Review: NUGGS Spicy Plant-Based Nuggets

If you're new to plant-based protein, vegan chicken nuggets are a less-intimidating option to start with. It seems like nuggets are easier to replicate because chicken nuggets are so processed anyway.

I tried Boca's chik'n nuggets a few years and they were pretty good. I heard some buzz about NUGGS and wondered how they would stack up.

The NUGGS website calls their plant-based nuggets, "The Tesla of Chicken" that are "engineered with the world's most advanced nugget technology." (It must be fun to work on their marketing team!)

I have to say these were even better than other vegan nuggets I've tried. They really nailed the outside crispy coating. I also love that the spicy version is actually spicy. About twice as spicy as Boca's spicy chik'n patties.

I went in skeptical and ended up craving these. The same thing happened to me with Tofurky plant-based deli slices.

Another unique thing about NUGGS is they're always improving the recipe and post the updates like a tech product's release notes. It's kind of cool to read through the releases and see what changes they've made over time. This review is for NUGGS 2.0.

NUGGS Spicy Plant-Based Nuggets ingredients: 

Water, Soybean Oil, Textured Wheat Protein, Soy Protein Concentrate, Breadcrumbs, Wheat Flour, Corn Flour, Wheat Protein Isolate, Yeast Extract, 2% or less of: Modified Food Starch, Corn Starch, Tapioca Dextrin, Sunflower Oil, Potato Starch, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Methylcellulose, Sea Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Calcium Chloride, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Paprika, Dextrose, Natural Flavors

Review: NUGGS Spicy Plant-Based Nuggets

First impressions: Smells good

Taste: Spicy, chicken-y flavor. Reminds me of Wendy's spicy chicken nuggets, although I haven't had those in a long time. 

Texture: Very crispy

Can you tell it's vegan? Maybe
Better than other vegan options? Yes

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Tofurky Oven Roasted Deli Slices

I tried Tofurky's hickory-smoked deli slices earlier this year and ended up craving it more than I expected. I tried their oven roasted deli slices next.

These were very similar to the hickory-smoked slices. I'd have to try them side-by-side to notice a difference.

Tofurky makes other flavors of vegan deli slices, but the oven roasted and hickory smoked are the ones I usually see in stores.

I've been eating these Tofurky slices the same way I used to make turkey sandwiches. I lightly cook them in a frying pan to warm them up, add mustard, and eat on a toasted hoagie roll. These would probably taste great on your favorite sandwich too!

Tofurky Oven Roasted Plant-Based Deli Slices ingredients:

Water, vital wheat gluten, organic tofu (water, organic soybeans,magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), expeller pressed canola oil, natural flavors, sea salt, contains less than 2% of onion, carrot, celery, garlic, leek, lemon juice concentrate, cornstarch, garbanzo bean flour, white bean flour, rosemary extract, calcium lactate, potassium chloride.

Review: Tofurky Oven Roasted Plant-Based Deli Slices

Taste: Similar to turkey

Texture: Similar to processed turkey deli meat

Can you tell it's vegan? Maybe
Better than other vegan options? Yes

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches

I loved the Alden's Dairy-Free ice creams that I tried (Muddy Brownie and Caramel Almond Crunch) so I wanted to try their ice cream sandwiches next.

These were so good.

Other vanilla vegan ice creams that I've tried tasted too much like soy or coconut. Usually chocolate or other strong flavors are better for dairy-free ice cream.

But not these. I don't taste any coconut, soy, or mystery aftertaste that would give it away as being vegan. I want to try a pint of their dairy-free vanilla ice cream next because it is so good in these ice cream sandwiches.

The cookie part is also incredible. It tastes just like the ice cream sandwiches I had as a kid. But somehow it doesn't stick to my fingers.

These are thicker than I expected and sometimes that can make it hard to bite into. But the cookie and ice cream are both soft enough to bite into without falling apart.

Alden's also makes Dairy Free Caramel Drizzle Round Sammies that I want to try soon.

