The New Year is already off to a strong start in the plant-based food world. Pinky Cole, the founder of popular burger chain Slutty Vegan, has recently expanded her empire again. This time, she’s opened her plant-based bar concept, Bar Vegan, alongside another Slutty Vegan outpost in Baltimore Peninsula, a retail and restaurant destination located in South Baltimore, MD.
On top of this, the start of 2025 has not only seen vegan-friendly Girl Scout cookies go on sale, but also more competition has arrived in the competitive oat milk sector—SunOpta’s Dream Oatmilk Barista oat milk will be available in more than 6,700 locations across North America this month.
Image by Girl Scouts | Design by Richard Bowie
SunOpta is not alone. In part thanks to Veganuary, January is historically a month that sees plenty of new vegan products hit shelves and menus, and this year is no different. Find out more about some of the most exciting new product launches below. We’ve also got new survey news (spoiler: it seems most dairy drinkers actually prefer dairy-free milk) and an intriguing development in the world of mozzarella innovation. Keep reading to learn about all of this and more.
Restaurant news
From Cinnaholic to IKEA, Veganuary has inspired plenty of exciting plant-based launches this year. There’s new spicy chicken at Wagamama, and a chance to win a free smoothie from Veggie Grill.
Cinnaholic adds new vegan brunch options
You can always count on Cinnaholic for delicious plant-based treats. The popular cinnamon bun chain has just launched two new options for winter: the Banana Pancakes Roll, which is Cinnaholic’s Old Skool roll topped with banana bread bites and pancake frosting, and the Coffee Cake Roll. The latter features a streusel topping, cinnamon drizzle, and cinnadoodle bites. As always, they’re both dairy-free. Each roll is available until March 3.
Veggie Grill
Veggie Grill launches new range of superfood smoothies
Another popular plant-based chain, Veggie Grill by Next Level just added a whole new permanent category of superfood smoothies to its menu. Next time you head to your local restaurant, give one of the new flavors a try. The new offerings include the coffee-loaded Java Jolt with adaptogenic mushrooms; the Green Glowup with plenty of leafy greens (of course); the Hydration Hero, which is packed with electrolytes, the Banana Berry with vegan collagen, and the fruity Tropical Tonic. If you want the chance to try one for free, all you need to do is visit your Veggie Grill four times throughout Veganuary, and on your fifth visit you’ll be awarded a smoothie.
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This Isn’t Pork sausages launch in IKEA cafés across the UK
Also in the UK, vegan meat brand This has teamed up with furniture giant Ikea to launch a new plant-based meal. As of this January, Veggie Sausage & Mash with This plant-based sausages will be available in all of Ikea’s UK restaurants. “We’re thrilled to partner with IKEA to bring our sausages to even more people,” said This’ CEO Mark Cuddigan in a statement. “Two purpose-driven brands working together to serve great food. The only instruction you’ll need for our sausages is… eat them before someone else does!”
Food industry, innovation, and brand news
If you’re interested in protein-packed smoothies, nutty chocolate, and vegan mozzarella pearls, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve also got the scoop on a fun new marketing campaign from dairy-free milk brand Silk.
Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest launches smoothies with 20 grams of protein each
To welcome in the New Year, meal platform Daily Harvest has launched a new range of high-protein smoothies, each packed with a whopping 20 grams of protein. Flavors include Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, and Mixed Berry, and all are made with a mix of certified organic ingredients and pea protein. “As consumers continue to seek high-protein options to fuel their busy lives, no one wants to compromise on the need for real, wholesome ingredients. And we agree,” said CEO Ricky Silver in a statement. “Our new high-protein smoothies deliver on taste, satiety, and nutrient density; no tradeoffs necessary.” He added that the launch “is just the beginning.”
Silk
Silk finds 70 percent of dairy drinkers prefer Silk milk
In a new survey, Silk has discovered that most dairy drinkers are big fans of its vegan Silk Vanilla Almondmilk. In fact, 70 percent of people said they preferred it to cow’s milk in their cereal. But Silk wasn’t content with the majority, so earlier this week, it set up a lie detector test in New York (with a real polygraph expert) in an attempt to catch people who say they prefer cow’s milk, but actually prefer Silk. Find out more here.
Whole Foods welcomes first-ever vegan mozzarella pearls
Mozzarella pearls, which are basically small bite-sized pieces of mozzarella cheese, are not usually dairy-free. But the artisanal vegan cheese brand Julienne Bruno is changing that. It has developed its own soft and spongy soy-based version of mozzarella pearls, called Mozzafiore Pearls, and teamed up with Whole Foods Market UK to launch them. “After over two years of development, led by our Head of Product Development, Albert Adrià, we’re thrilled to bring something entirely new to the dairy-free category – offering the same versatility and elegance, but crafted with soybeans,” the brand’s founder Axel Katalan said in a statement.
For more plant-based stories like this, read:
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