Vegan Thanksgiving Taste Test

Introduction

Earlier this month, I tried some last-minute fall items and a few things for Thanksgiving. I found the vegan gravy at Natural Grocery, the cookies from the company’s online store, and the rest from Hy-Vee.

Here is what I think of the following vegan Thanksgiving products.

• Enjoy Life Apple Cider Donut Cookies
• Gardein Turk’y Roast
• Imagine Foods Vegan Wild Mushroom Gravy
• Pretzilla Pretzel Bites
• Silk Pumpkin Spice Almond Creamer

Pretzilla Pretzel Bites (8/10)

Pretzilla pretzel bites were like regular soft pretzels, plus they were vegan. The website recommended toasting them in the oven for a few minutes. I then added vegan cheddar cheese and the pretzel salt (most likely kosher salt). These bites reminded me of the days of getting pretzels at sporting events. My main issue with this appetizer was the strong salt taste. I recommend adding less or no salt. Overall, they were delicious.

The Pretzilla pretzel bites would work for a Thanksgiving appetizer for a smaller crowd (< 10 people).

Enjoy Life Apple Cider Donut Cookies (7/10)

Enjoy Life apple cider donut cookies tasted about average compared to their soft-baked counterparts. I was not too fond of the small apple chunks in there. I liked the cookie’s apple cider donut flavor, but I wished it would have been more pronounced. It was a little too hard of a cookie texture.

These cookies would work as fall snacks and desserts in lunch boxes.

Silk Pumpkin Spice Almond Creamer (6/10)

Silk pumpkin spice almond creamer wasn’t horrible. It was a little sour when I had it, and hopefully, that was because I had it out for too long instead of it having that taste. The creamer’s spices were prominent and a bit too much. It looked weird, kind of like eggnog.

This creamer would be something you put on top of your coffee, but I was not too fond of it.

Gardein Turk’y Roast (5/10)

Gardein’s turkey roast was a disgrace compared to existing vegan roasts. The outside’s bread was overly crunchy and nowhere close to being like standard turkey breading. I accidentally burned the outside while cooking it. The instructions made it sound like there was no need to add vegetable broth or oil to the roaster before cooking, which seemed odd. The roast’s inside wasn’t anything spectacular.

This roast could be a vegetarian or vegan option for a holiday gathering, but I disliked it so much that I would never have it again.

Imagine Foods Vegan Wild Mushroom Gravy (2/10)

Imagine Foods’ vegan gravy was atrocious. I wanted to spit it out so badly when I was recording that YouTube video. It tasted like mystery gravy over wild mushroom gravy. In other words, I couldn’t tell what I was tasting besides a weird, terrible taste.

This product could be a vegan gravy substitute for your vegan mashed potatoes, but I would rather stop being vegan than have this gravy ever again.

Conclusion

Almost everything I tried disappointed me. Why aren’t these vegan Thanksgiving alternatives better in 2021? The fall items were okay, and the pretzel bites were terrific.

Make food with sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cranberries, and winter squash if you want more fall recipes. Plus, read my vegan Thanksgiving blog post for more ideas for the big day.