Best vegan foods, tried and tested

For more unbiased expert buyer’s guides, visit our reviews section to find over 200 round-ups, including best vegan cookbooks and more taste test of the best vegan cheese, gluten-free bread and high-protein snacks.

Best vegan foods at a glance

• Best vegan bacon: La Vie Plant-Based Bacon (£3.50)
• Best vegan pizza: Crosta & Mollica Vegana Sourdough Pizza (£5.25)
• Best vegan biscuits: Nairn’s Mixed Berries Oat Biscuits (£1.40)
• Best vegan creme fraiche: Oatly! Creamy Oat Fraiche (£1.60)
• Best vegan cupcakes: Oggs Mini Vanilla Cupcakes (£3.95)
• Best vegan chocolate cake: Lazy Day Celebration Chocolate Cake (£7.50)
• Best vegan jerky: Kings Veggie Jerky (£1.50)
• Best vegan tiffin: Lazy Day Chocolate Tiffin (£2.25)
• Best plain vegan mayo: The Vurger Co. Original Vegan Mayo (£2.95)
• Best flavoured vegan mayo: Hellmann’s Vegan Garlic Mayo (£2.60)
• Best vegan chicken: Eatplanted Lemon & Herb Chicken Alternative (£5.29)
• Best vegan sweets: Free From Fellows Gummy Bears (£1.30)
• Best vegan hot chocolate: Knoops 38% Oat M*lk Chocolate Flakes (£10.95)
• Best vegan custard: Oatly! Whippable Vanilla Custard (£1.20)
• Best vegan ‘cheese’ sauce: The Vurger Co. Spicy Cheezy Vegan Sauce (£3.75)
• Best vegan egg substitute: Oggs Eggs Alternative Aquafaba (£1)
• Best vegan flavoured yogurt: The Coconut Collab Mango & Passion Fruit Coconut Yog (£2.75)
• Best vegan ice cream: The Coconut Collab Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream (£4)
• Best vegan doughnuts: Doughnut Time The Good Times 6-pack (£25)
• Best vegan ‘chicken’ nuggets: Quorn Nuggets (£2.50)
• Best vegan white sauce: Sacla Vegan Cheese Sauce (£2.50)

Best vegan foods to try 2023

La Vie Plant-Based Bacon

• Available from Sainsbury’s (£3.50), Waitrose (£3.50)

Best vegan bacon
Rating: 5/5

We don’t just love this meat-free bacon for its fabulous packaging, what’s inside is even better. The thin streaky strips of soya protein look like bacon, feel like bacon and taste just like bacon. Once fried in a little oil, the pieces go nicely crisp and golden brown. Perfect for sticking in a sarnie, cooking into carbonara or eating as part of a veggie fry-up.

Available from:

Sainsbury’s (£3.50)
Waitrose (£3.50)

Crosta & Mollica Vegana Sourdough Pizza

• Available from Waitrose (£5.25)

Best vegan pizza
Rating: 5/5

It was love at first bite when we tried this veggie-topped pizza. The sourdough base is nicely chewy and wood-fired to give a charred flavour, as you would usually get in a restaurant. Impressively, the broccoli still had al dente bite after cooking. And to replace the cheese? A smooth, creamy sauce made with chickpeas and rosemary – genius. Even the meat-eaters among us would pick up this pizza again. Available in regular pizza size or in the slightly smaller pizzettas that we tried and thoroughly enjoyed for lunch.

Available from:

Waitrose (£5.25)

Nairn’s Mixed Berries Oat Biscuits

• Available from Ocado (£1.40), Holland & Barrett (£1.65)

Best vegan biscuits
Rating: 5/5

Satisfyingly crunchy with a hearty texture from the oats, these are what we call a proper biscuit. Strong enough to be dunked in tea without crumbling (if that’s your thing) or delicious eaten as they are, studded with tangy dried raspberries and cranberries. What’s more, they contain 40% less sugar than the average sweet biscuit. Impressive stuff.

Available from:

Ocado (£1.40)
Holland & Barrett (£1.65)

Oatly! Creamy Oat Fraîche

• Available from Ocado (£1.60), Sainsbury’s (£1.60)

Best vegan creme fraîche
Rating: 4/5

Don’t be thrown off by the texture, which is closer to a set natural yogurt. This vegan alternative stirs into a smooth, creamy texture that’s perfect for adding to sauces or dolloping onto puddings. The taste is lightly sour, as you might expect, and not at all oaty.

