6 Exciting New Plant-Based Products You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
In our rapidly changing world, it’s difficult to stay on top of all the tantalizing new plant-based products making their way into the market. To help you keep up to date, we have compiled a list of six new vegan products that appeared while you were distracted.
Upton’s Naturals Banana Blossom Fish
Plant-based company Upton’s Naturals—known for its tasty jackfruit and seitan—is working on a vegan fish made with banana blossom. The new product promises to be an exciting and innovative take on plant-based seafood. Upton’s Naturals founder Dan Staackmann told FoodNavigator:
Right now, [banana blossom is] a waste item that doesn’t get used for anything. I’ve seen it fresh, minced up in some Thai dishes, or sold canned and brined, but it’s not widely available here. It has a light, delicate, flaky texture like fish, and works really well breaded and fried as a fish alternative.
While the banana blossom fish is not yet available, Upton’s Naturals plans to bring it to a Whole Foods near you soon.
Califia Farms Plant Butter
Earlier this month, vegan dairy brand Califia Farms launched two kinds of plant-based butter—olive oil with sea salt and avocado oil with sea salt—at Whole Foods. The line contains coconut oil, avocado, cashews, and tiger nut paste and is made without palm oil.
Smart Sweets Sweet Chews
Smart Sweets recently released its newest candy, Sweet Chews! Meant to mimic Starburst, but without the gelatin, these candies come in mango, strawberry, and watermelon. In a statement to ConfectioneryNews, Tara Bosch—who founded the company when she was just 21 years old—said:
We’ve spent hundreds of hours in our Candyland kitchen perfecting our new Sweet Chews and are excited to launch the first-ever low-sugar, plant-based chew in the market.
These bite-sized treats can be purchased from Smart Sweets’ website.
Coolhaus Dairy-Free Mini Cups
Dairy ice cream brand Coolhaus—which launched a vegan ice cream line with 13 flavors last year—just released single-serve mini cups. The tasty new treats come in three flavors: vanilla, cookie dough, and mint chip. Natasha Case, Coolhaus CEO and co-founder, told VegNews:
At Coolhaus we truly believe understanding and delivering to our core customers’ desires is our North Star. So, we created a product that continued to honor bringing the creamiest plant-based ice cream to the market, satisfying a need for portion control, and flavor-wise keeping with elevating and re-inventing classics.
Ice cream lovers can find the dairy-free mini cups at Whole Foods stores nationwide.
Pleese Foods Vegan Cheese
Entrepreneurs Kobi and Abev Regev’s plant-based cheese company, Pleese Foods, makes allergen-free cheese using white beans and potato proteins. Available in shreds and slices, flavors include mozzarella, sundried tomato, and southwestern chipotle. Kobi Regev stated:
We wanted to create an allergen-friendly plant-based cheese that was so good that kids couldn’t tell the difference, and I’m happy to say that in all our tests we found that when presented with a choice they usually prefer Pleese.
The cheese is currently being tested in pizzerias in Georgia, California, Illinois, Connecticut, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Massachusetts. But the company plans to make its products available online in July, with a retail launch to follow in the fall.
OmniFoods Lunch Meat
Innovative plant-based company OmniFoods just launched OmniPork, a vegan version of SPAM. The American meat product was brought to Asia during World War II and is still popular. The cruelty-free plant-based version is made with soybeans, wheat, beets, and coconut oil. OmniFoods founder David Yeung said:
Luncheon meat is a food that everyone in Asia has a love-hate relationship with. Eating isn’t just about filling up our stomachs and absorbing the daily nutrition we need. It’s also about satisfying our cravings. So I am very excited to finally provide a healthier plant-based alternative.
Yeung aims to help reduce meat consumption in Asia through his plant-based products. Currently, the company’s OmniPork is available at thousands of restaurants across the region, including over 4,000 Starbucks in China!
Excited to dive into the delicious world of plant-based eating? Get creative vegan meal ideas by ordering a FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide today, and check us out on Pinterest for even more recipes.
