A visit to Ikea could be harmful. It’s exhausting to withstand the Swedish furnishings large’s vary of inexpensive furnishings with generally imprecise, however sometimes user-friendly directions for meeting. However there’s extra to Ikea than bookcases and beds: the retailer has additionally dedicated to decreasing its affect on the surroundings. By 2030, it has pledged to make use of solely renewable and recycled supplies and it has additionally dabbled within the second-hand furnishings market.
One other method that Ikea is catering to its extra climate-conscious clients is by providing planet-friendly meals choices. Ikea’s vegan objects vary from plant-based scorching canines and meatballs to gelatin-free candies and crispbread. Right here’s how you can navigate the furnishings retailer’s meals courtroom and grocery part. However first, right here’s why the way forward for Ikea is wanting extra plant-forward on a regular basis.
Is Ikea going vegan?
Ikea is nearly as well-known for its meals courtroom as it’s for its furnishings and housewares. However the future might maintain extra vegan meals. In November 2020, the worldwide retailer even pledged to make half of its menu plant-based by 2025 as a part of its ongoing sustainability efforts. In 2024, it made good on its promise to introduce extra choices, by including the Plant Canine to its US menu and decreasing the worth of its Veggie Canine. At 70¢ and 65¢ respectively, each have been made cheaper than the meat-based scorching canine (which is 75¢). Within the UK, the furnishings large additionally provides Plant-Based mostly Goujons.
“We’re excited to launch the Plant Canine within the US,” Paul Fite, Nation Meals Supervisor, Ikea US, stated in a press release in March 2024. “We all know that our scorching canines are beloved by many, and we’re proud to develop our plant-based meals for purchasers.”
He added: “Our ambition is to make more healthy and extra sustainable consuming simple, fascinating, and inexpensive, with out compromising on style.”
In December 2022, Ikea’s dad or mum firm Ingka Group additionally introduced that it could be launching a brand-new eating idea referred to as Saluhall, which is able to provide an 80-percent plant-based menu. The initiative is linked to the corporate’s Assembly Locations idea and is separate from Ikea, but it surely does exhibit Ingka Group’s dedication to sustainable meals consumption.
“Our meals providing has lengthy been a key aspect of our assembly locations, and with Saluhall we’ll transcend eating to encourage many individuals with extra sustainable meals selections, like plant-based dishes,” stated Ingka Centre’s industrial and digital director Jens Nielson.
Now open, Saluhall provides every part from vegan tacos to empanadas to tofu rice noodles to dairy-free delicate serve and a lot extra.
Vegan at Ikea’s meals courtroom
Heading for a browse at Ikea? You’re certain to get hungry. Right here’s what’s presently vegan at Ikea’s eating places.
Ikea
1 Veggie Canines
Ikea’s scorching canines are well-known. So, when the furnishings large first let unfastened that it was testing out a vegan model, it was a giant deal. The veggie-forward canines—constituted of kale, pink lentils, carrots, pink cabbage, celery, onion, quinoa, and ginger—have been successful with clients, and so it rapidly grew to become a staple at Ikea meals courts around the globe. It comes topped with pickled pink cabbage, onion crisps, and spicy mustard.
Ikea
2 Plant Canines
Made with rice protein, apples, and onions, the brand new Plant Canines are a lot meatier than their Veggie Canine counterpart, however they’re nonetheless 100-percent plant-based. They’re best for anybody trying to scale back their meat consumption with out having to sacrifice the juicy texture and style of their favourite Ikea snack. The Plant Canines can be found in Ikea Bistros all around the world.
3 Veggie Balls
Ikea’s veggie meatballs are sort of like an old style vegan burger in that they’re made out of apparent chunks of greens, like chickpeas and carrots, they usually aren’t essentially out to imitate meat. On the meals courtroom, you may attempt them served with tahini romesco sauce, rice combined with greens, and pasta. It’s a bit heartier than the recent canines, so it’s a great way to gas up for a trek via the furnishings retailer.