Alden's Dairy Free Vanilla Bean Round Sammies ingredients:

FROZEN DESSERT: Dairy Free Frozen Dessert Blend* (Water, Cane Sugar*, Coconut Oil*, Tapioca Syrup*, Inulin*, Brown Rice*, Whole Oat Flour*, Acacia Gum*, Pea Protein*, Soy Lecithin*, Guar Gum*, Locust Bean Gum*), Natural Vanilla Flavor With Other Natural Flavors*, Ground Vanilla Beans*. COOKIE WAFERS: Wheat Flour*, Cane Sugar*, Palm Oil*, Caramel Color*, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Cocoa* (Processed With Alkali), Cane Syrup*, Soy Lecithin*, Salt, Baking Soda, Natural Flavor*. *Organic

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Vanilla Bean Round Sammies

Taste: Chocolate and vanilla from your childhood

Texture: Soft enough to bite into but doesn't fall apart 

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Does it look like the picture on the package? Yes, a little smaller though
Better than other vegan options? Yes

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Muddy Brownie

Another Alden's dairy-free ice cream I tried is Muddy Brownie. I love brownie pieces in ice cream and this did not disappoint. 

The texture was super creamy and easy to scoop. The brownie pieces are chewy and soft and there are a lot of them. 

This flavor was a little rich because of all the chocolate. I couldn't eat very much at a time. Maybe that's a good thing though.

I also tried Alden's Dairy Free Caramel Almond Crunch. They were both delicious and I would buy them again. 

The competition in vegan ice creams is heating up. I now have 3 brands that I consider a favorite: Alden's, NadaMoo, and So Delicious. 

Alden's Dairy Free Muddy Brownie ingredients:

Dairy Free Frozen Dessert Blend* (Water, Cane Sugar*, Coconut Oil*, Tapioca Syrup*, Inulin*, Brown Rice*, Whole Oat Flour*, Acacia Gum*, Pea Protein*, Soy Lecithin*, Guar Gum*, Locust Bean Gum*), Fudge Brownie Pieces* (Cane Sugar*, Wheat Flour*, Soybean Oil*, Water, Cocoa* (Processed with Alkali), Corn Starch*, Sunflower Lecithin*, Salt, Natural Vanilla Extract*), Chocolate Base* (Sugar*, Water, Cocoa* (Processed with Alkali), Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Salt).

*Organic

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Muddy Brownie

First impressions: Might have a new favorite

Taste: Rich and chocolatey

Texture: Creamy ice cream with chewy brownie pieces

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Does it look like the picture on the package? Yes
Better than other vegan options? One of the best.

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Caramel Almond Crunch

Alden's is an Oregon ice cream company known for traditional dairy ice cream. They recently came out with a line of vegan, dairy-free ice cream. They have 5 flavors of vegan pints plus non-dairy ice cream sandwiches. 

I tried two of their dairy-free ice creams: Caramel Almond Crunch and Muddy Brownie. 

I found these at Sprouts. You can use their website to see if a store near you carries them. Click "Select Specific Products" and check a non-dairy flavor because it looks like some stores only have their dairy flavors (for now).

The ice cream base of the caramel almond crunch has a buttery caramel taste and is so creamy. There's a crunchy texture from the tiny almond pieces. A swirl of sweet caramel is mixed throughout the ice cream. 

I loved the texture of both of the Alden's dairy-free ice creams I tried. Some vegan ice cream can be dense and not creamy. These both reminded me of old-fashioned ice cream from a mom and pop store. 

This is one of the more decadent vegan ice creams that I've tried. Another is So Delicious Salted Caramel Cluster. I can't say which is better. They're both very good and can satisfy your sweet tooth. 

Alden's Dairy Free Caramel Almond Crunch ingredients:

Dairy Free Frozen Dessert Blend* (Water, Cane Sugar*, Coconut Oil*, Tapioca Syrup*, Inulin*, Brown Rice*, Whole Oat Flour*, Acacia Gum*, Pea Protein*, Soy Lecithin*, Guar Gum*, Locust Bean Gum*), Non-Dairy Caramel* (Tapioca Syrup*, Water, Cane Sugar*, Pea Protein*, Natural Flavor*, Salt, Coconut Oil*, Pectin), Chocolate Chips* (Unsweetened Chocolate*, Cane Sugar*, Palm Kernel Oil*, Cocoa Butter*, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Extract*), Roasted Almonds*, Caramel Base* (Sugar*, Water), Sea Salt, Natural Caramel Flavor*, Annatto Extract* (Color).

