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Taste Testing 13 Brands of Vegan Chicken Nuggets
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May 3, 2024
Special thanks to my taste tester Dominique (IG: @cinema.sewist) for her help in this video! There are so many brands of vegan chicken nuggets now, so we tried 13 of them to find which one is the best. One of these brands completely knocked it out of the park, and it wasn't the one we were expecting. The results of this taste test are also available as an article on my website: https://www.stephsunshine.com/vegan-life/best-vegan-chicken-nuggets-taste-test Search all my recipes here: https://www.stephsunshine.com/vegan-life/all-recipes Find me on the socials (IG, Pinterest, TikTok, FB) @msstephsunshine Timestamps 00:00 Intro & Process 01:16 Daring Breaded Plant Chicken Pieces 02:46 MorningStar Farms Chik'n Nuggets 04:21 365 Chicken-Style Plant-Based Nuggets 06:19 MorningStar Farms IncogMeato Chik'n Nuggets 07:47 Impossible Chicken Nuggets 09:41 Field Roast Classic Nuggets 10:55 Jack & Annie's Crispy Jack Nuggets 13:19 Alpha Original Chik'n Nuggets
View Video Transcript
0:00
There are way more vegan chicken nuggets out there than I ever imagined
0:06
And today we are going to try 13 of them. It does give you chicken vibes
0:13
This is like very soft. It's almost like you cook chicken and maybe cook it a little too long
0:18
It's very hard. You could throw it at the camera. If I ordered this at a restaurant, I would think to myself
0:25
did they replace this with actual chicken? Yeah. So for all of these nuggets, I'm going to prepare them according to the package instructions
0:37
which for 12 out of 13 of them means baking them in the oven
0:42
Only one brand, which is daring, does not have any baking instructions, and instead they
0:47
want you to fry it and a pan. So that's what I'm going to do
0:51
All right, let's do it. Back again to help me test these vegan nuggets
0:56
I have Dominique here. Oh my god, we're back again. I have not tried any of these, so I'm going in totally blind
1:05
I don't know about you. I had vegan nuggets before. Okay. For better or worse
1:11
But some are really good. Let's see what do you think? Okay. Well, let's try them
1:15
We've got a lot to try. Our first plant nuggets are the daring, breaded plant chicken pieces
1:21
So these can be either pan fried or air fried. And as the name indicates, they're not really nuggets so much as they are breaded pieces
1:29
These pieces are all different sizes and the texture inside really does resemble whole chicken
1:34
more than it does the type of chicken you would find in a nugget. But let's see how it tastes
1:39
Our first one is daring. Let's see this. Oh, I dipped it. I should taste it without dipping it
1:53
Okay, then the second bite. I like the breading. Mm-hmm. texture it is meaty i don't know if it's chicken texture i think they try because you can see
2:04
layers in there but it's not fibery when you pull it apart it does imitate it quite well it has
2:12
some chickeny flavor yeah that breading is really good i'm not a meat lover but i think it's a
2:18
good option yeah i really like these probably wouldn't necessarily fool a non-vegan but i don't think
2:26
a non-vegan would be mad getting these because they taste very good
2:31
Yeah. The texture I'm noticing is a little chewier than chicken. Yes. But no, it's not bad. Like it does give you chicken vibes
2:39
Yes. It gives you chicken vibes. I am impressed. Very good stuff. Yes
2:44
Yeah. Approved. Okay, so nugget number two is the morning star, veggie chicken nuggets. I baked these in the oven, but they do also give you
2:52
microwave instructions if you prefer that. This is our second cheapest nugget at Adolph
2:56
25 for 85 grams and that's about four nuggets and you've got 190 calories 8 grams of fat and 13
3:05
grams of protein in those 85 grams. This is not resembling chicken. No no this is like very soft it's almost like you cook chicken
3:20
and maybe cook it a little too long and I don't feel like there's enough flavor in it
3:25
No like the breading doesn't have have much flavor. No. I don't taste anything chickeny. No. The other one had some chicken hints
3:33
This one is not giving me any chicken taste or texture. The breading looks nice, but..
