Imitation cheese products

A method of manufacturing an imitation cheese product consisting essentially of providing a gelatin having a water content of less than about 11% and a bloom strength of at least about 150 in finely divided form having a particle size of less than about 40 mesh, providing a kappa carrageenen having a water content of less than about 12 weight percent in finely divided form having a particle size of less than about 60 mesh, blending the gelatin and carrageenan at a temperature of at least about 10.degree. C. with an edible fat to provide a homogeneous mixture having a continuous fat phase in which the carrageenan and gelatin are dispersed in the continuous fat phase, blending the continuous fat phase mixture with water to form a premix, and subsequently mixing and heating the premix to at least about 70.degree. C. to provide a heated, blended imitation cheese composition, and cooling the heated, blended imitation cheese composition to less than about 10.degree. C. to provide an imitation cheese product comprising from about 0.5 to about 3.0 weight percent Kappa carrageenan having an average molecular weight of at least about 100,000, from about 1.5 to 12.0 weight percent gelatin having a bloom strength of at least about 150, said Kappa carrageenan and gelatin being present at a weight ratio of Kappa carrageenan to gelatin in the range of from about 1:6 to about 1:1, from about 3 to about 30 weight percent edible fat, and from about 40 to about 65 weight percent water, and having a structurally firm continuous phase aqueous carrageenan-gelatin matrix having a dispersed fat phase homogeneously distributed therein.