The plant-based food juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down. Having conquered dairy and meat, it is now setting its sights on satiating our sweet tooth. Plant-based desserts – sweet foods made from plant-based ingredients – are popping up to entice us away from more traditional sweet treats. And they’re doing quite well, spurred on by consumer interest in all things plant-based.
Vegan / plant-based ice cream or frozen desserts, which have been around for a bit now as a natural extension of the plant milk scene, is in what is being called “the Golden Age”. One estimate put the price tag on the dairy-free ice cream market at US$455.9 million in 2018 and expects it to hit US$1.2 billion by 2025.
Taking a cue from this forecasted growth, we’re now seeing plant-based desserts like pudding, mousse, sweet dips, dessert hummus fighting for our attention in retail. And you can bet your bottom dollar that that this space will only get bigger.
Here are four plant-based dessert brands that have our mouths watering and obediently eating up all our vegetables.
NOOPS:
Noops, launched in July 2020, is a start-up company that offers a range of plant-based puddings made from organic oatmilk, organic sunflower seed protein, and organic dates. The company says that this superfood pudding is part of its plan to revive the pudding category with clean and nutritious ingredients. This brand has debuted in New York City.
PARADISE SNAX:
Paradise Snax’s organic vegan food portfolio includes icings, dips, and snacks made from pea protein. The company offers snack and dip combo packs as well as larger sweet dip packs. The company says it is the world’s only organic, sweet plant-based protein icings/dips. The products are aimed at the US market for now.
TRIBE HUMMUS:
Tribe is an established name in hummus in the US and has been in this space for 25 years with a wide range of savory hummus options. But thanks to growing interest in the space, Tribe has expanded its reach to dessert hummus with dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan friendly products. The base is, not surprisingly, chickpeas.
FREAKS OF NATURE:
Across the pond, Freaks of Nature in the UK has a range of plant-based puddings and mousses. The base ingredients for the different products vary, but all of the desserts are dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, and vegan-friendly.
The company announced in July 2020 that it was investing GBP1 million in expanding its production capacity to meet growing consumer demand for the products. It expects to be producing 8.5-10 million pots of desserts a year by 2021.
Expect to see many more innovative plant-based desserts in the coming year, especially as the interest in plant-based foods solidifies.
Ranjana works as the Lead Research Analyst for Spoonshot. Her past experience includes working with a major global market research company, specializing in food and drink trends. She has also worked with major publications as a writer and editor.
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