Daiya to Reformulate Vegan Cheese with Oats and Chickpeas

Vegan cheese giant Daiya Foods just announced that it will redesign its plant-based cheese recipe to better the taste, texture, and nutritional value of its signature product. The plant-based cheese brand plans to distribute a reformulated recipe of its vegan cheese, now including oats and chickpeas meant to maximize the creaminess and taste of the company’s cheese blocks. The company intends to maximize its products’ versatility before the holidays, hoping that the new and improved cheese block can be easily used in a variety of recipes.

“As more and more people continue exploring plant-based foods, we’re more committed than ever to developing crave-worthy, plant-based versions of their favorite foods that deliver on the delicious taste, texture, and flavor they expect,” Daiya’s Vice President of Marketing Dan Hua said in a statement. “Our new Daiya Blocks are available just in time for the holidays, giving new and current fans dairy-free options that deliver exceptional taste and texture and which can be easily incorporated into favorite recipes to satisfy comfort food cravings.”

The newly released Daiya cheese blocks will range in flavor, including Medium Cheddar, Jalapeno Havarti, Smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack flavors that will all begin including the oat and chickpea ingredients. The company revealed that it chose the two new ingredients to avoid allergens in its recipes, maintaining its soy, gluten, and nut-free status.

Founded in 2008, Daiya has established itself as a central figure in the vegan dairy industry. The Canadian company entered the North American market as a pioneer for vegan cheese products, promising a plant-based cheese that would replicate dairy’s melting capabilities. The brand expanded to include several flavors available in spread, shreds, sliced, and block formats.

Daiya maintains its position as one of the key companies fueling the plant-based cheese market. A report from Grand View Research found that the global vegan cheese market is projected to have a 12.4 percent growth rate from 2021 to 2028, rising to reach $5.64 billion. The report also indicates that Daiya is a key player for the global vegan cheese market alongside several others including Follow Your Heart, Treeline Cheese, Miyoko’s Creamery, and more.

Daiya’s international presence is continuing to expand at an accelerated rate. Over the last year, the company has partnered with several national chains including Jamba Juice, Fatburger, and Johnny Rockets to feature its vegan cheese on plant-based menu items. The company intends to continue this expansion into retail and foodservice sectors as it improves its recipe to better replicate conventional animal-based cheese products.

The company redesigned its recipe once before in 2019 when it released its “Cutting Board” label. The innovative product push boasted an enhanced flavor and a more accurate texture. Since then, the company has been working to better its plant-based cheese as more competitors enter the vegan cheese market.

When Daiya entered the plant-based cheese business, North American retailers and foodservice providers barely offered plant-based cheeses. Now, the entire market is saturated by new plant-based cheeses from innovative companies such as Miyoko’s or Violife and even older dairy brands including BabyBel and Laughing Cow.

Beyond reformulating its recipes, Daiya also recently launched a new foodservice website to meet the rising demand for plant-based options. The website will help Daiya increase its visibility to foodservice providers in colleges, restaurants, healthcare facilities, hospitality venues, and more. The website allows these companies to purchase bulk items at discounted prices. The new site will help Daiya increase its nationwide distribution and overall accessibility for plant-based consumers.

"We recognize the growing opportunity for professional chefs and foodservice operators to grow their businesses by incorporating more plant-based options into their menus, so we're excited to make our delicious, dairy-free products available to groups large and small across multiple channels," Daiya Chief Sales Officer Mike Cooke said.

"Requests for bulk sizes of our award-winning Daiya Slices and Cutting Board Collection Shreds, for instance, have increased twofold over the past 2-3 years. As we continue to address the evolving preferences of today's consumer, our goal is to make our high quality, sustainable, plant-based solutions more accessible—wherever the craving strikes."