*Organic

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Caramel Almond Crunch

First impressions: Wow, this looks good.

Taste: Buttery caramel ice cream with a sweet caramel swirl

Texture: Creamy ice cream with crunchy almond pieces

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Does it look the like the picture on the package? Yes
Better than other vegan options? One of the best.

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Sweet Rose Coconut Whipped Topping

I've been looking forever for a vegan coconut whipped cream in an aerosol can. Finally Trader Joe's started carrying one! The brand is Sweet Rose but I've only seen it at Trader Joe's.

This dispenses just like non-vegan aerosol whipped cream. It even makes the same fun noise as you spray it.

I could taste the coconut but it was subtle. It didn't overpower the flavors of my ice cream. 

You could use this for anything that you would normally use whipped cream for. I made a sundae with Alden's Nondairy Muddy Brownie and Caramel Almond Crunch, and Ben & Jerry's vegan cookie dough pieces. 

Sweet Rose Coconut Whipped Topping ingredients:

Coconut cream, water, sugar, glucose syrup, inulin, mono and diglycerides, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, carrageenan.

Propellant: nitrous oxide.

Review: Sweet Rose Coconut Whipped Topping

First impressions: Resist temptation to spray directly into my mouth

Taste: Sweet, hint of coconut

Texture: Light, airy, fluffy

Can you tell it's vegan? No, unless you hate coconut

Worth buying again? Yes

Good enough to replace the non-vegan version? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Ben & Jerry's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Chunks

I can always count on Ben & Jerry's to indulge my sweet tooth. They've come out with several vegan products over the past few years and now have 15 flavors of non-dairy ice cream. Their newest creation is a line of snackable cookie dough including vegan chocolate chip cookie dough. The cinnamon bun dough is also vegan. 

Whenever I make cookies, I usually end up eating as much of the dough as I bake, so I had to try these. 

You can find them in the freezer section at the store by the ice cream. I found them at Target and the vegan cookie dough was next to the Ben & Jerry's vegan ice cream pints, separate from their non-vegan cookie dough flavors. 

These cookie dough chunks are the same size, taste, and texture as the cookie dough pieces in ice cream. It was hard to eat a lot at once because they're so rich and sweet.

The resealable pouch is great for having a little bit when you want a snack. These would also be perfect to put on top of sundaes. 

Ben & Jerry's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ingredients:

Wheat flour, brown sugar, sugar, coconut oil, semisweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin (emulsifier), and vanilla extract), water, expeller pressed soybean oil, tapioca flour, molasses, pure vanilla extract, salt, sunflower lecithin. 

Review: Ben & Jerry's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

First impressions: Yum

Taste: Sweet, rich, buttery

Texture: Soft like the cookie dough pieces in ice cream 

Can you tell it's vegan? No
Better than other vegan options? Yes, but the other vegan cookie dough I tried was also gluten free, so it's not a fair comparison

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: JUST Egg

I had been craving an egg sandwich for about 6 years, and finally satisfied that craving when I found JUST Egg.

It's surprisingly made from mung beans (full ingredient list below), and looks and tastes a lot like eggs.

As a liquid, it looks exactly like the scrambled egg liquid my school used that comes in big cartons.

This stuck to the pan A LOT when cooking, more than eggs do. (Although the pan wasn't as hard to clean as I expected.) It didn't brown the same way as eggs when they're cooked well done. Otherwise it looked just like scrambled eggs. You might not be able to tell it's vegan.

UPDATE: I saw some other videos using JUST egg where it did not stick to the pan and browned perfectly (vegan version of viral egg sandwich video and vegan ramen). According to some comments on the egg sandwich video, my pan could be the problem and it helps to use extra vegan butter.

I tried JUST Egg a few different ways: as scrambled eggs by themselves, as a vegan "egg mcmuffin" with Tofurky plant-based deli slices, and in French toast. They all tasted great and had the same texture as the non-vegan version. The French toast was a little messy because it stuck to the pan, so I recommend using extra oil or cooking spray.

