EV’s Take: Find Vegan Gems in Every Wegmans Department—But Make Sure To Check the Prices
Are you in Wegmans mafia? 🙋♀️ Consider me a made member of the family. The grocery giant, though born and beloved in Western New York, has found its way into various Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern locations, converting shoppers into fans with its wide aisles, affordable store-brand selection and quality fresh-prepared meals.
Wegmans is also a place where you can load up on great plant-based food for a good price, if you’re careful about what you add to your cart! If you are swayed from the budget items—which happens all too easily at Wegmans—you can treat yourself to some delicious vegan baked goods, desserts, breads, hot foods, and more.
From one Wegmans-obsessed vegan to, I hope, soon-to-be another, I’m here to walk you through Wegmans’ affordable vegan specialties, under-the-radar plant-based grabs, and pricier delicacies that are too tasty to go unmentioned.
RIP, Fully Stocked Vegan Aisle
Unfortunately, there’s one distinct negative I have to note in my review: In recent months, Wegmans has discontinued a lot of their store-brand vegan products—like shredded cheeses and frozen “chicken” and “steak” burritos, all of which were really good. They had a large variety of plant-based meats that’s been reduced to a few solid options, which I’ll grudgingly accept, since some of their past “meats” missed the mark.
This is in line with discontinuations at other grocery stores: Aldi, Target, Wegmans, and I’m sure more, all launched large plant-based lines under their store-brand names a few years back. Whether the discontinuations reflect a passing fad, lack of demand, or simply refinement of new product lines, it’s disappointing for the crowd who reveled in widely available vegan foods.
However, Wegmans has held onto a good amount of specialty vegan items and continues to offer a huge selection of inherently plant-based items at their store. Let’s dig in.
Wegmans Store-Brand Vegan Cheese and Meats
Parmesan-Style Vegan Grated Cheese Shaker
Price: Around $5
Interestingly, the only vegan store-brand cheese left at Wegmans is their Parmesan—they formerly had mozzarella and cheddar shreds. Far from a gourmet-style wedge or thick-cut shavings, this parm is your all-American, Kraft-style parmesan shaker—a vegan take on the already inauthentic original.
Alas, some kind of parm is better than none. And to my surprise and delight, the container emitted a perfect parma aroma upon opening. I’ve been sprinkling it on pastas and soups and blending it into cheese sauces. The flavor is on point—a little tangy, a little salty, a little nutty. I think it’s a good substitute for dairy parmesan, overall. My only qualm with the product itself is the texture. It’s not bad, but rather granular, each “grated” bit of parm chewy and pebble-like.
Don’t Be Chicken Meatless Chicken-Style Nuggets & Patties
Price: About $4
I’ll get to the point on this one: Wegmans hit a home run with their breaded, frozen vegan “chicken” products! I’m so glad they kept this line of faux meat on the shelves, great product name included (meanwhile “Don’t Be Piggy” and “Don’t Be Fishy” have been laid to rest).
Wegmans offers them in nugget form in a 10-oz. or 40-oz. family pack size. The patty version comes in a regular or spicy flavor. All forms of Don’t Be Chicken deliver your classic savory, white meat chicken flavor and a juicy, meaty texture. With the regular-size packs coming in around $3.99—making it about $1 per patty—these are really well priced vegan options that I always jump to buy when available.
The family pack of nuggets, about $13.99, is a convenient addition to the freezer, allowing you to pop a few in the air fryer (or microwave, or oven) at any time.
Plant-Based Ground (Vegan “Ground Beef”)
Price: About $6.50
Wegmans also decided to hang on to a couple of their vegan “beef” items: a plant-based ground beef and beef-style burgers. I usually don’t opt for burgers, though Impossible and Beyond brands have catapulted them to the forefront of plant-based meats. I’ve just never been super into burgers, ground beef, or red meat in general.
