The ULTIMATE Vegan Grocery List: Full Shopping List for a Healthy Vegan Diet
Your guide to the weekly vegan grocery shop!
Join us as we dive into what vegans eat in a day, what typically makes its way onto a vegan grocery list, the important foods that are naturally high in the essential vitamins and minerals for a vegan diet, and where to find and buy the best vegan food products. If you’re new to plant based eating, consider this article your personal vegan grocery list for beginners.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
What do vegans eat?
You might be wondering – with all the meat, fish, cheese, and milk that makes up a typical diet, as well as the frequent appearance of food additives like milk powder and gelatine that sneak into a lot of unsuspecting non-animal product foods… what goes into a vegan pantry? What is an example of a typical vegan meal?
Well, we’re happy to report that not only is there a massive amount of food that fit into the ‘vegan’ definition, it is also the case that the majority of these foods also happen to be the most nutritionally optimal foods on the planet!
Why is this the case?
Well, let’s start by looking at the definition of veganism according to The Vegan Society:
"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."
Whilst their definition extends to non-food items, for our purposes we’re going to stick to veganism in food consumption only.
Ok, so vegans don’t eat animal products. Why is that ‘healthy’?
Well, what is ‘healthy’?
The best way to define what healthy foods actually are is to consider their properties as it relates to medical outcomes. Under this definition, the healthiest foods are ‘any foods that have been shown to help avoid the most common diseases’. The most common diseases that plague our society (apart from the actual plague happening right now… what was it that caused that again?) include heart disease, cancers, high-blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes.
It just so happens that, based on all available evidence in nutritional scientific literature, a whole-foods, plant based diet is inversely correlated with the development of all these diseases [1], [2], [3].
So, vegans typically fill their baskets with as many ‘whole’ (meaning unprocessed) foods from plant based origins. This can give us a great idea of what will most likely make its way onto a vegan grocery list.
Read on to see what this looks like in practice.
Vegan grocery essentials list
Take a look at the following foundational elements of a vegan grocery list. Most of these food items are present in nutritional researcher T. Colin Campbell (PhD)’s ‘Yes - eat these in abundance’ list. So, when you’re at the supermarket, these are the vegan foods to throw in the basket for the healthiest possible plant based diet. We made a few additions to boost the calorie, unsaturated fat, and protein content.
Whole Grains
barley, brown rice, millet, wild rice, quinoa, amaranth, steel cut and rolled oats, whole wheat
Legumes (dried beans or canned beans with minimal salt)
adzuki beans, black bean, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, fava beans, kidney beans, soybeans, edamame beans, green beans, peas, mung beans, lentils, lima beans, pinto beans
Greens (fresh or frozen)
kale, collards, spinach, lettuces, parsley, cilantro, chards, bok choy, rocket
Roots
white potatoes, sweet potato, onions, leeks, carrots, radishes, beetroot, garlic, ginger, turnips, daikon
Other Veggies
squash, celery, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, aubergine, sea vegetables
Fruit (fresh or frozen)
apricots, apples, bananas, berries, cherries, melons, mangoes, papayas, pineapple, grapes, kiwi, plums
Omega 3 Rich Seeds
flaxseed, chia seed
Nuts and Nut Butter
Nuts, Peanut butter, Almond Butter
Spices
all spices
Beverages
water, unsweetened plant milks, herbal teas, green tea, decaffeinated coffee
Those are your fibre-filled, micronutrient-dense essentials. When selecting your veggies, make sure you get a nice balance to cover all your nutritional bases. You can buy mixed bags of frozen vegetables to reduce the prep-time for washing and cutting the vegetables significantly.
Definitely be sure to include calorically-dense foods on your vegan shopping list. A common complaint from those who are just starting out on a plant based diet is a persistent feeling of hunger. This is often due to the error of eating only the low-calorie foods that spring to mind when thinking about a vegan diet, like salads and soups. Throw those potatoes, rice, and beans in the basket and fill your bellies!
Vegan grocery list additions and indulgences
Now we have the core foundation of a healthy plant based diet covered, we can move on to the satisfying, delicious, and convincing food products that make plant based eating truly easy and accessible for everyone, even if they are technically 'processed foods'.
The vegan food product market is evolving rapidly, and we’re being treated to a new array of different alternatives, substitutes, and replacements every single day.
