
Anything you can do, I can do vegan
There are some unusual scenes at the supermarket recently, with anxious shoppers pacing empty isles. We understand that some of the items we’ll cover in this article might not be available at this time. However, with meat and dairy shelves cleared out, this could be a great time to try some alternative products if you haven’t already. At the very least, it will give you more options to keep your eyes peeled for in your search for ingredients right now.
Current crisis aside, all too often we hear things along the lines of “I would like to eat plant-based but I can’t give up cheese”. Thankfully, companies are catching on that most of us care about the planet, the animals, and our health, but we still want to be able to enjoy our favourite foods. As a result, new plant-based (PB) products are cropping up in stores every week, making it easier than every to satisfy our cravings for the things we “can’t live without”.
Still, many people are often curious as to why plant-based foods try to mimic meat or dairy. Put simply, most people don’t dislike these foods, but dislike the impacts associated with consuming animal-products. Although alternative products may never taste exactly like the original, if we can still whip up a hectic spaghetti bolognese or host an epic BBQ with ingredients that are better for the animals, the environment, and our health, why wouldn’t we?
Beneath this itemised grocery list, you’ll find further information addressing health and price concerns, where to find these items, and a tip on checking labels. Download a printable version here (PDF).
Meat Alternatives
Burger Patties –
Beyond Burger patties
Veef Patties
Quorn Burgers
Texture Vegetable Protein
Mince –
Naturli’ Plant-based Mince
Alternate Meat Co
Herb & Son’s mince
Steak –
Cowgirl Veggie Steaks
Chicken –
Quorn Fillets, Schnitzels, or Nuggets
Fry’s Schnitzels & Nuggets
Herb & Son’s Chicken-Free Schnitzel
Next! Chick’n chunks
Pork –
Tinned Jackfruit in brine/water
Herb & Son’s Sausages
Yamlong Vegan Bacon Strips
Next! Bacon Strips
Dairy Alternatives
Milks –
Vitasoy Oat Milk Unsweetened
Vitasoy or Aussie Dream Rice Milk
Pureharvest Coco Quench Coconut Milk
Australia’s Own Like Milk Pea Milk
Bonsoy Soy Milk
Homebrand Soy, Almond, Coconut, or Oat
Butter –
Naturli’ Spreadable
Nuttelex Buttery
Cheese –
For melting on pizza or toasties – Bio Cheese Pizza Shred
As a burger topping – Bio Cheese Original or Cheddar Slices
For sprinkling on pasta – Nutritional Yeast
On a cheese board – The Vegan Dairy Aged & Smokey, or Chilli Chives
As a bagel spread – Creamy Sheese Original Spread
Yoghurt –
Nakula Original or Vanilla
Coyo Original
Coles Coconut Yoghurt
Nudie Coconut
Cocobella Natural Yoghurt
Soy Yoghurt
Almond Yoghurt
Ice-cream –
Vegan Magnums
Vegan Drumsticks
Over the Moo
Weis (Sorbets)
Coles Dairy Free Chocolate Flavoured Pops
So Good Ice Cream
Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy
Pan
Egg Alternatives
Instructions on egg replacers can be found in this Healthline article.
