What Is Chao Coconut Herb Creamy Cheese Slices?
Chao is Field Roast's line of coconut-oil-based vegan cheese slices, and Coconut Herb (sold under earlier packaging as "Garden Herb") is the seasoned sibling to the brand's better-known Creamy Original and Tomato Cayenne flavors. Instead of chasing a specific dairy cheese flavor like cheddar or mozzarella, Coconut Herb leans into black cracked pepper and oregano for a savory, slightly herbaceous slice that's built to be eaten straight out of the package as much as melted onto something.
It's sold in 7-ounce resealable packs of roughly 10 slices, shelved in the refrigerated cheese-alternative section next to Violife, Daiya, and the rest of Field Roast's own Chao lineup at stores like Target, Safeway, Albertsons, Sprouts, and Whole Foods, with bulk 3-packs available at Costco in some regions.
The Chao Lineup, Explained
Field Roast has quietly built out one of the more established fermented-tofu cheese lines on the market, and it helps to know where Coconut Herb sits in it. Creamy Original is the flagship, all-purpose slice built to mimic a mild American or provolone-style cheese for everyday sandwiches. Tomato Cayenne swaps in a spicy, tomato-forward profile aimed at people who want a pepper-jack-style kick. Coconut Herb (the flavor this review covers, previously labeled Garden Herb on older packaging) is the savory, herb-driven option — closer to a seasoned cracker cheese than a mimicry of any one specific dairy variety. Field Roast has also released block and shred formats under the Chao name in some markets, but the classic 7-ounce sliced format is still the most widely distributed version and the one you're most likely to find at a mainstream grocery store.
Ingredients
The full ingredient list is short for a sliced cheese alternative: filtered water, coconut oil, modified corn and potato starch, potato starch, fermented chao tofu (soybeans, water, salt, sesame oil, calcium sulfate), sea salt, black cracked pepper, oregano, natural flavoring, and olive extract.
The standout ingredient here is the fermented "chao tofu" itself — a soybean-based ferment that Field Roast uses across the whole Chao line to add the tangy, umami depth that plain coconut oil and starch can't provide on their own. It's the same trick used in a lot of the better dairy-free cheeses on the market right now, including some of the picks in our best vegan cheese for pizza roundup.
Is Chao Coconut Herb Vegan?
Yes — Chao Coconut Herb Creamy Cheese Slices are vegan. Every ingredient on the label is plant-derived: coconut oil for fat, starches for structure, fermented soy tofu for tang, and herbs and salt for seasoning. There's no casein, whey, or any other milk-derived additive hiding in the natural flavoring, which is a real risk on some "vegan-adjacent" cheese products. Field Roast markets the entire Chao range as dairy-free and non-GMO, and it's also gluten-free and nut-free, though it does contain soy from the fermented tofu base. If you want to double-check any specific ingredient on a label like this yourself, the spvegan.com ingredient checker is a fast way to confirm.
Nutrition Facts: How It Compares
Like most coconut-oil-based vegan cheese slices, Chao Coconut Herb is a fat-and-starch product rather than a protein source — worth knowing if you're relying on it for more than flavor and melt. Here's how one slice (20g) stacks up against two of its closest competitors and a real dairy slice for reference:
| Product (1 slice) | Calories | Total Fat | Sat. Fat | Sodium | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chao Coconut Herb (Field Roast) | 60 | 4.5g | 4g | 180mg | 0g |
| Violife Mature Cheddar Slices | 60 | 4.5g | 4g | 180mg | 0g |
| Daiya Cheddar Style Slices | 60 | 5g | 4g | 170mg | 0g |
| Kraft Singles (dairy, for reference) | 60 | 4g | 2.5g | 250mg | 3g |
The headline takeaway: Chao lands almost exactly where Violife and Daiya do on calories and fat, since all three are built on the same basic coconut-oil-plus-starch formula. The real difference from dairy cheese isn't the calorie count — it's the protein. Real American cheese contributes a few grams of protein per slice; none of the vegan options here do. If you want protein alongside your sandwich, it needs to come from somewhere else on the plate, not the cheese slice.
