The 14 Best Vegan Products You Should Try In 2023
Gone are the days when vegans were thought to eat only fruits, vegetables, and "rabbit food." In the early 2000s, vegans usually received eye rolls from relatives and bland meals at restaurants. But veganism is now trending, with a steady increase in interest happening worldwide from 2004 to 2022, according to Google. More and more people are becoming aware of the impact that eating meat and dairy has on their health — and the health of the planet — and are turning to plant-based diets. Some prominent American health organizations are even recommending them, like Kaiser Permanente and the American Institute for Cancer Research (via Food Revolution Network).
According to recent data, the number of vegans has dramatically increased in many countries, including the United States, the U.K., Canada, Portugal, Australia, and more. And new vegan companies are popping up everywhere to meet their demands — plant-based product sales are expected to escalate from $29 billion in 2020 to $162 billion by 2030 (as per Bloomberg). These days, you can walk through almost any mainstream grocery store and find non-dairy milks, cheeses, ice creams, yogurts, and more, on top of many meat alternatives and other exciting new foods. We rounded up the best new vegan products you should try in 2023.
1. Babybel Plant-based Cheese
Did you ever eat the Babybel cheese that came in a tiny red wax wheel as a kid? Well, now you can relive your nostalgia vegan-style with Babybel's new plant-based cheese. The non-dairy version comes housed in green wax wheels instead of red, but with the same satisfaction of peeling them open to reveal your savory snack underneath — akin to opening a gift on Christmas day. It also makes the perfect snack on the go or added to your kid's lunch box.
Soft and creamy, this non-dairy cheese is almost like real mozzarella. It's also a good way to get in some calcium and Vitamin B12. While it doesn't taste exactly like the original Babybel cheese wheels, it's still absolutely delicious. You can now find these tasty treats at Whole Foods, Sam's Club, Costco, Trader Joe's, and even Target, with more stores expected to be added to the list as the year goes on. Target customers are pleased, with many happy buyers sharing online that this is the best vegan cheese they've ever tried. One shopper commented they are the "mini wheels of my dreams."
2. WunderEggs Plant-based Hard-boiled Egg
Plant-based companies have nearly perfected non-dairy versions of cheese, butter, and even scrambled eggs — think Just Egg — but the vegan hard-boiled egg is one industry that hasn't really hit the mark. Until now. Introducing WunderEgg, Crafty Counter's newest product that hit grocery shelves this year. Made from simple whole-food ingredients like almonds, cashews, coconut milk, agar (vegan gelatin that's seaweed-based), rosemary, and turmeric extract, they're minimally processed and a great source of protein.
In fact, they contain a similar nutrition profile when compared to regular hard-boiled eggs, but without the added cholesterol. On top of that, they're ready to eat, which means there's no need to boil, ice bath, or peel them. They're also free of many allergens, like gluten, soy, and peanuts.
Crafty Counter is a woman and BIPOC-owned business with a mission of offering high-quality, plant-based products that don't contribute to the social and environmental impacts of chicken factory farming. They finally fulfilled many vegans' fantasies of consuming a plant-based hard-boiled egg — the flavor and texture are on point and mimic a real hard-boiled egg very accurately. The package comes with black salt seasoning to add to your eggs, which really seals the deal. They are now available in many Whole Foods Market stores across America.
3. Elmhurst Maple Walnut and Vanilla Lavender Plant-based Milks
One caveat to a lot of alternative milks on the market is all the additives. Many of them contain ingredients like carrageenan, xanthan gum, and lecithin, which are used as thickeners and preservatives, and to help prevent separation. But Elmhurst sets itself apart in the plant-based milk category — they use a special "HydroRelease" method to make their non-dairy milks, so they don't have to add gums or emulsifiers to the mix. They market their products as "the cleanest plant milks." And they're not wrong.
They just released two new plant-based milks in their Barista Edition line: Maple Walnut and Vanilla Lavender. Both are creamy and delicious. The decadent Vanilla Lavender blend is a mix of oat and cashew milk with cane sugar, lavender extract, and natural flavors. The Maple Walnut flavor is a mixture of oat and walnut milk sweetened with maple syrup. Honestly, it's hard to choose which one we want to add to our next latte.
4. Konscious Foods Vegan Sushi
As a vegan, you have limited options on the menu when it comes to sushi restaurants. You'll probably end up with an avocado cucumber roll and a seaweed salad. Konscious Foods was very conscious of this — pun intended — and created a mouthwatering line of vegan sushi. Currently, their product offerings include vegan versions of the California Roll; a Spicy California Roll; a Tuna Avocado Roll; and the Rainbow Roll, which contains a beautiful display of plant-based tuna, mango, cucumber, and carrots surrounded by purple jasberry rice. They also have two plant-based poke bowls and onigiri in four different flavors: Kale Gomae, Korean BBQ Mushroom, Roasted Corn & Poblano, and Japanese Vegetable Curry.