Substitutes –
Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer
Orgran No Egg
Apple sauce
Ground flax seeds
Chia seeds
Aquafaba (chickpea juice)
Tofu
Stocks & Sauces
Mayonnaise –
S&W Mayonnaise
Follow Your Heart Vegenaise
Naked Byron Foods
Celebrate Health Vegan Mayo
Stock/Flavouring –
Massel Vegetable, Chicken or Beef Stock
Coles Vegan Chicken Stock
Liquid Smoke
Sauce –
Saclá Free-From Dairy Pesto
Macro Wholefoods Market Certified Organic Bolognese
Five Tastes Green Curry Paste
Fountain Satay Sauce
Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Snacks & Sweets
Dips –
Yumi’s or Obela Hummus
Chris’ Plant Based Spicy Capsicum or Spring Onion
Creamy Sheese Sweet Chilli
Savoury –
Patak’s Mini Pappadums
BBQ Shapes
Harvest Snaps
Kettle Sea Salt & Salt & Vinegar Chips
Red Rock Deli Chips Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar
Original Doritos
Arnott’s Cruskits & Vita-Weats Original
Burger Rings
Pringles Original, BBQ, Salt & Vinegar
Ritz Crackers
Sweets –
Arnott’s Choc Ripple, Gingernut, & Lemon Crisp
Leda Choc Chip Cookies
Lotus Biscoff Spread
Sweet Williams Chocolate
Alter-Eco Chocolate, Sea Salt, Quinoa Crunch
Sour Patch Kids Original
Skittles
Vego Chocolate Spread
Coco2 Cocoa Original Spread
X-Treme Sour Straps
Cadbury Hot Chocolate Powder
Milo Pant Based
Workout Supplements
Protein Powder –
MacroMike Peanut Protein
Vital Pea Protein
Prana Power Plant Protein
White Wolf Pea Protein
*These lists just contain some of our favourite brands but new options are popping up every day.
What isle will you find these things, you ask?
At the moment, in most major chains, meat alternatives have their own section in the fridge/freezer, egg-replacer and some snack items will be in the Health Food or Gluten Free section, and other items like yoghurt, ice-cream, stocks, sauces and snacks, will be scattered with their non-vegan equivalents. To make shopping a real breeze, we like to visit stores such as The Cruelty Free Shop (Glebe, Sydney), All About Empathy (Kellyville, Sydney), or the Shift Deli (Surry Hills) that specialize in PB products.
Tips
Please remember – veganism doesn’t automatically equal healthy. In general, the closer the food is to its natural form, the better it is for you. So we will reiterate that while we love pizza, burgers, and ice cream, we do not recommend consuming these foods every day.
If you are new to exploring meat and dairy alternatives, you might think these items are expensive. Hopefully, as popularity increases, prices will come down. Bear in mind that regardless of price, most foods mentioned above should be used as substitutes while transitioning away from animal products, or as a treat to satisfy cravings of the flavours and textures we’ve grown accustomed to.
When looking at the prices of meat and dairy alternatives, it is important to consider the cost of products in terms of impact as well. For example, it costs less to make mock-meat directly out of plants, than to feed plants to animals first and then use those animals. Check out the environment impact of one glass of different milks in this BBC article Climate Change: Which Vegan Milk Is Best?
Vegan on a budget
There is no denying that a whole-food vegan diet is the more affordable, and much healthier way to eat. A whole-food plant-based diet focuses on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined ingredients.
In addition to all the fruits and vegetables, whole-food staples include –
Grains –
Rice
Pasta (including bean pasta)
Buckwheat
Quinoa
Oats
Nuts & Seeds –
Brazil
Almonds
Pistachios
Walnuts
Cashews
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Pantry Items –
Lentils
Chickpeas
Kidney Beans
Black Beans
Butter Beans
Tinned Tomato
Spices –
Garlic
Onion
Paprika
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Cumin
Ginger
Oregano
Rosemary
Fridge & Freezer Items –
Tofu
Hummus
Fruits
Vegetables
Final tip
Remember to always check product labels for any sneaky animal-derived ingredients, and especially if you have any allergies whatsoever. On most labels, you will notice a “may contain” warning beneath the ingredients, usually “may contain milk and/or eggs”. This means the item has been produced in a factory that also produces animal products, so there may possibly be traces – as long as the ingredients are plant-based, this is okay, unless there is an allergy concern.
Comment below with your favourite plant-based item you’ve found at the supermarket. If you need recipe inspiration, check out Vegan Easy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas.
Stay safe and healthy, everyone! Look out for one another. Understand that the current shopping restrictions on the number of items you can buy are to make things fairer for everybody. Why not use this time as an opportunity to peruse items that might be outside of your usual shopping cart? You might discover your new favourite ice-cream, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, actually happens to be plant-based!
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Ari Feldmann