Each year, Natural Products Expo West sets the stage for what’s coming to grocery shelves and 2026 is already delivering a wave of new plant-based product launches.
This is my fifth time attending the show in Anaheim, and in this running coverage post, I’ll be highlighting the most interesting new vegan products I’m seeing on the floor along with a few broader observations about where the plant-based category seems to be heading.
If you’re curious which new vegan products could be heading to stores in 2026, read on as I’ll be updating this post with coverage throughout the show.
DAY ONE COVERAGE: 3/4/2026
New items from Sweet Loren’s and Abe’s debut
Sweet Loren’s was sampling their new bake-at-home scones, oatmeal bars, and breadsticks, while Abe’s Muffins was showing off carrot cake cupcakes, holiday cupcakes, gluten-free muffins, and the welcome return of four-pack muffins heading to retail. It’s been a while since the four-packs were on shelves, so great to see them coming back.
New innovations in plant-based meats
Switch was new to me, and a pleasant surprise. Their vegan proteins included options I hadn’t seen before, like kafta and chicken shawarma, and their chicken tender was outstanding. Argo was sampling plant-based jerky sticks in four flavors, all vegan confirmed. Upton’s has reworked their seitan recipe for a softer texture as part of their new Inspired Plant Proteins line, with additional flavors in development. They’re also marking 20 years in business, a genuine milestone for an independent brand.
New Snacks
Snacks were everywhere this year and there were plenty of standouts. Vegan Robb’s is rebranding as Captain Bootyhead and plans to roll out to stores this year. El Nacho’s pineapple BBQ chips were honestly one of the best bites of the entire day, which I absolutely did not see coming. Hippeas showed up with a fresh new look, new protein chips, and new puff flavors. And Mamame, whose tempeh chips were a personal highlight last year, came back swinging with three new flavors including BBQ, cheese, and churros, all vegan and all outstanding.
New sweets
Ritter is bringing back their plant-based chocolate line, which made its debut a few years back but never got wide retail distribution. This time around the classic flavors will be vegan alongside exciting new ones like a cookies and crispy flakes bar. Flavored dates were one of the bigger trends I noticed on the floor, with brands leaning into sour and unexpected flavor profiles. True Dates caramel popcorn was the one that really stopped me in my tracks though. RipVan showed up with solid vegan options, and Pur’s oversized sour gum pieces were a treat, especially the watermelon, which was better than expected.
New non-dairy
There were plenty of non-dairy options to discover this year. Nature’s Charm was showcasing their ube condensed milk, and they actually knew about my Rice Krispies treats recipe that uses their oat milk condensed milk as a secret ingredient, which was a fun moment. Jeni’s had a delicious banana pudding ice cream coming to both their scoop shops and retail pints. Nut Pods showed off new packaging and some limited flavors rolling out this year, and Elmhurst is expanding into protein drinks, which fit right into one of the bigger trends of the show. It felt like every brand wanted to lead with protein this year, though I’ve never actually heard of anyone being deficient. Shire’s ravioli is a brand I’d love to see in more stores and they’re actively working on that, plus they were sampling a new vegan risotto that was very good. Fabalish always brings creative flavors to their excellent condiment line, and their fry sauce was no exception.
More items!
Plenty more rounded out the snack category. Madly Hadley’s new ranch and truffle parm flavors were both excellent and nearly impossible to rank. Clusterbucks introduced new Lil Bucks crispy treats made with vegan D3, alongside new Octonuts flavors. Liquid Death brought their energy drinks, Kooshy sampled mini sourdough croutons, and Gimme’s k-crisps seaweed toppings were among the most memorable bites of the day.
DAY TWO COVERAGE: 3/5/2026
Non-dairy finds
So many more dairy-free finds in the halls we didn’t get to on day one. Hall A is really the premier hall where the booths are glitzy and leveled up a notch.
Spotted Plant Ahead cheeses, a personal favorite, and they even let us try their new goat cheese which was outstanding. Majama was a nice find and their gelato-style coconut based ice creams were very tasty. Califia had their new soy milk with matching vegan cookies to try.