Their vegan salmon, tuna, and other mock fish meats are made using plant-based protein instead of the usual go-to, which is gluten. Konscious Foods' vegan sushi line is currently only available in the frozen food section at Whole Foods Markets and Choices Markets in Vancouver, BC, but they are soon announcing more stores that will be stocking their delicious meals. They also have plans to expand their product line, according to Veg News, so be on the lookout — your taste buds will be grateful.
5. Honey Without Bees Plant-based Honey
Honey has always been a hot topic of debate and is sort of in a grey area when it comes to veganism. Some people call themselves vegan, but still eat honey, while others claim that honey is most definitely not vegan.
Technically, honey is made by bees, which makes it an animal product — so it's not considered vegan, according to Veg News. Honeybees can only produce up to one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey, which is meant to be food for the colony. In many commercial honey production operations, the honey is stolen from hives and swapped out with refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup as food for the bees. Unfortunately, these substitutes do not have the same nutritional profile that the bees rely on for survival, which can have dire negative consequences.
Insert MeliBio, a start-up company based in San Francisco that has invented a vegan honey, no bees required. Aptly named Honey Without Bees, their product can be mistaken for the real thing — it has the same flavor and texture as real honey. It's created using all-natural, plant-based ingredients and even has some of the same health benefits as honey, as per MeliBio's website. Currently, you can find Honey Without Bees at Narayan Foods stores across Europe and the company just announced on Instagram they will be launching in the U.S. market later this year (as per Veg News).
6. Ben & Jerry's Lights Caramel Action Non-dairy Ice Cream
Ben and Jerry's started offering vegan ice cream in 2016, several years after customers created a petition asking the company to expand into non-dairy ice cream products. The brand now has 19 different delicious non-dairy flavors, including Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and the classic Phish Food. One of Ben and Jerry's newest additions to their vegan line-up is called Lights! Caramel! Action! — a sweet treat containing creamy caramel, crunchy graham cracker bites, and beloved chocolate chip cookie dough. Ben and Jerry's offers both a dairy and non-dairy option of this pint — so make sure you grab the correct one at the store — the vegan version uses almond milk as the base.
This flavor is a collaboration with award-winning director Ava DuVernay, with a portion of the proceeds going to the ARRAY Alliance, a non-profit group that supports social justice in the arts. DuVernay is the first Black woman to be featured on a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. She told the Vermont Biz that this ice cream is "a worthy and delicious endeavor."
7. Violife Just Like Sour Cream
Violife is a vegan food company based in Greece that has been around since the 1990s. They started out specializing in vegan cheese, like delicious non-dairy feta and flavorful parmesan, which can be found across the U.K., Europe, the U.S., and Canada. They've since expanded their offerings to include plant-based butter, dips, and more. All products are made with simple, plant-based ingredients that are free from dairy, gluten, soy, lactose, nuts, and preservatives. Plus, they're boosted with Vitamin B12, which is often a lacking nutrient in common vegan diets. Violife's latest creation: Vegan sour cream.
It's rich, creamy, and sharp — just like real sour cream — and is the perfect solution to dress up your veggie tacos, burrito, nachos, soup, and more. You can add it to baked goods or whip it into mashed potatoes. Violife's Just Like Sour Cream is now available in almost 1,000 Walmart locations throughout America.
8. OmniFoods Plant-based Bao Buns
Plant-based company OmniFoods already offers a wide variety of vegan Asian-influenced foods, like pot stickers and spring rolls, on top of vegan crab cakes, fish fillets, and burgers. The original product that started it all — plant-based pork — is made using ingredients like soy, peas, rice, and shiitake mushrooms. Veg News managed to snag some bites of their newest product drop, vegan bao buns, at the Expo West 2023. They debuted two tasty flavors: Teriyaki and gochujang. Inside the soft, steamed doughy dumplings you'll find seasoned veggies and Omni's plant-based minced meat.
OmniFoods was founded by David Yeung, an environmental advocate, as a way to help decrease our reliance on the pork and seafood industry, which are negatively impacting the earth. You can find many of OmniFoods' savory vegan products at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and even Walmart. The Bao Buns have not been released at the time of this article, but they are coming very soon.
9. MyForest Foods Mushroom Bacon
There's a lot of mediocre vegetarian bacon out there, with most made from soy or wheat protein. This year, you can upgrade your breakfast plate with a different kind of veggie bacon. MyForest Foods has just launched a delicious and healthy bacon-like product made from mushrooms. Using mycelium — the underground network of fungi roots that mushrooms sprout from — and no binders, fillers, or preservatives, they're also gluten, soy, and dairy-free. MyForest Food's vegan bacon, dubbed MyBacon, has a very short and simple ingredient list: Mushrooms mycelium, salt, coconut oil, sugar, natural flavors, and beet juice concentrate. That's it.
If you happen to live on the East Coast of the U.S., you're in luck. MyBacon used to only be in a handful of stores but has expanded this year to include at least 32 retailers and restaurants in Massachusetts and New York, including Orchard Grocer, LifeThyme Natural Market, and Perelandra Natural Foods.
