EV’s Take: A Cheesy Miss (and Mess!) from the Freezer Aisle
There are plenty of vegan freezer snacks that I may not eat all the time, but still happily keep around because they scratch a comfort-food itch or deliver on flavor and texture. Unfortunately, Wholly Veggie Mozzarella Style Cheese Sticks didn’t quite get there for me.
The crust is decent enough, and visually, they check a lot of the mozzarella stick boxes once cooked. But the filling and sauce drag the entire experience down. Between the bitter flavor, fake-tasting cheese, and the air fryer explosions, these just ended up being a frustrating experience.
At minimum, Wholly Veggie desperately needs a better sauce and a more convincing cheese texture to compete with other vegan snacks.
Wholly Veggie Mozzarella Style Cheese Sticks Ingredients
The cheese filling relies primarily on modified starches and coconut oil to mimic mozzarella texture, while the breading uses enriched wheat flour and seasonings for crunch.
Here’s what’s in Wholly Veggie Mozzarella Style Cheese Sticks:
- Plant-based style mozzarella: Filtered water, Coconut oil and/or Canola oil, Potato starch, Modified starch (potato and tapioca), Chickpea protein, Sea salt, Potato protein, Natural flavour (vegan sources), Lactic acid, Beta carotene (colour).
- In a coating of: Rice flour, Water, Panko bread crumb (rice flour, pea protein, dextrose, baking soda), Modified corn starch, Vegetable oil, Potato starch, Dehydrated upcycled cauliflower powder, Sea salt, Baking powder, Yeast extract, Xanthan gum, Spice, Garlic powder, Onion powder.
- Sauce: Water, Tomato paste, Cane sugar, Vinegar, Salt, Dried garlic, Modified potato starch, Mid oleic sunflower oil, Herbs, Spices, Xanthan gum.
Contains: Wheat and Coconut.
Wholly Veggie Mozzarella Style Cheese Sticks Nutrition
| Serving Size | 5 Cheese Sticks |
|---|---|
| Calories | 260 |
| Total Fat | 16g |
| Saturated Fat | 12g |
| Sodium | 680mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 28g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Protein | 2g |
Nutritionally, these are very much in the “fun snack” category. The protein is surprisingly low for something meant to imitate cheese, and the sodium adds up quickly if you eat more than a serving.
Given the product name and how they tout the cauliflower-based crust, I did expect the nutrition to be a little better. These are just very salty and dense both in calories and fat, given the small serving size. To be fair, we typically don’t eat mozzarella sticks because they’re the epitome of health. I don’t know about you, but when I want a mozzarella stick, I’m worried less about the nutrition and more about a yummy food experience. These deliver neither. They aren’t really a “healthy” alternative, and they don’t taste good. So what’s the point?
How to Cook Wholly Veggie Mozzarella Style Cheese Sticks
We cooked these in the air fryer according to the package directions. They crisped reasonably well, but several split open during cooking and leaked filling everywhere (NOT fun to clean).
You can also bake them in the oven, though based on our experience, we’d keep a close eye on them either way to avoid cheese blowouts.
How Did EV Eat Them?
We tried these fresh from the air fryer with the included marinara sauce. We were not fans of the sauce, so we tried to eat them sans sauce. I was more forgiving of the sauceless mozzarella sticks, but my husband said absolutely not
Even then, the texture and flavor of the cheese filling made these difficult to finish.
Where Can I Buy Wholly Veggie Mozzarella Style Cheese Sticks?
We found them at Sprouts via Instacart, and you can use their store locator to find a retailer near you.
What Do You Think?
Have you tried Wholly Veggie Mozzarella Style Cheese Sticks? Love them or leave them? Let us know in the comments!