So much so, that I almost forgot the flavor. But the Wegmans ground reminded me of it, that rich flavor and texture I can only describe as beefy and meaty. It was delicious.
The ground “beef” mix came refrigerated and crumbled and cooked on the stovetop with just a bit of effort. I had to poke the block of “meat” quite a bit to get it as crumbly as I wanted, and as I did, pink juices ran from the tender bits. Just like their brand-name counterparts, the Wegmans ground imitates blood with some fruit juice additions.
I cooked a bit longer than the package recommend to get it to the doneness I wanted. Once it got there, I loved what I tasted. The smell filled my kitchen and was perfect in my taco salad. You can easily add this ground anywhere you’d use ground meat: tacos, bolognese sauce, chili, meatballs… the list goes on, making it a versatile plant-based meat that’s just as delicious plain.
Wegmans Vegan Condiments
Wegmans has a few other specialty vegan products that can help you make and bake even more animal-free foods.
Plant-Based Buttery Spread & Sticks
Available in a 13-oz. tub for spreading on breads and more or in stick form for easy measuring and baking, Wegmans vegan butters are a great addition to their plant-based line. Around $5 each, these are pretty on par with the prices of name-brand butters.
Vegan Mayo
Again, they got rid of shredded cheeses, but kept the mayo?! I may not understand it, but I won’t complain about having a vegan, egg-free mayo! Tangy and creamy, this is a great substitute for regular mayo or vegan name brands. At about $5 for a 12-oz. jar, it’s not expensive, but not much cheaper than its plant-based peers.
Honorable Mentions
Wegmans makes tons of items under its own brand, and a number of them are vegan. Look for the dietary info symbols on packaging—Wegmans is great at labeling what’s vegan, gluten free, lactose free, etc. Some that have stood out to me include:
- Organic vegan ravioli: They offer two varieties, a spinach with mushroom ravioli and a butternut squash ravioli. Each package is about $5. This is a lot less than prices I see for Kite Hill ravioli (which is delicious by the way).
- Hummus in about one million flavors: In our vegan-eating home, Wegmans family-size original hummus keeps us snacking and satiated for at least a week. At about $6 for a 32-oz. tub, it’s a steal. I also love their roasted pine nuts hummus. But you can try every flavor—they all appear to be vegan!
- Chopped salad kits: Of course you’d expect salad to be vegan. But many of the convenient salad-in-a-bag products on produce shelves have bacon bits, cheese, or dairy or egg in the dressing. So If you’re going plant-based, you have to look a little harder. I’ll save you the time, at least in Wegmans:
- Thai Chili Chopped Salad Kit
- Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit
- Toasted Sesame Chopped Salad Kit
- Vegan yogurt: I have really enjoyed every Wegmans vegan yogurt I’ve had. They offer both coconut milk and almond milk yogurt in single-serving containers with fruit mix-ins and 24-oz. tubs available in plain or vanilla. The tubs are about $5, which is on par with name-brand dairy yogurts around the same size.
- Vegan cereals: Just looking at the ingredients, many Wegmans-brand cereals are vegan, but aren’t given the Wegmans “V” stamp of approval. This could be because they’re made on equipment with non-vegan items; I’m unsure. But the few clearly labeled vegan boxes are absolutely delicious and consistently priced lower than name-brand cereals I see in other stores. They include:
- Fall Harvest Cereal, available in a Family Pack for bulk savings, and my personal favorite
- Maple Pecan Crunch
- Berry Granola Crunch
Vegan Baked Goods and Desserts at Wegmans
Wegmans has a fantastic bakery, but if you’re eating vegan, you’re options are limited. That said, they’ve done a good job including a few high-quality animal-free products in this department. The downside is that you may be paying a premium for these luscious vegan sweets.
- Vegan bakery breads: Breads can be tough to sort through, as some contain honey or other non-vegan ingredients. However, a classic favorite—the Under the Tuscan Sun Garlic bread—is fully vegan. Most of their ryes, sourdoughs, and baguettes also appear to be vegan. I would say their fresh-baked breads are average priced, but they’re not cheap. That said, they’re way higher quality than bakery breads at most grocery chains.
