23 Vegan Food Products I Found in Italy

Before my last trip to Italy, I had been to this incredible country on two other occassions. The first one was my Sweet Fifteen trip with my family, but I barely recall it. I have more memories from my second time in Italy, when I visited mostly the Northern part of the country during the backpacking trip I have saved for, to celebrate my graduation from college. Coincidentally, my third trip took place when I turned 30, exactly 15 years after my first one. I guess now I’ll have to go back when I turn 45? Hopefully I get to do it before that!

I had my two weeks to take off from work, and one of my oldest friends, with whom I did school and college, was living there to get her Italian citizenship. At first, she told me there were certain days in which she had to be home in case she had to go to the ‘comune’–which can happen from one day to the next– so she would only join my and my other friend (my Italian friend I met around 10 years ago when we both studied in Spain) to go to the Dolomites for the weekend. Luckily, she got her citizenship before my arrival, so she ended up joining me for 9 full days out of 13! We had the best time ever!

This time, I visited Rome, Brescia, the Dolomites region, Umbria and Tuscany, and I had the chance to explore the vegan side of Italy in all of them. Eating a plant-based diet is more sustainable (in my case being vegan, as I do it for the animals in all aspects of my life), and doing it while traveling can be difficult if it's your first time doing it. In some places it was easier to get by than others. For me, eating while traveling can be challenging because I’m not just vegan, but also a celiac, so finding meals that combine both can be a struggle. If you are just vegan or plant-based, you will definitely find a myriad of options, particularly pasta and pizza! Not bad, right?

I will go deeper into restaurants in my sustainable and vegan guides. In this post, I will show you some vegan products I found in Italy, so you can become acquainted with them, and know what to expect before traveling. I limited the list to 23 products (plus some bonus ones, since I will show a few pictures with more than one product in them), because there were too many! I consider these to be the most practical ones, which is the reason why I decided to exclude baking products (not very practical when you travel, unless you are staying in an apartment with a kitchen).

Sometimes, at the supermarket or mini markets, you will find a whole shelf of clearly labeled vegan products, as you can see in the photo above. Take into consideration that not all products that are vegan at that store will be displayed here, so even if you find this serendipitious shelf, keep looking. Depending on where you are in Italy, you can also find specifically vegan stores, or vegan restaurants that sell plant-based products. The most traditional foods in Italy can be found in their vegan form: pizza, pasta, risotto, focaccia, cheese, you name it.

To find more vegan products, look for the Vegan certifications, even though some vegan products are sometimes not labeled (or just labeled as ‘vegano’, ‘100% vegetale’ or ‘ricetta vegetale’), as happens in lots of countries, including the U.S. The one I encountered the most was the ‘Vegan Ok’ Certification.

Some words you should look out for: latte (milk), uovo (egg), miele (honey), gelatina (gelatin), are the most commonly seen ingredients on food that aren’t vegan. In some cases, you will find a disclaimer in the packaging stating ‘the product may contain traces of milk’, for instance. This happens in the U.S. too. It will be a personal choice; maybe some vegans won’t accept that. Others may think it is okay, since these are usually warnings for people who are allergic to these ingredients (maybe just one trace of them can affect them, but it doesn’t mean there will actually be milk in your product). From this group, I just included a couple of products, which I will specify in their description.

THE BEST VEGAN PRODUCTS I FOUND IN ITALY

1) Mini burger

by Liveg

This vegan burger I found in Italy is made with broccoli and potatoes, and is also labeled organic (which in Europe is usually stated as BIO). This product isn’t gluten free, so I wasn’t able to try it. It can be a great option to eat when you want to cook something but are in a hurry (too processed to eat frequently), with a salad or mashed potatoes, if you happen to have a kitchen while traveling.

2) PLANT-BASED GOUDI CHEESE

by Sayve

Finding vegan cheese in Italy can be challenging. It becomes annoying when you just want to grab some bread, cheese and tomato to make a delicious sandwich and have a picnic in Tuscany’s countryside! I found some vegan cheeses in certain supermarkets (even some Violife products, a brand I usually buy in the U.S.), but in others it was impossible. There was this one time my friend and I wanted to have a picnic, and I found a great gluten-free rosemary focaccia, but no vegan cheese. Instead, I bought tofu. It was delicious but a bit impractical. This vegan gouda cheese is made from walnuts, and it’s certified vegan and bio, soy free and gluten free.

3) Vegan frollini (cookies)

by Fior di Loto

I found these vegan and gluten free frollini (a type of cookie) in Sienna. I opened them the next day and snacked them after stopping on the side on the road in Tuscany’s green fields, while cherishing the view. They were great! Made with nocciole (hazelnuts), they are also bio, crunchy, and perfect to accompany an Italian espresso.

