My favorite vegan and gluten-free store-bought product alternatives to commonly used meat, dairy, and wheat ingredients. Add them to your shopping list!
I was on a phone call last week with a food brand client, when I had an epiphany.
I definitely can’t always say that about work calls, can you?
Anyway, before talking blog and business, we had a great chat about being plant-based.
She mentioned that she was consciously eating more plants, and I applauded her for trying out a plant-based meal every day.
We went on to talk about the incredible variety of vegan product alternatives that exist today.
“You know,” she mused out loud, “I wish there was a list that you could give me of which products are worth trying and which aren’t.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” I said.
So, guys, I went off and made that list, and I’m sharing it with you today.
In this post, I’m sharing My Favorite Vegan & Gluten-Free Product Alternatives to commonly used meat, dairy, and wheat ingredients.
I use these high-quality products with ingredient integrity on a daily basis, both in my everyday eats and recipe testing.
They’re great to have on hand in order to make vegan and gluten-free eating accessible and easy.
Check them out and add your favorites to your next grocery list!
Deliciously Dairy-Free
Cheese
- Kite Hill Cream Cheese: The best vegan cream cheese I’ve tried so far, made from almonds. It tastes just like the real thing!
- Violife Shredded Mozzarella Cheese and Violife Shredded Cheddar Cheese: These vegan shredded cheeses are great to use on homemade pizza and *really* melt!
- Violife Sliced Cheddar Cheese: These are great to melt on plant-based burgers, or to make grilled cheeses!
- Treeline Nut Cheese: Cashews make these decadent spreads super creamy! Serve as an appetizer with crackers, or add/bake them into dishes that call for feta or ricotta cheese.
Yogurt
- Lovve Lavva Original Yogurt: I love that this yogurt has no added sugar, but is lightly sweetened with bananas and coconut! Also, it’s made from pili nuts.
- Kite Hill Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt: Yogurt made from almonds! I love baking with this yogurt, making dressings, or serving in a breakfast bowl.
- Forager Cashew Yogurt: Creamy yogurt made from cashews. Same uses as above!
Milk
- Unsweetened Almond Malk: My favorite almond milk, that’s both dairy-free and vegan. It’s made with just 6 ingredients, without carrageenan and binders.
- Unsweetened Almond Malk Creamer: I love adding a splash to my coffee in the mornings!
- Edward & Sons Canned Coconut Milk: I always have cans of this coconut milk on hand for curries, desserts, or chia pudding.
Butter
- Earth Balance Organic Butter Spread and Earth Balance Organic Butter Sticks: I use this butter primarily for baking, especially when I’m mimicking a recipe that calls for regular butter.
Mayonnaise
- Primal Kitchen Vegan Mayo: Perfect for making chickpea salad sandwiches, or spreading on any lunch situation!
Sour Cream
- Kite Hill Greek Style Plain Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt: Yes, I realize that this product isn’t actually a sour cream, but I use it like one! Try adding a dollop to tacos or chili and tell me what you think!
Meatless Monday
Burgers
- Hilary’s Eat Well Veggie Burgers and Hilary’s Eat Well Sausage Patties: These delish patties are made from minimally processed ingredients. They are organic, vegan and free from common allergens. I always have some in the freezer!
- Foodie’s Original Artichoke Burger: These burgers are homemade in small batches with simple ingredients. The artichoke is the best!
Meat grounds
- Beyond Meat: The best meat crumbles I’ve tried so far, when you need a quick alternative to ground beef. They’re great anywhere you need ground protein!
Tofu/tempeh
- Lightlife Tempeh: This is my favorite brand of tempeh– I think the original flavor is the best!
- Nasoya Tofu: I always have a block of Extra-Firm tofu in the refrigerator for tofu scrambles, tofu steaks, and baked tofu cubes. I love that this one is organic!
Gluten-Free Breads, Pasta, Crackers, & More
Pizza
- Banza Chickpea Pizza Crust: Keep these vegan and gluten-free chickpea-based pizza crusts in the freezer for quick homemade pizza nights!
Tortillas
- Siete Almond Flour Tortillas: I love to heat these up on the stovetop for ~15-30 minutes on each side before serving as tacos!
- Siete Burrito Size Cassava Tortillas: These large burrito wraps are made from cassava flour! Heat them and roll them up.
- Food for Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas: I like to toast these corn tortillas to make tostadas or hard-shell tacos. The only ingredient is corn!
Pasta
- Chickapea Chickpea Pasta: This 1-ingredient pasta is made from chickpeas, so you can get your protein in while you eat your pasta!
