The 10 Best Gluten-Free Plant-Based Meats

With these 10 gluten-free plant-based meats, you’ll be able to enjoy countless meals that satisfy your cravings and work for your diet!

Eating a gluten-free, plant-based diet doesn’t mean missing out on your favorite foods.

Many delicious, plant-based meats are also gluten free, making them an excellent choice if you’re following a gluten-free diet.

Burgers, sausage, meatballs, and flavorful marinated tofu nuggets top my list for the best gluten-free, plant-based meats on the market today. Let’s take a look at the 10 best gluten-free fake meats out there.

1. Beyond Burger Patties

Beyond Meat makes a variety of plant-based meat substitutes, including burgers, sausages, and ground meat crumbles. This is one of my favorite gluten-free fake meats.

The Beyond Meat burger patties are a delicious gluten-free, vegan meat that can almost pass for the real thing.

They’re made without many major allergens like soy, which is often found in plant-based meat substitutes. With a texture, color, and taste similar to real beef, Beyond Meat is sure to satisfy your craving for a juicy burger.

Ingredients: Water, pea protein, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, dried yeast, cocoa butter, methylcellulose, and less than 1% of potato starch, salt, potassium chloride, beet juice color, apple extract, pomegranate concentrate, sunflower lecithin, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, vitamins and minerals (zinc sulfate, niacinamide [vitamin B3], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], cyanocobalamin [vitamin B12], calcium pantothenate)

Nutrition facts (1 patty or 113 grams): Calories: 230, fat: 14 g, sat fat: 5 g, sodium: 390 milligrams (mg), carbohydrates: 7 g, protein: 20 g

2. Neat Original Mix

Neat makes a shelf-stable plant-based meat replacement from a mix of garbanzo beans and pecans.

Unlike many gluten-free fake meats that require refrigeration, Neat is a dry mix that’s stored in your cabinet. Simply add the recommended amount of water to the mix and brown as you would regular beef.

If you have an allergy to tree nuts, this is not the choice for you as it contains pecans. Otherwise, this gluten-free, plant-based meat is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a product with a long shelf life.

Ingredients: Pecans, garbanzo beans, gluten-free whole-grain oats, organic gluten-free whole-grain cornmeal, onion, garlic, sea salt, spices

Nutrition facts (⅓ cup or 40 g): Calories: 190, fat: 15 g, sat Fat: 1.5 g, sodium: 210 mg, carbohydrates: 11 g, protein: 4 g

3. Hodo Thai Curry Nuggets

Hodo nuggets are an excellent choice if you want a flavorful, soy-based meat replacement. These tofu nuggets are marinated with a mix of spices making them a delicious and easy option to add to your favorite recipes.

Hodo recommends using their Thai Curry Nuggets in place of chicken in recipes, making it a great choice for a plant-based curry with rice, a protein on top of a salad, or a delicious, curried protein to add to a sandwich.

Ingredients: Organic Hodo Tofu Nuggets* [Hodo Tofu (water, soybeans, calcium sulfate (a naturally occurring mineral)), soybean oil). Braised in curry broth: water, sugar, salt, curry blend (coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, cumin, black pepper, cayenne), garlic powder, chili flakes, cayenne, lemongrass

Nutrition facts (3 oz or 85 g): Calories: 160, fat: 7 g, sat fat: 0.5 g, sodium: 410 mg, carbohydrates: 12 g, protein: 14 g

4. Cool Foods Hickory Style Plant-Based Bacon Bits

Made from pinto beans, Cool Foods Hickory Style Bacon Bits make for a tasty plant-based crumble to add to your favorite recipes.

The plant-based bacon bits are free of major allergens including soy and are gluten free. According to the Cool Foods website, the company makes its products using a low-heat process with minimal processing that doesn’t produce wastewater.

This makes it a plant-based meat you can feel good about adding to your plate. Plus, the faux bacon bits contain only five flavors.

Ingredients: Pinto beans, sunflower oil, salt, yeast extract, natural flavors

Nutrition facts (7 g): Calories: 25, fat: 0.5 g, sat fat: 0 g, sodium: 85 mg, carbohydrates: 4 g, protein: 0 g

5. Plant Boss Meatball Mix

Shelf-stable plant-based meat substitutes are good pantry staples to have on hand. With the Plant Boss Meatball Mix, you simply add water and oil before forming into meatballs for baking.

This mix is gluten free and contains a pea protein base, making it an excellent source of protein. Spices like garlic, paprika, and basil make for a flavorful plant substitute to use in any traditional recipe featuring meatballs.

Ingredients: Organic textured pea protein, organic pea protein, organic garlic, organic onion, organic tomato powder (organic tomato concentrate, organic guar gum), organic psyllium husk, sea salt, organic rice concentrate, organic cocoa powder (processed with alkali), organic smoked paprika, organic oregano, organic basil, organic mushroom, organic black pepper, organic yeast extract

Nutrition facts (⅓ cup dry or 38 g): Calories: 140, fat: 2 g, sat fat: 0 g, sodium: 430 mg, carbohydrates: 7 g, protein: 25 g

6. Hodo Cajun Burger

If you’re looking for a plant-based burger with an added pop of flavor, look no further than the Hodo Cajun Burger.

