So you’ve taken the Veganuary pledge and need a little supermarket inspiration? Whether you’re doing it for the animals, your health, or any other reasons, we’ve compiled a list of vegan supermarket essentials that should be on your shopping list!
Don’t feel that you need to rush out and buy all these right away. Simply use this as a guide to grow your Veganuary pantry. You’ll find all the inspiration you need for cooking with these ingredients within our Recipe section. Happy cooking!
Products marked with a ** are from non-vegan brands that offer vegan ranges, so be sure to check that the item is labeled vegan before you buy it!
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
No fridge is complete without an array of fruits and veggies. Here are a few of our faves:
- Bananas – a banana a day might not keep the doctor away, but they’re loaded with essential vitamins and minerals such as potassium, calcium, and iron.
- Spinach – add it to a sandwich, a salad, or blend up as part of a delicious breakfast smoothie!
- Sweet potato – a fantastic source of vitamin A, versatile and delicious, this nutrient-dense potato can be prepped in 101 different ways… sweet potato fries, anyone?
- Kale – A vegan superfood! (Along with other cruciferous vegetables.) An excellent source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals.
- Bell peppers – great raw, dipped in hummus or in a stir-fry.
- Mushrooms – get your B vitamins here!
- Berries – strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
- Avocados – a great source of healthy fats!
Any fruits and veggies are a good addition to your vegan shopping list!
PLANT-BASED MILKS
Soy, almond, rice, or oat milk? Supermarkets are packed with plant-based options these days, with a wide variety of flavors and textures for every palate. Oatly, Silk, So Delicious, Planet Oat, Califia Farms, Ripple, Almond Breeze; the list is endless!
Plus, many supermarkets are also creating their own-brand plant milks, which are often a cheaper, but just-as-tasty, option.
Here’s a round-up of some of our favorite brands of plant milk:
- Almond Breeze
- Califia Farms
- Elmhurst 1925
- Forager Project
- Good Karma
- Hope and Sesame
- Malk Organics
- Milkadamia
- NotCo
- Oatly
- Oatsome
- Pacific Foods**
- Planet Oat
- Rice Dream
- Ripple
- Seeds of Wellness
- Silk
- So Delicious
- Westsoy
- Supermarket-own labels such as Walmart and Whole Foods
Dairy-Free Buttery Spreads:
- Country Crock Plant Butter**
- Earth Balance
- Flora Plant Butter
- Forager Buttery Spread
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter It’s Vegan**
- Kite Hill Plant-Based Butter
- Melt Organic
- Milkadamia Buttery Spread
- Miyoko’s Creamery
- Violife Plant Butter
- WayFare Whipped
Dairy-Free Cheese:
Vegan cheese is now available in every shape and form. Cheddar, Parmesan, or Halloumi? Peppercorn, blue cheese, or cream cheese? Whatever your cheese, you’ll be sure to find a bunch of options down at your local supermarket.
These brands are offering amazing dairy-free alternatives to mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, and more:
- Babybel Plant-Based**
- Boursin Plant-Based**
- Core & Rind
- Daiya
- Field Roast Chao
- Follow Your Heart
- Forager Project
- Go Veggie**
- Good Planet Foods
- Kite Hill
- Miyoko’s Creamery
- Parmela Creamery
- Riverdel
- Siete Foods**
- So Delicious
- Tofutti
- Treeline
- Violife
- Wayfare
- Supermarket-own label such as Whole Foods and Target
Yogurts:
Whether you’re looking for a Greek yogurt alternative for your breakfast or a fruity-flavored treat, these brands should have you covered. The bases of the yogurt vary with each brand, but soy and coconut are common alternatives in plant-based yogurt:
- Chobani Non-Dairy**
- COYO
- Cocojune
- Daiya
- Follow Your Heart
- Forager Project
- Go-Gurt Dairy-Free by Yoplait**
- Kite Hill
- Nancy’s**
- Oatly Oatgurt
- Oui Dairy-Free by Yoplait**
- Siggi’s**
- Silk
- So Delicious
- Supermarket own brand
Mayonnaise:
- Chosen Foods Vegan Avocado Oil Mayo**
- Follow Your Heart Veganaise
- Hellmann’s Vegan Mayo**
- O’dang Egg-Free Mayo
- Primal Kitchen Vegan Mayo**
- Sir Kensington’s Vegan Mayo**
- Wicked Kitchen Vegan Mayo
Sweet Treats:
We’ve listed some of the best vegan chocolate, ice cream & dessert options below. Be sure to check out our list of favorite vegan chocolates for an inside scoop on the creamiest, most decadent chocolate options currently available in the US!
