The Best Vegan Products You Can Buy, According to Pros

Creamy, gooey, melty, and cheesy describe the wonderful world of butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. And then there’s meaty, juicy, chewy, and so satisfying for burgers, fried chicken, nuggets, and steaks. I’m talking about vegan products—thank goodness for the growing community of vegans and vegetarians that demand products that taste delicious and are worthy of our hard-earned dollars. Vegan products have been pushing the boundaries of the plant kingdom. There are so many delicious options out there.

However, not all plant-based products are created equal and there are new vegan products that join the market every day. It can be challenging to know which are the very best. So we asked vegan chefs, writers, product developers, founders of plant-based businesses, and cookbook authors to tell us which vegan goods they swear by and why.

The responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Best European-Style Butter

Miyoko’s Creamery
Alicia Kennedy, Food & Drink Writer

“My favorite vegan dairy product is Miyoko's Creamery cultured butters, whether the European-style blocks made with fairly sourced cashews or the oat milk tubs that are safe for those with nut allergies. (Nut allergies are sorely overlooked in the vegan dairy arena!) Whenever I'm home on Long Island, I like to pick some up to put on a toasted bagel for a nostalgic flavor, and I also use it for making dairy-free buttercreams to decorate occasion cakes, as it works just like dairy.” 

Best Plant-Based Chicken 

Gardein Ultimate Chick’n Filets
Amy and Julie Luxemberg, Vibing Vegans

“Gardein Ultimate Chick'n Filets are crispy, juicy, and tender. They take us back to our Chick-Fil A-eating days—they're that good! We love having them in our freezer for anytime we're craving at-home vegan comfort food and they're the number one product we share with non-vegan friends.”

Best All-Purpose Yogurt

Culina Yogurt
Nisha Vora, Rainbow Plant Life 

"Culina Yogurt is the closest thing to dairy yogurt on the market. It's creamy and rich, with a tart, tangy flavor, just how yogurt should taste. It's also made with minimal ingredients. I love using it to make savory yogurt sauces like raita to cool down a spicy curry or tzatziki to pair with some zucchini fritters."

Best Plant-Based Heavy Cream

Earth’s Own
Laura Wright, The First Mess

“I'm a big fan of Earth's Own Oat Cooking Cream. It has a rich, but nice and neutral flavor that is great for places where heavy cream would normally be used. I love it in creamy pastas, as a final add-in for soups, or even as a base for desserts. Sometimes I find cashew cream to be a bit rich or I'm cooking for guests with nut allergies. This product subs in perfectly every time.”

Best Vegan Aged Cheese

Darë Vegan Cheese
Ilona Kossof, Founder of 18 Chestnuts

“As a woman-owned plant-based soup manufacturer, we are always on the lookout for great plant-based toppings for our soups to suggest as topping suggestions for our customers. Our favorite is Darë Vegan Cheese. Besides being a fellow woman-owned company here in Asheville, their products are simply amazing. Darë was brought into existence by chef Gwendolyn Dare Hageman, who grew inspired by the limitations imposed by a meat and dairy-free lifestyle. She turned to the ancient tradition of cheesemaking and explored fermentation to coax flavor and texture from her plant-based creations. She cultivated a culture that, when married with cashews, exploded with flavor. What emerged was a passion for the food she was making, a hunger to make people happy, and the innovation to satisfy multiple palates.”

Best Vegan Non-Alcoholic Beverage

De La Calle Tepache
Dora Stone, Dora’s Table

“My favorite non-alcoholic drink is without a doubt De La Calle! Tepache. Tepache is a fruity fermented probiotic drink that has been made in Mexico for centuries. De La Calle does a really good job at making a modern take on Tepache while honoring its Mexican roots. It is sweet, bubbly, tangy, and refreshing. My favorite flavor is Pineapple Spice.”

Best Cream Cheese for Bagels

Modern Kitchen
Ruby Sapia, Marketing Coordinator, Brave Robot

“I love the animal-free dairy space—there’s so much creativity and delicious food there! My current favorite is Modern Kitchen’s animal-free dairy cream cheese, specifically the Spring Onion + Chive is the best. The texture is so creamy most of my friends can’t tell it’s not dairy. The savory Spring Onion + Chive is super versatile, but my favorite way to eat is with a bagel from Boichick Bagels where I live in the Bay Area. They’re bagel experts, so you know it has to be good.”

