Ribs are a favorite during cookout season. In 2021, one poll from YouGov found that nearly half of Americans enjoy grilling ribs on the barbecue, alongside classic burgers and sausages. But while traditional ribs come from well, the ribs of animals, it is possible to make them with plant-based ingredients. Find out more about the brands that are making juicy, meaty, and totally vegan ribs below.
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Are ribs pork or beef?
To state the obvious, all mammals have ribs, meaning that barbecue ribs can come from most farmed animals, including lambs and goats, as well as hunted animals like wild boar and bison. But the most common ribs on the market come from pigs and cows (pork or beef).
The type of ribs on offer depends on the area. In Memphis, TX, for example, pork ribs are usually slow-cooked over indirect heat, often with a mix of hickory and oak woods for a smoky flavor. Kansas City barbecue, St. Louis barbecue, and Carolina barbecue all have different flavors and methods, but pork ribs remain the most popular for flavor and texture.
In South Korea, however, ribs tend to come from cows, and it’s the same in Brazil, where traditional churrasco is made with beef ribs.
Why choose vegan ribs?
Across the US, meat-free barbecue is becoming more popular, thanks to the rise in flexitarianism. In fact, in 2023, one report from Numerator found that around 72 million households in the US now consider themselves flexitarian, which means they are actively limiting their animal product consumption to a few days a week.
For some, it’s about health. Red meat and processed meat consumption is associated with a higher risk of chronic diseases, including cancer and heart disease. For others, it’s about the environment or animal welfare. Every year, billions of animals are raised in industrialized, cramped factory farms. This not only raises major welfare issues, but it also has a significant impact on the planet.
Animal agriculture contributes around 14.5 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions and drives up deforestation. In fact, the beef industry is the leading cause of rainforest destruction in the world.
This has led multiple experts to call for a drop in meat consumption. In 2022, one study from the University of Bonn in Germany noted that Western countries need to cut their meat intake by at least 75 percent for the sake of the planet.
“If all humans consumed as much meat as Europeans or North Americans, we would certainly miss the international climate targets and many ecosystems would collapse.” —Matin Qaim, lead researcher
What are vegan ribs made from?
Vegan ribs are designed to mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of pork or beef ribs, but they don’t come with the same ethical and environmental impact. They can be made from a wide variety of ingredients, including seitan, tofu, and jackfruit. This recipe, for example, walks you through how to make sweet and sour ribs with seitan. For an ultra-realistic experience, it even features “bones” made from lemongrass.
The best vegan ribs brands
You don’t have to make plant-based ribs from scratch. Plenty of brands are now making delicious vegan ribs, so that you can have that same authentic barbecue experience, just without the real meat. Find some of our top picks below.
Juicy Marbles
1 Juicy Marbles
Based in Slovenia, Juicy Marbles specializes in whole-cut plant-based meats that have the same texture and flavor as animal meats. In 2023, it announced the launch of its groundbreaking Texan-style bone-in-ribs with edible vegan bones. Following feedback, it reformulated the recipe and re-launched the product as Baby Ribs. “[Baby Ribs] are a compact, updated version of our succulent Bone-In Ribs—made with the cleanest, most nutrient-dense recipe,” notes the brand.
Find it here
The Herbivorous Butcher
2 The Herbivorous Butcher
You can always count on The Herbivorous Butcher for delicious, juicy meat-free meats. In its Summer Grill Pack, the Minneapolis-based brand offers burgers, Bacon Cheddar Brats, Beer Brats, and Huli Huli Ribs. The latter is a “dynamite blend of pineapple, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, sesame, and other Hawaiian flavors.” Prefer something a little smokier? The brand also offers Hickory-smoked Smoky House Ribs. You can also opt for its best-selling Korean BBQ Ribs, which are the perfect mix of sweet and savory.
Find it here
Middleton’s
3 Middleton’s
Brother and sister duo Jack and Em Middleton are on a mission to provide the world with delicious, meaty, products, all made with simple, recognizable ingredients, through their plant-based brand Middleton’s. Right now, it offers two products: Vegan Chicken Cutlets and Vegan Seitan Ribs. The latter comes in three different flavors: Original BBQ, Spicy Korean BBQ, and Smoky Bourbon BBQ.
Find it here
Oumph!
4 Oumph!
Launched back in 2015, Oumph! is one of Sweden’s most popular plant-based brands. Its products are made with a mix of soy, wheat, and pea protein, and they mimic the taste and texture of animal-based favorites, from nuggets to, you guessed it, ribs. Called Sticky Smokehouse Rib Style, its vegan ribs are deliciously sticky, saucy, and loaded with smoky flavor.
Find it here
MorningStar Farms
5 MorningStar Farms
From breakfast sausage patties to corndogs, vegetarian brand MorningStar Farms offers a wide range of crowd-pleasing products. Among its most popular are its riblets, which it recently relaunched. The product is a soy-based version of the small bone-in-ribs usually cut from a rack of pork ribs. Choose from two delicious flavors: Korean BBQ or Sweet BBQ.
Find it here
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.
