Eating more plant-based doesn’t necessarily require giving up the foods you already enjoy or changing how you cook. While veganism is a lifestyle centered on avoiding animal exploitation and not a diet, this guide focuses specifically on the food side of things, suggesting practical, plant-based swaps for familiar grocery items using vegan products that are now widely available at many regular supermarkets in the USA or at online retailers.
Thanks to continued advancements in plant-based food, many vegan alternatives today are reliable, versatile, and easy to use, even for people who aren’t fully vegan. These swaps are meant to fit seamlessly into everyday meals and routines, whether you’re eating plant-based occasionally or moving toward a fully vegan lifestyle.
My BBV MVP pick highlights my go-to plant-based pick, which you’ll spot in the photos, but as I always say, everyone has their own “good”.
Easy Vegan Swaps
Mayonnaise → Vegan Mayo
Vegan mayonnaise now closely matches the texture and flavor of traditional mayo, making it a low-risk plant-based alternative for sandwiches, potato salad, coleslaw, and dips. Once mixed into recipes, it’s often difficult to tell.
Sour Cream → Vegan Sour Cream
Vegan sour cream offers the same tangy flavor and creamy texture as traditional sour cream, making it an easy plant-based swap for tacos, baked potatoes, chili, and dips. It blends well into familiar dishes without necessarily requiring changes to how you prepare meals.
Cream Cheese → Vegan Cream Cheese
Vegan cream cheese has improved significantly in both texture and flavor, spreading smoothly on bagels and working well in dips, sauces, and desserts. It’s one of the most reliable dairy-free alternatives for everyday use.
Butter → Plant-Based Butter
Plant-based butter is designed to perform like traditional butter, making it dependable for baking, sautéing, spreading, and cooking. Most options melt, brown, and measure the same way, which removes guesswork in the kitchen. I prefer stick or block style for baking as they usually contain less water than spreadable versions.
Milk → Plant Milk
Plant milk is one of the most established plant-based swaps with often the largest footprint in stores, with options suited for different uses. Oat milk works well in coffee, soy milk provides higher protein (my personal preference), and almond milk remains a popular choice for cereal and smoothies.
Shredded Cheese → Dairy-Free Shreds
Dairy-free shredded cheese has come a long way and performs best in cooked dishes like tacos, casseroles, enchiladas, and baked pastas. Today’s plant-based options offer improved flavor and consistency compared to earlier versions you may have tried.
Sliced Cheese → Plant-Based Cheese Slices
Plant-based cheese slices are formulated for burgers, breakfast sandwiches, and grilled cheese, making them an easy one-for-one swap in everyday meals.
Vegan Bacon
Vegan bacon has improved dramatically, offering crisp texture and smoky flavor that works well in sandwiches, breakfast plates, salads, and crumbled into recipes when cooked until crisp.
Vegan Deli Slices
Vegan deli slices now include familiar turkey and ham-style offerings and peppered options that make plant-based lunches practical and satisfying. They fit easily into sandwiches, wraps, and salads.
Burgers → Plant-Based Burgers
Plant-based burgers are one of the most established vegan alternatives, delivering satisfying texture and bold flavor. They’re grill-friendly, freezer-friendly, and easy to season and top just like traditional burgers.
Plain Vegan Chicken
Plain, unbreaded vegan chicken has improved significantly and works best when seasoned or sauced. These plant-based options are ideal for stir-fries, wraps, salads, and skillet meals. Some newer items were added in 2025 making the category larger with more choices.
Vegan Nuggets & Tenders
Vegan nuggets and tenders are widely available and air-fryer friendly, offering familiar flavor and texture. They’re one of the easiest plant-based swaps for quick meals and family-friendly dinners. Kids love these so it’s a great place to start with them. I’ve even had non-vegan friends say they prefer these over regular chicken.
Ground Vegan Beef
Ground vegan beef performs best in seasoned dishes like tacos, pasta sauces, sloppy joes, and stuffed peppers. Its texture and versatility allow familiar recipes to stay largely unchanged.
Vegan Steak
Vegan steak has become one of the most impressive newer plant-based categories, with several options offered in 2025 delivering satisfying chew and bold flavor. Many restaurants are offering these as entree options.
Vegan Seafood
Vegan seafood has advanced rapidly, with many options now offering realistic flakiness and structure. These products work especially well in sandwiches, tacos, and classic comfort-style dishes. We lost some brands and skus in 2025 but it’s still a growing category.
Vegan Eggs
Vegan eggs have evolved quickly, offering improved texture and versatility for scrambles, omelets, and baking. They make replacing eggs in everyday cooking far more accessible than in the past. Some can be harder to find and prices can be high compared to regular eggs.
Pizza → Vegan Pizza
Vegan pizza is a popular product category, with store-bought options and dairy-free cheeses that bake and melt reliably at home. It fits easily into weeknight meals when you’re busy or need a quick option.
Ice Cream → Non-Dairy Ice Cream
Non-dairy ice cream has seemingly slowed down in the last few years perhaps course correcting, but creamy, indulgent options are now made from oat, coconut, cashew, and other plant-based bases. Many varieties rival traditional ice cream in both flavor and texture.
Veganism is more than a diet of course, but food is often where people start. Focusing on accessible, plant-based swaps can make eating vegan feel practical and more sustainable over time, without requiring perfection or an all-or-nothing approach.
It can feel like vegan and plant-based options have declined in recent years due to product discontinuations and brands tightening their assortments, but this guide shows there are still plenty of widely available choices on shelves.
Starting with foods you already enjoy and replacing them with plant-based alternatives, is one of the easiest ways to build confidence and momentum in the kitchen. If you have questions, feel free to comment and I’ll do my best to answer them!
Check out my easiest and most popular recipes here!