Some of these are fantastic, delicious, and healthy. Some of them are extremely tasty and healthier than their animal product counterparts. Some of them are delicious and proudly unhealthy.
We welcome all vegan food products regardless of their characteristics, because fundamentally they achieve the ethical and moral goals of elimination of cruelty and exploitation of animals, as well as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental destruction resulting from animal agriculture [4].
Having said that, many of these additional vegan food products to add to your grocery list do offer certain health benefits. Let’s go ahead and cover all the additional vegan food products to add to your vegan grocery list to make plant based eating easier, healthier, and tastier.
Easier
If you've grown up on a traditional diet that includes animal products, it can feel difficult to create vegan recipes that are as satisfying or beloved as the meals you’re used to. Fortunately, there are plenty of options that mimic the taste, texture, and satiety of these products without the inclusion of animals!
Meat substitutes -
Meat substitutes, replacements, alternatives, or simply ‘vegan meat’. We’ve all seen them sprouting up in the supermarkets from trailblazing brands like THIS, Meatless Farm, Future Food, Beyond Meat, and Impossible. For a thorough analysis on whether or not these brands and products are actually healthy, definitely check out our vegan meat breakdown.
They key point is, though, that they are healthier and less environmentally taxing than meat, and are easily translated into meal compositions that we’re used to. So, if you have your protein needs covered with beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, feel free to top up your basket with great meat alternatives.
We love THIS Isn’t Chicken Plant-Based Pieces, Plant-Based Tikka pieces (ready-to-eat), and Plant-Based Bacon Rashers. Also try Meatless Farm Co Plant-Based Burgers, Plant-Based sausages, and Plant-Based Mince. All of these products are very high in protein and fortified with Vitamin B12.
Egg alternatives -
For recipes which include egg like scrambled egg, egg-fried rice, omelette, and any baked goods, try Crackd The No-Egg Egg. It tastes and performs just like real egg and is also fortified with Vitamin B12.
Alternatively, you can use tofu (normal and silken) with a pinch of turmeric for a convincing golden-coloured egg scramble alternative with high protein and minimal processed ingredients.
Butter alternatives -
Careful with the labels on typical butter brands (and all dairy alternatives), as it’s often the case that they advertise as ‘from plant based sources’ and include milk. Naturli’s Vegan Butter Block is 100% vegan as well as delicious, and recently Flora has returned to being fully vegan — so you can enjoy their entire range of butters and spreads without checking the ingredients list!
Cheese alternatives -
Vegan cheese has a mixed reputation, so tread with caution. Based on our testing though, you can't go wrong with Violife. We expecially love the Epic Mature Cheddar.
Healthier
There’s no food category healthier than whole, plant based foods. However, in cases where your access to certain foods with high protein or important vitamin and mineral content are restricted, you should consider these food products that are naturally nutritious or fortified with vits and mins.
Meat alternatives snacks -
Tofu, Tempeh (we like Better Nature Smoked Tempeh), Soy Curls (try Qwrkee Sriracha vegan jerky), and Seitan. All of these examples are naturally high in protein complete with all essential amino acids, besides Seitan. The Better Nature Tempeh is also rich in Manganese for bone and brain health and Phytic Acid, which helps the absorption of other minerals.
Milk alternatives -
This will be your easiest swap so far. Alpro, Oatly, and many supermarket own-brands offer tasty and more nutritious plant based milks like soy milk, oat milk, and almond milk, that have the same properties as real milk with more protein, way less fat, and are with added Vitamin B12.
Tastier
Ok, ok. We get it. A head of lettuce and a few potatoes might not excite you in the way that a Hunter’s Chicken or a cheeky chocolate bar on the weekend could. But don’t fret! There is a huge variety of tasty, decadent vegan foods, condiments, and sauces out there for meals or snacking. Everyone is entitled to a treat once in a while, and you shouldn’t have to compromise your morals in the process.
Condiments and sauces -
Definitely get your hands on some Nutritional Yeast (or, ‘nooch’). These flakes can be sprinkled straight on top of dishes or added to sauces for a cheesy, nutty flavour. They are also naturally high in Vitamin D and B12. Vinegars are also worth considering thanks to their tangy taste profile and litany of heath benefits.