4) gnocchi

by Le Veneziane

I had tried products from this brand before, since there is a market online where they sell some interesting gluten free and vegan products. However, I hadn’t tried these gnocchi. I bought them in Brescia, and cooked them at my friend’s house with a pistachio pesto sauce. They are gluten-free, vegan, and made with potatoes. A meal that should be in your Italian gastronomic list if you are a pasta freak like me!

5) VEGAN RAGÙ

by CAMPO D’ORO

This item doesn’t follow the gnocchi without a reason. It can be a great option to accompany them (or some other vegan pasta), and embrace your love for Italian food. Ragù is a traditional sauce they use in this wonderful country, although it’s commonly made with meat, like its cousin the Bolognese sauce. It’s a good thing you can now find this vegan alternative without compromising the taste. It’s also certified organic (BIO). Pasta for decades, yes!

6) VEGGY GOOD crackers

by San Carlo

I saw these vegan snacks in several cities across Italy. They have different flavors. I tried this one–the red rice and lentils– and the ones made from chickpeas. They are gluten free, not fried, and has pretty simple ingredients, including rice, lentils, and rice flour. Imagine eating these in a beautiful Italian street. Dreamy, right?

7) grissini

by Bio’s

These organic grissini are made with turmeric (curcuma), ginger (zenzero), and sesame seeds (semi di sesamo). Certified VeganOk and Bio, they also have extra virgin olive oil, and are a great option to snack while walking through the stradas. You can also eat them with some yummy hummus or vegan dip, while enjoying Italy!

8) VEGAN CEREALS

by Fiorentini

May I present you with a great vegan food product you can eat in Italy for breakfast (colazione): bran cereals. You can eat them the traditional way, with some vegan milk, or you can just snack them. This way, you can get some extra protein and fiber in your diet.

9) biscotto con frutti rossi

by NutriSi

I bought these biscotti at a gas station, while my friends and I were en route to Dolomites. We stopped for a coffee (coffee in Italy is so good, it doesn’t matter if it’s at the gas station, at a restaurant, or at someone’s house), and I found this vegan product. Biscotti are very popular in Italy, and since they are Gluten Free and Vegan, I decided to try them. They were amazing!

10) vegan pesto

by CAMPO D’ORO

This Italian vegan pesto is from the same brand as the vegan ragú I showed you before. It’s a traditional Sicilian pesto, made with almonds (mandorle) and basil (basilico), that will taste like heaven with spaghetti, bruschetta, or gnocchi. It’s organic, gluten free, and delicious!

11) biocroc crackers

by Fior di Loto

Yet another vegan snack option to eat in Italy! The reason for this is that I discovered all these plant-based products while traveling, so my eyes tend to look for the foods that are easy to eat on-the-go, like snacks, crackers, biscotti, you name it. These ones are made with black rice, corn, and vegetable oil, and they are also gluten-free and organic. Mangia che ti fa bene!

12) protein bar

by Lifefood

This raw vegan protein bar is organic, gluten-free and paleo, and is a great choice to eat on the go and make sure that you get your protein and strength while traveling (and walking for miles) in Italy. It doesn’t have any added refined sugar or artificial sweeteners, and its main ingredients are dates, nuts, almond paste, almonds, cashew nuts, and hazelnuts.

13) vegan pasta and more

by Salvia

In Bolzano, on our way to the Dolomites, we stopped because we were so hungry! My friends and I found a vegan restaurant that had closed for a private birthday party. We kindly asked if there was anything we could eat because we were starving, and they were so nice, they prepared a delicious homemade meal for us. The restaurant also had a store, where they sold many incredible products. My favorite finds were these vegan pastas, perfect to try while in Italy. In the photo you can see the ravioli made with chickpeas, the panzerotti, and the ravioli with azuki beans. Above, you can find some bonus vegan products! From left to right: BIO Mini Primavera Rolls, and two different kinds of vegan cheeses made with almonds. Italian plant heaven!

14) crackers

by Riso Scotti

This is a great simple snack that can become greater if accompanied by hummus, jam, or guacamole. They are made with just rice, and are vegan, as well as gluten-free and organic. To make it an even more Italian-like snack, you can add some olive oil drops, and some cherry tomatoes, which are tastier in Italy, I swear!

