Whether it be for the annual Vegetarian Festival or beyond, we’re looking for the best plant-based meats to be enjoyed in burgers, sandwiches, pad krapow, or even in pasta in your own kitchen.
Interestingly, Bangkok has an impressively growing number of plant-based meat products in the market. Believe it or not, most of these taste and smell just like real meat, too. A perfect (far healthier, far planet-friendlier) substitute for when you crave the familiar flavours of beef, pork, or even seafood, these vegan products are both comforting and forgiving. Fried in the pan, baked in the oven, or even just heated in the microwave, here are some of the best plant-based meat substitutes you can find in Bangkok, and even across Thailand.
[Hero and Featured Image Credit: Beyond Meat/Facebook]
The best plant-based meat substitutes in Bangkok
Jump To / Table of Contents
- 1 Meat Zero
- 2 Meatly
- 3 Beyond Meat
- 4 Meat Avatar
- 5 More Meat
- 6 Absolute Plant
- 7 First Pride
- 8 Let’s Plant Meat
- 9 Mantra
- 10 YumEat
Meat Zero
Meat Zero has decided to turn fully plant-based by removing egg whites from most of its products such as Bologna, Fish Burger, Gyoza, Crispy Pork and Spicy Chicken Burger. Widely available at 7-Eleven and other grocery stores, Meat Zero is a great choice for those who don’t have much time to plan their meatless meals, and is widely accessible as an entryway to plant-based dining for many.
[Image credit: Meat Zero]
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Meatly
You may have tried several of Meatly’s products in some restaurants, for it often features in vegan collab menus. Targeted at those with a flexitarian diet, the Plant-Based Minced Pork, Katsu Cheese and Katsu are the definitely the crowd favourites, though the Asian ready-to-eat selection like Naam Prik Long Rau and Thai Soy Bean Dip are also in high demand. The focus is largely on plant-based pork products.
[Image credit: Meatly Foods]
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Beyond Meat
One of the fastest growing companies in the US, Beyond Meat is now a household name when it comes to vegan meat substitutes. Their product range has distinctly “American barbecue” vibes, and their products include burgers, crumbles, sausage patties. They have their own strong, distinctive, smoky flavour and aroma. Packing around 23g of protein per burger patty also makes these the most full-on meaty substitutes that could put actual meat to shame.
[Image Credit: Beyond Meat]
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Meat Avatar
This Thai-made company produces incredibly meat-identical foods, and they’ve even adapted familiar Thai dishes we all love like crispy pork knuckle (Moo Krob) and made them plant-based instead. Don’t worry — that decadent chewy, crispy, salty bite is all still kept in. Definitely one of the more creative brands with their product lines, they also have microwaveable dishes you can easily warm up for lunch.
[Image Credit: Meat Avatar]
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More Meat
Teaming up with not just scientists but chefs too, More Meat makes plant-based eating more accessible for everyone and easier for family and home-dining. Their products are simple, unflavoured, unseasoned and good for cooking various kinds of dishes and for several people at once. Versatile, unflavoured, and nutritionally sound, you can make anything from meatballs to Thai noodle dishes for every family dinner.
[Image Credit: More Meat]
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Absolute Plant
Absolute Plant has a range of plant-based staples to incorporate in your meals for the whole week, for instance, Crab Meat Roll, Crispy Pork, Minced Pork, and Pork Burger. With the intention to save the planet, Absolute Plant is proud to present the statistical data about the number of animals saved from consuming their meats as well.
[Image credit: Absolute Plant]
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First Pride
First Pride is known for its generous selections of fried and deep-fried plant-based meat staples, such as the Crispy Katsu Cutlets, Larb Bites, Popcorn Bites, Crispy Nuggets, and Original Style Fried Chicken. This makes for lighter snacking or as fun side dishes in a vegan diet.
[Image credit: First Pride]
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Let’s Plant Meat
Developed in Thailand by Thais, Let’s Plant Meat provides a nutritional and tasty plant-based meat substitute that is especially suited to Thai cooking. Made using rice and soy proteins, coconut oil, yeast extracts, and beetroot (for that juicy colour), this brand is a no-junk meat alternative that uses real herbs and spices to create their flavour and meaty aroma when cooking. Their product range includes plant-based burger patties, minced meat, and meatballs.
[Image Credit: Let’s Plant Meat]
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Mantra
Who said plant-based meats couldn’t also include seafood? Mantra makes Thai plant-based foods, with a special spotlight on plant-based seafood. Their product range includes everything from plant-based fish balls and fish fillets, over to minced shrimp and spicy minced shrimp cakes. You can use these to make a vast variety of dishes, such as dumplings and stir-fries. We especially like their seafood-inspired snacks, too.
[Image Credit: Mantra Seafood]
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YumEat
YumEat offers a very price-friendly plant-based meat option, and is specialised in plant-based minced meat made from soy, wheat, mushrooms, and algae. While they also have products like jerky and luncheon meat, their minced meat selections and sauces are especially appealing to the Asian palate. Plant-based mapo tofu? Sign us up.
[Image Credit: YumEat]
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Frequently Asked Questions
The most popular plant-based meat alternative in Thailand comes from Meat Zero, made using PLANT-TEC innovation. It is the most widely available plant-based meat in the country.
Yes, plant-based meat substitutes are available, and growing in popularity. Every year, Thailand also celebrates a ten-day vegan festival in the autumn.
These can be found at most major supermarket chains, or on online shopping platforms like Shopee. Some are also available on food delivery apps like GrabMart, GrabFood, and FoodPanda.
Plant-based meat is not local to Thai cuisine, though you can find tofu or mushrooms as a very popular meat alternative in Thai dishes.
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In spite of her name, Paint can't really paint or even draw. Life, for her, is a journey in search of good chocolates, fries, chicken wings, and the implication behind her fat cats' split personalities.
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