Supermarket vegan bacon review: Which is the best to try?

Starting back in 2014, Veganuary sees people attempt to live a vegan lifestyle throughout January, which may build into more consistent habits later down the line.

From just a few thousand people taking part a decade ago, Veganuary now has millions involved all around the world.

The Vegan Society advocates for the concept saying it is kinder to animals, better for the environment overall and can be beneficial for health, such as lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.

When looking for alternatives to your usual meals, you'll find plenty of options in the supermarket, such as with bacon.

Back when Veganuary started the vegan bacon options were few and far between but now there is a decent amount of choice.

While I'm not a vegan, I thought it might be worth trying some of the current options and see how they stack up to the real thing.

Experiences with vegan bacon I'd had in the past weren't exactly positive so I was hoping for a change.

I compared three different options for vegan bacon (Image: Newsquest)

I ended up purchasing three different vegan bacon varieties from my local Asda, giving them a try and then comparing it to regular bacon.

I compared vegan bacon to the real thing

This Isn't Bacon Plant-based Rashers

Cost: £3.50 for 120g

The first option I tried was the This Isn't Bacon Plant-based Rashers, which were not the most visually appealing things I'd ever seen.

The short red rashers looked a bit like mackerel according to my Mum and were slightly annoying to cook as they stuck to the pan quite easily.

However, despite that they delivered a really great crispy texture and flavour which really elevated my expectations for what could be achieved. 

Rating: 8/10

OMV No Bacon Rashers

Cost: £2.20 for 180g

The initial high of the first try was brought back to relative normalcy with OMV No Bacon Rashers.

They certainly looked a bit closer to regular bacon rashers but unfortunately, the taste was closer to Frazzles than anything else.

Rating: 4/10

The vegan bacon options once cooked (Image: Newsquest)

Richmond Meat-free Bacon Back Rashers

Cost: £2.30 for 120g

Back on the more positive side was Richmond's Meat-free Bacon Back Rashers, which looked the closest to the real deal out of the three.

Their option also had a decent taste that didn't just amount to 'cheap bacon flavouring" and was easy to cook.

Rating: 7/10

Oakhurst Back Bacon

The cooked regular bacon (Image: Newsquest)

Price: £2.89 for 500g

To compare the vegan options to regular bacon I just used up some Oakhurst Back Bacon from Aldi that was left in the fridge.

As expected the back was deliciously crispy and smoky, making it the perfect filling for a sandwich. 

Rating: 9/10

Recommended reading:

• 10 surprising items you might not have known were vegan
• Doing Veganuary this month and miss sausage? Here are the abysmal alternatives
• I made the biggest (and perfect) Yorkshire puddings thanks to a top chef's secret

The verdict

While I think the regular bacon was my favourite it wasn't exactly a surprise to come to that conclusion.

What I did think was a more pleasant outcome was how good some of the vegan options were, particularly the This Isn't Bacon rashers.

If you are seriously looking for an alternative they will do you just fine, along with the Richmond one as well.