- Arctic Zero
- Ben & Jerry’s**
- Brave Robot
- Breyer’s Non-Dairy**
- Cado
- Cosmic Bliss
- Coolhaus**
- Daiya
- Häagen-Dazs Non-Dairy**
- Halo Top**
- JD’s Vegan
- Jeni’s**
- Klimon
- Magnum Non-Dairy**
- Nada Moo!
- Oatly
- Ripple
- Sambazon Fruit Bar
- So Delicious
- Talenti Dairy-Free Sorbetto**
- Tofutti
- Wicked Kitchen
- Wildgood
- Supermarket-own brand
PROTEIN
There’s so much choice when it comes to vegan sources of protein, whether you like whole foods, plant-based forms of protein, or meat-alternative products.
Meat-Replacements:
Here’s a quick summary of the meat-replacement brands available, which typically use seitan, peas, or soy as their base:
- Abbot’s Butcher
- Alpha Foods
- Beyond Meat
- Boca**
- Daring Foods
- Field Roast
- Gardein
- Good Catch
- Hungry Planet
- Lightlife
- Meatless Farm Co.
- Morningstar Farms**
- No Evil Foods
- OmniFoods
- Quorn**
- Sophie’s Kitchen
- Sweet Earth**
- Tofurky
- Upton’s Naturals
- Wicked Kitchen
- Supermarket-own label such as Target, Wegman’s, and Kroger
Plant-Based Proteins:
- Tofu: Extra firm for cooking or silken for sauces and desserts.
- Beans, Chickpeas & Lentils: Dried or canned beans such as kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans. Lentils are a wonderful ‘meat’ substitute in Bolognese, Shepherd’s Pie, and Lasagna.
- Seeds: Sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, chia, flax, etc.
- Nuts: Almonds, cashews, walnuts, Brazil, and pine nuts.
- Nut butters: Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, etc.
- Tempeh: Similar to tofu in that it is made from fermented soybeans but less popular in Western countries. It’s firmer than tofu with a stronger flavor.
- Quinoa: A grain that’s also a great source of protein
- Protein powders: Easy addition to your smoothies or cereal, or even bake it into desserts!
- Seitan: A high-protein meat alternative made from wheat gluten, sometimes called “wheat meat.”
GRAINS & CARBS
Grains such as rice, oats, and couscous are a great addition to your meal. Most pasta and bread are also vegan, but just keep an eye out on the ingredients list for eggs or milk if you’re unsure. Rice is tasty, quick to prep, and goes with almost anything. Many of the instant rice packs are also vegan.
COOKING & BAKING
Use these simple replacements to help you switch out the animal products in your cupboard:
- Agar agar: Vegan substitute for gelatin
- Nutritional yeast: A lovely cheesy flavor and great for vitamin B12
- Vegetable stock: Low-sodium options are also available.
- Vegetable bouillon (cubes, powder, or paste)
- Miso
- Oils: Extra Virgin Olive Oil is great for cooking, but there’s a range of vegetable oils at your disposal, including grapeseed and sunflower
- Egg Replacements: Flax seeds or chia seeds (one chia “egg” equals 1 tablespoon of seed to 2 tablespoons of water), also available from Follow Your Heart, Just Egg, and Bob’s Red Mill.
- Coconut oil: Good for replacing butter.
- Honey Replacements: Agave nectar, maple syrup, or date syrup.
- Blackstrap Molasses: Fantastic source of iron.
READY MEALS
Although the healthiest options usually involve cooking for yourself, sometimes we need a quick meal on a busy day! These brands offer healthy or indulgent convenient meals that can be ready in minutes:
- Annie Chun’s**
- Upton’s Naturals
- Amy’s Kitchen**
- Daiya
- Gardein
- Healthy Choice**
- Impossible Foods
- Purple Carrot
- Sweet Earth**
- Tattooed Chef**
- Tasty Bite
- Wicked Kitchen
- Supermarket-own labels, including Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s
SNACKS & DRINKS
- Beanfields chips
- Bobo’s
- Fit Joy
- From the Ground Up
- Lundberg rice cakes
- Hippeas
- Partake
- Skinny Pop white cheddar**
- Dried fruit
- Nuts and seeds
Want to see which vegan products other plant-based shoppers are loving? Check out Abillion.
Ready to take the pledge? Take part in Veganuary and try vegan with us. It’s free!
PAGE UPDATED NOVEMBER 2024
