Everyone has their own experience going vegan, which I've learned from joining a few different Facebook groups and sharing my journey with the rest of the vegan community. But there should be a few commonalities, such as the compelling reasons for wanting to make the switch to plant-based foods. Watching documentaries such as What the Health [1] and especially Game Changers [2] (being that I'm an athlete) helped me realise that the health benefits [3] far outweighed the bliss I enjoyed after taking a bite of the finest Gruyere and even my beloved go-to salmon dish with crispy skin.
If you can't already tell, I had always been a major meat, fish, and dairy lover. Before going vegan, I ate at least one cup of Greek yoghurt every single day and my protein portion size at dinner (which usually rotated between chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, or steak) was sizable in comparison to the carbs on my plate. Maybe not the veggies — and that's because I have always been committed to eating healthy — but coming to terms with the fact that plants are actually way healthier and can be just as nutrient dense as animal protein took a lot of time and processing for me.
In the back of my mind, I always knew that the decision I was making to buy and eat meat was harmful to the environment, and especially to animals, but I felt like that food was my fuel for hour-long workouts at least six days a week (I run, cycle, swim, strength train, and practice yoga). Little did I know, I would feel just as charged, if not more energized, for my daily gym routine eating nuts, seeds, whole grains, and plant-based foods and — this is the best part! — there are delicious tasting replacements for all of the meat, fish, and dairy I'd be giving up. (You better believe I found an almond-based "yoghurt" that tastes just like that Total 2% Faje I never thought I could completely omit.)
Ahead, my guide to the best-tasting vegan foods that have successfully replaced a specific animal product in my old diet. Trust me, I've tried just about every brand out there at this point — you won't regret investing in these companies specifically, and I'll be updating this list as I find more gems, so drop me a line if you think there's something I'm missing.
Kite Hill Yoghurt
It replaced my: Total 2% Greek yoghurt or Stonyfield plain yoghurt.
How I eat it: Mixed with Trader Joe's Mixed Nut Butter with fruit, nuts, and seeds or granola.
Where to find it [5]: Whole Foods, Instacart
Arctic Zero Ice Cream
It replaced my: Ben & Jerry's froyo.
How I eat it: With semi-sweet dark chocolate chips or carob chunks and/or the Coco Whip below (wink, wink!).
Where to find it [6]: Ice Cream Source, Amazon Fresh
So Delicious Whip Cream
It replaced my: Cool Whip that I'd add to all my ice cream sundaes.
How I eat it: With mashed frozen banana and almond milk purée (my makeshift ice cream!) or with my Arctic Zero pints.
Where to find it [7]: Whole Foods, Shop Rite, Kings
Trader Joe's Dips
It replaced my: Ranch or tzatziki.
How I eat it: With chips or dolloped atop a salad.
Where to find it [8]: Trader Joe's
JUST Egg
It replaced my: Eggs! There are a few different versions (you can use the scramble to create omelettetetes), but trust me, the folded egg tastes the best.
How I eat it: Throw it under the broiler for a minute or two to get it crispy and make an "egg" sandwich.
Where to find it [9]: Amazon, Acme, Kings, Gregory's Coffee
Miyoko's Mozzarella Cheese
It replaced my: Fresh, homemade mozzarella.
How I eat it: This is the only mozzarella I've found that is delicious enough on its own (and not too salty!) to use in a Caprese salad with fresh tomatoes and basil.
Where to find it [10]: ShopRite, Target, Whole Foods
Miyoko's Cheddar Cheese
It replaced my: "Grilled cheese" style cheddar.
How I eat it: Between two slices of toasted bread — this is by far the best cheddar I've tried so far. I'd melt this over any of the shreds I've tried any day.
Where to find it [11]: ShopRite, Target, Whole Foods
Violife Feta Cheese
It replaced my: Athenos crumbled feta.
How I eat it: Broken up over a salad.
Where to find it [12]: ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, Kings
Violife Parmesan Cheese
It replaced my: Freshly-shaved parmesan bought by the wedge.
How I eat it: Sliced over crackers or grated over my spaghetti squash "bolognese."
Where to find it [13]: ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, Kings
Nancy's Oatmilk Yoghurt
It replaced my: Dannon coffee or banana yoghurt for when I want something flavoured.
How I eat it: As is or with a handful of mixed nuts blended in.
Where to find it [14]: Whole Foods
Upton's Naturals Jackfruit
It replaced my: Pulled pork.
How I eat it: With some homemade BBQ sauce (search for a quick recipe on Pinterest) in a taco or bun.
Where to find it [15]: Target, Whole Foods, and other local food markets
Pure Farmland Breakfast Patties
It replaced my: Morning sausage patties.
How I eat it: With a toasted bagel and "cheeze."
Where to find it [16]: Acme, ShopRite, Stop & Shop
Trader Joe's Tempeh
It replaced my: Tougher meats, such as grilled chicken strips, that I'd typically mix in a salad.