Available from:

Ocado (£1.60)
Sainsbury’s (£1.60)

Oggs Mini Vanilla Cupcakes

• Available from Ocado (£3.95), Sainsbury’s (£3.95), Tesco (£3.95)

Best vegan cupcakes
Rating: 4.5/5

These little treats taste as good as they look. Moist, light and fluffy vegan sponges are topped with a dairy-free buttercream and a good scattering of colourful rainbow sprinkles for a nostalgic treat that will bring a smile to the faces of kids and adults alike.

Available from:

Ocado (£3.95)
Sainsbury’s (£3.95)
Tesco (£3.95)

Lazy Day Celebration Chocolate Cake

• Available from Sainsbury’s (£7.50)

Best vegan cake
Rating: 3.5/5

Chocolate lovers, form an orderly queue. For a cake that’s gluten-, dairy- and egg-free, this delicious cake is surprisingly decadent. The rich chocolate sponge, made with Belgian chocolate for a nice, deep flavour, is generously topped with chocolate buttercream.

Available from:

Sainsbury’s (£7.50)

Kings Veggie Jerky

• Available from Ocado (£1.50)

Best vegan jerky
Rating: 3.5/5

Once you’ve tried this delicious snack from popular jerky brand Kings, you may never go back to the meaty version. They’ve taken everything they know about making delicious, succulent jerky and applied it to pieces of vegetable protein. The texture is just right and every bite is coated in a sweet, peppery black bean sauce.

Available from:

Ocado (£1.50)

Lazy Day Chocolate Tiffin

• Available from Ocado (£2.25)

Best vegan tiffin
Rating: 4/5

Going vegan doesn’t mean you have to miss out on afternoon treats. When you need a little pick-me-up, try one of these gluten-, dairy- and egg-free tiffins made with dark chocolate, sultanas and pieces of biscuit. We must admit, they don’t have quite the same rich flavour as the non-vegan versions, but they did satisfy our sugar cravings. And they got the full approval of the four-year old son of our associate editor, Amanda – we think that speaks volumes.

Available from:

Ocado (£2.25)

The Vurger Co. Original Vegan Mayo

• Available from Ocado (£2.95)

Best plain vegan mayo
Rating: 4/5

Finding a replacement for mayo was a challenge. However, we think this creamy original sauce from vegan burger brand The Vurger Co. is a great option. It’s spreadable, not too oily and the flavour is neutral enough to add to sandwiches, burgers, wraps... and just about everything else can think of. Plus, it’s gluten-, nu-t and soya-free.

Available from:

Ocado (£2.95)

Hellman’s Vegan Garlic Mayo

• Available from Ocado (£2.60), Sainsbury’s (£2.60)

Best flavoured vegan mayo
Rating: 3.5/5

There’s a time and a place for garlic mayo, but if we’re going to have it we’d like it to be the good stuff. Hellmann's plant-based version is surprisingly thick and creamy, with a noticeable hit of garlic. It would be a delicious addition to wraps or jacket potatoes.

Available from:

Ocado (£2.60)
Sainsbury’s (£2.60)

Eatplanted Lemon & Herb Chicken Alternative

• Available from Planet Organic (£5.29)

Best vegan chicken
Rating: 5/5

This vegan chicken alternative really got us talking. Created using pea protein, the texture and flavour are so similar to regular chicken breast, we think you’d struggle to tell the difference. If anything, we thought this was tastier, thanks to the golden, crispy crust that forms after frying. We’ve tried a lot of spongy meat alternatives in the past and this is far superior. Add it to stir-fries, curries, wraps, sandwiches, pittas, salads – the possibilities are endless. There’s a plain option too, though we loved the garlicky, herby flavour of this one.

Available from:

Planet Organic (£5.29)

Free From Fellows Gummy Bears

• Available from Sainsbury’s (£1.30), Boots (£1.50), Holland & Barrett (£1.99)

Best vegan sweets
Rating: 5/5

Chewier than regular gummy bears, but well received by all the sweet-lovers on our team. As with all the Free From Fellows products, these are gelatine-, gluten- and sugar-free, and made with natural colours and flavours. We also enjoyed the vegan strawberry mallows (made without egg white) and rhubarb & custard sweets.

Available from:

Sainsbury’s (£1.30)
Boots (£1.50)
Holland & Barrett (£1.99)

Knoops 38% Oat M*lk Chocolate Flakes

• Available from Knoops (£10.95)

Best vegan hot chocolate
Rating: 5/5

It was love at first sip when we tried this indulgent oat milk hot chocolate. Made with toasted oats and single origin chocolate, it’s worlds apart from the powdered version most of us have at home. The chocolate comes in chunky flakes which, when whisked into hot, dairy-free milk, melts to create a rich, velvety smooth drink. It is considerably more expensive than supermarket hot chocolate, but we consider this a very special treat.

