Guide: Vegan Meat Substitutes

Who says going vegan means giving up your favorite foods and surviving on salad? You can live without the cruel and unsustainable choice of consuming animal flesh without having to give up flavors and tastes you’re familiar with. Plant-based meat substitutes are healthier (especially if you make them from scratch at home), completely cruelty-free, and often taste exactly like the real thing. Great for vegetarians too.

Don’t know where to start? Check out the table below:

Vegan meat substitute	Use	Brands to try
Textured vegetable protein (TVP)	TVP easily absorbs the flavor of the spice or sauce it is cooked with. Can be used as ground meat substitute in spaghetti and pasta recipes. Also great for Mexican salads, tacos, burritos, and sloppy Joes.	Bob's Red Mill TVP Now Foods Textured Soy Protein
Ground crumbles	Same use as with textured vegetable/soy protein, although ground crumbles have a meatier taste and texture compared to TVP.	Boca Ground Crumbles Yves Veggie Ground Round Upton's Naturals
Seitan	Also known as ‘wheat gluten.’ This substitute is very versatile and can be used to replace beef, pork, and chicken.	WestSoy Upton's Naturals White Wave Lightlife
Portobello mushroom	Can be used to replace steak and pork. Marinade in a vegan barbeque sauce such as A1.	Available fresh in the produce section
Tempeh	Soy beans fermented with beneficial yeast culture. Has an earthy taste similar to mushrooms. Slice into small uniform cubes and use in pasta and stir-fry dishes that call for meat. Tempeh can be marinated first prior to frying, baking, or grilling. Also great with rice—this is the way tempeh is eaten where it originally came from.	Lightlife Tofurky White Wave
Firm tofu	Popularly used in Asian dishes. Cut into cubes or strips and stir-fry with vegetables used in Oriental cooking such as bok choy, carrots, shitake mushroom, and baby corn.	Nasoya Firm Tofu or any other brand in the cold section
Burger patties	As a replacement for regular beef burger patties. Best served with vegan, whole wheat bread or bun slathered with vegan mayo such as Noyonaise or Vegenaise and tomato ketchup. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, and vegan cheddar cheese such as Teese Vegan Cheese or Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds.	Boca Original Vegan Burger Amy's Kitchen Yves Meatless Burger
Hot dog	Your healthy, cruelty-free replacement for the all American hotdog. Eat on its own or with a vegan bun with some ketchup and mustard. Slice into small pieces and toss into your tofu scramble.	Yves Loma Linda Little Links Tofurky Gourmet Sausages Cedar Lake Deli Franks
Chicken patties/strips/nuggets	Vegan chicken strips and nuggets are good as stand-alone snacks like their real versions. Chicken patties can be served like beef burgers sans the cheese and ketchup (see above).	Yves Gardein Chick'n Boca Burger
Bacon	Can be used to sub real, carcinogenic bacon when making a BLT sandwich or other sandwiches that call for bacon. Great for vegan Caesar salad and vegan carbonara.	Yves Canadian Bacon Lightlife Tempeh Strips Lightlife Smart Bacon
Buffalo Wings	Heat and eat the same way you ate real buffalo wings, with some cold vegan beer!	Gardein Classic Style Buffalo Wings Health is Wealth Chicken-Free Buffalo Wings
Beef	Can be used for stir-fry dishes that call for beef. Also good for stews and meat pies.	Gardein Home-style Beefless tips Yves Meatless Beef Strips
Ham	Eat with veggie fried rice or brown-bag as a vegan ham and cheese sandwich.	Yves Meatless Ham Pure Vegetarian Vegan Sliced Baked Ham Lightlife Smart Deli Ham
Turkey	If it’s vegan turkey, you can enjoy it all year round. Great for making gourmet vegan sandwiches.	Yves Meatless Turkey Lightlife Smart Deli Turkey Cedar Lake Terketts Tofurky