Best Cheese for Pizza

Violife
Pinky Cole, Founder & CEO, Slutty Vegan

"Violife vegan mozzarella cheese is the "cheesiest" vegan cheese that tastes similar to regular cheese! Violife also has different variations of cheese for various dishes."

Best All-Purpose Butter

Earth Balance
Brian Manowitz, Vegan Black Metal Chef 

“Relatively cheap, incredibly good. Earth Balance Original Butter does everything. Available even in Walmart, it has been the vegan peoples’ butter and spread for a while now."

Best Meat Alternative Burgers

Mark & Spencers Plant Kitchen Vegan Steak Burgers
Luce Hosier, What Luce Eats

“For those that live across the pond in the U.K., M&S Vegan Steak Burgers are very meaty and much thicker than any other brand I've tried.” 

Best Plant-Based Queso

Fabalish
Marilyn Yang, Co-Founder and CEO, Fun-Gal Snacks of Popadelics

"Fabalish Plant Based Dips are the perfect pairing for Popadelics Crunchy Mushroom Chips and also the perfect vegan alternative for queso during football season or movie night! The creamy texture of Fabalish's dips is to die for and is the perfect complement to your favorite boldly flavored chips. I'm partial to pairing it with Popadelics Twisted Thai Chili."  

Best Vegan Ice Cream

Van Leeuwen Vegan Ice Cream
Andy Zambrano, Writer and Chef

“Van Leeuwen’s vegan ice cream is definitely my favorite. Their vegan options are pretty wide and they’re good at keeping a rotation of seasonals ready. Most vegan ice creams are made with coconut or cashews, and you can taste them in most other the brands. Sometimes you don’t want that—the flavor of the ice cream gets lost. Van Leeuwen does a pretty good job of masking the base so that the intended flavor shines through.”

Best Sliced Cheese

Boursin
Mike Galbo, CEO and Founder of Plant Provisions

“Boursin Dairy-free Garlic & Herb Cheese pairs perfectly with Plant Provisions Wild Truffle veggie slices. There is no sacrifice with this dairy-free version, it is every bit creamy as any dairy-based cheese, with Boursin's classic fresh garlic and herb flavor.”

Creamiest Non-Dairy Milk

Silk
Quillin Drew, co-owner Harrison Street Cafe

“When I’m in the mood for something really rich and smooth, I go for Silk Extra Creamy Oatmilk. It has the same amount of sugar as the original but a bit more fat. It’s a great partner for granola and turns an iced chai into something so luscious.”

Best Organic Non-Dairy Milk

Malk Organic
Tiff Pain, Owner and Chef, Vegan Bánh Mì Thảo

“A lot of non-dairy milks at grocery stores have added oils and gum to give them a creamier texture. Not Malk, which is organic and made with simple ingredients and no additives.” 

Best Vegan Frosting

Miss Jones
Emily Groden, Founder of Evergreen

“I have quite the sweet tooth and find myself gravitating toward dessert recipes. Because Evergreen is dairy-free, I usually pair our waffles with dairy-free toppings. One of my favorite combinations is spreading Miss Jones Cream Cheese Frosting on top of our Zucchini & Carrot or Pumpkin & Pecan waffles. Despite the healthier ingredient list, their frosting still tastes fluffy, creamy, and indulgent, especially if you take a couple extra minutes to whip it with a hand mixer! This is my better-for-you answer to a cake craving.”

Best Spreadable Cheese

Misha’s Kind Foods
Brittany Martin, Editor, Vegetarian Times

“Misha's Kind Foods makes their spreadable, non-dairy cheese in an array of tasty flavors, but I'm partial to the Seven Point Five. They blend spicy jalapeño and habanero chiles and sweet California strawberries into their signature cashew base. I use it like cream cheese on a toasted plain bagel or served with crackers and apple slices for dipping.” 

Best Non-Dairy Parmesan

Violife’s Just Like Parmesan
Zoë Lloyd Geller, Co-Founder, Fire Ox Foods 

“I love Violife's Parmesan sprinkled on top of our Mushroom Oat Risotto. I love how it adds a salty, umami flavor to any dish, just like the real thing.”

Best Non-Dairy Milk for Coffee

Minor Figures Barista Oat Milk
Sabeena Ladha, Founder and CEO, Deux Foods Inc

“Minor Figures Barista Oat Milk is insanely delicious and silky in my morning coffee, and it's better for the planet.”