Pre-note: When I mention “imitation products”, I mean a food item that is trying to exactly replicate a non vegan item. Something like a black bean burger is not an imitation production, it’s just an alternative.
I was bored so I started creating a tier list of vegan products and how closely they imitate non vegan products. I was trying to keep the list genericized with less emphasis on specific brands, but for some items the brand was really important.
What would you move around? What would you add? I only have a few items so far. I’ll update the list as comments come in.
S tier - practically indistinguishable
- Beef burgers (impossible, beyond)
- Breakfast sausages (impossible, beyond)
- Chicken nuggets/patties
- Mayo
A tier - you can tell it’s different but it’s just as good
- Queso dip (cashew based)
- Ground beef (impossible, beyond)
- Egg (just egg)
- Butter
- Milk
- Ice cream
B tier - you can tell it’s different and it’s a slight downgrade
- Deli cheese slices (some brands are C or F)
C tier - you can tell it’s different and it’s okay but a significant downgrade
- Cream cheese (most brands)
- Pizza
F tier - you can tell it’s different and it’s not good
- Beef jerky
I’m vegan for three years and vegetarian for around six years. Some time ago I bought a pack of fake chicken gyros and to me it tasted so close to real chicken that I somehow felt disgusted by it and couldn’t eat it. Before, I always liked chicken and also other animal products. But somehow I got not only used to resist the temptation but somehow conditioned myself into completely changing my preferences. I still buy fake grated cheese quite often but in terms of meat alternatives I prefer patties, sausages, falafel and stuff that taste nothing like the original.
So if I compare my personal ranking to yours, my top tier is probably “A” and your “S” in many cases would be just as bad as “F”.