Chicken nuggets are a favorite quick meal or snack for many but, what happens when you are a vegan or vegetarian. How do you know which vegan plant-base nuggets are the best?
I’ve done the homework for you and compared 16 of the most popular vegan plant-based chicken nuggets on the market.
Nuggs by Simulate get the top spot when it comes to a delicious and crunchy outer coating pair with the perfect plant-based chicken meat inside. They are crisp, soft and perfect for dipping in your favorite sauce.
Table of Contents
Best Vegan Chicken Nugget Brands
I compared a long list of plant-based chicken nuggets to come to the conclusion that some are far better than the rest.
The best vegan plant-based chicken nuggets are.
- Nuggs (Simulate)
- Impossible Chicken Nuggets
- Beyond Chicken Nuggets
- Morningstar Farms Nuggets
What Do I Look For In The Perfect Plant-Based Chicken Nugget
I look for a plant-based nugget that has a nice a crunchy outer coating and simulates chicken very well without being too meaty.
16 Vegan Chicken Nugget Brands
- Nuggs (Simulate)
- Morningstar Farms
- Impossible Chicken Nuggets
- Beyond Chicken
- Gardein Chicken Nuggets
- Trader Joe’s Chickenless Tenders
- Daring Chicken
- Like Meats Like Nuggets
- AlphaFoods CHIK’N Nuggets
- Jack & Annies
- Hungry Planet
- Boca
- 365 Everyday Value
- Dr. Praeger’s
- Raised & Rooted
- Meatless Farm
What Are Plant-Based Nuggest Made Of?
Nuggs Chicken Nuggets By Simulate
This vegan chicken nugget first fought my eye when it deemed itself “The Tesla Of Chicken Nuggets”.
I thought it was a funny but, odd thing to say.
It didn’t stop me from trying these plant-based Nuggs.
You can find Nuggs in the classic nugget as well as a spicy nugget.
How Do Nuggs Taste
Nuggs are the perfect vegan plant-based chicken nugget on the market in my opinion.
They have the classic look, feel, and texture that chicken nuggets have always had.
They almost remind me of McDonald’s chicken nuggets but, not in a nasty way.
Nuggs have a great texture, even when prepared in your oven.
Morningstar Farms Plant-Based Nuggets
These are the OG when it comes to plant-based nuggets, I feel like they were around way before all of the newcomers.
I’ve been eating and enjoying these nuggets for years.
How Do Morningstar Farms Plant-Based Nuggets Taste
The first thing you will notice is the Morningstar Farms nuggets almost have a crumbly sort of breading as their outer coating, it’s not a hard and crunchy coating like you will find in the Nuggs.
I don’t have a problem with the coating difference, it’s just something to note.
The texture inside is good, it’s not too “meaty” which can give me the creeps.
I would say it’s just right.
My family continues to enjoy these nuggets, as they remain one of our favorites.
Impossible Chicken Nuggets
The Impossible Brand is a newcomer that is becoming extremely popular with all of its plant-based “Meat” offerings.
It’s not a surprise that Plant-Based Nuggets were on the Impossible Brand agenda.
How Do Impossible Foods Chicken Nuggets Taste
These nuggets are great, they mimic your favorite childhood nugget in appearance and texture.
Little golden bites of plant-based chicken to enjoy and dip in your favorite sauce.
Beyond Meat Nuggets
Beyond Meat is another new brand of plant-based products that are competing alongside Impossible Foods.
You will find classic-looking nuggets when grabbing Beyond Meat Chicken.
How Do Beyond Meat Chicken Nuggets Taste
Beyond Meat Nuggets look very similar and taste very similar to classic chicken nuggets.
The only complaint would be that the “chicken” inside can sometimes clump together and feel like one piece.
I prefer a nugget texture that is more stringy and can break apart more in a bite.
Gardein Chicken Nuggets
I was skeptical to try the Gardein Chicken Nuggets, I have mixed feeling about Gardein products and I am not a fan of the larger Chik’N Strips.
The New Gardein Chicken Nuggets are a pleasant surprise.
These nuggets are small delicious bites perfect for baking and dipping.
