Heidi Ho Cheese first hit the market in 2015, after its creator Heidi Lovig debuted her organic cheese alternative on Shark Tank in late 2014. Her blocks of cheese and cheese dip were an instant hit and she had a brand deal with Whole Foods Market shortly after her official launch.
It looks so good that it’s hard to believe it’s not “real” cheese! I’m sure the vegans out there are probably wondering, “Is Heidi Ho Cheese vegan or does it have dairy in it?”
Heidi Ho Cheese is 100% vegan. Heidi Ho is a vegan company focused on creating some of the world’s most delicious vegan cheese dip alternatives.
All of their vegan cheese options are dairy-free and use organic ingredients. So, the next time you’re looking for a delicious cheese dip, don’t be afraid to pick up a jar of Heidi Ho Vegan Cheese!
I remember when Heidi Ho cheese first came out, it was all the rage. Unfortunately, they quickly fell off and the brand was hard to find for a couple of years. Recently, though, the company has made a huge comeback.
In today’s post, I’ll outline the key ingredients that make Heidi Ho Vegan Cheese so delicious, show you their best-selling flavors, and explain how it compares to non-vegan cheese dip. I’ll also give you the inside scoop on the company’s success story and their awesome comeback!
Heidi Ho Cheese Ingredients
Heidi Lovig first showcased her prototype vegan cheese on the hit show Shark Tank. At the time, vegan cheese was virtually unheard of and she got a great deal from the investors to kickstart her brand.
Usually, it takes something really special to get the investors’ attention. So, what is Heidi Ho Cheese made from?
There are several different flavors of Heidi Ho Cheese (see below), but they all share a similar plant-based recipe. The main ingredients used to make the Heidi Ho Cheese base are:
- Vegetable Puree (made from water, red potatoes, yellow bell pepper, garlic, turnips, and yellow onion)
- Cashews
- Canola Oil
- Coconut Milk
- Sea Salt
- Dextrose
- Nutritional Yeast (which is also one of my favorite vegan seasonings)
- Chia Seeds (which are an awesome superfood)
As you can see, all of the core ingredients are 100% all-natural. Of course, some of you may be wondering, “Is dextrose natural?”
Although it sounds a bit artificial, dextrose is a naturally-derived form of glucose that’s extracted from plants like corn, honey, and sweet fruits.
If you want to know what makes the other flavors so delicious, keep on reading to learn more about Heidi Ho’s delicious vegan flavors!
Heidi Ho Cheese Flavors
When Heidi Ho first started, they offered a few types of hard cheese blocks as well as a vegan cheese dip made from chia seeds and cashews. After the company saw a decline, though, they stopped making the vegan cheese blocks, and instead focused on perfecting their vegan cheese dip recipe.
They currently offer three different cheese dip flavors:
- Smoky Bourbon Cheese Dip
- Beer Cheese
- Traditional Queso Cheese Dip
1) Heidi Ho Smoky Bourbon Cheese Dip
Out of all three flavors, I’d have to say that the Smoky Bourbon Cheese Dip is my favorite. Its unique flavor comes from real bourbon whiskey, liquid smoke flavoring, lemon juice, black pepper, garlic and onion powder, mustard powder, and white pepper.
Every time I decide to splurge and buy my favorite vegan chips, I make a point to try and buy a jar of Heidi Ho Smoky Bourbon Dip.
The real bourbon and liquid smoke give it a pungent, smoky odor that reminds me of good smoked gouda cheese. Combine that with the perfectly-balanced blend of spices, and it’s an A-grade vegan cheese dip!
2) Heidi Ho Beer Cheese Dip
Beer cheese first originated in London Pubs after cheesemakers decided to start mixing beer and hops to make a deliciously savory cheese dip.
While real beer cheese is off-limits for vegans, Heidi Ho’s Vegan Beer Cheese is the next best thing. The flavor is remarkably similar to traditional London Beer Cheese, but comes with none of the guilt!
Heidi Ho’s Beer Cheese is made using the same base and spices as the Smoky Bourbon flavor.
However, instead of bourbon and smoke flavor, Heidi Ho uses real beer (water, barley, hops, and brewer’s yeast) to flavor this delicious cheese dip. It’s great with chips or fries, but I really enjoy it with celery or carrots.
3) Heidi Ho Queso Cheese Dip
If you’re abstaining from alcohol for personal reasons or if you just prefer a less pungent vegan cheese dip, then you can’t go wrong with Heidi Ho’s Queso Cheese dip. What makes this queso dip so good is that it’s made with real chili peppers!
It features the same award-winning base but features diced green chili peppers, paprika, chili powder, lemon juice, mustard powder, crushed red chilis, and a dash of oregano for flavor.
This creates an authentic Mexican-style vegan queso dip that tastes amazing on a vegan quesadilla wrap, as a dip for tortilla chips, or for dipping fresh veggies!
Heidi Ho Cheese vs. Non-Vegan Cheese Sauce
Are you wondering what makes Heidi Ho Vegan Cheese so good? Well, here’s a quick chart detailing some of the key differences between Heidi Ho’s Vegan Cheese and your typical non-vegan nacho cheese dip.
| Heidi Ho Cheese | Non-Vegan Cheese |
| 100% dairy-free and made with a plant-based vegan cheese base. It’s made using veggie puree, canola oil, cashews, coconut milk, sea salt, and dextrose. Heido Ho Cheese is also perfect for anybody who’s lactose intolerant! | The base of most non-vegan queso dip is made using water, vegetable oil, and cheese. Since cheese is a dairy product, it’s not friendly to vegans or those who are lactose-intolerant. |
| Made with mostly organic, non-GMO ingredients. | Often contain artificial colors, artificial flavors, and the ingredients may contain genetically-modified organisms/plants (GMOs). |
| Relatively low-sodium and salted with real sea salt. | Tend to be high in sodium and may contain MSG and other less-than-pure salts. |
Heidi Ho: A Shark Tank Success
If you’ve never watched an episode of Shark Tank, then I encourage you to give the show a try. It’s a show where start-up businesses pitch their product to “sharks,” who are reputable investors.
The investors offer start-up money and marketing/distribution resources in return for a percentage of the new company… if they approve. The large majority of Shark Tank participants are denied and aren’t seen as profitable in the eyes of the sharp-witted investors.
What really makes Heidi Ho stand out is that they hold the record for the fastest-closed deal in Shark Tank history! She appeared on the special 100th episode of Shark Tank and had all of the investors fully invested in her brand.
She was offered a great deal, took it, and began production. Shortly thereafter, her investors helped her gain a spot on Whole Foods store shelves!
You can see her Shark Tank pitch here:
Conclusion – Is Heidi Ho The Best Vegan Cheese?
Heidi Ho is one of the best vegan cheese dips I’ve ever had. The only problem is that Heidi Ho is a little bit hard to find right now. As I mentioned, they experienced a decline around 2017 and just recently made a comeback.
Right now, the only place you can really find Heidi Ho is in the Northwestern United States. The brand is currently based out of Portland, Oregon, and is available in several local retail stores. Hopefully, they’ll start offering their vegan cheese online or in more grocery stores soon!
One of the ingredients used to make almost all vegan cheese is nutritional yeast. It also happens to be a great cheese-like seasoning and can replace parmesan cheese in certain dishes.
Check out this post next to see my favorite brands of “nooch!”
