Nowadays, more and more people are interested in plant-based food and various vegan alternatives to foods of animal origin. But what vegan foods are available on the market today? How do they differ from traditional products? In this article, we take a look at the diverse options that await us both in our own kitchen and when shopping.
meat substitutes
There are now a variety of vegan meat alternatives on the market, such as tofu, seitan, tempeh, soy and pea protein. These products are often very similar in taste and consistency to their animal counterparts. They can be used as a substitute in almost all dishes.
milk substitutes
There are also many vegan alternatives to dairy products such as soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, hemp milk, and pea milk. These milk substitutes are usually rich in nutrients. They can be enriched with calcium and therefore offer a good alternative to cow's milk.
The taste of vegan milk varies depending on the type of nuts or seeds used to make it. Some brands add flavors like vanilla extract, while others contain no sweeteners at all. It's best to look for the "sugar-free" label when buying, but be careful: oats naturally contain sugar, and the fermentation process used to make oat milk converts the long-chain carbohydrates into complex sugars. Therefore, industrially produced oat drinks are not sugar-free and usually have a sweet taste.
egg substitutes
When it comes to eggs, there are a number of natural plant-based foods that have the same properties as eggs when cooking and baking. For baking, you can use a little banana puree, apple sauce, soy and chickpea flour or soaked linseed and chia seeds as a binding agent. The necessary fluffiness that egg whites bring when baking can be achieved just as well with sparkling water or whipped aquafaba - this is the thick cooking water from chickpeas or other legumes such as beans, which is also present in pickled fruit in a can or jar. Alternatively, a mixture of different binding flours or crushed seeds can be used to bind and loosen cakes and pastries in addition to vegan egg substitutes.
cheese substitutes
Cheese, which is an essential part of many people's diet, can now be replaced by all kinds of vegan cheese. From classic sliced or grated cheese to vegan feta (Veta) and Camembert (Vamembert) and even vegan Parmesan. Vegan cheese is usually made from nuts such as cashews and almonds or based on coconut oil and is a good source of protein. The products have similar properties to their animal counterparts and are suitable for a variety of dishes.
confectionery
Ice cream, cookies, chocolate, gummy bears, etc. can also be found in a variety of vegan forms. These products are just as delicious as their animal counterparts and are a good choice for vegans and anyone who wants to avoid animal products. Despite the plant-based ingredients, however, attention should be paid to the sugar content of the products when it comes to sweets.
Conclusion : Today, there are a variety of vegan alternatives for almost all areas of nutrition, which enable vegans to have a varied and healthy diet without having to forego the most well-known pleasures of animal products. Regardless of whether animal products are avoided for ethical, health or ecological reasons - there are enough options for everyone.
Which vegan products can be found on the market?
Vegan milk alternatives
Vegan milk is usually made from soy, grains, nuts or seeds. The most commonly used vegan milks are soy and oat milk, as they are relatively inexpensive and have a creamy consistency - similar to cow's milk. However, there are also many other nut or grain-based milk alternatives such as almond milk, cashew milk, spelt drink, rice drink or a combination of different plant-based milks.
Almost all plant drinks can be easily made at home . With oat milk, this is particularly easy, either from soaked oats or in just a few minutes from oat flakes .
If you would rather buy a ready-made plant milk: We think drinks from Velike! are particularly cool, as their 100% organic oats grow in the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg. Velike! has fresh and long-lasting oat milk in various varieties, cooking cream, oat yoghurt and now even oat ice cream in various varieties. Summer can come :)
Vegan cheese
The consistency of vegan cheese obviously depends on the type and ingredients. Some are softer than others, so not every type is suitable for every recipe - just like cheese made from cow's, sheep's or goat's milk. Vegan cheese can be used wonderfully in many dishes such as lasagne, casseroles or even for cheese spaetzle.
Our favourite for grated cheese is definitely the SimplyV Grated Cheese . Made from almonds, it melts perfectly on pizza, gratins or simply directly on pasta and also creates a lovely crust - Mmm?
Thanks to the V egan Creamery Newroots , you no longer have to do without raclette cheese and cheese fondue . The two founders from Switzerland did not want to give up their great passion for cheese, but at the same time wanted to protect the rights of animals. They therefore decided to produce plant-based cheese without keeping animals. Their handmade organic cheese products based on cashew nuts have "an estimated ten times lower environmental impact than cheese of animal origin" ( New Roots) . We definitely think that's sustainable!
If you love raclette as much as we do and want to find out more about the different vegan raclette cheeses on the market, take a look at Stephie's raclette cheese guide. Or you can simply make your own raclette cheese spread from cashews, potatoes, carrots, yeast flakes and milk, which melts beautifully in the pan. A simple vegan yeast spread is also great for baking oven dishes :)
vegan yogurt
Vegan yogurt is usually made from soy, oats or coconut and can be used as a substitute for dairy yogurt. Vegan yogurts are a rich source of protein, calcium and vitamin B12. Whether in muesli, with fruit, for baking, as a creamy topping or simply on its own - vegan yogurt is now in no way inferior to yogurt made from cow's milk! For fruit yogurt or chocolate lovers, vegan yogurt is of course also available in a wide variety of flavors such as cherry, mango & co. as well as vanilla, chocolate or even stracciatella.
The range of vegan yoghurts is huge - their production and taste vary accordingly. Sojade yoghurts are currently our favorites in terms of taste. The natural soy yoghurt tastes heavenly mild and creamy - almost enough to sink your teeth into ;) And Sojade even offers alternatives for quark lovers in various flavors.
If you want to enjoy something more regional, try Luve's yoghurts, which are made from local lupine seeds from Germany (more precisely from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) that are very easy to grow. In terms of land requirements, water and CO2 consumption, sweet lupine compares more than well with cow's milk and other types of grain and nut. The lughurts are available plain or in various flavors, and you can even enjoy chocolate or vanilla desserts made from lupine.
Vegan butter
Vegan butter substitutes usually consist of vegetable oils such as sunflower or rapeseed oil, coconut or shea butter or even oats. Palm oil is often added to the spread, although oil palm plantations are ecologically and socially and ethically very questionable . So it's best to make sure you buy palm oil-free vegan butter. Vegan butter can be used for cooking and baking just like butter made from cow's milk or margarine. There are many different types of vegan butter, including whipped butter or butter refined with salt. The Allgäukind overview shows you many delicious vegan butters and various palm oil-free alternatives.
WE like the spreadable and unbeatable taste of The Vegan Cow's oat block best on bread. It is 100% organic and palm oil-free, made from climate-friendly German oats and packaged in plastic-free paper. That's how we like it!
Another vegan brand we love is VeHappy . From yogurt, butter, cheese, cookies and chocolate to bratwurst and burgers, you'll find everything your heart desires from VeHappy. Look out for it next time you visit Edeka :)
As you can see, there are an almost endless number of vegan alternatives to a wide variety of products on the market today. And the best thing about them is that they taste great! So if you want to change your diet or just try something new, you should definitely try them out ?