Ikea
4 Plant Balls
Should you desire a meatier chunk to your, nicely, meatballs, then the Plant Balls are right here for you. They’ve a a lot meatier texture than the veggie various, they usually’re served within the meals courtroom with lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes. You can even take pleasure in them within the US Bistro part in a Plant Ball Sundae (which is principally just like the meals courtroom model, but it surely’s combined collectively in a pot). Observe: the Plant Ball Sundae comes with non-vegan cream sauce.
Ikea
5 Strawberry Tender Ice
Ikea has lengthy provided frozen yogurt, however now it additionally provides a super-creamy delicate ice, too, which is completely dairy-free. The delicate ice is accessible in lots of Ikea areas all around the world in strawberry taste. When the menu merchandise launched within the US final 12 months, Ikea USA posted on X: “Vegans, vegetarians, and everybody all over the place with a candy tooth, haven’t any concern… strawberry delicate ice is right here! Your new year-round, go-to plant-based deal with is able to soften your coronary heart at your native Ikea retailer.”
Vegan at Ikea’s Swedish Meals Market
The Ikea grocery part is all the time value swinging by for its plentiful vegan choices. Not solely are you able to choose up frozen plant-based meats, however you’ll additionally discover gelatin-free sweets, snacks, and crispbread—a lightweight, crunchy rye-based cracker from Sweden. The retailer is continually updating its choices, so keep in mind to learn the substances of any new merchandise.
Ikea
1 Vegan meatballs
These pea protein and potato-based meatballs are similar to the Plant Balls you’ll discover within the meals courtroom. Take house a bag of those infants to make use of in pasta dishes, meatball subs, as a topping for pizza, and extra.
Ikea
2 Vegetable balls
These are the vegetable-forward cousin of the Plant Balls, made with apparent items of chickpeas, carrots, peppers, corn, and kale. You should use them the identical method you’d use the meatier vegan meatballs, however in addition they style improbable when served in a grain bowl with roasted candy potatoes and broccoli.
Ikea
3 Plant-based nuggets
Generally we don’t have the time or the power to cook dinner complete grains from scratch, and that’s okay. These wheat-based nuggets, or Slagverk, make for the right simple vegan dinner, particularly when served with a baked potato or fries.
Ikea
4 Natural pasta
Ikea doesn’t solely have specialty substances—the Swedish retailer has budget-friendly pantry staples, too, like these elk-shaped pasta noodles constituted of natural durum wheat.
Ikea
5 Vegan cookies
Sure, a few of Ikea’s cookies are free from all animal substances. Though the substances aren’t really on the web site, an Ikea consultant confirmed to VegNews that you could select from ginger thins, ginger thins with almonds, and the cookie with raspberry filling.
Ikea
6 Jams & jellies
Good for stirring into oatmeal, spreading over bread, or serving with plant-based cheese and wine, Ikea’s natural jams and jellies are appropriate for vegans. Flavors embrace orange and elderflower marmalade, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and blueberry, and Cloudberry.
Ikea
7 Vegan sweet
Loads of gummy candies are made with gelatin, however that’s not the case at Ikea. The sweets part is stocked with a number of sorts of chewy vegan candies, together with cola-flavored moose jellies, berry-flavored hearts, strawberry and vanilla ice cream cones, bitter Viking ships, and extra.
Ikea
8 Vegan bread & crispbread
Bread is the spine of many-a-meal, and loads of the choices you’ll discover at Ikea are vegan. Select from complete grain crisp rolls, rye crispbread, multigrain crispbread, or delicate skinny bread.
Ikea
9Salted potato chips
There’s no hidden milk powder in these salty snacks. These potato chips have the pores and skin left on for a country contact. Should you’re in Europe, the bitter cream and onion chips are literally dairy-free.
For extra vegan purchasing guides, learn:
Kat Smith is a Queens, NY-based freelance author and editor who loves cooking and discovering native vegan hidden gems.