When I first went vegan I wish I’d known which brands were the best. I can’t tell you how many times I bought faux meats and cheeses that were terrible. Either the texture was off, the tastes was off, or both. All of these brands have awesome vegan junk food. I just want to put a little disclaimer that I’m not saying these are health foods. They aren’t. Most of these brands put out vegan junk food. Now there is nothing wrong with eating vegan junk food, but just because it is vegan does not mean it is healthy. I buy from all of these brands occasionally, but I primarily eat whole foods. I’m not suggesting that you eat in any particular way, but I am suggesting that you try products from these bomb ass brands.

Follow Your Heart

Years ago when I became lactose intolerant, I discovered Follow Your Heart’s vegan cheese and it was by far the best out of all the other cheese alternatives that I tried. I have found other great vegan cheeses now, but at the time this was the only decent one. They have shredded cheese, unlike most vegan cheese options, which is fantastic on pizza or in quesadillas. Basically, it’s awesome in anything that requires melted cheese because it melts so well and comes pre-shredded. They also have Veganaise, vegan mayonnaise, that I think tastes just like regular mayo. It works just as great in recipes that call for mayo as it does on a sandwich. I think their stand out product right now is VeganEgg. Yes, you read that correctly they have a vegan egg. It tastes like egg, looks like egg, and smells like egg. It makes great scrambles and omelets. I have yet to bake with it but, I can see it being a much better egg replacer in baking than flax eggs (ground flax seed mixed with water), which always give too much of a fiber flavor to baked goods. Read more about Follow Your Heart and find out where to buy their products here.

Earth Balance

I have also been eating Earth Balance products for years. They have the best vegan butter replacements out there. They have a bunch of different kinds of butter, which is great. They also have vegan sticks of butter, which are great for baking. It is so much easier to use sticks of butter rather than measuring out butter from a tub. They also have vegan cheese puffs, popcorn, and chips. I have even served non-vegan friends their cheese puffs and no one could tell the difference between these puffs and the non-vegan brands. They even said that they could go vegan if all vegan food tasted that good! So their vegan cheesy snacks can please both vegans and carnivores alike. Read more about Earth Balance and find out where to buy their products here.

Field Roast

Field Roast has the best vegan cheese I’ve had, and great faux meat. Field Roast uses grains to make their faux meat, unlike most other brands that make their “meat” with soy. I’ve never been a huge meat fan, and their faux meat is almost too realistic for me. They have Deli Slices that actually taste like meat. I haven’t had any of there actual roasts, but I have had sausages, deli slices, and their Chao Cheese. Everything I’ve had from Field Roast is really tasty. I highly recommend trying any of their meat or cheese products. Read more about Field Roast and find out where to buy their products here.

Kite Hill

I discovered Kite Hill while searching for vegan cream cheese. Trust me, Kite Hill has the best cream cheese. It is delectably creamy and really tastes like cream cheese. All of their cheeses are almond based, but somehow they don’t have a nutty flavor to them. They also have awesome yogurt, fancy soft cheeses, and ravioli. All of the products that I have tried, which is most of them, are fantastic. They are pricier than I would like, but that is to be expected when buying vegan alternatives. The yogurts are some of the best that I’ve tried. I’ve had other almond based yogurts that just taste overwhelmingly like almond, but Kite Hill tastes just like yogurt. Read more about Kite Hill and find out where to buy their products here.

Engine 2

I think this is an underrated brand. They are without a doubt the healthiest brand on this list, but all of their food is fantastic.  Engine 2 is 100% vegan, oil free, and low fat. Oil flares up my IBS so it’s important for me to find oil free foods. I first tried Engine 2 products when I found their oil free hummus, which is great by the way. I also love their pasta sauce. It tastes super fresh, something rarely said about a jarred sauce. I love this brand because I know that I can grab anything from them and it’s going to be healthy, vegan, and oil free. I love not having to read every single label when I go shopping. I also have to recommend their granola. It is so hard to find granola with no oil or honey in it. It’s even harder to find one that tastes good and theirs tastes great. Read more about Engine 2 and find out where to buy their products here.