Meatless Monday: Plant-Based Pork Alternatives
It’s 2020 and there is a plant-based alternative for nearly every type of conventional meat-based product on Earth. Don’t believe me? Take a scroll through our favorite plant-based alternatives. Today we’re focusing on all of the plant-based alternatives to pork. Why? Because pigs are intelligent, innocent creatures, and we kill over 1.4 BILLION of them every year so humans can eat them for food.
What’s worse? With the recent slaughterhouse closures due to massive outbreaks of COVID-19 in processing facilities, over ten million healthy pigs are being killed via gas or guns and thrown in piles to rot. This tragic and significant waste of life does not need to happen. We can enjoy delicious food and thrive on plants.
If you’re looking for more inspiration to eat more plant-based, I highly recommend you watch Okja, a film by Academy Award winner Boon Jong Ho, that highlights the injustices and suffering in a fictional meat industry.
Plant-Based Pork Alternatives
BACON
Benevolent Bacon
Sweet Earth Foods’ Benevolent Bacon tops our list of plant-based bacons because of it’s complex flavor profile and thick texture. If you’re a fan of crispy bacon, we’d recommend going with Hooray Foods, or try making your own Rice Paper Bacon.
Hooray Foods
Hooray Foods’ plant-based bacon is gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free; made to look, cook, and taste like conventional bacon.
Bacon Seitan
Upton’s Naturals Bacon Seitan is a fantastic substitute for traditional bacon. Pan fry it an dadd to any of your favorite recipes or enjoy it alone!
Smart Bacon
Smart Bacon by Lightlife isn’t the best bacon alternative, simply because it’s more “fake” bacon than plant-based bacon. But, if you’re looking for something to replace bacon in a pinch, it will do the trick. Another good bacon-like alternative from Lightlife is their Smoky Tempeh Strips, which are less processed and more whole foods, plant-based friendly!
Bacon Strips
Morningstar Farms has been in the plant-based game for nearly 45 years, creating meatless variations of tradtional meat-based products. Thier bacon is good in a pinch, but not our favorite.
SAUSAGE
Field Roast
Field Roast’s artisanal grain meat sausages are some of the best in the business if you’re looking for a great alternative to sausage for pastas, grilling, gumbos, or any hearty dish that would typically include traditional meat-based sausage. They come in 3 incredible flavors: Italian, Mexican Chipotle, and Smoked Apple Sage.
Tofurky
Tofurky makes several varities of vegan sausage including: Spinach Pesto Plant-Based Artisan Sausage, Adouille Plant-Based Artisan Sausage, Italian Plant-Based Orginal Sausage, Kielbasa Plant-Based Orginal Sausage
Plant-Based Italian Sausage
Lightlife’s Plant-Based Sausage in the Italian flavor is an excellent gluten-free, soy-free plant-based sausage alternative for pastas, pizza, and more!
BREAKFAST SAUSAGE
Gardein
Gardein offers Breakfast Saus’age Patties in Spicy and Original flavors that are among our personal favorites because of their size, flavor, and texture.
Beyond Breakfast Sausage
Beyond Meat is taking over the plant-based and traditional meat industry. Their latest product launch, Beyond Breakfast Sausage, comes in two flavors: Classic and Spicy.
Alpha Patty
Everything you’ve ever wanted in a breakfast sausage patty!
Field Roast
Field Roast has both Breakfast Sausage Patties and Apple Maple Breakfast Sausage links. The patties are excellent for breakfast sandwiches, and the links are perfect on their own to accompany a breakfast plate or wrapped in a warm croissant.
Morningstar Farms
Enjoy Morningstar Farms Sausage Patties in three flavors: Original, Hot & Spicy, and Maple. Morningstar Farms also offers Veggie Breakfast Sausage Links!
Meatless Farm
Enjoy Plant-Based Sausage Patties and Plant-Based Breakfast Sausage Links from The Meatless Farm Co.
The Stallion
No Evil Foods’ The Stallion is the vegan company’s take on plant-based sausage and is an excellent replacement for traditional sausage.
CHORIZO
El Zapatista
No Evil Foods creates phenomenal plant-based meats, including their El Zapatista chorizo that’s loaded with spices adn ready to pack into tacos, chili, burritos, and more!
Spanish Smoked Chorizo
Abbot’s Butcher’s Spanish Smoked Chorizo is zesty and bright, perfect for breakfast dishes or enchiladas!
Soyrizo
El Burrito Soyrizo has 65% fewer calories and 80% less fat than tradtional animal-based chorizo. You can find this flavor-packed alternative at Safeway and many other grocery chains!
Chorizo Seitan
Looking for a oil-free version of the traditional ground sausge? Upton’s Naturals Chorizo Seitan is perfect for tacos, nachos, rice, or a breakfast scramble!
Soy Chorizo
Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo is the perfect plant-based way to replace animal-based chorizo in tacos, breakfast dishes, and enchiladas!
