2024 in Review: The 25 Most-Read VegNews Stories of the Year

It’s been a big year for all of us here at VegNews. Throughout 2024, we have brought you guides to some of the most popular fast-food chains in the US, major news stories in the plant-based industry, and handed out plenty of awards to the best in the vegan business. And that’s not all. There have also been major celebrity stories (and maybe a little prank, too). To recap on some of our most popular stories of the year, we’ve listed 25 of the most-read VegNews content for 2024, so we can all relive this plant-packed year together. Ready? Let’s dive in.

25 of the most-read VegNews stories of 2024

Here’s a countdown of the highlights that captured our readers’ attention the most this year.

Wikimedia Commons

1“Our World Is Poised for Transformation”: Jeff Bezos Pledges $60 Million to Build a Plant-Forward Food System

Four years after he promised $10 billion to tackle the climate crisis by 2030, in March, Jeff Bezos pledged $60 million to help accelerate the growth of sustainable protein—including plant-based meat and cultivated meat. The billionaire Amazon CEO revealed he was setting up the Centers for Sustainable Protein, which has an “aim to target technological barriers to reducing cost, increasing quality, and boosting nutritional benefits of alternative proteins by advancing science and technology.”
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Matthew McConaughey/Facebook

2 Matthew McConaughey’s Favorite Meal Is a Cheap, Tasty, and Easy Vegan Twist on a Popular Southern Salad

Also in March, Matthew McConaughey’s wife Camila Alves revealed that one of the Texas-born actor’s favorite recipes is a plant-based twist on coleslaw. “It’s one of those things that I love so much and you haven’t done it for weeks, and I actually forgot about it,” he said in a video recipe that Alves shared with her online community, called Women of Today. “And now that you made it again, I don’t know how I forgot about it because I don’t know anything it doesn’t go with it.”
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Meati

3
The 2024 Veggie Award Winners: Meet the 34 Best Products, People, and
Places

This year, we celebrated even more of your favorite plant-based products. Oatly, Beyond Meat, Gardein, Hippeas, Meati, and Boursin were just a few of the brands that came out on top in our 2024 Veggie Awards. “Living a kinder, healthier, more climate-positive lifestyle has never been more important than it is now,’ said VegNews Editorial Director Richard Bowie in a statement at the time.
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Miyoko’s Creamery

4 Miyoko Schinner Removed as CEO From the $260 Million Vegan Cheese Brand That Bears Her Name

This story first broke in 2023, but the major news kept readers coming back for more throughout 2024. Miyoko Schinner confirmed to VegNews that she had been “removed” from Miyoko’s Creamery months before her departure was publicly announced. She said at the time: “I am hoping that the company does well and that it upholds the values upon which I founded the company.”
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5The 2024 Guide to Vegan Girl Scout Cookies

Lovers of Girl Scout Cookies had plenty of choices in 2024. We rounded up all of the vegan options in our 2024 guide, with some of the tastiest being Caramel Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Patties, and Thin Mints.
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VegNews

6 Wendy’s Announces Its First Fully Vegan Location—But There’s a Catch

On April 1, of course, we had to give you a traditional April Fool’s story. We joked that Wendy’s was announcing its first vegan location in Chubbuck, ID, but there was a catch: everything was potato-based.
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Caraway

7 Non-Toxic Cookware: The Best Options on the Market

Looking to stock up on non-toxic cookware? We compiled some of our top picks in this handy non-toxic cookware guide. From nonstick skillets to stainless steel pots and pans, everything in this list is free of sneaky chemicals like PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”).
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Kevin Bacon

8 Kevin Bacon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and More Celebrities Who Treat Farm Animals Like Family

Many people see farm animals as livestock, but in this list, we found nine celebrities who have provided a loving home for pigs, goats, chickens, and even cows. Yep, country singer Carrie Underwood has two cows living on her land. “Cows are probably my favorite animal because I grew up with them and I think they just have such personalities, and I just can’t wait to really get to know ours,” she said after her husband Mike Fisher gifted the animals to her for Christmas in 2020.
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José Andrés

9
Chef José Andrés’ 7 Best Plant-Based Recipes

José Andrés isn’t plant-based, but he enjoys cooking with vegetables. In this list, we gathered just a few of our favorite recipes from the top chef that are either vegan or can easily be made without any animal products. Some of our favorites included Tomato Watermelon Skewers, Garbanzo Stew, and Tortilla con Pisto.
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1038 Accidentally Vegan Snacks You Can Find at Virtually Any Convenience Store

An “accidentally” vegan product refers to a product that is free of animal ingredients, even if the manufacturers didn’t set out to create a vegan product. From Oreos to Takis to Sour Patch Kids, the 38 examples in this list will have your mouth watering.
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Impossible Foods