3:40
And it's crunchy. It is... Yeah, but it doesn't have any seasonings in it. Let me dip it in some
3:44
sauce to see if the sauce can save it. It still isn't saving the texture, but it does make it better
3:52
I think it's okay. Yeah, I'm not mad at it. The breading is texture-wise good. It's just
3:56
overall it doesn't give you any flavor. I think if you are not y judging it against chicken
4:01
it's like average, but you're lacking the flavor still. I would put it on the lower end
4:05
even not ranking it against chicken. If you're trying to rank it against chicken, there's
4:10
no chicken resemblance at all. All right, well that makes our first two rankings easy
4:15
So it was it up and a little bit of a down? All right, well let's try the next one
4:21
Next up is 365 plant-based nuggets. I bake these in the oven, which is the only run
4:26
recommended heating option on the package. This one is not the cheapest but it's still
4:31
affordable at a dollar 33 for 85 grams and that's a little bit more than four nuggets
4:37
This one has the lowest amount of calories, fat and carbs and it has 13 grams of
4:42
protein per 85 grams of nuggets. There's more flavor. The morning star. The texture of the meat is also a bit juicier. It's not as
4:56
dry. At first when I bit into it, it was not resembling chicken at all. After I was chewing it for a little bit
5:03
it got a little bit more of that chickeny flavor and texture, but it's not as chickeny as the daring
5:12
No. And the breading is just okay for me. It's kind of also too thin in comparison to the other two
5:20
Even the Morningstar had a bit of thicker breading, which made it from a crunch factor nicer
5:26
This has crunch too. It's just very thin. You can also taste kind of the oiliness of this
5:32
which kind of gives you the reminiscence of the McDonald's type nuggets
5:37
Yeah. Not bad. Yeah. It's okay for me. Yeah. But I still think if you serve this to somebody who's not vegan
5:44
maybe they wouldn't think it's chicken, but I think they would still enjoy it
5:47
Yeah. It's not outstanding, but it's pretty good. It does the trick. This texture is more like a nugget texture
5:56
than the daring. The daring is more like a tender texture. True. So this one, if you're going for the nugget texture
6:03
is probably closer than the daring. Although I still prefer the daring. Yeah, the daring is more gourmet
6:09
This is more McDonald's. So I say it's better than Morning Star. Yeah. And not as good as daring
6:16
True. All right. Good. Let's see what else we got. Okay, so Morning Star is back
6:21
this time with their incognito nuggets. Like the others, I'm not as well
6:26
I baked these, but you could also microwave them or put them in the air fryer according to the package
6:31
And when I tried to pull this one apart, it was actually pretty difficult. The breading was falling off, and I actually had to get a fork to break the vegan chicken apart because it was just too tough
6:42
This is really soft. Yeah, the breading is soft. I think texture-wise, this is better than the other Morning Star, but I'm still not tasting any chicken-y flavor. No
6:54
The breading I not tasting much there either No And the breading on the previous morning star was better Was it It was a bit more crunchy Oh yeah texture wise Not flavor
7:06
This one's a little spicy actually. Yeah. It doesn't say it's spicy
7:10
So this would be on the spicy chicken end, but it just doesn't have the chicken part. Right
7:15
And then you need to label it. Yeah, it's spicy spicy, but it does have a little bit
7:20
I would say this is better than the other morning star. Yeah
7:24
It is. others that we've tried. No, the 365 and the daring are both better. Yeah, because at least they have
7:30
some chicken taste to them, where this one does... Let me try it with some sauce here and see
7:36
Once the sauce is gone, I'm still being underwhelmed by the flavor of this. I'm not impressed
7:43
Sorry. Next nugget. Next nugget. All right, it is time to try the impossible chicken nuggets
7:51
I baked these and you can also microwave them or cook them in the air fryer
7:56
And again, when I tried to break these, they were very similar to the incognito
8:00
in that the breading was falling off before the chicken could be pulled apart
8:06
And eventually I had to get a fork to help break up the nugget into two pieces
8:12
Hmm, I don't like the breading. No, me neither. It has a very distinct taste
8:17
It tastes chickeny to me. I'm getting chicken texture and chicken flavor
8:22
Texture, definitely. Flavor, I guess, too, yes. Not as much as the daring
8:26