15) lentil and chickpea snack

by Fiorentini

We continue in the snacking department! I found this vegan product at a gas station in Tuscany, Italy. It’s gluten-free, not fried, and organic. They remind me of Hippeas, which I sometimes buy in the U.S., but they taste very different. This ones are made with red lentil and chickpea (ceci, in Italian, which I found they use everywhere!). They were very practical to eat during my road trip.

16) buckwheat tubetti

by Dalla Costa

I want to make sure to give you enough vegan pasta options to eat in Italy, because that’s what your body will crave and want when you visit! Unless you aren’t a pasta fan (no judging, I think). Nonetheless, many pasta products that aren’t featured in this post are vegan. You will find hundreds of options, because dry pasta is usually all about plant-based power. On the other hand, fresh pasta tends to have either eggs or dairy, so you might find less options in that field. This buckwheat pasta is gluten free and organic, and I have a feeling it could go great with either of the vegan sauces I recommended in this post.

17) spirulina biscotti

by Bio’s

It turns out, I’m not only all about making sure you fill your stomachs with vegan pasta, but also with vegan biscotti. Here’s yet another option for you to snack on while walking along the streets of any beautiful city in Italy. These Biscotti are made with spirulina–so you get a nice superfood boost–and a bit of chocolate. They’re vegan, organic, and don’t have palm oil, which is a plus for the environment.

18) vegan cheese

by Verys

You will find this organic vegan cheese in Italy, that’s labeled 100% vegetale (meaning 100% made with vegetables and no animal-derived ingredients), as well as gluten-free. It can be used as a spreadable, as a base for fillings, or for garnishing hot and cold dishes.

19) spinach burgers

by Liveg

Another vegan food product I found in Italy from the Liveg brand (similar to the broccoli and potato burgers I showed you in this list’s #1). It brings two burgers that are organic, as well as plant-powered.

20) pistacchio pesto

by Etnafrutti

This is one of those products that are vegan, even though it isn’t certified. Depending on your preferences, you can include it or not on this list, or it could be a better option for those on a plant-based diet. It has 5 simple ingredients: pistachio, sunflower oil, salt, black pepper, and potatoes.

20) organic brioche

by Sapore di Sole

Another Italian product that can fall under the plant-based category for some, although the “Ricetta Vegetale” means it’s only made with plant-based ingredients. Checking them, I don’t see any ingredient that couldn’t be considered vegan. For instance, refined sugar can be considered plant-based but not vegan because animal products are involved in the process, though not in the sugar itself. This products can therefore be considered vegan. You will even notice the “burro di karité” which can at first be confusing, as burro means butter, but in this case it’s a butter made from karité, which is a plant.

21) vegan ham

by Muscolo di Grano

There are several vegan products in this photo, which I find convenient to show you: from chocolate pudding to custard. However, I’m going to focus on the vegan ham (Fettato Genuino) shown in the upper shelf. This is a great option to eat as antipasti, or to eat as a second course, accompanied with vegetables. One of its main ingredients is wheat, so it’s not a gluten-free option.

22) chips

by Pringles

Even though I prefer not to recommend this kind of products, I chose to add it to this list, given the news that Pringles would no longer be vegan. Perhaps this news applies only to certain countries, because the Pringles I saw in Italy had the vegan certification. It could also be that this tube was one of the last from the vegan bunch? If you happen to know anything about it, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!

23) several products

by various brands

In this last one I’m going to include many products! The fact is there were so many vegan products in Italy, I wanted it show them all to you in the most convenient way possible. For this reason, the last item on the list consists of several Italian vegan products! Everything you see in this photo is vegan, since it was an entirely vegan fridge in a supermarket I went to in Perugia. In the top shelves you can spot various vegan yogurts from Sojasun, Verso Natura, and Alpro. Below, you can see some vegan slices from Liveg, that can be great to make a sandwich and eat it in a scenic spot. There are also some spreadables, including hummus. If you continue to peruse the lower shelves, you will see a vegan parmesan, tempeh, vegan cheese by Valsoia, and vegan sausages and burgers by Garden Gourmet. More vegan products spotted are: nuggets, soy pieces, and vegetable balls by Garden Gourmet; vegan cordom bleu by Valsoia, vegan burgers, squares, falafel, and tofu by Verso Natura; and vegan burgers by Kioene.

That’s my list of more than 23 vegan food products I found in Italy. Hopefully you get to visit this beautiful (and delicious) country soon and try all these and many more!

Is there any of this products you wish to try the most? I’d definitely choose any sort of vegan and gluten-free pasta. Let me know in the comments below.

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Hi, I’m Melina,

I’m the creator of Sustainable Rookie, and my goal is to share what I learn throughout my sustainability journey, so that I can help other people live a more conscious life.

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