10. Fudge Kitchen Vegan Fudge
In this day and age, vegans can find substitutes for practically every food that they used to savor as an omnivore. But vegan fudge is an elusive sweet treat that many consider a prize if you can find some. The Fudge Kitchen in the U.K. has come to save us from our fudge deficit. Not only do they make delicious desserts of all kinds, but they have an entire line of vegan fudge. Flavors are consistently rotating and include options like toffee, hazelnut heaven, rum & raisin, and chocolate orange.
Everything is handmade to order and according to the website, their vegan flavors don't need dairy to make the creamy fudge texture, which is a natural result of their time-honored trade secret techniques. Their original gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly recipe dates back to 1830. You can also order vegan Salted Caramel Drinking Fudge, which is a decadent powdered mix that can be added to hot or cold water, made into a latte, or put in a smoothie. Currently, the Fudge Kitchen is taking online orders for the U.K., while international shipping has been put on hold, but hopefully will return soon.
11. Pan's Mushroom Jerky
Mushrooms make a great fake bacon, but an even better vegan jerky. Mushrooms are a low-calorie food that contains proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. When mushroom jerky is made well, they are chewy and nutritious, just like regular beef jerky. Pan's Mushroom Jerky was started by Michael Pan, who was inspired to make it after being exposed to mushroom jerky by Buddhists on a life-changing trip to Malaysia. Pan tirelessly worked on his recipe until launching his brand in 2018, with four different flavors.
Pan's first release did pretty well, but after he was featured on ABC's TV show Shark Tank in 2022, sales skyrocketed by more than 50% (as per Shark Tank Talks). Pan's Mushroom Jerky is now sold in almost 3,500 stores in the U.S. and Canada, including Kroger's, Whole Foods, Walmart, Fred Meyer, QFC Grocery, Foxtrot, Sprouts, and more. They've also expanded to six different flavors: Original, Zesty Thai, Applewood BBQ, Salt & Pepper, Curry, and Teriyaki.
12. Dandies Marshmallow Cream
The anticipation is almost over. The famous vegan marshmallow company, Dandies, is about to launch its newest product: Marshmallow Cream. It's a vegan, plant-based spreadable marshmallow cream free of corn syrup and the top 9 allergens. Loyal brand followers have known about this product for some time — as a matter of fact, it was expected to be out in the summer of 2022 after their prototype was displayed at the Expo East earlier that year.
"This has been a product I've been excited to see come to fruition for a long time, and a product I know our customers have been wanting to see," CVF founder Dan Ziegler told Veg News. "It's a first-of-its-kind product in the vegan market." It really is, and we've been drooling about it ever since this announcement.
Dandies made an official Instagram post in March of 2023 declaring that the wait is almost over. They posted a video of the Marshmallow Cream with the caption, "Want to see something we're really super excited about? Coming later this year (finally)!" To say that the comments were full of excitement would be an understatement, with one stating, "OMG my dreams are finally coming true! Thank you! My kids will be so happy."
13. Pocket's Chocolates Oat Milk Chocolate Covered Nuts
If you've ever hunted for vegan chocolate-covered nuts, you know they're a challenge to find. Most chocolate-covered candies contain milk, which can be a disappointing surprise. Even if you manage to track down dark chocolate-covered anything — which is usually dairy-free — somehow milk can still sneak its way into the ingredients.
Meet Pocket's Chocolates, a company determined to deliver vegan chocolate-covered almonds that are sweet, satisfying, and low in sugar. Pocket's Chocolates wants you to indulge with joy, but they don't put guilt-free on the label. According to their website, they believe "that nobody should feel guilty for enjoying the food they love" and "guilt is not an ingredient." The vegan chocolate blends are sweetened with organic raw cane sugar and monk fruit extract, resulting in a product that is 50-64% less sugar per gram when compared to other chocolates on the market. You'll find they taste sweet, but not overly sugary — "just enough to satisfy both your adult sweet tooth and your care-free inner child."
The brand released four organic oat milk chocolate-covered almonds in Asian-inspired flavors including Matcha, Yuzu Mango, Black Sesame, and Vietnamese Coffee. One of the founders, Chris Young, told Food Business News the flavors were a nod to the creators' South Korean and Vietnamese heritage. You can find Pocket's Chocolates in a variety of retailers throughout America, including Fresh Thyme, Cost Plus World Market, Harris Teeter, Miniso, Bevmo!, and more.
14. Tideford Organics Creamy Mushroom Soup
Vegan green bean casserole just isn't the same without the creamy mushroom soup. Take note for this year's Thanksgiving dinner — Tideford Organics just recently renovated their Creamy Mushroom Soup recipe so that it tastes less like coconut and more like a savory umami flavor. Not only does this lower the amount of saturated fat, but it also gives it that classic Campbell Soup flavor we vegans might miss.
They also added a mushroom powder blend containing reishi, chaga, shitake, maitake, lion's mane, cordyceps, and white fungus, which definitely takes this soup to the next level. These types of medicinal mushrooms offer many health benefits, including providing potent antioxidants, immune support, blood sugar balance, brain health, nervous system support, and more, depending on the mushroom (via Real Mushrooms). On top of that, it's all organic, gluten-free, and nut-free. It's perfect for a cold, blistering night or as an ingredient in one of your favorite dishes.