And maybe even 365. Yeah, those two were better. Texture-wise, this might be better than the 365
8:33
This one has a very meaty texture. Oh, you mean the meat part
8:38
Yeah, the breading I don't like. No. It's like almost sandy. True
8:43
No, you're right. You even feel like when you have it in your fingers. But when you bite into it, it just kind of falls apart in your mouth, and you have all these little pieces. Yeah
8:50
Yeah, and it's pretty thin too. I think the texture of the chicken is good
8:55
I think maybe the daring is a little better texture-wise. Oh yeah
8:59
But texture-wise on the chicken, I think this is better than 365. Final verdict
9:03
If we're not for the breading, I would put it in second place. I would also go 365 over the impossible because of the breading
9:11
And even then the breading wasn't that good on that one. But this one is worse. Yeah
9:16
The breading kind of really makes the big part of a chicken nugget
9:20
And this is getting chickeny, but I feel like the 365 was a little stronger in the chickeny taste
9:27
So you put it below the 365. I agree. All right. Yes
9:32
There we go. It's not the big one now. Impossible. I know
9:36
Shocking. I mean, it's not bad. It is very decent. Well, let's see what else we've got
9:40
Moving on. Next up are the field roast classic nuggets, which can be baked as I did, or they can be pamphried
9:46
These are on the priceier side at $2.22 per 85. These were hard to break but they were not as tough as the impossible or the incognito
9:55
And these are the only ones in our test that are soy free
9:59
It's very hard. You could throw it on the camera. I don't bounce back
10:06
It's really, yeah. I mean, it's like is there anything in there
10:10
Like it just feels like straight breading. It doesn't taste like anything
10:18
It tastes a little bit like the spree. It tastes a little bit like the spree. spices, the garlic and the paprika
10:22
Yeah, but that should be an accent. There's nothing under it. No
10:26
The layer of meat is not very thick, so you can't really taste that much of it
10:32
But it is the breading that's super hard. The meat inside is not as hard
10:36
No. I don't like it. No. I think the breading to meat ratio is off
10:42
Yeah, for me, this is like, I don't know, cardboard. It's actually a pass, I would even say
10:46
Yeah, I think the morning star, both of them, I think are better than this. Yeah
10:50
This one's going to the bottom of my list. Moving on. All right. Our next nuggets are Jack and Annie's crispy jacknuggets
10:58
These can be baked, air-fried, or microwaved. And at $2.7 for 85 grams, they're in the mid-to-upper price point
11:06
These are mostly middle-of-the-road nutritionally compared with the others, except that these only have 7 grams of protein per 85 grams, which is the lowest
11:15
and the next lowest being 10 grams. I've had these before, but the..
11:20
buffalo kind. Okay. Oh, the breading is kind of like mushy. That's not bad
11:30
Me part. I have mixed feelings on this one. The breading, I mean, it's not taking away from it
11:35
It's in the way that like the impossible had that like gritty taste in your mouth, but it's
11:41
not adding anything. And it's too mush. The chicken itself, sometimes it's kind of giving me
11:47
a meaty texture, but then on the other hand, it's also giving me fruit. When I chew into it, it's
11:56
like a slice. There's no fibrous element to it. I still really like this one. The taste
12:03
I think, is good. Yeah. It's not exactly chickeny though. It has more juiciness. We had nuggets
12:09
that were really dry. I remember the ones I had I made in the air friar, and with the air friar
12:14
you get a bit more crunch for the breading yes okay it depends on if you're judging them
12:22
compared to a chicken nugget or just on their own compared to a chicken nugget it has like maybe a little
12:27
bit of the flavor that's chickeny but aside from that there's not much resemblance the mouth
12:32
feel isn't right but on its own just do i want to eat this or not like i would eat it
12:38
me too definitely i actually like their nuggets quite a bit from my perspective this is better than
12:44
the impossible. It's definitely not better than the Daring or the 365. Yeah, because I think the 365
12:51
the breading and texture is better. So yeah, overall, I would put it in third, but if we're going off
12:57
of chickeny flavor, I would put the impossible above this one. This holds up quite nicely
13:02
actually. Also considering it has a whole food ingredient, which is jackfruit. It's not solely
13:07