Looks like Violife may be rebranding their block cream cheese as “Supreme” and they sampled a cheesecake with it that was so good. Oatly had new fun flavors on a conveyor belt with drinks made from them including popcorn, matcha strawberry and churros, plus a regular matcha that should be hitting shelves this year.
An interesting pairing came from Klimon and Kikkoman where they served vanilla soft serve with a candy sesame brittle that was seriously delicious. Wayfare debuted new vegan block butters in two flavors that seem to be first of their kind: cinnamon and garlic herb. Unique brand has rebranded their Puffzels to Puff Knots, and Esti had new overnight oats on display.
Protein forward finds
Better Balance, who debuted a really good vegan hot dog a few years ago, have expanded into chicken and chorizo items. Franklin Farms had quite a few new things on show including lemon pepper seitan, a BBQ pulled pork and ready-bake tofu kits. Sunlit had some new bowls, and Oshi plant-based seafood showcased whitefish fillets and a surf and turf in partnership with Offbeast Foods.
Beyond (who I’ve read are dropping “Meat” from their name) showed off new protein drinks and had their steak fillets available to sample, which they’re hoping to bring to retail soon. Crack’d vegan eggs from the UK had new frozen heat and eat scrambled cups that were 100% plant-based and very tasty. Vegan Select is a new company from Asia looking to break into the American retail market with vegan bacon and bits, spam and other items.
PBFit had new vegan protein bars that were quite good with no chalky aftertaste. Field Roast debuted a new andouille sausage that was two years in the making and also teased a bacon coming to stores soon. Lightlife had their chickpea tempeh to sample, and Daring previewed new flavors of their diced and shredded chicken line coming to stores in BBQ and fajita flavors. Finally, Butcher Stick was sampling a vegan protein stick style meat as well.
All the rest
A few more things spotted across the halls. McCormick debuted two new vegan-friendly finishing sugars in cinnamon roll and vanilla cake flavors. Magic Chocolate, bought from Dr. Bronners, debuted some vegan truffle bars that were all incredible. Date Lady had their new chocolate syrup to sample, Plantspired had a new cilantro garlic vegetable dumpling flavor on display, and Partake had tiny gluten-free cookies to try.
Wholesome Bakery is a new gluten-free brand with delicious sandwich cookies they said are at Erewhon now. Folkland had Cajun fries on display, Little Latke potato crisps tasted just like their namesake, and Beyond Good had a new dates and sesame bar out for sampling.
Luna has a berry bar coming soon, Simply Organic has new Indian spice blends on the way, Boulder Canyon has a new agave sriracha flavor coming, and Oatsome has new protein granola clusters heading to retail. 24Vegan were there showing off their stellar vegan fish sauce along with new chili oil and sauces. King Arthur had new gluten-free mixes out, YumEarth had new freeze-dried Giggles candies to sample, Lucky Foods has new pickled veggies coming to store fridges soon, and Seven Sundays debuted new oatcakes.
Can anyone attend ExpoWest?
One of the questions I get every year when I share coverage from Natural Products Expo West is: “How can I go to this?”
Expo West isn’t open to the general public. It’s a trade show designed for professionals in the natural products industry including retailers, buyers, distributors, brands, media, and content creators (like me!) covering the event. That means most attendees are there working the show floor, meeting with brands, or scouting new products that may eventually make their way into stores.
However, there are a few ways people do get access. Retail buyers attend to discover new products for their shelves, emerging brands exhibit to launch or showcase innovations, and accredited media and industry creators are often invited to cover the show and report on trends and new products. The event also hosts educational sessions and networking opportunities throughout the week.
For anyone passionate about natural and plant-based foods, it’s easy to see why Expo West generates so much excitement. The show floor is packed with thousands of brands debuting new products, and many of the items spotted here eventually show up in grocery stores months later. It’s essentially a first look at where the natural and vegan food industry is headed.
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