Opinion Best vegan pork meat, ham & bacon you can buy in Aussie stores

With so many delicious plant-based alternatives at the shops today, it’s easier than ever to keep pigs off your plate.

If your algorithm is anything like mine and clearly knows you love cute animal content, you probably already know that pigs are a) super smart, b) the absolute sweetest, and c) ridiculously adorable. They can even learn tricks like dogs!

Unlike dogs, however, pigs and piglets are deliberately excluded from animal protection laws in Australia, because they’re considered ‘food’ animals rather than ‘friends’. Sadly, this leaves them vulnerable to extreme cruelty and suffering at the hands of the meat industry — all to meet the demand for bacon, ham, and pork.

But the good news is, thanks in part to the cute-pig-video-renaissance (the pignaissance, if you will), more and more people are realising that pigs deserve nothing but sunshine, belly rubs, and love — and are choosing to keep them off their plates in favour of kinder, healthier vegan alternatives.

Plus, we are truly living in the future these days when it comes to the sheer number of actually ‘meaty’ meat alternatives available in stores. So it’s totally possible to pig out on traditionally pork-based dishes while eating plant-based, with just an easy swap or two!

Grab your shopping list and read on to discover some delicious pig-friendly products that will make veganising your favourite meals a cinch.

Plant-based Bacon, Ham & Deli Slices

From bacon rashers to pastrami, smoked ham, salami, pepperoni, and bacon bits, these products are everything you need to turn your vegan big breakfasts, loaded sandwiches, toasties, cheese boards, and creamy pastas into little slices of savoury heaven.

• A & T Bacon Slices
• A & T Smoked Bacon Slices
• Fry’s Polony
• Lamyong Ham Roll
• Meliora Plant-based Ham Slices
• Meliora Plant-based Salami Slices
• Made with Plants Bacon
• Suzy Spoons Peppernoni
• Tofurky Italian-style Deli Slices
• Tofurky Smoked Ham Deli Slices
• VBites Bcn Rashers
• VBites Hmm Slices
• VBites Pepperfoni Slices
• Vutcher Premium Bacon

Plant-based Pork Meat & Roasts

Keep an eye out for these vegan roasts and pre-prepared vegan pork meat products in the plant-based meat section! Mouthwatering Sunday roasts, BBQ pulled pork, fried rice, ramen, stir-fries, and sweet and sour pork are still on the menu — and kinder than ever.

• Lamyong Sweet & Sour Ribs
• Sayur Vegetarian Roast Pork
• Vegie Delights Vegie Roast
• Vutcher Gourmet Pork Bites

Plant-based Pork Meat & Bacon Sausages

Vegan sausages are in abundance these days, and there are heaps of specifically pork-style ones to choose from. They’re perfect for lazy morning fry-ups, BBQs, or adding to stews for added protein and heartiness — snag some next time you’re at the shops!

• Field Roast Classic Smoked Frankfurters
• Fry’s Smoked Hot Dogs
• Lamyong Vegetarian Smoked Sausages
• Tofurky Chorizo Sausages
• Tofurky Italian Sausages
• VBites Hot Dog-style Sausages
• VBites Mild Chorizo Sausages

Plant-based Pork Ready-Meals

This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning just a few of the tasty pork-style ready meals you can heat up. Convenient and kind to pigs — we love to see it!

• Asian Concepts Dim Sims
• Lamyong Dim Sims
• Linda McCartney’s Vegetarian Sausage Rolls
• Mr Chen’s BBQ Pork-style Gyoza
• One Planet Pizza Spicy Peppernomi
• Vincent BBQ Pork Buns
• Why Meat Co Party Pies
• Why Meat Co Sausage Rolls
• YAY! Foods Big Fancy Sausage Roll

Hopefully this list helps as a starting oink point, but remember it’s far from exhaustive! There are so many plant-based pig meat alternatives on the market right now (with more appearing every day) that it’s impossible to list them all.

Be sure to check not only your local supermarket, but also any Asian grocery stores or niche health food stores you may have nearby, too. You never know what treasures you might snuffle out!

You can also order a wide range of plant-based meat products online to have them delivered straight to your door. We’d love to know what new favourites you discover 🙂

And lastly — as a thank you for wanting to keep pigs off your plate and in your heart where, frankly, they’d prefer to be — please enjoy this satisfying video of rescued pig, Red Adair, munching happily away on a zucchini, not a care in the world. He’s living his best life at Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary thanks to caring people like you ❤️

Psst!

The vegan pork meat meat products recommended above are super easy to swap into any recipe that calls for bacon, ham, pork, or sausages. But if you’re keen to whip up some similar plant-based meals without using any store-bought meat alternatives, check out our round-up of easy recipes that are 100% pig-friendly, veggie-based, and home-kitchen approved.

Keen to discover more meat-free options? We’ve got a list of our favourite plant-based chicken, beef, seafood, and more for you to get your teeth stuck into!