Is Rennet vegan?
Not vegan
No — traditional rennet comes from the stomach lining of slaughtered calves.
Also listed as: animal rennet, microbial rennet, chymosin
Why
Rennet curdles milk in cheesemaking. Animal rennet is taken from unweaned calves; microbial and fermentation-produced chymosin are vegetarian but the cheese itself is still dairy, so never vegan.
What to check on the label
- "Animal rennet" vs "microbial rennet"
- PDO cheeses that require calf rennet
- Any cheese is dairy regardless
Swap it for
Cashew cheeseFermented almond cheeseNutritional yeast for savoury depth
Questions people ask
Is Parmesan vegetarian?
No. Protected Parmigiano Reggiano must use calf rennet.
Is microbial rennet vegan?
The enzyme is, but cheese made with it is still cow's milk.