Available from:

Knoops (£10.95)

Oatly! Whippable Vanilla Custard

• Available from Ocado (£1.20), Tesco (£1.20)

Best vegan custard
Rating: 4/5

This has all the vanilla flavour of proper custard, minus the dairy. Yes, it does mean it’s a little thinner (more like the consistency of double cream) than usual, but this pleasing alternative had us craving apple crumble immediately. We didn’t notice any difference after whipping, so we’d recommend skipping this step and pouring straight into a jug before drizzling generously all over your vegan pud of choice. If you need any sweet ideas, check out our vegan dessert recipes.

Available from:

Ocado (£1.20)
Tesco (£1.20)

The Vurger Co. Spicy Cheezy Vegan Sauce

• Available from Ocado (£3.75)

Best vegan ‘cheese’ sauce
Rating: 3.5/5

For those who are more used to consuming classic cheese products, the taste of this vegan sauce might be a little strong. However, vegan testers found it to have an enjoyable taste, a good hit of spice and a texture that’s perfect for drizzling over chips and nachos.

Available from:

Ocado (£3.75)

Oggs Egg Alternative Aquafaba

• Available from Asda (£1), Ocado (£2)

Best vegan egg substitute
Rating: 3.5/5

If you still haven’t tried using aquafaba (the water from canned chickpeas) in your baking, we urge you to pick up this clever product from Oggs. A 200ml carton is equivalent to four eggs. It whips to a velvety smooth consistency and will even form stiff peaks. We whisked it with sugar to make meringues and found ourselves licking the spoon in disbelief at its similarity to egg whites. Try it in our vegan meringue recipe.

Available from:

Asda (£1)
Ocado (£2)

The Coconut Collab Mango & Passion Fruit Coconut Yog

• Available from Sainsbury’s (£2.75), Planet Organic (£2.90), Waitrose (£2.90)

Best vegan flavoured yogurt
Rating: 5/5

Don’t be put off by the slightly scrambled texture when you open the tub, this tasty yogurt just needs a little a stir before you dive in. We enjoyed the tropical vibe that comes from the coconut, passion fruit and juicy pieces of mango. However, if you prefer something more simple, we think you’ll love The Coconut Collab’s smooth natural yogurt.

Available from:

Sainsbury’s (£2.75)
Waitrose (£2.90)
Planet Organic (£2.90)

Best dairy-free milk

The Coconut Collab Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream

• Available from Sainsbury’s (£4)

Best vegan ice cream
Rating: 4.5/5

Lots of the vegan ice creams we tried had an unsatisfying airy, whipped texture – not this one. This rich pot of dairy-free goodness from The Coconut Collab is just want you want in a vanilla ice cream. Scoop it on puds or eat straight from the tub, either way you’ll be impressed.

Available from:

Sainsbury’s (£4)

Doughnut Time The Good Times Vegan 6-pack

• Available from Doughnut Time (£25)

Best vegan doughnuts
Rating: 5/5

A box of pure happiness, these vegan doughnuts are light, fluffy and made with the sort of nostalgic toppings and generous fillings you dreamed of as a child. There’s classic jam, red velvet with cookies and cream buttercream, blueberry cheesecake and double chocolate with colourful sprinkles. Our team favourites were The OG, a simple glazed doughnut, and David Hasselhoff, a Biscoff-filled beauty that comes with a whole biscuit.

Available from:

Doughnut Time (£25)

Quorn Nuggets

• Available from Asda (£2.50), Ocado (£2.50), Sainsbury’s (£2.50)

Best vegan ‘chicken’ nuggets
Rating: 4/5

If what you’re craving is a proper chicken nugget, these crispy bites from plant-based experts Quorn should do the trick. Several members of our team strongly felt that these could replace regular nuggets, due to the similar texture and coating. Dunk in tomato sauce and enjoy.

Available from:

Asda (£2.50)
Ocado (£2.50)
Sainsbury’s (£2.50)

Sacla Vegan Cheese Sauce

Best vegan white sauce
Rating: 4/5

While this silky smooth sauce doesn’t have quite the ‘cheesy’ hit we expected, it was an excellent replacement for white (or bechamel) sauce when making dairy-free lasagne. It would also work well simply stirred through pasta. The taste and texture are neutral enough that you can add whatever other vegan ingredients you fancy.

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What’s your favourite vegan product or recipe? Let us know in the comments below...

This review was last updated in December 2022. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.