How Do Gardein Chicken Nuggets Taste
Gardein Chicken Nuggets have the perfect texture and flavor that you would want in the chicken nugget.
I would recommend these nuggets to vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters.
Trader Joe’s Chickenless Tenders
The name of this product gives away that it is a larger piece of “chicken” per portion in more of a tender shape compared to a classic nugget.
How Do Trader Joe’s Chickenless Tenders Taste
Honestly, I am not a huge fan of these chickenless tenders.
The larger size as well as tasting a little bland leaves them behind many of the other options.
Daring Chicken
I hadn’t heard of Daring Chicken until recently and was curious to try their nuggets.
These nuggets look a lot like a fresh piece of chicken that has just been cooked.
How Do Daring Chicken Nuggets Taste
I was disappointed with Daring nuggets.
I didn’t like the texture, it was way too chewy.
The flavor was also too salty.
Like Meats Like Nuggets
Like Meats Like Nuggets look very much like the classic nugget, we are all after.
What Do Like Meats Like Nuggets Taste Like
Like Meats Like Nuggets are a very good replacement for regular chicken nuggets.
The texture and flavor are very accurate.
I would have to say that they are almost too “meaty” for me and they can smell weird before they are cooked making them a bit offputting.
AlphaFoods Chik’N Nuggets
AlphaFoods Chik’N Nuggets are another nugget that is trying to duplicate the classic nuggets from our childhood.
In appearance these nuggets are fantastic.
How Do AlphaFoods Chik’N Nuggest Taste
The outer coating of these nuggets is more of a breading and not the crunchy coating that most of us prefer.
The “meat” also is darker than I prefer.
Overall, these are not my favorite nuggets.
Jack & Annies Nuggets
Jack & Annies Plant-Based Nuggets are very different when compared to the other plant-based nuggets available.
These nuggets are made from jackfruit.
How Do Jack & Annies Nuggets Taste
The first thing you may notice is the crumbly breading that these nuggets have.
If you can get past the breading the nuggets are very good and are exactly what you are looking for in a “chicken” nugget.
Hungry Planet “Chicken”
Hungry Plant “Chicken” doesn’t have the exact same nugget that we have been comparing.
They offer a breaded chicken patty for a sandwich and some grilled “chicken pieces”.
How Does Hungry Planet “Chicken” Taste
I wasn’t impressed with the texture and flavor of these products.
It was very mushy and lackluster when it came to flavor.
Boca CHIK’N Nuggets
Boca is another OG Brand like Morningstar Farms that has been producing meatless products since the 1970s.
How Do Boca CHIK’N Nuggets
These nuggets are just ok.
The texture and the flavors are not as good as some of the other options available.
365 Everyday Value
The 365 Everyday Value Nuggets are the Whole Foods store brand meatless “chicken” nuggets.
How Do 365 Everyday Value “Chicken” Nuggets Taste
Unfortunately, these nuggets are not the best.
The texture can sometimes be off-putting and the flavor is not that great.
Dr. Praegers
Dr. Praegers has been supplying customers with a variety of healthier plant-based meat replacements for years.
How Do Dr. Praegers Chicken Nuggets Taste
Dr. Praeger’s nuggets contain a variety of ingredients even containing hidden veggies.
These are good nuggets but, they aren’t my favorite or my least favorite.
They are worth a try.
Raised & Rooted
These chicken nuggets seem almost too real.
You may like that or you may not.
How Do Raised & Rooted Chicken Nuggets Taste
I was not a fan of these nuggets, the plant-based meat pieces were too big and “meaty” for me.
Meatless Farm
Meatless farm offers a chicken sandwich patty and a variety of other plant-based chicken products.
How Does Meatless Farm Chicken Taste
Meatless Farm is pretty good but, it almost has too much bulk or “chicken” for me.
Final Thoughts
Chicken nuggets, especially plant-based nuggets are a lot about your personally preferences.
I prefer a nugget that has a really nice and crunchy outer coating with “chicken” inside that is easy to bite into, I don’t enjoy “plant-based” chicken that is too meaty.
The best plant-based nuggets are Nuggs, Impossible, Beyond Meat and Morningstar Farms.