Testing 1,2,3… Plant-based alternatives to household staples

22 Jul, 2023 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Whether you’re vegan or just omitting or cutting down on animal products for environmental, animal welfare or medical reasons, the great news is that these days there’s not much off the menu with fantastically tasty alternatives to some oft-used ingredients. It’s never been such a delicious time to go dairy and egg free – here are three new products that could easily become a household go-to.

Best Foods Vegan Mayo

This vegan alternative to mayonnaise has substituted the egg yolk with high-quality starches to recreate the same rich and creamy texture of Kiwi favourite Best Foods mayo. The plant-based formula is not only free from eggs, but it is also gluten-free, made with no artificial colours and flavours, and is also a good source of omega-3. Not cloyingly sweet, but creamy and slightly tart, it’ll be an egg-free vegan dream on sandwiches, in dressings and in dips. Add garlic, lemon, salt and pepper and you have a wicked egg-free garlic aioli for all your chippie needs. Unsurprisingly, this beauty sold out pretty quickly but never fear, more is expected on shelves in mid-August. Purchase at Countdown, Pak n Save and New World stores. RRP $8.

Cathedral Cove Lite Coconut Yoghurt

We love Cathedral Cove Coconut Yoghurt – on cereal, in sauces and dips, stirred through a curry, in desserts and baking, smoothies, as a marinade ingredient… the list goes on. And now it’s pretty exciting to have that same unctuous wonder come in a lite version. The new Lite Coconut Yoghurt has less than half of the calories and fat of the original, and is lighter in taste while maintaining the creaminess. Cathedral Cove Naturals’ whole production process is as green as possible and the yoghurt comes in glass jars, which are reusable, 100 per cent recyclable and do not leach any harmful toxins into the product. Available from Countdown supermarkets, participating New World stores nationwide and selected specialty food stores. RRP $8.99

Angel Food Dairy-Free Sour Cream

Life is less delicious without sour cream and now nobody need miss out. Angel Food founder Alice Shopland reckons they’ve created a sour cream alternative that’s “truly hard to beat”. It’s velvety with a clean and creamy mouthfeel and perfect for the multitude of ways sour cream can be used: dollop it on top of your favourite Mexican foods, add a spoonful on top of a piping hot bowl of soup, amp up your salad dressings, make it into a dip or add to sauces to give them a lovely creaminess. We’re keen to try it on some loaded nachos with guacamole and hot sauce. Available nationwide from Countdown and selected New World stores, as well as independent retailers. RRP $7.50.