Suppliers step up availability of 100 per cent vegan dressings and sauces

WITH CONSUMER DEMAND for plant-based meals on the rise and vegan meals becoming increasingly popular on the menu, more and more foodservice suppliers are introducing new product formulations which are 100 per cent vegan – that is, they’re free from all animal products including egg and dairy.

This is simpler to achieve for some product categories than others – egg in particular is a binding agent traditionally used in many sauces and dressings. So it may come as a surprise to learn that several well-known brands now include 100 per cent vegan products among their dressings and sauces range – with these formulations achieved without compromising taste and texture.

The decision to call out the vegan composition of these products is an acknowledgment of the growing demand for vegan meals. “It’s not necessarily that we’re designing products specifically for vegan food, but there is a growing trend for ‘flexitarian’ plant-based eating which chefs and restaurateurs are keen to tap into,” explains Mark Clayton, Executive Chef at Nestlé Professional which has recently launched its Nestlé Chef range of liquid concentrates and pastes, most of which are 100 per cent vegan as well as gluten free. These include intense, flavour-rich concentrates of Champignons, Legumes and Demi Glace which come in a ready to pour format so they can be used to any flavour at any stage of meal preparation from pre-cooking to plating.

“Basically they’re building block flavours for sauces and dressings,” Mark explains. “You can add them drop by drop until you get the precise flavour you want, or even make them up into a stock. They were developed in Europe and the production process is very complex – they’re quite high end products, and a great fit for the commercial kitchen because chefs are always looking to enhance for flavours.

“If, for example, you want to dial up your mushroom flavour, just add some Champignons concentrate – a little goes a long way so they’re quite cost-effective.”

And while you can of course use these products to enhance any dish, the fact that they are 100 per cent vegan makes them ideally suited to vegan cuisine. “When you’re cooking vegetarian and vegan, it’s often very hard to get those upfront savoury flavours – that’s where products like this are a real benefit.”

Birch & Waite’s Salad dressings

Chefs want a one-stop solution

Birch & Waite, which has built its reputation on producing Australian-made quality condiments, dressings and sauces, last year launched a vegan mayonnaise to complement its popular fresh chilled mayonnaise which has long been a favourite of chefs. “Our research suggests that chefs often want a one-stop solution – one product they can use for all applications, and ours delivers that – there’s no quality compromise because you really don’t notice that it isn’t made with eggs,” says Birch & Waite Senior Brand Manager Sarah Rowe. “Australia is the third largest vegan market in the world and that’s continuing to grow, and we strongly believe we have the best vegan mayonnaise on the market. We’re famous for our Whole Egg Mayonnaise and that’s been considered number one in the market for a long time, so it was important to us to meet the same quality standard in our Vegan Mayonnaise. We wanted to make sure we had the perfect protein replacement that would maintain the same smooth and creamy texture as our signature product.”

Birch & Waite has since called out the vegan composition of the majority of its fresh-chilled dressings, which are made without preservatives or artificial colours and flavours. “When you’re preparing vegan meals, it’s a lot easier when you know the products you’re using are vegan formulated, that way you don’t need to choose a special dressing. We see our range as flavour enhancers which will work well across the board, regardless of dietary requirements – but all of them are gluten free and seven of our eight dressings are vegan.”

The most recent addition is Green Goddess Dressing, launched last October to be fresh for summer. This 100 per cent vegan dressing features robust sweet herbs and a creamy texture cut by sharp lemon and vinegar notes. Other vegan Birch & Waite dressings include Beetroot and Blood Orange, Greek Lemon, Japanese Style, Balsamic and Olive Oil Vinaigrette, Italian and French Vinaigrette. Caesar Dressing is the only non-vegan one in the range.

Add depth and balance quickly and easily

The Knorr Intense flavours range from Unilever Food Solutions is a 100 per cent vegan range of concentrates designed to enable you to add depth and balance to your dishes quickly and easily. The flavours include Citrus Fresh, Roast Umami, Wild Mushroom Earth and Deep Smoke and can be used for marinating, infusing and seasoning or as a sauce or garnish. Unilever has spent the past five years developing the range, which is produced in Sweden and has launched in several markets including Europe and the US.

The variants chosen for the Australian launch were decided upon following local testing with half a dozen leading chefs from pubs, clubs and cafes. “The feedback we’ve had has been very good,” says Andrew Ballard, Executive Chef at Unilever Food Solutions. “The products are all natural and 100 per cent vegan with no MSG, artificial colours or flavours – it’s all about giving chefs flavours which are difficult to create from scratch. Citrus Fresh, for example, is blended from mandarin, Tahitian lime and yuzu juice and gives a real intensity of flavour to add to your dish, so you only need to use a small amount.”

The distinctive flavour profiles were developed by Unilever’s global research and development team – “they seek out market trends and with this range it was all about identifying flavours that are difficult for chefs to create,” Andrew explains. “We know chefs are time-poor so it was about coming up with a solution that replicates authentic flavours that take time to produce – the Roast Umami product, for example, contains onion and garlic that’s been oven roasted for an hour. You can use them as is or add complementary ingredients to create your own distinctive sauces or dressings. And with vegan being a growing market trend, they also give you the opportunity to create some amazing vegan dishes. I’ve done a whole roasted cauliflower with the roast umami and that is a beautiful dish. It’s a big help when you have a versatile product which can go right across the menu.”