Over the years, we’ve taste-tested just about every vegan product you can imagine—from cheeses and egg substitutes to yogurts and cream cheeses. And yes, that includes a lot of plant-based snacks. So when it comes to vegan jerky, we’ve done our homework… and then some.
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We recently came across several vegan jerky products and thought it would make a fun review We’ve tried almost every vegan jerky we could get our hands on—soy-based, mushroom-based, seitan-based—you name it. That means when we tell you which ones are worth the chew (and which ones to leave on the shelf), it’s coming from experience, not guesswork.
For this round, we lined up six different vegan jerky products, half soy-based and half mushroom-based, and compared them side-by-side for taste, texture, and how closely they hit those nostalgic jerky notes. And yes, we definitely found a clear winner.
If you love taste tests, make sure to check our our other ideas!
Our Honest Vegan and Vegatarian Jerky Review
We know that everyone has different taste buds. What we may think is the best, may completely vary from what you actually like.
You may ultimately think our best is the worst and that’s okay. We created this video as hopefully a starting point for people and we can only go off our opinion.
Meatless Jerky Brands We Tried
The brands that we tried for this video are:
- All Vegetarian
- Country Archer Provisions Plant-Based
- Eat the Change (no longer appears available as of 9/2024)
- Perky Jerky
- Lousiville Vegan Jerky
- Savory Wild
We had tried two of these brands before. However, we had never tried any of them side by side with other brands which we believe is really important when it comes to taste testing.
How We Conducted Our Vegan Jerky Review
For each of the vegan jerky products, we just taste straight out of the bag. Then compared for taste and texture.
Plant Based Jerky Brands Tested
Savory Wild Portabella Jerky Review
Update : It appears as of December 2025, this company is no longer selling or possibly only selling for wholesale.
Thoughts: This smelled good in the package, but was very dark. It doesn’t taste like jerky in taste or texture. It rehydrates to taste just like a mushroom and have a very similar texture. Overall, we just were not a fan of this.
Allergens: soy
Ingredients: Portabella Mushrooms, Tamari Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar and Lactic Acid), Light Brown Sugar, White Wine Vinegar, Dehydrated Onion, Garlic, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Dehydrated Garlic, Paprika, Black Pepper, Psyllium.
Price: $5.49
Louisville Vegan Jerky Co Review
Thoughts: It looks like a soy curl if you’ve ever had that before. We had tried this one before. We overall enjoyed this one. It’s not entirely there as it’s a little softer than what we remember – more moisture is the word we used. Andrew compared it to slow cooking first.
Allergens: Soy
Ingredients: Textured Soy Protein (Whole Bean), Tamari (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Alcohol [To Preserve Freshness]), Water, Olive Oil, Contains Less Than 2% of the Following: Sorghum, Spices, Vinegar, Natural Smoke Flavor
Price: $6.99
Where to Buy: Louisville Jerky Store Locator
Perky Jerky Vegan Jerky Review
Thoughts: The shape of this was a bit weird and we weren’t expecting it – almost like a chicken tender. It’s very hard to try to pull apart. However, it was a little lacking on the flavor for us. Meaning we think that it could have a deeper flavor. Once we started chewing though, the texture got better and overall it was a decent one.
Note: This company also make non-vegan jerky so make sure to pick up the correct package.
Allergens: Soy
Ingredients: Soy Powder (Water, Soy Protein), Reduced Sodium Gluten-free Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Alcohol), Brown Sugar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Sea Salt
Price: $6.99
Where to Buy: We found at Whole Foods
Eat the Change Mushroom Jerky Review
Thoughts: The was so dark! Almost blending in with Andrew’s black shirt. Also, it looked exactly like a mushroom. It had a really sticky, gummy bear like texture that we couldn’t get past. We weren’t a fan at all of the taste or texture.
Allergens: None listed.
Ingredients: Organic Crimini and Portobello Mushrooms, Organic Agave Syrup, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Baker’s Yeast Extract, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Dried Garlic Flakes, Organic Black Pepper, Sea Salt, Organic Tara Gum, Organic Flavors, Organic Red Chili Pepper, Organic Cumin Seeds
Price: $5.49
Where to Buy: As of 9/2024, this product no longer appears available
Country Archer Provisions Plant Based Jerky Review
Thoughts: This looks like a thinly sliced plantain right out of the package. The seasoning comes off all over your fingers. The texture is like fruit roll-up/fruit leather type of texture. The flavor overall isn’t bad. We do think overall this was the best mushroom jerky, but we still weren’t a fan.
Note: This company also make non-vegan jerky so make sure to pick up the correct package.
Allergens: Coconut
Ingredients: King Oyster Mushrooms, Organic Coconut Aminos, Organic Brown Sugar (Organic Sugar, Organic Molasses), Garbanzo Beans, Green Peas (Sweet Peas, Water, Sugar, Salt), Black Beans, Water, Molasses, Sesame Oil, Garlic Powder, Apple Cider Vinegar, Pineapple Juice, Tomato Paste (Tomatoes), Organic Chickpea Miso (Organic Handmade Rice Koji (Organic Rice, Koji Spores [Aspergillus Oryzae]), Organic Whole Chickpeas, Sea Salt, Water), Onion Powder, Contains 2% Or Less Of Organic Yeast (Organic Yeast, Organic Rice Flour, Sea Salt), Liquid Smoke (Water, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor), Rosemary, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Bbq Seasoning (Brown Sugar, Spice, Paprika, Dehydrated Onion, Salt, Natural Smoke Flavor, Rice Hull, Sunflower Oil).
Price: $7.99 per package
Where to Buy: Country Archer Provisions Store Locator
All Vegetarian Vegan Jerky Review
Thoughts: It looks very dry right out of the package. It looks the closest to the jerky that we remember. We had tried this one before. It is tough at first but once you put it inside your mouth, the texture gets even better. We loved this one overall.
Allergens: Soy
Ingredients: Non-GMO textured soy protein, brown sugar, canola oil, soy sauce, sea salt, hickory smoke flavor, chili flakes and chili sauce.
Price: $8.00
Where to Buy: Purchase on All Vegetarian Website
Who was the winner?
All that above, just to get here and see who the winner is!
We had a very clear top 3 vegan jerky brands. For us, we didn’t care for the mushroom based jerky products at all, even Larisha who loves mushrooms in general.
Our top 3 brands are:
- All Vegetarian
- Louisville Vegan Jerky
- Perky Jerky Vegan Jerky
Rate and Review
We would love to hear what you think!
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