I would totally pay to eat these at a restaurant.

JUST Egg ingredients:

Water, mung bean protein isolate, expeller-pressed canola oil, containes less than 2% of dehydrated onion, gellan gum, natural carrot extractives (color), natural flavors, natural turmeric extractives (color), potassium citrate, salt, soy lecithin, sugar, tapioca syrup, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, transglutaminase, nisin (preservative).

Review: JUST Egg

First impressions: Reminded me of the scrambled eggs that came in a carton at my school

Taste: Tastes like eggs but a little plain, doesn't have a strong flavor

Texture: Almost identical to scrambled eggs

Can you tell it's vegan? Maybe

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Tofurky Hickory Smoked Deli Slices

I was reluctant to try vegan deli meat because it seems so processed. But I thought about how a lot of lunch meat is already heavily processed, like bologna or olive loaf, and then plant-based processed meat didn't seem so bad.

I went with Tofurky for my first try because I think of them as the original for plant-based turkey. Their hickory smoked plant-based deli slices are available at most grocery stores.

If you still eat turkey and love it, this might not be close enough to replace it for you. But if you're already plant based and craving a sandwich, this should do the trick. I think it's definitely better than bologna.

The texture was spot on of how I remember thinly-sliced deli turkey. It doesn't have a strong taste, but tastes savory and a little bit smokey. I think it would work well for most sandwiches.

I quickly fried it in a pan so it didn't have a wet texture. I tried it on a sandwich with mustard and in a vegan egg sandwich with JUST Egg. They were so good I ended up making both again later in the week.

Tofurky Hickory Smoked Plant-Based Deli Slices ingredients:

Water, vital wheat gluten, organic tofu (water, organic soybeans, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), expeller pressed canola oil, natural flavors, sea salt, contains less than 2% of onion, carrot, celery, garlic, leek, lemon juice concentrate, cornstarch, garbanzo bean flour, white bean flour, rosemary extract, natural smoke flavor, calcium lactate, potassium chloride. 

Review: Tofurky Hickory Smoked Plant-Based Deli Slices

First impressions: Better than I expected

Taste: It tastes good and has a savory taste, but it's missing something to taste like turkey

Texture: Very close to traditional sliced deli meats

Can you tell it's vegan? Maybe

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Sprouts Bite-Sized Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sprouts has a line of bagged cookies in the cookie aisle and they're all vegan! They also have vanilla wafers, animal cookies, ginger snaps, lemon snaps, and sometimes oatmeal.

These bite-sized chocolate chip cookies remind me of Famous Amos cookies. The bite size is fun to snack on. They're crunchy but not too hard.

Another thing I love about these vegan cookies, is that they're also less expensive than a lot of other options (vegan and non-vegan). The regular price is $1.99 and sometimes they go on sale.

If you're looking for bigger and softer vegan chocolate chip cookies, Sprouts has some of those too in the bakery area of the store.

Sprouts Bite-Sized Chocolate Chip Cookies ingredients:

Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, palm oil (sustainably sourced), cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, salt, leavening (sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, mono calcium phosphate) natural flavors, and soy lecithin. 

Review: Sprouts Bite-Sized Chocolate Chip Cookies

First impressions: Wow these are vegan? 

Taste: Chocolatey and satisfying

Texture: Light and crunchy

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Sprouts Vanilla Wafers

These vegan vanilla wafers are part of a line of vegan cookies from Sprouts in the cookie aisle. They also have chocolate chip, animal cookies, ginger snaps, and lemon snaps.

Sprouts has even more vegan cookies in the bakery section if you want bigger and softer cookies.

I loved Nabisco Nilla Wafers as a kid, and was excited to find a vegan version. These are smaller and less uniform than Nabisco's, but have a similar vanilla flavor and satisfying melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Sprouts Old-Fashioned Vanilla Wafers ingredients:

Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, palm oil, contains 2% or less of natural flavors, salt, leavening (sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), and soy lecithin.

Review: Sprouts Old-Fashioned Vanilla Wafers

First impressions: Remind me so much of Nilla Wafers

Taste: Not too sweet vanilla flavor

Texture: Thin and crispy, softer in the middle

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5