This gluten-free, plant-based burger gets its flavor from cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano, and thyme making it an ideal choice if you’re craving something spicy.

According to Hodo, this burger can be eaten like a traditional burger or used as a crumble in chili, as strips for enchiladas, or as a crumble on top of nachos. While it is gluten free, this burger contains soy, one of the nine major allergens.

Ingredients: Organic Hodo Tofu (water, soybeans, calcium sulfate (a naturally occurring mineral)), carrot, cabbage, onion, Cajun blend (salt, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, onion powder, black pepper, mushroom powder, oregano, thyme), soybean oil

Nutrition facts (4 oz or 114 g): Calories: 210, fat: 9 g, sat fat: 1.5 g, sodium: 500 mg, carbohydrates: 13 g, protein: 19 g

7. Amy’s Sonoma Veggie Burger

Many plant-based meat alternatives aim to replicate the taste of real meat, but not the Amy’s Sonoma Veggie Burger.

The veggie-forward flavor of this plant-based burger proves that you don’t need to have the flavor of meat to enjoy eating more plants.

It’s a good choice for gluten-free, plant-based eaters with multiple food allergies—as it’s also free of dairy and soy. But be aware that if you have an allergy to tree nuts, you should skip this product because it contains walnuts.

Ingredients: organic quinoa, organic gluten free oats, organic walnuts, organic mushrooms, organic potatoes, organic garbanzo bean flour, organic onions, sea salt. organic celery, organic carrots, organic garlic, organic high oleic safflower and/or sunflower oil

Nutrition facts (1 patty or 71 g): Calories: 130, fat: 5 g, sat fat: 0.5 g, sodium: 410 mg, carbohydrates: 18 g, protein: 4 g

8. Impossible Sausage

So many companies make plant-based beef and chicken alternatives, but not many offer a delicious alternative to sausage.

Impossible sausage is so good you may be fooled into thinking you’re eating the real thing. It’s one of my favorite gluten-free fake meats.

Made with a soy protein base and a mix of spices, this gluten-free, plant-based sausage can be used in all your favorite recipes without missing the flavor you crave.  

Ingredients: Water, soy protein concentrate, sunflower oil, coconut oil, 2% or less of: methylcellulose, yeast extract, salt, natural flavors, cultured dextrose, spices, food starch modified, onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid, soy leghemoglobin, mixed tocopherols (antioxidant), soy protein isolate

Nutrition facts (2 oz or 56 g): Calories: 130, fat: 9 g, sat fat: 4 g, sodium: 380 mg, carbohydrates: 5 g, protein: 7 g

9. Dr. Praeger’s Gametime Buffalo Chick’n Tenders

Breaded plant-based chicken tenders that are gluten free? Yes, please!

Dr. Praeger’s Gametime Buffalo Chick’n Tenders are the perfect plant-based choice if you’re looking to satisfy that buffalo chicken craving.

These tenders are also made without soy and get their protein from peas. Try as a sandwich filling, a protein topper for a salad, or simply on their own as a part of your meal.

Ingredients: Texturized pea protein (water, pea protein, pea fiber, sunflower oil, potato starch), rice coating (rice flour, water, raisin juice concentrate, whole grain amaranth flour, corn starch, salt, dextrose, garlic powder, onion powder, yeast extract, spice), water, hot sauce (aged red cayenne peppers, vinegar, salt, natural flavor, garlic), high oleic sunflower oil and/or avocado oil, sweet potato puree, butternut squash puree, carrot puree, methyl cellulose, natural flavors, potato starch

Nutrition facts (3 Tenders or 85 g): Calories: 210, fat: 11 g, sat fat: 1 g, sodium: 410 mg, carbohydrates: 13 g, protein: 15 g

10. Dr. Praeger’s Perfect Plant Based Ground

Dr. Praeger’s makes a variety of plant-based meat substitutes, including pea-protein-based, ground meat crumbles.

Made with a pea protein blend, not only are these crumbles gluten free, they’re also free of other major allergens including soy. The Dr. Praeger’s Perfect Plant Based Ground crumbles are an ideal substitute for beef in your favorite recipes like chili, tacos, and burgers.

Ingredients: Hydrated pea protein blend (water, pea protein), high oleic sunflower oil, beets, natural flavors, sweet potato puree, butternut squash puree, carrot puree, methyl cellulose, fruit and vegetable juice (for color), oat fiber, sea salt, onion powder

Nutrition facts (4 oz or 113 g): Calories: 230, fat: 13 g, sat fat: 2 g, sodium: 380 mg, carbohydrates: 8 g, protein: 20 g

The bottom line

If you’re following a gluten-free, plant-based diet you’ll want to carefully check labels for gluten containing ingredients.

Many plant-based meats and other convenience foods are made with gluten either as the primary protein source or in flavors and seasonings.

However, despite its ubiquity in plant-based products, finding gluten-free options isn’t as difficult as it once was. There are plenty of gluten-free, plant-based meat substitutes to choose from. I hope you find this list of gluten-free fake meat helpful.

Sources

• Beyond Meat website
• Neat website
• Hodo website
• Cool Foods Inc. website
• Plant Boss website
• Amy’s website
• Impossible Foods website
• Dr. Praeger’s website