11 The Vegan Guide to The Cheesecake Factory

There’s no vegan cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, but there are a few options for plant-based diners, including vegan cheeseburgers and trough-sized salads. There’s pasta, too, and plenty of sides (including the universal favorite sweet potato fries).
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Getty

12 The Three-Day Detox Plan Anyone Can Do

Detoxing doesn’t have to be extreme. It should leave you feeling energized, refreshed, and glowing, explains wellness writer Sara Jane Mercer in this three-day detox plan. It’s easy to follow and involves simple steps like eliminating sugar and processed foods.
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Taco Bell

13How to Order Vegan at Taco Bell: The Ultimate Guide

Black Bean Crunchwrap Supremes, Bean Burritos, and Nachos are just a few of the plant-based options on the Taco Bell menu. Want to learn more? Check out our popular guide to the Tex-Mex chain.
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Subway

14
How to Order Vegan at Subway: A Sandwich Lover’s Guide

Subway isn’t a haven for plant-based foodies, but it does have a handful of options, including the Veggie Delite (which is just a combination of all the salad vegetables). Find out more about the different types of bread and dips you can add to the mix in our sandwich-lovers guide to Subway here.
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Panda Express

15 How to Eat Vegan at Panda Express

Unlike many other chains in the US, Panda Express has a number of plant-based options on the menu. Check out our guide for the lowdown on everything from vegan Orange Chicken to Eggplant Tofu.
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Burger King

16 What’s Vegan at Burger King? The Complete Menu Guide

Burger King also has a decent showing of plant-based options, largely thanks to the Impossible Whopper. You can even order the fast-food burger with classic fries, hash browns, and French toast sticks (all of which are totally animal-free).
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17 The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time

It was a tough process, but in this list, our VegNews editors successfully narrowed down the top 100 vegan cookbooks of all time. We won’t go give away the number one spot, but notable entries include Max La Manna’s You Can Cook This, Bryant Terry’s Afro-Vegan, and Tal Ronnen’s Crossroads Kitchen Cookbook.
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Kevin Pineda-Gould

1815 of the Hottest Vegan Restaurants in New York City Right Now

If you’re planning a trip to the Big Apple, this list of the hottest vegan restaurants in the city is required reading. From Ethiopian cuisine to decadent desserts to Mediterranean mezze, there’s something for everyone.
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Mikhail Nilov/Pexels

19 Are You One of the 72 Percent of Americans Who Feel an Urgency To Eat More Sustainable Food? Then You Might Pay More for It, Too

In January, a Sodexo survey of 5,000 people from Brazil, France, the UK, and the US found that the majority of Americans want to make sustainable food choices and they are even willing to pay more for them. In fact, 72 percent of participants recognized the urgent need for sustainable eating. “There are significant barriers that food service companies can address to close the gap between people’s desire to eat sustainably and their actual behaviors,” Jessica Synkoski, Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility for Sodexo North America, told VegNews at the time. “I like to say make the sustainable option the delicious and easy choice.”
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20The 2024 VegNews Restaurant Award Winners

This year’s Restaurant Awards was just as exciting as ever, with eateries like Crossroads Kitchen, Vertical Diner, Pura Vita, and Spicy Moon scooping up “best” titles for their categories. Find out more about the top plant-based foodie spots across the country at the link below.  
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Starbucks

21 Starbucks’ New Lavender Drink Is Made With Oat Milk—But It’s Not Dairy-Free

In March, Starbucks launched two new lavender oat milk drinks. But one, Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha, was not entirely dairy-free due to dairy cream. The Lavender Oatmilk Latte, however, was totally vegan. Patrick Penny, a beverage developer at Starbucks, said in a statement: “[Lavender’s] soft sweetness, light floral notes, and beautiful color ignite feelings of rejuvenation and awakening associated with the change of seasons.”
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Jeshoots/Pexels

22 5 Nighttime Snacks That Help You Sleep Better—And a Surprising One That Doesn’t

Do you snack before bed? It turns out, some foods might be better for good sleep quality than others. In this guide, we spoke with Anna Herby, the Nutrition Education Specialist for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) to find out more.
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Luke Albert

23 11 Easy Meals for Vegan Beginners

Cooking a delicious meal doesn’t have to be a drawn-out, complicated process. In fact, it can be fun, quick, healthy, and easy. Each of these recipes (from stuffed sweet potatoes to chickpea tuna to tofu egg salad) is proof.
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24 Eating Too Much Hummus Can Be Dangerous. Here’s Why You Should Eat It Anyway

Back in May, Fox News correspondent Cortney Moore cautioned against consuming too much hummus, but we decided to stand up in support of this super tasty (and actually quite nutritious) chickpea-based condiment. Plus we included some of our favorite recipes, too.
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25 The VegNews Guide to Vegan Candy

In this mouthwatering guide, we unveiled the ultimate list of vegan candy. It includes candy bars, gummies, peanut butter cups, and so much more. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, this is the guide for you.
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