When it comes to new vegan products, 2022 is set to be a stellar year. The VegNews team just returned from the 2022 Natural Products Expo West—the largest trade show of its kind—where we discovered a wide variety of new dairy-free cheeses, plant-based meat, vegan desserts, and so much more. From protein powder made with animal-free whey (a new technology that leaves cows out of the dairy equation) to Miyoko’s revolutionary cottage cheese (made with ingredients you might not expect), we are so excited to share with you the 12 best new products coming to store shelves this year. You might need a bigger cart.
1 Natreve Moo-less Whey
Made from Perfect Day’s revolutionary animal-free whey—which is made with microflora, not cows, to create dairy-identical whey proteins—Natreve has launched the world’s first animal-free whey protein powder. The four flavors: Vanilla Bean Cupcake, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Cookies and Cream, and Strawberry Shortcake, pack in 20 grams of protein per serving. While matching the identical and nutritional makeup of whey protein, Mooless’ carbon impact has a 99-percent reduction in water consumption, 97-percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and 60-percent reduction in energy usage.
2 Peatos Line
Los Angeles-based snack brand PeaTos recently dropped animal products and made their whole line all vegan out of a desire to create better “junk food” with wholesome ingredients. The new vegan snacks include Crunchy Pizza Rings, Classic Onion Rings, Cheese Curls, as well as the already vegan Fiery Hot Crunchy Curls. The new snack line offers plant-based versions of many Frito-Lay classic snacks, earning its spot as a Best of Show award winning product.
3 Miyoko’s Cottage Cheese
We were all thrilled to see this first-of-its-kind vegan product make its debut from the master cheesemakers at Miyoko’s Creamery. Made from organic watermelon seed milk and organic sunflower seed milk, and small amounts of mushroom extract, green tea extract, and cultures, plus 10 grams of protein per serving, this nostalgic classic is joining the vegan cheese scene and proving once again that anything can be made vegan.
4 Komo Lasagna
Vancouver-based food delivery and production company Komo is changing the game with frozen, plant-based, multi-person ready meals. Old school lasagna in an aluminum baking tin made with creamy tofu ricotta, cheesy chickpea bechamel, and tomato lentil ragu is making meal time easier than ever and catering to families who are looking to cut the meal prepping and stress of meal planning. The Canadian brand has recently expanded into the US bringing with it, its vegan versions of traditionally cheesy and meaty classics.
5 Current Foods Vegan Tuna and Salmon
With a name like Current Foods, this vegan seafood brand is proving that plant-based fish is here to stay. Its salmon comes in classic style and classic smoked, and still packs the same protein, B12, and omega-3s of its meaty counterpart. The tuna comes in marinated cubes in flavors such as ginger tamarind, yuzu chipotle, and roasted sesame. It will be making its debut in the California grocery chain Gelson’s poke bars as a plant-based fish option.
6 BSweet Ube Oat Latte
A retail line born from a Los Angeles-based, Filipina-run bakery features nitro coffees and teas infused with oat milk. The brand’s new Ube Oat Milk Latte stole all of our hearts as a truly delicious, rare product that uses the classic Filipinx yam, ube, to get its deep purple hue and classic sweet and earthy flavor. We’re dreaming of summery iced lattes with this canned beverage.
7 VFC Vegan Popcorn Chicken
There’s no doubt that the past couple of years have been huge for vegan chicken. But this UK-based company VFC, started by the co-founder of Veganuary, still took us by surprise with the launch of vegan popcorn chicken in a southern style corn flake breading. Even bigger? VFC has raised $14.3 million to date to fund its mission of taking chickens out of the food system.
8 Daiya Grillable Cheeze Block
Mediterranean-style halloumi, a thick grillable cheese, is longtime plant-based brand Daiya’s latest focus. The brand’s new launch of Grillable Cheeze is made using oats, capitalizing on the market trend towards oat-based products, and is conceptualized as a meat substitute—good for kebabs or as a burger replacement.
9 Wholly Veggie Cheesy Sticks
From Sweet Potato Popcorn to Ranch Buffalo Wings, the re-brand of vegetable-forward brand Wholly Veggie came with a slew of exciting products, but perhaps the most exciting? Cheesy Mozzarella-Style Sticks made with a cauliflower coating and upcycled food ingredients. From the colorful packaging (and ingredients) to the ways this brand is changing the game when introducing kids to veggies, we couldn’t be more excited to fill our carts with these sneaky veggie snacks from the frozen foods aisle.
10 BonDevil Vegan Ganache Cups
After plant-based company Coconut Collaborative decided to pivot away from the crowded vegan yogurt market, they moved into the world of decadent plant-based desserts with the rebranding as BonDevil—a vegan company that makes pots of dairy-free ganache. Flavors range from salted caramel ganache to banana cream, and each bite is absolutely heavenly.
11 Future Farm Tuna
One bite of this vegan tuna from Brazilian plant-based food tech startup Future Farm and we knew it was a winner. Made from soy, peas, chickpeas, olive oil, radish, and microalgae oil; and featuring significant amounts of Omega-3s, this tuna makes one incredible sandwich. Created by Brazilian entrepreneur Marcos Leta and business partner Alfredo Strechinsky, Future Farm aims to become a global leader in food tech, offering innovative, premium, and cost-competitive products that fuel the fast-growing vegan meat sector.
12 Wicked Kitchen Vegan White Chocolate Berry White Bars
A new ice cream line made by vegan brand Wicked Kitchen is totally unique to the market as it’s made from a base of lupini beans. The Berry White bar blew us away with its exact replication of white chocolate flavor in its sweet bar of vanilla ice cream with a berry sauce swirl coated in the white chocolate shell and dotted with berry pieces. The line will be available at nearly 2,200 Kroger and Kroger-owned stores starting next month.
This post was originally published on VegNews.com.