All the Best Vegan Food from Our Taste Tests

Walmart

If it looks like a chicken and squawks (bok-boks?) like a chicken, it must be a chicken, right? Wrong. Daring, one of the best vegan meat brands around, will totally have you fooled with their savory chicken pieces that taste, pull apart, and sear on the stove like real meat. It’s like they take soy protein, sprinkle some magic dust on it, and voila. I’m already day dreaming about throwing these faux meat pieces on a bed of fettuccine and (plant-based) alfredo. Yum! —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan chicken

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Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Bacon

MyBacon

Erewhon

The best vegan bacon we found in our first taste test was discontinued (boooo), so we set out to find another and succeed. Granted, you have to love mushrooms to agree that MyBacon is one of the best vegan foods at the grocery store, but if you do, you’re in for a treat. These mushroom-based strips have a fatty feel and crisp up nicely in a skillet. They’re perfect with lettuce, tomato, and lots of vegan mayo (which you’ll also find on this list). —Gwynedd Stuart

Read the full ranking of the best vegan bacon

Credit: Merc / Erewhon

Rating:

9.5/10

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Best Vegan Pizza

Daiya Cheeze Lover’s Pizza

It’s not every day you can find a vegan and soy-free pizza covered in ooey-gooey cheese. Daiya’s Cheeze Lover’s Pizza might not have the best crust we’ve ever tasted (it’s also gluten free), but we really fell in love with how melty, tangy, and rich the cheesy topping is. (Side note: You might notice that our official #1 best vegan pizza is currently Trader Joe’s Meatless Meat Eaters Pizza. Sadly, it looks like they discontinued it. Grab your pitchforks; we ride at dawn.) —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan frozen pizza

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

9.5/10

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Best of the Best: Field Roast Vegetarian Frankfurters

Best Vegan Hot Dogs

Field Roast Classic Smoked Plant-Based Frankfurters

We update our vegan hot dog ranking every summer, and Field Roast has yet to be beat. Their smoked frankfurters (yes, frankfurters—don’t come after us for semantics, okay?) have a little bit of smoke and an unbeatable savory flavor. You can also get a serious char on these guys. Grill Dads, make your cookout inclusive and grab a pack of these! —Ariana Losch

Read our full ranking of the best vegan hot dogs

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Burgers

Impossible Burger Patties

When I was younger, I used to look at Impossible burger patties in the store freezer aisle and think, “Ugh, I bet those taste so gross.” In my defense, my frontal lobe had yet to fully develop. Impossible Burger Patties are the GOAT of vegan burgers. The patties are juicy, moist, have crumble and fat, and don’t hide their savory flavor behind too much seasoning. These will get a nice char on them, grill marks and all. Impossible makes some of the best vegan food you can buy at the grocery store, and I simply ask you to excuse my youthful ignorance! —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan hamburgers

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Chicken Nugs

Impossible Chicken Nuggets

White meat chicken isn’t the most difficult thing to mimic, but dark meat? That’s tricky to get right, and Impossible Chicken Nuggets deliver on both. As a certified carnivore who still tries her best not to buy frozen processed meat products, I actually made the switch to these guys last year, and I’ve never gone back! They’re crispy, juicy, delicious, and among the best vegan food to pack in your freezer. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan chicken nuggets

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Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Sausage

Beyond Sausage Brat Original

Beyond accomplishes something we’ve never seen before from a plant-based brat: a real casing with a biteable snap! That’s a game changer, y’all. Plus, it’s not trying to hide its juicy sausage flavor behind a million other ingredients and seasonings. It is, plain and simple, a great vegan bratwurst. It’s one of the best plant based foods for your vegan BBQ, hands down. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan sausage

Credit: Ryan Martin / Target

Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Buffalo Wings

Daring Vegan Buffalo Wings

Most vegan wings are just mushy chicken nuggets masquerading as chicken wings. Not Daring. These tangy, spicy vegan Buffalo wings mimic the texture of real wings (minus the bones) surprisingly well. They actually tear apart like white and dark meat. If you aren’t used to the taste of vegan meat, these won’t fool you, but they’re still delicious anyway. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan buffalo wings

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Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Steak

Impossible Steak Bites

It seems like just a few years ago, there was little to no vegan steak on the market. Now there are several brands and some of them are surprisingly good. Okay, I guess it isn’t a huge surprise that Impossible makes yet another one of the best vegan foods, but still. This vegan steak has authentic chew and a nice smoky flavor, especially if you let it char a little in the pan. Size-wise, the morsels aren’t ideal if you’re in the mood for a plated steak, but they’re perfect for asada tacos, hold the carne. —Gwynedd Stuart

Read the full ranking of the best vegan steak

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

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Best Vegan Deli Meat

Yves Veggie Bologna

Yves Veggie Bologna has so much going for it. It’s low cal, low fat, beautifully seasoned, and easily mimics the texture of real bologna. (Which isn’t that hard to do, considering bologna is already soft and homogenous, like most soy proteins.) Not only is this a great deli meat substitute for people switching to the vegan diet, but for anyone trying to cut back on processed sandwich meats for health reasons, we highly recommend it! —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan deli meat