How I eat it: Coated in arrowroot starch, nutritional yeast, spices, and coconut aminos, crisped up in the air fryer over salad or linguini.
Where to find it [17]: Trader Joe's
House Foods Tofu
It replaced my: Ground beef or turkey, when crumbled.
How I eat it: I either use starch or cornmeal to coat for crispy tofu in the air fryer (for firmer blocks) to mix into salads or noodles, or crumble into "meat" crumbles for a bolognese or taco meat with all the right spices (for softer blocks).
Where to find it [18]: ShopRite, Acme, Morton Williams
Daiya Vegan Dressing
It replaced my: Dressings that were made with eggs, such as Caesar, or yoghurt-based dressings such as Bolthouse Farms.
How I eat it: On salads, duh!
Where to find it [19]: Target, ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Acme, Whole Foods, Morton Williams
Quorn Meatless Buffalo Dippers
It replaced my: Buffalo wings.
How I eat it: As a snack with celery and Daiya vegan ranch.
Where to find it [20]: Whole Foods
Beyond Meat Plant-Based Patties
It replaced my: Turkey burgers (which I usually preferred to beef).
How I eat it: On a bun with mustard or over a salad for a bun-less meal.
Where to find it [21]: Fresh Direct, Amazon, Peapod, and most local grocery stores
Strong Roots Cauliflower Hash Browns
It replaced my: Hash browns (which are generally made with cheese and butter) or mashed potatoes.
How I eat it: They are the perfect side with my BBQ jackfruit dish. Don't knock the "burgers" — especially the beetroot one, which tastes like a spinach cake!
Where to find it [22]: Whole Foods, Morton Williams
Chloe's Oat Pops
It replaced my: Outshine creamy coconut fruit bars.
How I eat it: For dessert!
Where to find it [23]: Amazon Fresh, Fresh Direct, Peapod, Acme, CVS, Kings
Táche Pistachio Milk
It replaced my: Regular milk I'd use with cereal or a smoothie.
How I eat it: Even though I use this pistachio milk in smoothies and overnight oats, I could also drink it plain, it's so delicious.
Where to find it [24]: Straight from the website, or at select stores [25]
Planet Oat Creamer
It replaced my: Delight or Coffee Mate flavoured creamers.
How I eat it: Blended into my coffee with a touch of stevia or cinnamon over ice.
Where to find it [26]: Acme, Target, Kings, ShopRite, Stop & Shop, CVS
Gardein Meatless Meatballs
It replaced my: Meatballs from scratch over homemade gravy, made by my SO's Italian mom — yeah, this was a tough replacement. I tried a lot of vegan "meatballs," and these come in first for me.
How I eat it: With Rao's marinara over pasta.
Where to find it [27]: Walmart, Target, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, ShopRite, Whole Foods
NUGGS
It replaced my: Chicken nuggets! These are by far the best vegan nuggets, and they get crispy if you throw them in the air fryer. Hot tip: they come in spicy too!
How I eat it: With sweet potato fries.
Where to find it [28]: On the NUGGS website, where you can buy frozen packages of 50 or 100 NUGGS
Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Crab Cakes
It replaced my: Salmon, actual crab cakes, and breaded tilapia filets.
How I eat it: With cauliflower rice and hot sauce or homemade cocktail sauce.
Where to find it [29]: ShopRite, Wegmans, Walmart, Stop & Shop
Scout & Cellar Vegan Wine
It replaced my: Standard, non-researched wine. The fact is, most wines are vegan, but an explicitly vegan wine promises to be fined using natural substances instead of animal derived substances.
How I eat it: with whatever vegan replacement the website suggests! All Scout & Cellar wines offer pairings for your meals and you can read details about where they were sourced. (For example, if the wine is best paired with fish, I thaw my Sophie's filets!)
Where to find it [30]: Scout & Cellar's website, where you can order from anywhere in the US to be shipped from Texas.
Rao's Homemade Marinara
It replaced my: Basic meat-flavoured jarred sauces such as Barilla, Bertolli, and Botticelli.
How I eat it: My go-to dish lately has been Rao's over spaghetti squash "bolognese," which is made with crumbled and sautéed tofu.
Where to find it [31]: Any local grocery store — just make sure you're buying the marinara or other vegan approved flavours.
Enlightened Bada Bean Bada Boom
It replaced my: Bacon bits in salads, which I used to add religiously. I live for the crunch!
How I eat it: In salads or by the mini bag as a tasty, sustaining snack. If you like Snyder's Honey Mustard and Onion pretzel pieces, the Sweet Onion & Mustard flavour is for you.
Where to find it [32]: ShopRite, Duane Reade, Morton Williams, 7 Eleven
Blake's Seed-Based Treats
It replaced my: Rice Krispie treats (which include margarine, butter, and marshmallows).
How I eat it: As a midday snack, sometimes with a tall glass of Taché pistachio milk over ice.
Where to find it [33]: Wegmans, 7 Eleven