Taste and Texture
This is where Coconut Herb splits from the rest of the Chao lineup. Creamy Original is built to be a neutral, meltable stand-in for a mild cheese slice; Coconut Herb is seasoned enough that it reads more like a flavored spread you'd put on crackers than a sandwich cheese you'd reach for by default. The black pepper is noticeable and the oregano gives it an almost pizza-herb quality, which works well cold on crackers, in a wrap, or torn over a salad, but can compete with other strong flavors if you're stacking it into a sandwich that already has its own seasoning going on.
Texture-wise, it has the springy, slightly waxy bite that's become the signature of the whole Chao line — closer to a processed deli slice than an artisanal block, in a good way. It softens and takes on a gentle melt under a broiler or in a grilled sandwich rather than going fully liquid the way a dairy American slice does, so don't expect a dramatic cheese-pull. Eaten cold straight from the fridge, it holds its shape and has a pleasant, slightly tangy bite from the fermented tofu base.
How to Use It
Coconut Herb rewards a bit of thought about where you put it rather than treating it as a drop-in cheddar replacement. It's a strong fit layered cold into a wrap or pita with roasted vegetables, torn over a grain bowl or salad in place of crumbled feta, or laid out on a cracker board next to olives and roasted nuts, where the pepper-and-oregano profile can stand on its own. It also works melted into a grilled sandwich alongside something simple, like tomato and basil, where the herb notes complement rather than compete. Where it works less well is inside anything already heavily seasoned — a spicy burger or a taco with its own chili and cumin going on will fight with the oregano rather than let it shine, so save it for dishes where "cheese with herbs already built in" is actually the goal.
Storage and Shelf Life
Like the rest of the Chao line, Coconut Herb ships refrigerated and needs to stay that way — it's not a shelf-stable product. Once opened, Field Roast recommends using it within roughly a week to ten days for best texture and flavor, and the resealable packaging makes it easy to press out excess air and reseal between uses. It does not freeze particularly well; the starch-and-oil base tends to separate and turn grainy after thawing, so buy only what you'll realistically use within that window rather than stocking up for the freezer.
Chao Coconut Herb vs. the Alternatives
| Product | Best For | Flavor Profile | Melts? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chao Coconut Herb | Crackers, wraps, salads, herb-forward dishes | Peppery, herbaceous, tangy | Softens, gentle melt |
| Chao Creamy Original | Everyday sandwiches | Mild, neutral, cheese-like | Softens, gentle melt |
| Violife Cheddar Slices | Burgers, classic cheddar cravings | Sharp, cheddar-forward | Melts well when heated |
| Daiya Cheddar Style Slices | Budget-friendly everyday use | Mild, slightly processed | Melts, softer texture |
Price and Value
At roughly $5.99 for a 7-ounce package of about 10 slices, Coconut Herb lands in the middle of the vegan cheese slice market — noticeably pricier per ounce than a store-brand dairy American cheese, but in line with what Violife and Daiya charge for their own slice lines. The Costco 3-pack, where available, brings the per-slice cost down meaningfully if you go through cheese quickly, which makes sense for households eating it as a daily sandwich staple rather than an occasional cracker topper.
Who Should Buy This?
Coconut Herb makes the most sense for people who already like the Chao brand's texture and want a flavored option beyond the standard cheddar and mozzarella-style slices most competitors default to — think cracker boards, wraps, or dishes where an herby, peppery note actually adds something rather than competing with existing flavors. It's a reasonable everyday cheese alternative for anyone avoiding dairy who isn't relying on cheese slices as a protein source, and it's a solid pick for anyone who found Creamy Original a little too plain and wants more going on flavor-wise. If you specifically want a dramatic, stretchy melt for something like a grilled cheese, a cheddar-style slice built for heavier melting, such as Violife's cheddar line, will get you closer to that effect than Coconut Herb will, and if you're cooking for someone with a soy allergy, this entire product line is off the table given the fermented tofu base.
Final Verdict
Chao Coconut Herb Creamy Cheese Slices earns a solid 7.5 out of 10. The ingredient list is clean and genuinely vegan with no dairy-derived shortcuts, the fermented-tofu tang gives it more personality than a lot of coconut-oil cheese alternatives, and the herb seasoning is a legitimate point of difference rather than a marketing gimmick. It loses points for being a niche flavor rather than an everyday default — the seasoning is assertive enough that it won't fit every sandwich — and, like every coconut-oil-based vegan slice on the market, it brings zero protein to the table. As a flavored addition to a cracker plate or wrap rotation, though, it's a worthwhile pickup.
