37 Meat substitutes

A meat analogue is a meat-like substance made from plants. More common terms are plant-based meat, vegan meat, meat substitute, mock meat, meat alternative, imitation meat, or vegetarian meat, or, sometimes more pejoratively, fake meat or faux meat. Meat analogues typically approximate certain aesthetic qualities or chemical characteristics of specific types of meat. Generally, meat analogue means a food made from vegetarian ingredients, and sometimes without animal products such as dairy. Many analogues are soy-based or gluten-based, but now may also be made from pea protein. Other less common analogues include ingredients like mycoprotein.

This is a list of meat substitutes. A meat substitute, also called a meat analogue, approximates certain aesthetic qualities or chemical characteristics of a specific meat. Substitutes are often based on soybeans, gluten, or peas. Whole legumes are often used as a protein source in vegetarian dishes, but are not listed here.

Beyond Meat is a Los Angeles-based producer of plant-based meat substitutes founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown. The company's initial products were launched in the United States in 2012. The company has products designed to emulate beef, meatballs, ground meat, and pork sausage links and patties.

Cultured meat is meat produced by in vitro cell culture of animal cells, instead of from slaughtered animals. It is a form of cellular agriculture.

Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruit bodies of several species of macrofungi. They can appear either below ground (hypogeous) or above ground (epigeous) where they may be picked by hand. Edibility may be defined by criteria that include absence of poisonous effects on humans and desirable taste and aroma. Edible mushrooms are consumed for their nutritional and culinary value. Mushrooms, especially dried shiitake, are sources of umami flavor.

Eetch is a traditional Armenian side dish, salad or spread, similar to tabbouleh. made principally from bulgur. Eetch can be eaten either at room temperature or warm.

Fistulina hepatica is an unusual bracket fungus classified in the Agaricales, that is commonly seen in Britain, but can be found in North America, Australia, North Africa, Southern Africa and the rest of Europe. As its name suggests, it looks remarkably similar to a slab of raw meat. It has been used as a meat substitute in the past, and can still be found in some French markets. It has a sour, slightly acidic taste. For eating it must be collected young and it may be tough and need long cooking.

Fry Group Foods is a family-owned manufacturer of vegan meat substitutes founded by South Africans Wally and Debbie Fry in 1991.

Gardein is a product line of meat-free foods made by Conagra Brands in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada and Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. In November 2014, Pinnacle Foods purchased Gardein for $154 million. Founder and chief executive Yves Potvin stayed on with the company, and has stated that the buy-out assisted Gardein to access more capital and expand manufacturing facilities to Hagerstown, Maryland. On October 26, 2018, Conagra acquired Pinnacle Foods

Glamorgan sausage is a traditional Welsh vegetarian sausage for which the main ingredients are cheese, leeks and breadcrumbs. It is named after the historic county of Glamorgan in Wales.

The jackfruit, also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India and the rainforests of Malaysia.

Koya-dofu also known as Shimi-dofu, Kori-dofu, or Koyasan-dofu is frozen-dried tofu, a Japanese pantry staple and an important ingredient in Buddhist vegetarian cookery. It originated from Japan. It is made of soy, coagulants, and baking soda. It looks like a hard sponge and needs to be soaked before use. It is mainly used in stews and soups.

Laetiporus is a genus of edible mushrooms found throughout much of the world. Some species, especially Laetiporus sulphureus, are commonly known as sulphur shelf, chicken of the woods, the chicken mushroom, or the chicken fungus because many think they taste like chicken. The name "chicken of the woods" is not to be confused with another edible polypore, Maitake known as "hen of the woods", or with Lyophyllum decastes, known as the "fried chicken mushroom". The name Laetiporus means "with bright pores".

Leaf protein concentrate (LPC) is a concentrated form of the proteins found in the leaves of plants. It has been examined as a human or animal food source, because it is potentially the cheapest, most abundant source of available protein. Although humans can derive some protein from the direct consumption of leaves as leaf vegetables, the human digestive system would not be able to deal with the enormous bulk of leaves needed to meet dietary protein requirements with leaf vegetables alone.

Lightlife Foods is a company that produces vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes. Lightlife was founded in Greenfield, MA in 1979 before relocating to Turner Falls, MA in 1998. It was first founded as Tempeh Works in an old, converted car wash. In the summer of 2000, ConAgra Foods acquired LightLife Foods, which was generating about $25 million in annual revenue at the time. Brynwood Partners acquired the company, which had roughly 90 employees at the time, from ConAgra Foods in September 2013. In 2017, Maple Leaf Foods bought Lightlife Foods for $140 million plus related costs. In 2019, LightLife introduced a plant-based burger produced with textured pea protein, beet powder, and engineered yeast.

Linda McCartney Foods is a British food brand specializing in vegetarian and vegan food. Available in the UK, as well as Norway, Ireland, Australia, South Africa (Checkers) and New Zealand, the range includes chilled and frozen meat analogues in the form of burgers, sausages, sausage rolls, meatballs, stir-fry dishes and pastas.

The McVeggie is a veggie burger sold by the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was introduced in 2012 in India when being opened its first vegetarian-only restaurant in the country.

A meat-free sausage roll is a savoury pastry snack that contains a non-meat filling. The snack is an alternative to the conventional sausage roll that generally contains pork or beef. Meat-free sausage rolls are sold at retail outlets and are also available from bakeries as a take-away food.

