Vegan Alternatives So Good You Won't Miss Meat Or Dairy Slideshow

Yes, it's really called "magic" vegan bacon grease. This fatty grease is usually the source of sink clogs and oily pans, but the faux bacon substitute doesn't leave a mess. The "grease" is a mix of coconut oil, non-GMO soy protein, sea salt, pure maple syrup, spices, natural smoke flavor, and torula yeast, which gives the bacon grease that umami-rich flavor. Next time you want to add bacon flavor to your Brussels sprouts or green beans, try adding a spoonful of "magic."  

Gardein makes a variety of meatless products ranging from seven-grain crispy chick'n tenders to meatless meatballs. The beefless tips, however, are the most unique. Gardein makes their beefless tips with a variety of oils, wheat gluten mixtures, starches, and seasonings. Some of the ingredient lists are suspiciously long, but if you're a vegan and still want Asian-style boneless spare ribs, this is your option. Maybe a beefless filet mignon will be next? 

When game day comes around, it's essential to have vegan bleu cheese to pair with vegan buffalo wings. High Omega's vegan bleu cheese combines natural hemp and flaxseed oils to achieve a creamy, bleu cheese-like consistency without the dairy. High Omega offers a variety of different dressings like ranch, honey mustard, and lemon herb. Careful though; the bleu cheese is still high in fat. Click here for a picture of High Omega's full line of salad dressings. 

A vegan alternative to caviar might sound absurd, but taking into account the sustainability concerns linked to harvesting sturgeon eggs, it might be actually be a stroke of brilliance. Caviar is sought out for its crisp, fishy, and briny flavors, and its signature popping texture. Cavi-Art was designed to mimic caviar's spherical shape, and uses seaweed alginate to emulate the ocean taste. There's even a machine out there that can turn any food into the signature caviar spheres.

Do you miss the extraordinary baking capabilities of an egg? Look no further than the Neat Egg, a vegan and soy-free egg substitute. The Neat Egg is an ideal binder for cookies, breads, and cakes, but don't try it in your frying pan — it's not meant for omelettes. 

Aquafaba, also known as chickpea chickpea water, is the perfect egg-white substitute. It whips up just like the real thing, and although it isn'tavailable for purchase online, you can easily make it in your own kitchen: All you need is a can of chickpeas and a colander. Simply drain the liquid into a container, and there you have it, a vegan egg white alternative. Chickpeas are a great vegan protein on their own, and the leftover beans can be used into a number of dishes.

If you're a cheese-lover, but are done with dairy, look no further than Kite Hill. With ingenious concoctions such as almond milk ricotta; soft-ripened vegan Brie; and truffle, dill, and chive"cheese"; the non-dairy cheese company is giving access to creamy delicacies that used to be off-limits to vegans. Kite Hill also offers "cheese"-filled ravioli, cream "cheese" spreads, and yogurts. 

This one might not replace the taste of shrimp, but it was so bizarre it had to be included. Prawns are similar to shrimp, the main difference being that prawns live in fresh water while shrimp live in salt water. Sophie's vegan prawns are not from any water; rather, they're made with a base of konjac, also known as elephant yam root. The prawns, unfortunately, don't have the juicy texture of plump, sautéed shrimp, but they still are fun to experiment with in the kitchen. 

I doubt thieves would want to steal $7 million of this vegan Parmesan, but it's still a great alternative. Vegan Parma produced by Sister River Foods uses a combination of nutritional yeast, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and hemp to achieve its signature powdered consistency.

Another creation from Sophie's, this vegan smoked salmon uses konjac, pea starch, pea protein, and seaweed powder. The different starches and proteins solidify the texture of the "salmon," but the ingredient list doesn't hint at how the "smoked" flavor is achieved. Watch out: This vegan smoked salmon might be coming to a vegan brunch near you.