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Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Tuna

Unmeat Tuna Style Flakes in Sunflower Oil

Unmeat Tuna is canned in sunflower oil rather than water, which at first we weren’t sold on. But the more we munched on this, we found the oil actually adds an element of fishy fattiness that makes the “tuna” more rich and flavorful. I know the idea of vegan canned fish might be a lot for some of you, but we promise, this is actually one of the best vegan foods to stock your pantry with. It’s elevated, elegant, and a superb substitute for all of your tuna cravings. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan tuna

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Rating:

7.5/10

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Best Vegan Jerky

Pan’s Mushroom Jerky Original

Is Pan’s Mushroom Jerky a plant-based dupe for beef jerky? To be honest—no, not really. Is it still an exceptionally delicious mushroom jerky? Absolutely. That savory, umami mushroom flavor is hard to beat. We loved both the OG version (pictured left) and the Zesty Thai version (which basically tastes the same, only spicy). Unless you have a vendetta against mushrooms, you are going to like this, we promise! —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan jerky

Credit: Merc / Target

Rating:

9.5/10

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Best Vegan Eggs

Just Egg Eggs from Plants Scramble

If your plant-based diet has you missing breakfast buffets and chafing dishes full of fluffy scrambled eggs, allow us to introduce you to one of the best vegan groceries: Just Eggs. The scramble cooks up soft, yellow, and fluffy. It’s not incredibly flavorful, but that makes it the perfect filler for a breakfast burrito loaded with vegan cheese and soyrizo. —Gwynedd Stuart

Read the full ranking of the best vegan egg substitutes

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

9/10

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Best Vegan Cheese

Follow Your Heart Smoked Gouda

Albertsons

Obviously, a list of the best vegan foods must include vegan cheese. This faux smoked gouda from Follow Your Heart (one of the best vegan brands on the market) reinvented the wheel and made us question why there aren’t more smoked plant-based cheeses out there. This has a coconut oil base, which makes it quite smooth and creamy without tasting fake. It’s also the perfect level of smokiness—even the judges on Chopped would approve. (Have you ever watched one of the Chopped judges completely eviscerate someone for using even an ounce of liquid smoke? It’s a good time.) And hey, if you’re not a gouda girl, our official vegan cheese ranking has plenty of other options, from cheddar to feta. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan cheeses

Credit: Ryan Martin / Albertsons

Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Yogurt

Cocojune Vanilla Chamomile

Please don’t be afraid of Cocojune’s clumpy appearance. This stuff is creamy, deceptively smooth, and not nearly as coconut-heavy as other dairy-free yogurts we tried. The vanilla flavor is impeccable and complements any fruit you want to add. We haven’t tried all of their fruity flavors, but from this baseline alone, we know that Cocojune tastes the most like real yogurt compared to other brands. Don’t miss out! —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan yogurt

Credit: Ryan Martin / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

“This tastes so shockingly similar to Ben & Jerry’s regular Phish Food that I was shaken to my core,” writes Jordan Myrick, who goes on to essentially call this ice cream flawless. With interesting mix-ins like marshmallows and fudge fish, a rich chocolate flavor, and addictive creaminess, this totally blew us away. I think it’s safe to not only call this one of the best plant based foods ever made, but also one of the best ice cream flavors ever conceived, period. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan ice cream

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Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Mayo

Follow Your Heart Original Vegenaise

Follow Your Heart just gets it. The brand is widely known for making some of the best vegan groceries for a reason. Their plant-based mayo is pretty indistinguishable from egg-based mayo. If anything, it might have a slightly stronger tang—but we actually liked that about it. The tartness balances out the creaminess really well. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan mayo

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Salad Dressing

Sprouts Plant Based Ranch

While the point of the best vegan groceries isn’t to try and trick meat eaters, I’m sure it’s still fun when it happens. If you didn’t know this ranch was vegan, we’re pretty confident you wouldn’t be able to tell. It’s super creamy, tangy, and herbaceous. More than a simple salad dressing, it makes a dip for your vegan wings, pizza, and chicken nuggets. (All of which you can find above. You’re welcome!) —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan salad dressings

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Rating:

10/10

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Best Vegan Caesar Dressing

Gotham Greens Vegan Caesar Dressing & Dip

Gotham Greens Caesar really threw the Sporked team for a loop. We kept peeking back at the ingredients to make sure there really wasn’t any parmesan in it, because this creamy, cheesy, tangy caesar tasted way too close to the real thing. (Life lesson: Never underestimate the power of fermented miso.) We also especially loved the capers in this! They really added something special and zingy. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best vegan caesar dressing

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Rating:

9.5/10

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Best Vegan Sour Cream

Sprouts Plant Based Sour Cream Alternative