stuffed mixed together. This is something that I would be more likely to eat just because of the
13:12
ingredients. It really depends on what you're looking for with this one. But I think either way
13:16
we're either third or fourth in this one so far. So now we have alpha original chicken nuggets
13:22
which can be microwaved if you don't want to bake them, but I did bake these. These are still
13:27
in the affordable range at $1.59 to $1.65 per 85 grams or four nuggets. Now, these were even
13:35
harder to break in half than the impossible and incognito, and the fork and I really had to fight them
13:41
and just split them apart. It's very firm. It is. But the breading is. Let's let me try
13:50
Very thick Oh wow This is the opposite of the field rose Very thick yeah And it very hard to bite into This is the firmest of the meat that we had Yes It is like real chicken that it sticking in between my teeth
14:08
But flavor-wise, I'm not tasting a lot. No, pretty bland. It's so hard to bite into it that when I'm pulling it, the breading is coming off
14:17
The meat part is actually a little too thick. It's not giving me chickeny flavor
14:23
You don't get chicken vibes. Do you? legends? do much. Kind of a meh. I think you could dress it up and make it something
14:30
It is a meaty texture. Yeah. And also this is the juiciness that
14:34
Yeah, it's dry. Jack and Annie's kind of had. So yeah, I'm not a fan. I don't know where we put it
14:41
Definitely below impossible. I don't think it's as bad as the field roast
14:44
Definitely not. The incognito was, I feel similar to this in that it had a
14:51
meaty texture but not much else going for it. Yes. It could go either way. It could be a
14:56
tie with incognito or it could be like one step below it. Yeah
15:00
The only thing was with the incognito, I remember the breading was not so good
15:03
So would the breading on this one be better than the incognito
15:07
I think kind of, but it also doesn't stick to the nugget
15:11
It just falls off. There it loses again. So I think there's no way that this is better than the incognito
15:19
So in between the two. Yeah. For all three of those, I'm kind of like, man
15:22
I'm very indifferent because they all do not deliver Right. Very much in flavor
15:27
All right, moving on. Next. Next up is our only gluten-free option, which is the like meat, like chicken nuggets
15:36
I bought these frozen, but you do need to defrost them in the refrigerator before you can bake them or cook them in the microwave
15:43
The box actually looks pretty big, but there were only 10 nuggets inside
15:48
And even though they're gluten-free, this one has the highest carb count at 21 grams, and the second lowest amount of course
15:54
lowest amount of protein at 10 grams that's firm like the field roast yeah but not as
16:01
the other one is cardboardy yeah well we'll see one to bite into it yeah yeah yeah
16:13
yeah it's not like the field roast this actually has tasted it's almost overboard with the chicken
16:22
right flavor the breading It's crispy but like it's flaky. Yeah. Good. I actually like this one
16:29
Yeah, this isn't bad. For me, the meat is just a little firm and the flavor is a little bit much on the chickeny side
16:37
It really hits you. Yeah. But if you are really looking for a substitute, it is good that it tastes so overpowery. Yeah
16:45
But the texture of the chicken itself, the chicken, is not super chickeny
16:52
It's more the flavor. I see it's with corn flakes, the breading
16:56
Oh, yeah, this is an interesting one and I'm not sure where to place it
17:00
It's definitely not as good as the daring, like not close. Oh no
17:05
It is definitely better than the incognito. Oh yeah. Breading wise, it's better than all those three
17:12
365 jacket anyways. Oh, the upper three. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
17:16
And it's crunchy and it sticks to the meat and it's a unique breading. Yes
17:23
It's not super flaring. full of breading. No, but it doesn't have to be necessarily
17:28
You're getting a lot of chicken flavor. I would tie this maybe with the Jack and Annie's, but for very different reasons. Right
17:37
Taste-wise, they have nothing in common. Yeah, I was going to say, I think the 365 is still better for me
17:43
The 365 is like a chicken McNugget. Yeah, the texture was better on the 365, in my opinion
17:50
The Jack and Annie's, that's like a totally different thing, so it's hard to compare it. so it's hard to compare. Exactly. And then the impossible, it's just the breading was so bad
17:58
I feel like maybe the texture of the impossible as far as the chicken texture is better than this one