- Tolerant Organic Lentil Pasta: Pasta made from lentils– how cool is that? Perfect in any pasta dish.
Waffles
- Blueberry Swapples: These waffles are paleo, vegan, gluten-free, and AIP-friendly! I love to toast and then serve them with nut butter and fresh fruit.
Crackers & Snacks
- Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers: These light “buttery” classic crackers are a staple in my house!
- Mary’s Gone Crackers SuperSeed Original Crackers: I love these crackers because they’re dense and “seedy”, without any added oils. They withstand thick dips like hummus and nut-cheese without breaking!
- Siete Sea Salt Tortillas Chips: These tortillas chips are addicting and made from cassava flour baked in avocado oil. Excellent with salsa and queso!
- Lesser Evil Himalayan Pink Salt Popcorn: The best vegan popcorn, popped in coconut oil and pink Himalayan sea salt. Perfect for movie nights!
- Lundberg Farms Thin Stackers Rice Cakes: I use these rice cake stackers anywhere I’d normally use bread! They’re dense and flat so you can load them up with nut butter and avocado.
Best Baking Essentials
Baking Flours
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Oat Flour: For those days when you *could* make your own oat flour, but are just feeling really lazy.
- Bob’s Red Mill Superfine Almond Flour: The best almond flour for gluten-free and grain-free baking, even no-baking!
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour: I use this flour in cakes and pastries where I’m not sure whether oat or almond flour will achieve the right consistency. This flour always does the trick!
- Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal: I always have this on hand to mix up my “flax eggs” as a dairy-free binder.
Chocolate
- Hu Kitchen Gems: I use these vegan and paleo baking and snacking chips in almost all of my recipes! They melt well and taste even better.
- Enjoy Life Foods Chocolate Chips: These are great to use when you need tiny chocolate chips, because they are available in mini size and they taste great!
- Endangered Species Oat Milk Dark Choc Chips: These chips are made from oat milk! Great for baking and no-baking, and melt beautifully.
- Alter Eco Super Blackout Dark Chocolate: My favorite extremely dark chocolate– try the Super Blackout if you’re into the cacao taste, like I am!
Baking Mixes
- Simple Mills Pancake Mix: Ideal for lazy weekend breakfasts when you don’t want to mix up your own pancake batter. Use flax eggs where the box calls for real eggs!
- Simple Mills Banana Bread: The best boxed banana bread I’ve ever tried! You can also bake this into muffins. Just sub in a flax egg for the real egg!
- Simple Mills Chocolate Cake Mix: For when you need to bake a vegan cake quickly and have no time to bake it without some help. Use flax eggs where the box calls for egg! Frost with Simple Mills Frosting.
Vitamins & Supplements
Vitamins
- Megafood B12 Gummies: My favorite daily vegan and gluten-free gummy, to get my daily dose of B12.
- Country Life B12 Gummies: These gummies are great for when you need a higher supplement of B12 to replenish your levels.
Protein Powders
- Tone It Up Vanilla Protein Powder and Tone It Up Chocolate Protein Powder: I’ve been using this protein powder for 6+ years. It has simple ingredients, great flavor, and can be used in smoothies, baking and more!
- ALOHA Vanilla Protein Powder and ALOHA Chocolate Protein Powder: I love that this protein powder is both all-natural and organic! They don’t use artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors in their products.
Dairy-Free Drinks
- Pop&Bottle Almond Milk Matcha Latte: I love to have these on hand for on-the-go mornings, when I only have time to grab and go. These single serve bottles have simple ingredients and are lightly sweetened with dates!
Very-Good Vegan Desserts
- Hail Merry Tarts: These are so good they should be illegal. I love breaking out a package from the fridge when I’m PMS-ing or need an edible hug.
- Free 2 Be Dark Chocolate SunButter Cups: For when you want a Reese’s Cup, but don’t want to feel like you ate one. These are amazing!
- Simple Mills Chocolate Chip Cookies: These kind of taste like Chips Ahoy, but the ingredient list is much, much better.
- Coconut Bliss Ice Cream: My favorite vegan ice cream, made from coconut milk and organic ingredients! Check out all of the flavors and grab a pint!
If you use any of these Vegan & Gluten-Free Product Alternatives in your recipes, please let me know!
I love to see your variations on recipes to make them yours with ingredients you have on hand.
Please share it with a friend if you think this information might help them, too.
For more recipe resources, check out my Easy Vegan & Gluten-Free Ingredients Substitutions and 75+ Plant-Based & Gluten-Free Pantry Recipe Guide!
Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.
Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later!
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XO Lauren
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