Best vegan ground meat substitute?

Joined
Jun 3, 2012
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Location
Jacksonville, NC
I work at a small organic market and we're about to sell out of the Quorn ground alternative that we have. I told the owner that we really need to switch to having a vegan choice instead, so she is wondering what we should carry! I'm only familiar with Morninstar and Boca for this (not even sure if they're vegan), but we stay away from them due to GMOs and also just the fact that people can get them at every other grocer in town. Anyways, so I was looking for suggestions!

Thanks guys!
 
The only one I buy is Yves. Honestly not sure how it compares to others, but I love it. Perfect texture and not too soy tasting.
 
Yes, I agree. Of the pre-flavoured soy crumbles I've tried, Yves was the best imo.

However, we always buy Bob's Red Mill brand TVP. It's unflavoured, we had our own spices and add it to chilis and pasta sauces. We've even made vegan shepherd's pie with it, but the Yves worked better for that.
 
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Yves is good, and there is also Smart Ground and Gimme Beef, by Lightlife. They do certify on their website that they use no GMO soybeans, and they are vegan. They can also be frozen, which is often crucial in smaller markets with lower turnover rates. I can't see any info on the Yves website that says their stuff can be frozen, but I have frozen their veggie dogs before, with no reduction in quality.
 
I'm a bean and lentils person myself, but she's definitely looking for some frozen options. I think she may begin carrying Smart Ground instead though because we can't find a good frozen alternative. I suggested Yves, but some internet searching leads us to believe they use GMO soy and we try to not carry anything in the store that is GMO.
 
I second the Lightlife products. I buy both their Gimme Lean Sausage and Gimme Lean Beef when they are on sale and freeze them with great results. I also use a lot of TVP for chili, sauces, sloppy joes and the like but I assume you're asking about flavored varieties.