- Bagels: Most Wegmans bagels are also vegan, but surprisingly, and unfortunately, they’re nothing to write home about.
- Vegan muffins: Wegmans has two delicious fresh-baked vegan muffins that also happen to be gluten free! Try the Banana Apple Oat Muffin or the Blueberry Oat Muffin. They have a slightly more whole grain texture and less sweet taste, similar to a bran muffin, but still satisfy my sweet tooth.
- Belgian Chocolate Mousse Cake: Oh, you want sweet, not-healthy-at-all vegan bakery items? Wegmans has you more than covered with their tofu and vegan cream cheese-based chocolate cake. And non-vegans would never notice these ingredients. Just one bite delivers an explosion of chocolatey decadence and rich, silky texture. The imported Belgian dark chocolate clearly carries its weight. Sound fancy? A slice is $6 and a whole cake is $30. Maybe save this one for payday, or severe cocoa cravings. But I couldn’t leave it off my list!
- Vegan cookies: Wegmans’ bakery has vegan peanut butter cookies and vegan molasses cookies—classics that they do very well, and price reasonably at $6 for 5 good-sized cookies.
- Wegmans plant-based ice cream: It’s not in the bakery aisle, but these plant-based pints have earned their place alongside Wegmans’ triumphant chocolate mousse cake and vegan cookies. In fact, I think they rival Ben & Jerry’s dairy-free pints, which speaks volumes. All almond milk-based, the Coffee Caramel Fudge and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie are both to die for. I actually haven’t tried the Lemon Raspberry flavor, and maybe I never will, because I’m too obsessed with its creamy, chocolatey counterparts.
Frozen Vegan Meals
Wegmans also offers a few plant-based frozen meals. While convenient, frozen meals typically fail to impress me. The ones in the Wegmans freezer aisle are good, but not amazing, and not necessarily cheap. They include:
- The Vegan Grain Bowl with beans and veggies
- Vegan Chana Masala with rice
- Vegan Tikka Masala with rice
- Caribbean Black Bean Riced Cauliflower
- Mediterranean Style and Indian Style Grain Blend
- Vegetable Fried Rice
- Cauliflower Crust Non-Dairy Cheese Pizza
There are definitely a few more frozen side dishes that could go on that list. But like I said, I just prefer fresh cooked food, and that tends to be easier on my wallet, too.
However, I have one go-to in the Wegmans freezer section: Wegmans Organic Frozen Vegetable Dumplings Family Pack! Like the Don’t Be Chicken nuggets, I love keeping a big bag of these in the freezer for a fast and easy meal when needed.
Grab-and-Go and Hot Foods Section
Now THIS is where Wegmans gets pricey! But if you need a ready-made, fresh lunch, it’s a great spot. Of course, there are less vegan options available than non-vegan ones. Products likely vary from store to store, but these are the vegan items I’ve spotted in the Wegmans prepared foods section recently:
- Grab-and-go vegan salads, sometimes a small package of tofu is available for purchase to add to your salad
- Vegan veggie crunch sandwich
- Vegan sushi: vegetable rolls, avocado rolls, and mushroom rolls
- Vegan inari
- Vegetable gyoza
- Chinese food hot bar, where there are typically some vegan options
- Pizza with dairy-free cheese is available at the pizza station
Most of their prepared vegetable sides are vegan, and are cooked to perfection, but these too come at a premium.
Where Can I Find Wegmans Vegan Foods Near Me?
Wegmans has more than 100 locations across nine states on the East Coast. Find the one closest to you on their website.
What Do You Think About Wegmans Vegan Foods?
Did I miss any great vegan finds at Wegmans? Have a different opinion on some of their items? Share your suggestions and thoughts in the comments!