18:05
But not the flavor. Yeah, it's not as chickeny as this one. If we're going texture of the chicken
18:10
then it's going to be below impossible for me. But overall, I kind of agree that it's tied with
18:15
Jack and Annie's just because you can't really compare them. And they're both in between the 365 and the impossible
18:21
Yeah, they both have certain qualities to them. That's stand out. And if you really want that really chickeny flavor, this one is definitely worth trying. Yes
18:31
Number 10 on our list is Beyond Chicken Breadded Tenders. You can bake, air fry, or microwave these
18:38
These do not have soy listed in the ingredients, but it does say may contain soy
18:44
So if you're allergic, you probably want to avoid these anyway. These were also really tough to pull apart, but I think because they're so
18:51
they're so big I was able to grab enough of it to actually get them torn in half
19:03
Hmm. Well, it sounds a lot of flavor too. Mm-hmm. It's as overwhelming as the like meat
19:09
Yes, but I feel like this is somehow more chickeny than the like meat
19:14
It's like a more authentic chicken taste. Mm-hmm. But texture-wise, still not as good as the daring
19:21
We peaked early today. It's too... Yeah, it has too much of that vital wheat gluten
19:27
And maybe it's because it's too thick. But it tastes fine. Yeah, I would put this pretty high up there, actually
19:34
Because it really tastes like chicken. It's better than impossible. And it's better than 365, in my opinion
19:42
Fair enough, yeah. I just would probably put the daring above it. Oh, yeah
19:46
The daring's got the flavor and the texture. Yeah, yeah. This one, texture's pretty good
19:51
But the other texture was better. They had something in those layers
19:56
Yeah, it was like if you pull it apart, it looks like me. It was very unique and actually very good, yeah
20:01
Yeah, this does resemble in texture, more like alpha impossible. It's just too squeezy
20:10
Without being uncomfortably. No, no. All right. This is my number two
20:16
Your number two also? All right. Sold. Moving on. Moving on. Now we are going to try
20:21
stimulate chicken nugs which have one option for preparation which is baking in the oven
20:26
These are $1.44 per 85 grams. So they're pretty inexpensive and they're also pretty small
20:33
So 85 grams is about five pieces. They've got 200 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving
20:39
So let's see how they taste. They're kind of flat like weirdly flat but the breading is like
20:45
feels crispy. Yeah. Doesn't feel like the field rose. All right. Let's see
20:51
It very soft the meat part It hard to judge because it so thin You can really get a feel for the texture on this There nothing that springs back I getting chicken flavory a little bit
21:08
Not a lot. More than The Morning Star and the Alpha. I mean, it's not bad
21:14
For me, it's middle of the road. Yes. The breading is good. Yeah, it is crunchy
21:18
It's just too thin. You don't get enough with the meat in there. It's nice with the sauce. Mm-hmm
21:23
I think it's good. It's not a bad option. No. No. middle of the road as you say yeah right so I would say below impossible yeah that's what I was just looking at the breading is better than impossible true but overall the chickeny taste is similar but the texture you can't really get enough of it to it's too thin yeah so yeah I would I would put it below the impossible and above the incognito yeah two more
21:49
our next nuggets are also technically not nuggets they are tenders from a trader
21:56
They recommend that you bake or pan fry these and I am baking them
22:01
These are the cheapest option at $1.22 for 85 grams. They have 190 calories, 8 grams of fat and the most protein out of any of the nuggets with 14 grams
22:13
These feel more ready. Well, I mean like crummy. Yeah. We'll find out
22:19
I'm getting the flavor but not the texture. You're getting the flavor? Chickeny
22:28
But very subtle. You think? I don't know. To me it tastes chickeny. Really
22:34
It's just the texture for me is not really meaty at all
22:38
No, it's more like Satan. Well, the beyond and the like meat have a lot more
22:44
Chickeny? Yeah. Hmm. It's okay. It's better than a simulate nucks. Yeah, because it's thicker
22:50
And the breading is nicely thin. Maybe too thin? Yeah. It's like a breadcrime
22:55
coating. Yeah. It's not mushy. It's not falling off of the tender. Yeah, better than simulate
23:02
This texture is really what's not doing it for me, but the flavor, well for me, it tastes more
23:08
