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: Trader Joe's Protein Patties (Plant-Based Burgers)

I love that plant-based burgers are so trendy right now and so many companies are making their own version.

Trader Joe's has a lot of great vegan products so I had to try their plant-based burger patties. The packaging and ingredients are similar to Beyond Burgers, but unfortunately the taste and texture weren't on the same level.

These were oddly hard when uncooked and then too soft when cooked. They stuck to the pan and fell apart during cooking. I don't know if these would work on a grill because they fell apart so much.

Another difference is these are sold in the refrigerated section and say not suitable for freezing, so they don't last as long as the frozen plant-based burgers.

Trader Joe's Protein Patties Plant Based Burgers ingredients:

Hydrated pea protein blen (water, pea protein, pea fiber), sunflower oil, beets, natural flavors, methyl cellulose, oat fiber, fruit juice (color), onion powder, sea salt, vegetable juice (color). 

Review: Trader Joe's Protein Patties Plant Based Burgers

First impressions: Harder than I expected when uncooked

Taste: Close to Beyond Burger but a little bland

Texture: Fell apart, kind of soft and mushy

Can you tell it's vegan? Yes

Better than other vegan options? No

Worth buying again? Probably not

Overall: 3/5

Review: Yves Veggie Ham

I tried Yves plant-based ham and to me it seemed a lot more like salami than ham. It looks, smells, and tastes similar to salami. 

Maybe I didn't like this because I don't like salami very much? I tried it on a sandwich and that was ok. I finished the sandwich but I didn't finish the package. 

So far my go-to for vegan lunch meat is Tofurky plant-based deli slices. I haven't tried their ham version yet though. 

Yves Veggie Ham ingredients:

Water, vital wheat gluten, tofu (water, soybeans, magnesium chloride), wheat starch, textured wheat protein, natural flavors. contains 2% or less of: spices, onion powder, garlic powder, organic cane sugar, salt, yeast extract, carrageenan, tomato lycopene extract for color (contains soy lecithin), ferric orthophosphate (iron), vitamin b12, citric acid.

Review: Yves Veggie Ham

First impressions: They should call this salami instead of ham

Taste: Kind of like salami

Texture: Also similar to salami

Can you tell it's vegan? Yes
Better than other vegan options? No

Worth buying again? No

Overall: 3/5

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