There’s also a wide variety of 100% plant-based dips, sauces, and marinades like Vegan Mayonnaise (we like Inspired Vegan’s one, also the Sriracha version!) as well as vegan Worcester sauce (Biona Organic’s vegan Worcester is great), and liquid smoke to make plant-based meals taste authentically smoky and meaty.
Snacks -
Ok — truth be told, even though we’re keen to preach on the dazzling health effects of a well-planned, whole food plant based diet, we’re absolute suckers for a snack or two.
But that’s understandable considering we may actually be the world’s foremost experts on vegan snacks and treats... Yep, we know pretty much everything there is to know about plant based chocolate, popcorn, sweets, and other between-meal indulgences.
And while we don’t exactly suggest going overboard with these devilishly tasty vegan treats, life would lose its lustre if we weren’t able to occasionally devour some salted caramel popcorn while watching a movie, crack into a chocolate bar while catching up with a friend, or pop some plant-based bubbly after a big promotion.
Plus, allowing yourself some indulgence every now and then will only deepen your commitment to veganism in the long-haul. So, if you can get your hands on them, there’s nothing wrong with adding a few of the best vegan snacks to your shopping list in moderation.
Full vegan shopping list example
Let’s lay it all out on the table, shall we? Here’s everything you’ll want to put on your grocery list for a satisfying, balanced, and overall healthy vegan diet according to the strongest available research.
We’ll split it up into three parts; the healthy foundation, optional additions, and indulgences.
Healthy foundation
Whole Grains
(barley, brown rice, millet, wild rice, quinoa, amaranth, steel cut and rolled oats, whole wheat)
Legumes
(adzuki beans, black bean, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, fava beans, kidney beans, soybeans, edamame beans, green beans, peas, mung beans, lentils, lima beans, pinto beans)
Greens
(kale, collards, spinach, lettuces, parsley, cilantro, chards, pak choy, rocket)
Roots
(white potatoes, sweet potato, onions, leeks, carrots, radishes, beetroot, garlic, ginger, turnips, daikon)
Other Veggies
(squash, celery, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, aubergine, sea vegetables)
Fruit
(apricots, apples, bananas, berries, cherries, melons, mangoes, papayas, pineapple, grapes, kiwi, plums)
Omega 3 Rich Seeds
(flaxseed, chia seed)
Nuts and Nut Butter
(nuts, peanut butter, almond Butter)
Spices
(salt, pepper, and all spices)
Beverages
(water, unsweetened plant milks, herbal teas, green tea, decaffeinated coffee)
Optional additions
Meat alternatives
(tofu, tempeh, seitan, vegan mince, vegan chicken, vegan bacon, vegan jerky)
Condiments and sauces
(olive oil, vinegar, nutritional yeast or ‘nooch’, mustard, vegan mayo, vegan butter)
Indulgences
Chocolate
(dark chocolate, plant-based ‘milk’ chocolate, vegan hot chocolate)
Snacks
(vegan popcorn, vegan crisps, vegan pretzels, dried fruit, vegan sweets, vegan snack bars, vegan protein bars,)
Beverages
(kombucha, vitamin drinks, CBD drinks, coffee and tea cans, sodas)
Alcohol
(any alcoholic beverage not filtered with ‘finings’ derived from fish)
Where to buy vegan foods?
That's all very well and good you might be thinking, but where can I possibly get all of these products? Isn't it hard to find all the items on my new vegan shopping list in one place?
And you’re kinda right – it is a bit.
For your grains, fruits, and veggies, the supermarkets should have you covered. However, due to exclusivity deals, limited supplies, and explosive demand, it’s unlikely that you will be able to find the absolute best of the best in one place — especially when it comes to plant-based specialty goods like snacks and treats.
If you’ve got a car and some spare time on your hands, you could do a UK supermarket tour for your vegan food must-haves. But that’s a little bit wasteful. Our opinion? You should be able to get them from comfort and safety of your own home, online.
Which is kind of why we got started in the first place.
We have a large and growing range of vegan hampers from cupboard-filler hampers, to health and wellness hampers, and everything in between — designed to make it possible for you to get all your snacks, treats, and indulgences in one convenient hit. A perfect compliment to a busy vegan lifestyle.
Browse some of our bestsellers below — a mix of healthy and indulgent offerings for your snacking needs!
And if you wanted to give us a try, please feel free to use this reader-exclusive discount — IREADTHEARTICLE, for 10% off your entire order.
