The best vegan food makes ditching meat and animal byproducts taste good as hell. We taste tested a lot of vegan food this year—vegan pizza, vegan salad dressing, canned vegan tuna, vegan deli meat, vegan jerky, and more—but a few products were plant-based perfection. Whether you’re a longtime vegan looking for some new items to try or a newbie who’s trying out a totally animal-free diet for the first time, here’s the best vegan product we tried in 2023 and a close runner up.
Vegan jerky comes in a lot of different forms. Brands like Beyond rely on complex blends of proteins smashed into dehydrated little chunks, and while we like those versions plenty, there’s something so beautiful and simple about jerky made of dehydrated mushrooms. Pan’s original mushroom jerky is the best. In fact, Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling thought it was the best dupe for straight-up beef jerky. But don’t get us wrong—there’s big, big mushroom flavor, too. If you’re a fan o’ fungus, whether or not you’re vegan, you should try this vegan jerky asap.
If you’re a vegan who’s always wanted to try a pizza loaded with things like pepperoni and sausage, we have some pretty good news: This meatless meatlover’s pizza from Trader Joe’s is extremely good and just as satisfying and flavorful as a pizza loaded with real meat and cheese. My favorite thing about this pizza? One of the meats is veggie chorizo. So, in addition to mock versions of meats you’ll traditionally find on pizza, like pepperoni and Italian sausage, this pizza has a spicy, savory, paprika-rich vegan chorizo in the mix. The vegan cheese is pretty good, too; it’s much less soupy and gluey than the cheese on other vegan pizzas we tasted. We all know TJ’s is wont to discontinue items on a whim, but I really hope they keep this around. Rootin’ for you, vegans!
Gwynedd Stuart, Sporked’s managing editor, is an L.A.-based writer and editor who spends way, way too much time at the grocery store. She’s never met an Old El Paso taco or mozzarella stick she didn’t like.
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