Best vegan nail polish: 7 checked on the makers’ pages, and what one ingredient list covers
Our vegan nail polish pick is essie Original at $10. OPI Nature Strong carries the Vegan Society mark. Skip Dazzle Dry if scent bothers you: it lists fragrance.
Best vegan moisturizers: 7 that pass, and the drugstore classic made with lanolin alcohol
Our pick is e.l.f.’s fragrance-free Holy Hydration cream at $13; The Ordinary’s is $6.70. 7 vegan moisturizers pass; skip Eucerin’s: lanolin alcohol.
Is lanolin vegan? No, and a natural-origin beeswax stick lists it fifth
No, lanolin isn’t vegan: it’s wax from sheep’s wool. Of 7 lip balms we read, 4 list it, Burt’s Bees’ beeswax stick included, and 3 are vegan.
Why do vegans quit? They blame the food, and the widest gap is identity
Quitters most often blame the food. Of the difficulties Faunalytics highlighted, the widest gap from those who stayed was identity: 58% against 11%.
Why do vegans eat fake meat? Because the objection was never the taste
Veganism objects to exploiting animals, not to the taste of meat, and the Vegan Society’s definition promotes animal-free alternatives. Plus the case against.
Is second-hand leather vegan? No, and the reason isn’t the money
No: a thrifted jacket is still an animal’s skin. The money argument barely holds, as USDA market data put a steer’s hide under 1% of its live price. Our line.
Best vegan leather bags: 6 that pass, and the recycled leather that is 70% leather
Our pick is Matt & Nat’s Garni tote, 100% PU with a recycled lining. For less plastic, Svala’s Mirum tote. Skip Baggu’s recycled leather: 70% leather fibers.
Best vegan boots: 7 that pass, and a Kamik with leather eyelets
Our pick is Blundstone’s #2115, with outside vegan verification. For snow, Will’s insulated hiking boot; for job sites, Kamik’s Workday 3 BX. Skip one Canuck.
Best vegan running shoes: 5 that pass, and the Ghost Max made with cow leather
Our pick is the Brooks Ghost 18: Brooks says no animal-derived dyes or glues. Mizuno, Newton and Veja pass too, but one Brooks Ghost Max is cow leather.
Is beer vegan? Corona and Guinness say yes, and one Budweiser lists shellfish
Beer is vegan when nothing from an animal goes in or clears it. Corona and Guinness Draught say theirs is; skip milk stouts, honey beers and Budweiser Chelada.
Best plant-based milk: 9 cartons read, and why the shortest labels skip B12
Our pick: Ripple Unsweetened, 8 g protein and 440 mg calcium a cup. Oatly Barista for coffee. Skip short-list cartons like Oatly’s 4 Ingredient: 0 mg calcium.
Best vegan cheese brands: 7 that pass, and the cheddar that is only lactose-free
Our pick: Violife’s mozzarella shreds, Vegan Society certified and nut-free. For a board, Treeline’s aged cashew. Skip Cabot’s lactose-free cheddar: it’s milk.
Can you be vegan and low-carb? Yes, and the trial behind it never got near keto
Yes. A vegan low-carb diet beat a high-carb one on weight and LDL in a 6-month trial, yet its group still ate about 40% carbs. Plus 6 low-carb vegan foods.
Do vegans get hungry more often? Not in the trials we found
Over 2 years, people assigned a vegan diet reported no bigger change in hunger, and at NIH people ate 689 fewer calories a day on plants than on keto.
Can you eat oil on a plant-based diet? Yes, by the measured spoon, and the oil-free case is thinner than it sounds
Yes. A Mediterranean diet with olive oil beat a reduced-fat diet in the biggest trial we read. The oil-free study had no control group. Skip the coconut oil.
Vegan egg substitutes: what to use for what, and 9 checked against the makers’ pages
Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer for cakes, chickpea water for meringue, Just Egg for scrambles: 9 vegan egg substitutes, with per-egg amounts where makers give one.
Are man-made vegetables vegan? Yes, and 6 you can buy, from Broccolini to Bt sweet corn
Yes. Bred or engineered, these 6 are plants, with no animal gene in any file we read. Broccolini is our pick; Bt sweet corn is the one vegans argue about.
Tofu that tastes like chicken: freeze it for days, not a night, and 8 products checked
Freeze firm tofu for days, thaw it cold, tear it and simmer it in vegan chicken-style broth. 8 products checked; Knorr’s chicken bouillon has chicken fat.
Best vegan multivitamin: 8 labels read, and the herb inside our pick’s green blend
Deva’s Vegan Society-registered One Daily is our pick, but its green blend holds ashwagandha; if pregnant, take Deva’s prenatal. Centrum makes no vegan claim.
Best vegan omega-3 supplements: 7 algae oils compared on EPA and DHA, not the number on the front
Our pick is Deva’s 500 mg algae softgel. Compare vegan omega-3s on EPA plus DHA: a 2000 mg serving gives 1,200 mg, and one 500 mg bottle has no EPA.
How to use vegan protein powder: a quarter of the flour at most, and 7 powders checked
Shake it with cold liquid, make a paste before it goes into a hot drink, and swap 1/8 to 1/4 of the flour for it, as Vega advises. 7 powders checked.
Thrive Market for vegans: worth $59.95 a year, if you read past the vegan badge
Thrive Market pays off for vegans on the $59.95 annual plan with $49+ orders. Read labels anyway: 11 items in its vegan filter list beeswax, lanolin or lactose.
How to be vegan when you don’t like vegetables: let lentils and fruit do the work
Lean on lentils and fruit, and keep one orange vegetable. Lentils outrank greens for potassium on NIH’s list; vitamin A is where fruit falls short.
Is it cheaper to be vegan? On average, yes, and the savings come from what you stop eating
On average, yes. In a 16-week US trial, food costs fell about 16% on a low-fat vegan diet, more than in the control group, mostly from meat and dairy.
Recipes By Course
Browse our vegan recipes database by category. We have clearly arranged what we consider to be the most important categories on this page – from breakfast to desserts. Click on the category that interests you. You can then refine your search in the next step.
About us
We’re Gregory and Tara, husband and wife, and we’ve both been vegan since April 2012. Gregory started out a sceptic who thought you needed meat and dairy, so he read the studies until he was sure; he still does, and he runs the tech side. Tara cooks, invents new dishes and has tried more vegan beauty products than our bathroom shelf can hold.
For about two years we also ran a small vegan online shop, so we know the aisle from both sides. Vegan Pots is where we answer the questions we had back then: is it vegan, is it worth buying, and what do you do with it at home.
