important nutritional notes!
- Overall, it was very tasty! Tastes like cheese and in my opinion, is the yummiest when melted.
- I love that the ingredients contain olive oil and not coconut oil like so many other cheeses do.
- The sodium is high like many other cheeses – important to keep total sodium in check.
What is Good Planet?
Good Planet is a company that creates vegan cheese products.
So unlike dairy cheese, their products don’t contain any dairy.
As a vegan, I appreciate that they have several options for me!
According to the FAQ page, all their products are non-GMO and do not contain artificial preservatives (if that is important to you)(1).
Their cheese are separated into the different flavors, textures, and base ingredients.
Their coconut based cheese come in these varieties:
- American Slices
- Cheddar Slices
- Pepper Jack Slices
- Smoked Provolone Slices
- Cheddar Shreds
- Mozzarella Shreds
- Parmesan Shreds
- Grated Parmesan
- Pepper Jack Snackable Wedges
- Smoked Gouda Snackable Wedges
- Smoked Cheddar Wheel
- Cheddar Snack Pack
- Smoked Gouda Snack Pack
The olive oil based line includes:
- Sharp Cheddar Slices
- Smoked Gouda Slices
- Cheddar Shreds
- Mozzarella Shreds
- Mexican Blend Shreds
- Greek-Style Feta Blocks
- Italian-Style Mozzarella Blocks
- Mexican-Style Monterey Jack Blocks
- Sharp Cheddar Cubes
- Spicy Monterey Jack Cubes
- Tuscan Herb Mozzarella Cubes
In the taste test, I try the sharp cheddar cubes.
Good Plant Olive Oil Cheese Review
Taste
Taste Score: 8/10
I thought Good Planet’s Olive Oil Sharp Cheddar Cubes might taste like, well… olive oil.
Turns out it tastes like cheese!
Ok, well – I did note an ‘olive flavor’ to it, but it wasn’t overpowering (and I happen to enjoy olives).
It’s even got that ‘sharp dairy cheese smell’ – you know what I’m talking about.
I didn’t give this one a perfect score because I think it would taste even better if it was less salty.
While I did enjoy it on crackers and bread, my favorite way to use this cheese was actually: melted!
Melt-ability
Melt-ability Score: 7/10
This cheese melts fine enough when it’s all in one clump
I did run into some issues when I tried to melt in on nachos (didn’t get evenly melted) however, I recognize that’s probably common with most cheeses!
Here’s a picture of my attempt to melt it on nachos. (this gave me nostalgia of Taco Bell’s Vegan Nacho sauce!)
Keep in mind, perhaps the cubes weren’t made for being melted as they are cheese cubes after all!
I’d love to try Good Planet’s Olive Oil Shreds, and do this experiment again.
Texture
Texture Score: 7/10
These are nice and firm, just like you’d expect a block of cheese to be!
I didn’t give this a perfect score because it’s not quite as rubbery as a block of dairy cheddar.
Again, this isn’t dairy cheese though – so let’s not pretend it’s the exact same thing. 😄
Price
Price Score: medium to expensive
This product is a bit expensive for me (as far as vegan cheese goes).
While I couldn’t find the exact online price for the olive oil sharp cheddar cubes I found, a similar product (same brand and size) with a different flavor – Tuscan Herb Olive Oil Cheese Cubes (7 ounces) for a whopping $6.79 USD at Whole Foods, so around 0.97 cents per ounce.
This is less expensive than Daiya’s Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, about (4.65 ounces) $5.99 USD at Whole Foods, (around $1.29 USD per ounce) but more expensive than Violife’s 8.1 ounce Feta block around $4.49 USD at Whole Foods (about 0.55 cents per ounce).
Of course, this is a very limited review, and packaging/cuts may affect the price.
Basically, I’ll be on the lookout for a sale 😅
Is Good Planet Olive Oil Cheese Healthy?
As far as store-bought cheeses go, Good Planet Olive Oil cheese has a healthier fat profile than most vegan brands.
Like other vegan cheese (and several dairy cheeses as well), this cheese is high in sodium. So we should be mindful of the serving size.
Let’s go in more depth by looking at the nutrition facts and ingredients (pictured below)
Important: the nutrition facts/ingredients are based on the product I bought in the USA (pictured above). Please know that ingredients and nutrition facts may change. Check your own product.
1 ounce serving of Good Planet Olive Oil Sharp Cheddar Cheese Cubes:
- Calories: 60
- Total Fat: 3 grams
- Saturated Fat: 0 grams
- Trans Fat: 0 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
- Sodium: 230 milligrams
- Total Carbohydrates: 6 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams:
- Added Sugars: 0 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
Ingredients (Good Planet Olive Oil Sharp Cheddar Cheese Cubes): “Filtered Water, Food Starch – Modified (Tapioca and Potato), Olive Oil*, Natural Flavors (Vegan Sources), Faba protein, Sea Salt, Potato Protein, Paprika and Beta Carotene (Color).
*adds a trivial amount of saturated fat.”
Because the main source of fat in this product is olive oil, the saturated fat content is low.
Olive oil contains mostly plant based monounsaturated fat, a fat that may have cardiovascular health benefits when used instead of saturated and trans fats(2).
Coconut oil, a fat that is often found in grocery store vegan cheeses contains lots of saturated fat. So Good Planet’s Olive Oil cheeses were a nice surprise to me when it comes to heart healthier fats!
Now, let’s chat about the sodium.
Like most other cheeses, this one contains a hefty dose of this nutrient. About 10% of the daily value per serving for the product I reviewed – which is pretty high.
So I’d keep servings in check and be mindful of the rest of the dietary pattern. The American Heart Association recommends an ideal limit of at/under 1500 milligrams of sodium per day for adults(3).
If you have any questions about your diet or have a medical condition like high blood pressure, talk to your doctor and dietitian.
Finally, Good Planet Olive Oil Sharp Cheddar Cheese Cubes aren’t fortified with nutrients dairy cheese might have contained, like calcium, vitamin B12, or iodine – so I was a little disappointed!
I say ‘a little’ because you could get those nutrients from other sources.
Still, it would be nice if they included some nutrients dairy typically provides, so that it could be nutritionally closer to that item.
I personally use this plant based cheese as a ‘sometimes’ condiment or treat.
Check my ‘Dairy Free for Beginners Guide’ to learn about dairy-less nutrition!
Would I buy It Again?
Yes, and I can’t wait to explore the other olive oil based flavors from Good Planet!
I’m not interested in trying the coconut based varieties because the olive oil based cheese has a better fat profile, and they are tasty…
So why change that good thing?
Pros
- It’s vegan friendly
- It tastes like an olive infused cheese, which I like!
- It melts decently (and tastes good melted too!)
- Compared to other store-bought vegan cheeses, the olive oil based selection likely contains less saturated fat (yay!)
Cons
- All of their cheeses have considerable amounts of sodium.
- Their products aren’t fortified with nutrients that dairy often has (this is probably not a deal breaker though as you shouldn’t be relying on this vegan cheese to contribute a lot of nutrition, and you should be aware of other ways to get nutrients dairy would have provided).
- This brand may be expensive
Have you tried this plant based cheese? What did ya think? Share your thoughts in the comments! Enjoyed this review? You should totally check out my other vegan food reviews such as:
–Vegan Babybel Review
–Wunder Eggs Review
–Vegan Poptarts Review
If you don’t want to be an ex-vegan you should check out my exclusive video: ‘3 Common Mistakes Vegans Make’ to get a heads up on the – well, common mistakes!