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If you’re vegan and craving shrimp, it’s not as hard to find vegan options as you might think.
There are vegan shrimp products made by a number of companies that will give your plant-based diet the protein it needs!
In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of our favorite brands and recipes for vegan shrimp.
Let’s dive into a tasty adventure of some of our plant-based seafood: vegan shrimp!
Vegan shrimp scampi? No way!
Being vegan isn’t the easiest thing to be but we are proof that achieving a sustainable plant-based diet isn’t even close to impossible.
Seafood is a prime example of nutritious food with numerous health benefits. If you’re going to replace seafood in your diet, you need to do it with vegan options that have plenty of protein, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Finding seafood alternatives is easy nowadays. There are endless styles of delicious and healthy vegan seafood brands that can even ship right to your door along with your other favorite vegan ingredients.
Replacing seafood is easy?
There are several ways to replace seafood.
One of the most common is to use soy or soy as a primary ingredient. Tofu is a rich source of nutrition that has plenty of protein and omega-3 in the form of alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that the body can convert these nutrients into omegas found in fish, namely eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids.
As far as taste goes, tofu can be coated in olive oil and then seasoned with paprika and onion, kelp, and garlic powders that, when cooked, resemble not only the taste but the texture of seafood while also enjoying a longer shelf life.
Tempeh is a similar, firmer option that is derived from soy and has been traditionally used in Southeast Asia for centuries.
In this case, to mimic the taste of seafood, Asian cuisine often counts on safflower oil covered in kelp flakes, old bay seasoning, and onion powder.
As a general rule of thumb, you can add algae to your dishes to give them the savory, salty taste of the ocean. You can think along the lines of sushi, a cuisine that blends this flavor with raw fish.
You can buy alternative sea-flavored ingredients in the form of seaweed, nori, and wakame. In addition to vitamins and omegas, alga is also a great source of minerals and antioxidants.
Usually, vegans replace seafood by shaping other ingredients into finger food-style presentations that, particularly when fried, are ideal for dipping into cocktails and hot sauces.
Considering that shrimp accounts for a fourth of all seafood consumed in the United States, there’s a lot of interest in vegan shrimp, meaning shrimp that creatively uses vegetarian ingredients to replicate the delicious taste of shrimp.
A walk down the frozen food aisle reveals the popularity of a shrimp alternative, which is quickly catching up to the popularity veggie burgers have enjoyed for many years now.
At the store, it’s often characterized by its breaded preparation that draws health-conscious individuals with its crunchiness and Caribbean-inspired flavors.
Coconut shrimp with a Margherita is no longer a thing of the past!
There are many possibilities out there for when you’re interested in giving vegan shrimp a try.
However, by and large, they use most of the same ingredients across the board.
Namely, these include konjac, tofu, sweet potato mixed with flour, vegetable root starch, brown sugar (ideally free from bone char), vegetable gum, paprika, and other plant-based seasonings.
As you try different recipes, you’ll start to get a clearer idea of what you like. For example, many people don’t like konjac in terms of texture as it can be pretty rubbery and unpleasant to chew.
Another common ingredient is algae which tastes much like the real thing. Many people who are allergic to shrimp enjoy it a great deal.
Pseudo-shrimp isn’t only for those who are allergic. For instance, as this tiny sea creature has a very high level of both sodium and cholesterol, older folks are often advised by their doctors to stay clear of it.
Health food stores are where you find great brands that offer healthy preparations and a delicious savory taste. A good idea is to write down the names of the different brands you see and look up their online reviews.
NoPigNeva has an epic selection of vegan shrimp and other tasty plant-based seafood brands.
The best vegan shrimp brands are exceptionally healthy as their ingredients are completely non-GMO, but what sets them apart is their deliciousness and approximation to that savory shrimp taste. Here are some that will wow your taste buds!
Although this company has only been around for a few years, they have recently put forth a variety of vegan meat substitutes to choose from and has earned a fine reputation for being committed to developing vegan foods that contain zero animal ingredients.
This tasty shrimp product is used as their base konjac and is a quite delicious addition to almost any dish.
This brand prides itself in being chock full of superfoods that are sure to help round out your complete daily nutrition. Their soy, gluten, dairy, and corn-free shrimp have received awards.
What sets their flavor apart is what’s found in the coconut coating they offer, which contains, among other things, a flour blend of potato starch, rice flour, pea fiber tapioca starch, grainless, and aluminum-free baking powder, and unrefined and unsweetened coconut shreds.
Many people love it as it only takes two minutes of cooking time to prepare, either on the frying pan, in the oven, or by air frying it. If you love a zesty flavor with an added crunch, this brand is sure to feel like a party in your mouth!
Dip in tartar sauce for enhanced results!
If you’re a fan of sushi from the comfort of your home, the planet-based Vegan Shrimp by Sophie’s Kitchen works perfectly for this.
You can also fix yourself tacos! All you need are tortillas, hot sauce, and cilantro. You can always prepare a salad as a side dish. A tasty option is to mix green and red cabbage, more cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and add vegan mayo. No tacos are complete without sauce. Why not mix vegan mayo, sweet chili sauce, maple syrup, and Frank’s hot sauce to prepare the perfect finish?
To a large extent, what sets Mind Blown! Vegan Dusted Shrimp apart is that its breading is nongluten, non-dairy, and doesn’t include soy or corn, yet it is a mouthful of flavor nonetheless! Their shrimps are made with konjac powder, vegetable root starch, paprika, and sea salt and are beloved for being perfectly ready to be fried or baked. Shrimp and grits, tacos, and Shrimp Po Boys are just some of the dishes that Mind Blown! encourages you to try.
The reason for the name of this recipe is that the shrimp comes out crispy, on top of sweet, creamy, and spicy. This tofu-based shrimp recipe makes for the perfect snack or appetizer for a larger meal.
You can enjoy it with a side of rice, pickled vegetables, or both.
In addition to a block of extra firm tofu, the recipe calls for a mixture of corn or tapioca starch, bread crumbs, vegan plain yogurt, non-dairy milk, and all-purpose seasoning (we use a greek seasoning).
You then fry this with oil until nice and crispy and then coat them with the all-important Bang Bang sauce.
A great way to cook our beloved scampi the vegan way is by using the heart of palms but you can easily substitute this dish with Vegan Shrimp by Be Leaf. The straightforward dish is easy to prep.
It makes for a great pasta dish that will leave you wanting more.
Salmon has a very special taste that many vegans miss, particularly the kind that has been smoked to perfection. When you search around, you’ll find that several vegan salmon recipes call for carrots, which makes a lot of sense as they are both mineral-rich and go great with cream cheese.
For those who appreciate the taste of scallops, a great ingredient to whip up a vegan version is mushrooms! One of the best mushrooms you can use is King Oyster, which many proclaim not only to taste great but look just like the real thing because of their meaty and bouncy texture.
You can cook them up on the grill or pan fry them. Afterward, you can add them to paella that makes for a real culinary treat.
A lot of people think that vegan food just isn’t tasty and that you have to douse it in hot sauce or cocktail sauce to help it go down. However, that is not the case.
Veganism has permeated our culture, in large part due to the growing interest in health and animal welfare. It isn’t hard to find a reason to give it a try. From the hormones and antibiotics pumped into livestock to the general lack of nutrition in food at the store, going vegan can make a world of difference to your overall day-to-day wellbeing.
So, why not add these meat alternatives to your grocery list and try out all the interesting textures and flavors at your health food store to know what vegan shrimp dishes are all about!
Shop a delicious array of healthy vegan seafood options and tell us your favorite brands and recipes in the comments!
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