Vegan Meat Alternatives

Meat substitutes come in handy for easy meals that require minimal preparation. Use deli slices to make a vegan club, put "meatballs" into your spaghetti, add "chick'n" to your stir-fry, or wake up to a breakfast of vegan sausage and bacon. There are substitutes for deli slices, meatballs and ground meat, poultry, bacon, and sausage. The trouble is choosing which is best for you with all the options available. This guide is here to help you to nutritionally compare some products on the market to make the best choice for your dietary needs.

Deli Slices

Lightlife, Yves, Tofurky, and Field Roast have provided vegans and meat eaters alike with the means to make sandwiches with "meat." The analogs are fairly low in calories, ranging from 50-110 per serving, and offer classic flavors like turkey, ham, bologna, pepperoni, and salami. Although they are not organic, Lightlife, Tofurky, and Field Roast are all made with non-GMO soy. The average serving size is 4 slices (about 2 ounces), not including the outlier of 13 slices (1 ounce) for Tofurky's Pepperoni. They are all low in carbohydrates with the highest level in Tofurky's Italian Deli Slices at 7 grams per 5 slices and the lowest level in Yves Bologna at 2 grams per 4 slices. The substitutes have an average of 2 grams of fat per serving and a negligible amount of saturated fat. The average protein per serving is 13 grams, which is similar to the protein in a serving of oven-roasted turkey lunch meat, which has 11 grams of protein. If you are avoiding gluten, meatless deli slices are not for you. These products are all derived from wheat, but there are some gluten-free options in other substitutes highlighted in this guide.

Meatballs and Ground Meat

Here at The Vegetarian Resource Group, we had the pleasure of tasting Beyond Meat's Italian and Swedish Meatballs. Our senior editor, Samantha Gendler, served them over spaghetti squash with tomato sauce to her non-vegan friends who couldn't tell the difference. These meatballs are made with pea protein so they can be used by those with gluten or soy allergies. The average serving size for meatless meatballs is four. They range from 90-200 calories per serving and average 13 grams of protein. Amy's is the only organic offering and Nate's are made with non-GMO soy. The average fat content is 7 grams and each has a negligible amount of saturated fat.

Meat crumbles, or ground "meat", come in different forms. Many are made to be added to dishes like chili, spaghetti, or tacos, but some can be molded into burgers or meatballs. Neat and Beyond Meat both offer gluten-free and soy-free products that can be shaped into different forms. Neat's products are made with pecans, so those with nut allergies should be mindful. Match's crumbles are gluten-free as well and Upton's are made with non-GMO soy. Per 1.5-ounce serving, Match has the fewest calories at 46 calories and Neat's Mexican Mix has the most calories at 235 calories.

Poultry Substitutes

This was by far the largest category of meat substitutes. Brands from MorningStar to Gardein to Simply Balanced offer vegan chicken to consumers. With flavors such as Teriyaki, Kung Pao, Barbeque, and Thai Basil, it's almost impossible not to find a poultry analog that fits your taste. These also come in different shapes such as tenders, wings, nuggets, patties, strips, and even half of a vegan chicken. Nutritional value varies greatly due to the wide range of products and options. Tofurky, Gardein, Beyond Meat, Lightlife, and Vegetarian Plus are all made with non-GMO soy. Tofurky's Lightly Seasoned Slow Roasted Chick'n has the highest fat content at 22 grams per 3.2-ounce serving compared to Lightlife Smart Chick'n Strips, which have 0 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving. The substitutes are all low in saturated fat. Please note that other than Smart Chick'n Strips, other Lightlife's Chick'n products are not vegan because they contain egg.

Bacon Slices and Sausage

As a vegan, one of the questions I'm asked most frequently is whether or not I miss bacon. I don't miss anything, except maybe the convenience, but that seems to be changing, especially with the addition of these meat substitutes. Yves even offers a Canadian Bacon substitute. These bacon analogs are all derived from wheat and soy sources. Lightlife, Tofurky, and Upton's are all made with non-GMO soy. The aforementioned brands, with the addition of Yves, all have a small amount of fat averaging 1 gram per 3-slice serving and a negligible amount of saturated fat. Three slices of veggie bacon have 60-80 calories and average around 12 grams of protein. Compare that to the nutritional value of three slices of pork bacon at 160 calories, 12 grams of fat, 11 grams of protein, and 4 grams of saturated fat and you have yourself a much healthier replacement.

As for sausage, SoL Cuisine is the only gluten-free option and is made with non-GMO soy. Other brands made with non-GMO soy are Tofurky, Lightlife, Field Roast, and Gardein. The analogs highest in calories are Tofurky Italian and Tofurky Andouille, both at 270 calories per 3.5-ounce serving. Lightlife Gimme Lean, SoL Cuisine Patties, and 365 Everyday Patties all contain 60 calories per 2-ounce, 1.3-ounce, and 1.3-ounce serving, respectively. Tofurky Beer Brats and Italian have the highest fat content at 13 grams per 3.5-ounce serving and Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage has the lowest at 0 grams per 2 oz serving. The average saturated fat content was negligible. Please note that Lightlife's Smart Sausages are not vegan because they contain egg.