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It seems that every week in the world of vegan food news is more exciting than the last and this week is no exception. New vegan crab cakes are here from both AKUA and Mind Blown. Sweet Earth is also giving consumers looking for frozen meals more options with its new bowls in Korean-style BBQ and Cacio e Pepe flavors. And Laird Superfoods—founded by big wave surfer Laird Hamilton—is getting into vegan snacks for the first time. Read on for more. 

Vegetarian brand Sweet Earth is known for its refrigerated products such as the Awesome Burger but it recently expanded its frozen meals with exciting vegan options. The brand’s new gluten-free Cacio e Pepe Entrée Bowl is inspired by the Roman dish and features chickpea-based noodles slathered in vegan, cashew-based parmesan cheese and black pepper sauce with added veggies. 

Its new Korean BBQ-Style Chik’n Entrée Bowl hits on the spicy and sweet flavors of Korean barbecue with a bowl packed with its vegan chicken and veggies including edamame, carrots, snap peas and sesame seeds over a cauliflower and brown rice blend. 

Sweet Earth developed the vegan entrée in response to market research that shows 75 percent of consumers are looking for more frozen foods. The company chose these flavors in particular to provide a vegan version of popular meals among US consumers. 

“At Sweet Earth, we’re always looking to offer plant-based versions of the unique flavors and dishes consumers love,” Jennifer Barnes, Vice President and General Manager of Sweet Earth Foods, said in a statement. “As schedules pick back up, we want to ensure we’re offering mindfully made and delicious veg-forward options that people can rely on to satisfy their taste buds and fuel their busy lifestyles.”

Both frozen meals can be found at select Target locations for a suggested retail price of $4.99 each and the Korean BBQ meal is also available at additional retailers, including Meijer, HEB, and Giant.

Plant-based brand AKUA cuts out the middleman when it comes to consuming all of the oceans’ benefits with its new Krab Cake, a vegan crab cake made from ocean-farmed kelp. Not only is this crab cake kinder to crustaceans but its main ingredient is a big win for the environment because the zero-input crop requires no fresh water, no fertilizer, no feed, and no arid land to grow. 

Not only are the Krab Cakes packed with vitamins and fiber but the kelp the Brooklyn-based company uses also filters carbon and nitrogen from the water and creates new jobs for coastal communities. The innovative vegan crab cakes—and AKUA’s vegan kelp burgers—are available through the company’s website.  

Craving more crab cakes? You’re in luck because The Plant Based Seafood Co. just launched its vegan crab cakes at Sprouts Farmers Market. Backed by Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio, this woman-owned company is a pivot of The Van Cleve Seafood Co., which has been in the seafood industry for 20 years. The new crab cakes are made from a base of plant protein that is seasoned with ​​classic crab cake flavors such as celery and onion before being crusted in panko bread crumbs. 

The Plant Based Seafood Co.

“For decades, we’ve been creating traditional crab cakes in small batches—by hand—through our company The Van Cleve Seafood Co. They’re one of our best-selling items,” co-founder Monica Talbert said in a statement. “Recently, we saw a need for plant-based seafood and created Mind Blown by The Plant Based Seafood Co. We wanted to make a plant-based version of our Crab Cakes, and knew they would have to be identical to the original versions in taste and texture. We’re proud to say that in any application of a traditional crab cake, the Mind Blown versions do equally as well, if not better.” 

Mind Blown’s new vegan crab cakes are also available for wholesale purchases through VEDGEco (known as the “Vegan Costco”).

Vegan food brand Wicked Kitchen got its start in the United Kingdom in 2018 by way of supermarket giant Tesco where its variety of convenience foods—from ready meals to whole cakes to shelf-stable staples—were a huge hit with Brits. 

Now, Wicked Kitchen is eyeing a brand new—yet totally familiar—category: vegan milk. The brand’s Soya, Oat, Coconut, and Almond milks are hitting Tesco stores this week and all come fortified with potassium and vitamins B, B12, and D. 

Founded by New England-born vegan chef brothers Chad and Derek Sarno the brand began making its expansion to the United States earlier this year with new offerings, including a first-of-its-kind vegan ice cream line made from a base of lupini beans. Stateside, Wicked Kitchen products are available through Kroger and Kroger-owned stores. 

When pro surfer Laird Hamilton launches a vegan protein bar, we listen. This week, Hamilton’s Laird Superfood brand is entering the plant-based snack category for the first time with its line of Laird Superfood Plant-Based Protein Bar with Adaptogens in four flavors: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Lemon Almond, Peanut Butter, and Mint Chocolate. 

While the brand is known for its coffees, superfood creamers, and mixes, the new snack bars are made to be filled with pea protein, hemp seeds, and pumpkin seeds. They also feature a hit of ​​adaptogens from chaga and lion’s mane extracts for added benefits. 

“Laird Superfood has led the functional food category for years offering functional coffee blends, award-winning superfood creamers, drinks mixes, and supplements. Now with the growing number of consumers interested in plant-based snacks made from real food ingredients tailored to fit their specific diets, we’ve created a convenient protein-packed snack that will power them through every daypart,” Jason Vieth, President and CEO of Laird Superfood, said in a statement. “Aligned with our belief that delicious foods should always nourish, fuel and help you be your best, this is not your average protein bar, it’s great-tasting functional fuel available at the palm of your hand.”

For the latest vegan news, read: Why This Entrepreneur Went From Farming Pigs To Making Vegan Bacon How This Vegan-Friendly Bakery Rose Above Anti-LGBTQ Hate Crimes Brazil’s Vegan Meat Giant Takes Over LA Restaurants for 4 Weeks

Anna Starostinetskaya is the Senior News Editor at VegNews and is always keeping an eye on all things vegan in her home city of San Francisco, CA and everywhere else. 

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