Vegan Grocery Shopping: Is it really that different?

As with anything new, the hardest part is often figuring out where to start. And transitioning to crafting delicious vegan dishes at home is no exception! Our wonderful and talented chef, Natalie is often asked “Where do you have to shop to find all these ingredients?!” Her answer? The same places she always has!

​It’s a complete myth and misconception that eating vegan, or preparing vegan meals, requires access to a whole other universe of culinary skills or grocery stores. It’s often simply a matter of frequenting new aisles, buying the vegan versions of familiar products, and knowing where the best deals and products are. Lucky for you, Natalie has spilled all of her secrets on which grocery stores she likes getting specific products from (spoiler alert: you probably already go there!) and which store has a killer vegan hot bar. While these are her suggestions, your local stores may have different or altered offerings so feel free to experiment with your own shopping. Food should be fun, after all!

COSTCO
As you probably already know, this is the place to stock up on the BIG staples in your pantry or for your cooking needs. Costco is where Natalie gets a lot of dry goods and staples in a lot of the Planted recipes or things that have a longer shelf life. This includes things like:

• Soy milk
  
• Oats
  
• Bread (Silver Hills or Dave’s Killer Bread are great) 
  
• Tofu
  
• Maple syrup
  
• Peanut butter
  
• Agave syrup
  
• Flaxseed
  
• Hemp hearts
  
• Rivera coconut yogurt
  

She also makes sure to stock up on good snacks that are vegan—for when she’s lovingly assembling all of those Planted Meals you all love so much! Some of Natalie’s favourite Costco snacks are:

• Popcorn
  
• Sweet potato chips
  
• Seed crackers
  

SUPERSTORE
​Along with other fresh staples, this is where Chef Natalie sources quite a lot of her vegan-specific items. She’s also been impressed that the PC brand has come out with an extensive line of vegan food as well! 

• Fruits
  
• Veggies
  
• Specialty spices
  
• Smoked tofu
  
• Lentils
  
• Chickpeas
  
• Meat alternatives
  
• Field Roast sausage
  
• Dairy-free cheese options
  
• Nutritional yeast
  
• Vegan mayo
  
• Vegan ice cream and mochi
  

NO FRILLS
Often a bit more accessible and convenient than a trip to Superstore, No Frills offers easy access to lots of staples and have also started carrying the PC brand of non-essential vegan foodstuffs. 

• Fruit
• Veggies
• Bread
• Tofu
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Spices
• Dairy-free milk
• Dairy-free ice cream

 
WHOLE FOODS
As you may have guessed, Whole Foods has a whole other universe of vegan ingredients and products. They have a bit more selection of certain types of specialty products and ingredients that are always great to experiment within the kitchen. For Chef Natalie, this is where she likes to browse their fresh herbs and snacks!

• Field Roast sausage
• Nutritional yeast
• Fresh herbs (you can get large bags of basil!)
• Snacks
• Specialty items like kombu or grain-free pasta
• Fresh-baked vegan goodies 
• Vegan options at the hot bar

 
What are your favourite stops for vegan ingredients? Let us know in the comments!