chickeny than the impossible. It does. That's true. But the breading for this is better than
23:13
the impossible. So actually then it wins over impossible. It's just the texture
23:18
Well, yeah. The texture of the impossible is more meaty. Because this texture, I don't know, is it
23:24
gluten? Is that what I'm tasting? Wheat protein, wheat gluten, yeah. Yeah, it's coming across gluteny
23:30
I agree with you. The texture is kind of a big deal. And this is a lot like when you make your own fake meat at home
23:37
This is what you get to. Yeah, I agree. So yeah, bring it below impossible, right
23:43
Mm-hmm. All right. And that's not one left. Last one. And last, but hopefully not least, we have Gardin Ultimate Chicken Nuggets
23:52
which are pretty small, I would say even bordering on popcorn chicken territory
23:58
The bag itself is pretty expensive at $7.49, but you actually get a lot in there
24:03
So it's only about $1.53 for 855 grams. So it's not the cheapest, but it's far from the most expensive
24:10
And you could bake these in the oven like I did or cook them in the air fryer
24:18
Got that chicken, it's like really strong. But not in a bad way. I like it
24:24
This tastes the most like chicken to meat. I mean, texture and flavor
24:29
Yes. And the breading is good too. And this is thin too, so it's not, because we kept saying with some of the others that was thin
24:36
that it was kind of like, that's why it wasn't too great. This is thin too, but it somehow does it right, if that makes sense
24:43
Yeah, there's flavor in it. Yeah. And there's chicken flavor. And the texture is it's the right amount of rubberiness
24:50
You know what I mean? It's not rubber. like the other ones were a little too bouncy rubbery. Yeah
24:55
This one is like chicken in its rubberiness. And it springs apart nicely
25:02
Yeah, I mean like when you open it it doesn't look like the most authentic chicken, I don't think. No
25:09
But when you taste it, it tastes. Although it does look very convincing
25:13
I mean, in comparison, we had some that were not going to be convincing. Oh yeah, compared to some of the others. Yeah
25:18
It doesn't look as convincing as the daring, but honestly, it does
25:21
I'm saying this is better than the daring. They didn't. Oh my lord
25:27
The last one, this is really good. If I ordered this at a restaurant
25:31
I would think to myself, did they replace this with actual chicken? Yeah
25:35
Then you would question them and be mad and go like, you try to tell me chicken here. Yeah
25:41
This is very convincing. If you want something that tastes like chicken
25:45
this is very chickeny. Yeah. Like, actually. Like, I don't know what they did or what kind of voodoo they put in there
25:56
Well, the list is kind of long. Is it? This is amazing stuff
26:00
I would buy this. I would go out and buy this. Yeah, definitely
26:04
And the daring is also good. I think either one that you buy, you're not going to go wrong with that
26:12
If that's, if you really want something that tastes like chicken. I feel like the mouth feel of this one is more chickeny. Yeah
26:20
And the flavor, yeah. So, yeah. The guardian. Daring. And then beyond chicken, 365, good choices too
26:29
Then the like meat and Jack and annies. Also decent. And the rest kind of goes into mediocre
26:35
Right. Well, impossible. I was still put in the good category. Mediocre, I would say, is Trader Joe's and Simulate
26:43
Yeah. And then the bottom four. In Cucvito, Alpha, Morningstar, and Field Roast
26:48
well, I mean, are we having a separate category for field roast being like on its own
26:54
I would never buy this. Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't buy the other three either
26:58
No, now that we know. But it's kind of like these were bland
27:04
Right. The field roast was just bad. That was cardboardy. Yeah. Yeah
27:09
Where the other three here, they are bland and you're kind of like, okay, I can
27:13
You can dip it. You can dip it in something. Yeah. In a sauce
27:17
Yeah. But this one, you're just. you can't even save with the sauce. No, but yeah, I think I'm pretty happy with
27:22
Like, we found, we found some good options. Yes. Yes. Very happy about it
27:27
Awesome. That was awesome. Thanks, Deb. Yeah, thank you. Well, that was a roller coaster ride, but we did find some really good options and one outstanding option
27:38
I really hope this video has helped you to navigate the sea of vegan nugget options to find
27:46
your vegan nugget. Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one
#Cooking & Recipes
#Dairy & Egg Substitutes
#Food
#Food & Drink
#Meat & Seafood Substitutes