Looking for Oil-Free & Plant-Based Brands?
I'm always getting questions from meal plan users about brands... what brand should you buy?
Unfortunately, brands vary by state and even two chain stores in the same city can have different items. For example, the Kroger by my friend's house (who lives less than 5 miles away) doesn't carry the same brand of tortillas I buy at my Kroger that's down the street. He also has access to Dave's Killer Bread (which I LOVE!) but it's not sold at my Kroger, or any of the other Krogers in our area.
It takes a little bit of time to scan labels at first, but once you figure out what brands your store has that work for your dietary guidelines, shopping gets easier. I also find I'm frequently rediscovering the stores in my town -- hidden gems on those bottom shelves!
As for me, since I'm on a budget, I almost always buy generic. I find generic items are usually vegan (even if the more pricey commercial cousin is not) and oil-free too! For example, the generic semi-sweet chocolate chips at my store are vegan but the fancy brand contains milk.
I also recently discovered this generic organic brand. Can you believe their soup has no oil and is vegan?
The only thing I'm super picky about is my nutritional yeast. I’ll only use Braggs or Red Star, even if it means having to order it online (like at bulkfoods.com). I find other brands, especially the bulk stuff at Whole Foods, is gnarly.
Anyway, I have a HUGE jumbo list of plant-based, vegan and HH-approved brands in my new Guide.
You can also see this mini list of brands for starters, and this post has tips too.