Contrary to popular belief, vegans do indeed eat "junk food!" There are many snacks that are already accidentally vegan like OREOs, Fritos, and most potato chips, but it's often hard to find vegan substitutes for other cheesy or chocolate-y treats in the snack aisle. Here are some ideas for DIY (and store-bought) vegan snacks that pack the flavor just as much as their non-vegan counterparts.
Missing Cheez-Its? Try these Cauliflower Snacks!
Cheez-Its were my favorite snack food growing up. From the Ground Up makes a similar product (in both Cauliflower and Butternut Squash varieties), but the flavor is slightly less cheesy than the latter. But I'll take what I can get at this point.
Craving a Reeses? You can vegan-ize those too!
DIY vegan peanut butter (or almond butter. or sunflower butter. or cashew butter) are super simple to make. Melt your favorite dairy-free chocolate (often dark chocolate, but there are some brands like Enjoy Life that make semi-sweet varieties) and layer a little bit of chocolate in a lined mini-muffin tin. Scoop in the peanut butter (if you prefer it sweeter, combine peanut butter with vanilla and a little maple syrup), and add a chocolate covering to each mold. Pop the tray in your fridge for a few hours and be prepared to blast off into a yummy universe!
If you want to add a gourmet spin on this recipe, you can add chopped nuts, vegan caramel, or a sprinkle of sea salt. I love making this recipe with Fix & Fogg peanut butter! Fix & Fogg is an awesome company that makes fun PB flavors like smoke & fire and coffee & maple.
If you're not feeling like making your own vegan PB cups, you can try brands like Justin's or Unreal (which make PB cups with crunchy quinoa- heavenly)!
If pork rinds are your jam, try Beanfield's Vegan Cracklins!
These snacks are SO DELICIOUS. I was never a fan of pork rinds, but I love the flavors of Beanfields- especially the aged white cheddar. They're a good, salty staple to add to your snack routine. Each serving also has 4g of plant-based protein and a healthy dose of fiber.
If you like Doritos, Beanfields also makes a vegan nacho-cheese equivalent. Snack on!
Bye Bye Famous Amos- Hello Lenny & Larry's!
Vending machine cookies never get old, especially when they're vegan-ized! Lenny & Larry's makes small, snack-sized versions of their protein cookies that are super crunchy and delicious.
Missing the puffiness of cheese puffs? Try Hippeas!
Pillowy white-cheddary goodness: what can be better?
Vegan M&Ms: They're out there!
Unreal Snacks makes a dark chocolate "crispy gem" AND a peanut "crispy gem." You can buy a vegan variety pack with these gems and their chocolate cups! Treat. Yo. Self.
We're Flipz-ing out for these vegan-ized covered-pretzels!
You literally just need two ingredients to make your own chocolate covered pretzels- can you guess what they are? If you want to spruce up your snack routine, try sprinkling some crushed mints, nuts, or salt on top. If you want a little bit of PB in your life, roll peanut-butter filled pretzel nuggets in chocolate!