Vegan Food News of the Week: Ikea Makes a Meatball Christmas Tree, Plantega Takes on Subway’s $5 Deal, and More

It seems that every week in the world of vegan food news is more exciting than the last, and this week is no exception. Everything meat and dairy can do, fungi can do better. The proof? A new fungi-powered yogurt line from Chicago’s Nature’s Fynd.

Are deviled eggs a part of your holiday tradition? You can have a veganized version thanks to a collaboration between Crafty Counter and Fabalish. 

If the pickings at Subway are too slim to make good on its $5 footlong deals, NYC’s Plantega might just have a delicious solution.

And the holidays at Ikea this year are all about Christmas trees made from veggie meatballs. Read on for more. 

1Vegan deviled eggs

Back in the day, it was common to call spicy foods “deviled,” and these new Deviled WunderEggs will make you praise seitan. The innovative vegan deviled eggs are a collaboration between two companies: Crafty Counter and Fabalish.

Crafty Counter, a leader in the plant-based egg sector, brings its expertise in creating realistic and nutritious egg alternatives. Its WunderEggs, known for their resemblance to traditional chicken eggs in taste and texture, are made from a blend of cashews, almonds, coconut milk, agar-agar, nutritional yeast, turmeric extract, and black salt.

Crafty Counter

The filling for these Deviled WunderEggs is made with Fabalish’s Classic Vegan Mayo, offering a creamy and rich taste entirely plant-based. This company uses aquafaba—the brine leftover from canned chickpeas—as a base for its snack and condiment lines.

A limited holiday launch, this first-ever ready-to-eat vegan deviled egg comes in a tray of six vegan egg whites and a sachet of the deviled filling. The limited holiday product can be ordered for shipping directly through Crafty Counter’s website. 

2World’s first fungi yogurt

From chicken breasts to vegan leather, we’ve seen fungi do amazing things. This week, Chicago-based Nature’s Fynd is adding another reason to love these multi-tasking organisms to the list. The company, born out of research initially conducted for NASA on microbes in Yellowstone National Park, has unveiled the world’s first fungi-based, dairy-free yogurt, now available nationally at Whole Foods Market stores.

Nature’s Fynd

This innovative Dairy-Free Fy Yogurt is a unique addition to Nature’s Fynd’s growing range of alternative protein products, which includes their Dairy-Free Cream Cheese and Meatless Fy Breakfast Patties. Setting itself apart from other yogurts on the market, Fy Yogurt uses a sustainable fungi protein, Fy, as its base, offering a new kind of dairy-free option.

Available in strawberry, peach, and vanilla flavors, Fy Yogurt promises a thick and creamy texture, a departure from the often gritty consistency found in many high-protein and plant-based yogurts. Moreover, the product is free from common allergens such as nuts, soy, gluten, and animal products, making it an appealing choice for a broad spectrum of consumers.

“In a crowded market of dairy-free yogurts that often sacrifice nutrition for taste or vice-versa, we have created the world’s first fungi-based yogurt—it is delicious, nutrition-forward and earth-friendly,” Thomas Jonas, CEO and Co-founder of Nature’s Fynd, said in a statement. 

“Our dairy-free Fy yogurt lets consumers indulge in the creamy taste and texture of dairy with the added wholesome nutrition,” he said. “We’re proud to deliver this first-to-market product with no tradeoffs—a delicious yogurt that is better for you and better for the planet.”

3Cinnamon churro jerky?

We love a good cinnamon-dusted churro and also a salty slab of jerky—as long as both are vegan. But could the two combine forces into a sweet and salty super snack? That’s exactly what Texas jerky company All Y’all Foods is serving with its new Churro Jerky flavor, the first new addition to its line of vegan jerky in the last five years. 

All Y’all Foods

Embracing innovation, All Y’all Foods’ Cinnamon Churro Jerky blends the sweet taste of churros with the texture of jerky. “Creating these flavors is akin to storytelling for us,” Brett Christoffel, the company’s founder and CEO, said in a statement. 

“You’re not just getting a snack when you taste our Cinnamon Churro Jerky,” Christoffel said. “You’re diving into the history, geography, and ethos of Texas Big Bend Country.”

Established in 2018, All Y’all Foods makes its vegan jerky with whole, non-GMO soybeans and distributes it in flavors such as Black Pepper & Sea Salt, Prickly Pear Chipotle, and Amazing Bacon which can be purchased through Amazon, H-E-B grocery stores, and various vegan stores nationwide.

All Y’all Foods

Its new Cinnamon Churro Jerky is available in limited quantities on the company website with additional flavors planned for 2024.

4Plantega’s $5 vegan sub deal

Subway is known for its $5 footlongs but when vegan options are limited, that doesn’t quite feel like the best deal for plant eaters. Thankfully, Plantega—NYC’s popular vegan bodega and deli concept—just stepped in to change all that. 

Plantega

Until December 17, Plantega is taking on Subway with a $5 sub deal of its own. The difference? Each of its delectable sandwiches is completely vegan. This innovative campaign aims to popularize vegan sandwiches and encourage consumer trial through a delivery-only flash sale, available exclusively through Doordash. 

“We are on a mission to make plant-based food easier to access everywhere,” Nil Zacharias, Founder & CEO of Plantega, said in a statement.

“Our solution to the complex challenge of shifting eating habits and getting more people to try plant-based foods is to make cost-effective, convenient, and craveworthy options widely available through our unique deli-in-store model,” he said.

The lineup boasts six subs, featuring the Wicked Meatball Sub, Chicken Tender Sub, Philly Meatball Sub, Ham & Cheese Sub, BBQ Meatball Sub, and Turkey & Cheese Sub. 

These subs incorporate high-quality ingredients from leading brands such as Wicked Kitchen, WayFare Foods, Prime Roots, Vertage Foods, and Fabalish—all of which showcase their goods either on the retail end or in the deli options available at Plantega-equipped bodegas. 

Plantega

“We know once people try our menu featuring iconic NYC bodega-style sandwiches (and more) made 100 percent plant-based, they’re hooked, and we’re excited to draw in even more people with this campaign showcasing six popular and decadent subs at a ridiculously good price,” Zacharias said.

5Ikea’s vegan meatball Christmas tree

With Christmas right around the corner, we’re all thinking about our festive centerpieces. This year, Ikea UK had a great idea for bringing its vegan meatballs to your holiday table. As part of a giveaway centered on its turkey-sized meatball, Ikea created a kit that transforms its vegan meatballs into a Christmas tree fit for your holiday festivities.

Ikea

“Created using lots of veggie balls from the Ikea range, the kit comes complete with a cone-shaped base to create a do-it-yourself plant-based showstopper,” Ikea said in a statement. 

The promotion ended earlier this week and Ikea chose 30 winners for the vegan meatball Christmas trees, which they can pick up at their chosen store right before Christmas.  

If you were not the lucky winner of Ikea UK’s veggie meatball Christmas tree, crafting this centerpiece using a few bags of Huvudroll can’t be too hard. If you’re feeling extra festive, a few meaty ornaments can be easily crafted from Ikea’s newly reformulated plant-based hot dogs.