Meatless Farm

Meatless Farm is a British company that produces vegan, plant-based meats which are made primarily from pea protein. It was founded in 2016 by Morten Toft Bech, a Danish entrepreneur and former trader. As of October 2020, Meatless Farm employs 100 people in Leeds, Amsterdam, New York, and Singapore.

Mock duck is a gluten-based meat substitute. It is made of wheat gluten, oil, sugar, soy sauce, and salt, and is high in protein. Its distinctive flavor and artificial "plucked duck" texture distinguish it from other forms of commercially available gluten products. Mock duck is not meant to be eaten as it is and needs to be prepared, usually by lightly frying in vegetable oil.

Morningstar Farms is a division of the Kellogg Company that produces vegan and vegetarian food. Many of their offerings are plant-based variations of traditionally meat products, including some that are vegan. Their products range from chicken nuggets to veggie burgers and eventually began to produce other products such as veggitizers, breakfast meals, and meal starters.

A nut roast or roasted nut loaf is a vegetarian dish consisting of nuts, grains, vegetable oils, broth or butter, and seasonings formed into a firm loaf shape or long casserole dish before roasting and often eaten as an alternative to a traditional British style roast dinner. It is popular with vegetarians at Christmas, as well as part of a traditional Sunday roast. Nut roasts are also made by Canadian and American vegetarians and vegans as the main dish for Thanksgiving or other harvest festival meals.

Nuteena was a vegetarian meat analogue made primarily from peanut meal, soy, corn, and rice flour. Its recipe was based on Nuttose, which John Harvey Kellogg created in 1896 as the first American meat analog. Nuteena was especially popular among Seventh-day Adventists, many of whom choose to be vegetarian based on the health message promoted by their church.

Quorn is a meat substitute product originating in the UK and sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries. Quorn is sold as both a cooking ingredient and as the meat substitute used in a range of prepackaged meals.

Soy protein is a protein that is isolated from soybean. It is made from soybean meal that has been dehulled and defatted. Dehulled and defatted soybeans are processed into three kinds of high protein commercial products: soy flour, concentrates, and isolates. Soy protein isolate has been used since 1959 in foods for its functional properties.

Tempeh or tempe is a traditional Javanese soy product that is made from fermented soybeans. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. A fungus, Rhizopus oligosporus, is used in the fermentation process and is also known as tempeh starter.

Textured or texturized vegetable protein (TVP), also known as textured soy protein (TSP), soy meat, or soya chunks is a defatted soy flour product, a by-product of extracting soybean oil. It is often used as a meat analogue or meat extender. It is quick to cook, with a protein content comparable to certain meats.

Tofu, also known as bean curd, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be silken, soft, firm, or extra firm. Beyond these broad categories, there are many varieties of tofu. It has a subtle flavor, so it can be used in savory and sweet dishes. It is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish and its flavors, and due to its spongy texture it absorbs flavors well.

Tofurkey is a turkey substitute in the form of a loaf or casserole of vegetarian protein, usually made from tofu or seitan with a stuffing made from grains or bread, flavored with a broth and seasoned with herbs and spices.

Tofurky is the brand name of an American vegan turkey replacement made from a blend of wheat protein and organic tofu.

Turtle Island Foods is an American company founded in 1980 in Forest Grove, Oregon and headquartered in Hood River, which produces Tofurky, a popular vegetarian and vegan alternative to turkey, as well other meatless products. All of the company's products are vegan, and most are kosher-certified by the Kosher Services of America. Turtle Island Foods is also the first company in the United States to have their products approved by The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom.

VBites is a plant-based meat alternative and vegan cheese company that develops 140 products and retails in 24 countries worldwide. All its foods are manufactured in the UK at VBites' factory in Corby. The company was bought by Heather Mills in 2009.

Vegetarian bacon, also referred to as veggie bacon, vacon, or facon, is a product marketed as a bacon alternative. It is high in protein and fiber, yet low in fat, and has no cholesterol. Two slices average 75 calories. Brands include Morningstar Farms and Smart Bacon.

A vegetarian hot dog is a hot dog produced completely from non-meat products. Unlike traditional home-made meat sausages, the casing is not made of intestine, but of cellulose or other plant based ingredients. The filling is usually based on some sort of soy protein, wheat gluten, or pea protein. Some may contain egg whites, which would make them unsuitable for a vegan diet.

A veggie burger is a burger patty that does not contain meat. These burgers may be made from ingredients like beans, especially soybeans and tofu, nuts, grains, seeds or fungi such as mushrooms or mycoprotein.

Watermelon steaks are cooked slices of watermelon. Cookbooks sometimes suggest watermelon steak as a meat substitute for vegetarians. However, watermelon is not a nutritional substitute for traditional steak, as it is lacking in protein and other nutrients found in meat.

Wheat gluten is a food made from gluten, the main protein of wheat. It is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch granules have been removed, leaving the sticky insoluble gluten as an elastic mass, which is then cooked before being eaten. The name seitan is now widely used in vegetarian, vegan, wholefood and macrobiotic circles for wheat gluten dishes. It is also known as miàn jīn, milgogi, wheat meat, gluten meat, vital wheat gluten or simply gluten.