Chorizo Style Plant-Based Crumbles
If you’re looking for heartier chorizo crumbles, Tofurky’s Plant-based Crumbles are gluten-free, vegan, and full of flavor!
BRATWURST
Beyond Sausaage®
Beyond Meat’s Beyond Sausage® comes in two flavors: Brat Original and Hot Italian. Both are perfect for grilling, adding to pastas, turning into corn dogs, or anything you’d use traditional bratwurst sausage fo. The plant-based possibilites are endless!
Bratwurst Sausage
Field Roast’s Bratwurst Sausage is made using traditional sausage-making practices. Using grain meat, fresh vegetables, seasonings, and Elysian Brewing beer for the perfect plant-based sausage.
Beer Brats
Tofurky Beer Brats are great for barbecue season!
Lightlife Bratwurst
Lightlife Plant-Based Bratwurst Sausage is a great gluten-free, soy-free plant-based alternative to traditional bratwurst.
HOT DOGS
Frankfurters
Field Roast’s Frankfurters are our favorite plant-based take on this all American classic.
Smart Dogs® & Smart Dogs® Jumbo
Lightlife Smart Dogs® can be found in the produce or dairy aisle of most grocery store chains. They’re great for gilling or serving up with sauces for kids!
Jumbo Hot Dogs
Tofurky Jumbo Hot Dogs are the perfect base to top with all your favorite hot dog fixin’s!
CORN DOGS
Miniature Corn Dogs
Field Roast makes these delicious mini corn dogs that are perfect for snacking, game days, or a whole meal if you’re in one of those moods.
Morningstar Farms Corn Dogs & Mini corn Dogs
MorningStar Farms Corn Dogs are a simple way to replace traditional corn dogs and can be found in the freezer isle of most grocery stores.
PULLED PORK
The Pit Boss
The Pit Boss is No Evil Foods’ take on pulled pork. Smothered in scratch made barbecue sauce, the vegan pulled pork is slow smoked over real hickory wood for the ultimate plant-based pulled pork!
Upton’s Naturals Jackfruit
Upton’s Naturals Jackfruit is a delicious plant-based alternative to traditional pulled pork, coming from the versatile tropical fruit, jackfruit. Upton’s offers their jackfruit in several flavors: Sweet And Smoky, Original, Thai Curry, Chili Lime, and Bar-B-Que.
PEPPERONI
Italian-Style Pepperoni
Enjoy all the flavor of traditional pepperoni without all the dead animals. Sweet Earth Foods’ Italian-Style Pepperoni is great for pizzas, sandiwches, or anywhere you’d ususally use pepperoni!
ROAST
Ham Roasts
Tofurky’s Ham Roasts come in two varieties: Everyday Ham Roast and Ham Roast with Glaze. The perfect centerpiece for your holiday meal!
DELI HAM
Plant-Based Deli Slices
Tofurky makes plant-based Smoked Ham and Bologna deli slices, ready to eat out of the pack or heated up and piled high in a sandwich!
Harmless Ham
Sweet Earth Foods’ Harmless Ham is great for sandwiches orcharcuterie boards.
Plant-Based Deli Slices
Good & Green’s Italian made deli slices come in four varieties: Veggie Prosciutto, Veggie Carpaccio, Lupini Beans, and Spicy
PIZZA BITES & POCKETS
Plant-Based Pockets
Tofurky makes plant-based Pepp’roni Pizza and Ham & Cheddar pockets!!! THAT’S HOT
Vegan Cheese Pizza Snacks
Hey Amy’s, thanks for making dreams come true!
Veggie Pepperoni Pizza & Sausage Bites
If you ever had Totino’s Pizza Rolls as a kid, MorningStar did us all a favor and made these childhood / stoner favorites completely vegan! Grab these goodies in the freezer section of grocery stores nationwide!
Pizza Pot Pie
Alpha Foods’ Handheld Pot Pies come in a variety of flavors, but pizza (obviously) takes the cake!
Pepperoni Pizza Pockets
Dreams come true! Gardein made us all plant-based pepperoni pizza pockets to enjoy!
PORK RINDS
PigOut
Outstanding Foods created Pigless Pork Rinds for all of your vegan chicharrones cravings in four flavors: Original, Texas BBQ, Nacho Cheese, and Hella Hot.
Vegan Cracklins
Beanfields has vegan chicharrones-style pork rinds in five flavors: Ranch, Aged White Cheddar, Korean BBQ, Chile Limon, and Spicy Nacho!
Lettuce know what we missed!
Got a favorite we didn’t mention? Tell us in the comments below.
At Kompas, we’re on a mission to make the World a better place for all living beings. One of the simplest ways to do that is to choose plant-based meals whenever you get the chance. We make it easier to do so by showing you all of the plant-based options at restaurants nearby with the Kompas app!
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