Trader Joe’s new vegan chicken-less seasoning goes with *everything*

Vegans might not eat chicken, but—surprise!—some of us still love the taste of chicken seasonings. It doesn’t matter whether it’s nostalgic chicken noodle soup, perfectly-crispy tenders, or chicken and veggie skewers… it’s all delicious and easy to make plant-based. And with a new seasoning blend from Trader Joe’s, you can get that beloved chicken flavor in a few quick shakes.

Trader Joe’s Vegan Chicken-Less Seasoning Salt is essentially a super-affordable vegan chicken bouillon, minus the animal products. While there are similar products on the market—my go-to being the highly-rated Orrington Farms Chicken Flavored Broth Base & Seasoning ($6)—this one is a fraction of the cost at just $2 a bottle. It also has a short ingredients list (sea salt, onion powder, spices, turmeric, and garlic powder) and contains 320 grams of sodium per 1/4 tsp serving.

“This seasoning is a fun way to get those flavors we associate with chicken, even in vegetarian and vegan recipes. If you’re planning on adding this to your meals, I do have a few words of caution. Because of the sodium, go light. It’s the same thing I would tell you to do with the salt shaker,” says Amy Gorin, RDN, owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in the New York City area. “With that being said, I like that the blend includes other spices with proven benefits, including inflammation-helping turmeric. I’d suggest adding a dash of black pepper along with this in order to get the max benefits from the turmeric, as these two spices work best in synergy.”

So, what does this vegan chicken bouillon taste like, you ask? Exactly like the non-vegan kind. Since chicken itself tastes really bland, it’s the spices that give it the flavor everyone knows and loves. And, IMO, this one really nails it. I saw one person describe it as tasting like the chicken-flavored seasoning packet that comes with ramen, and that’s pretty spot-on. All it took was a quick sprinkle to my tofu before I popped it in the air fryer to make it come out as crispy, meat-free chicken nuggets.

It’s safe to say this multi-use seasoning will find space on my spice shelf right between my Trader Joe’s umami mushroom seasoning blend and “Everything But the Bagel” seasoning.

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