Let’s be honest—sometimes, the hardest part of going vegetarian isn’t explaining it to relatives or hunting for tofu at midnight. It’s the things you secretly crave. You can be 99% happy with your plant-powered choice, but then the smell of bacon drifts through a window, or someone pulls off an oozy cheese pizza, and your brain goes prehistoric on you: You Need That. This stuff is real, and you’re not weird for feeling it.
Turns out, most vegetarians end up dreaming of certain foods. Science even has a name for it: hedonic craving. Want to know what’s on most people’s “miss” list—and what you can actually do about it? Get ready, because this gets weirdly relatable.
The Most Missed Foods: What Tops the List?
Let’s cut to it: the foods vegetarians miss tend to smack you over the head with their smells, textures, or emotional memories. According to a 2023 survey of over 2,000 vegetarians in the UK and US, nearly half admitted to craving something specific from their pre-veg days—especially when they’re hungry, tired, or tipsy at a party. Here’s what they said, and why it’s so common to miss them:
1. Bacon, not beef, tops the charts. The crunch, the aroma, the salty-sweetness—nothing breaks a vegetarian’s willpower in the media quite like bacon. In fact, bacon is joked about so often in vegetarian communities that you’d think it has superpowers. There’s a reason: its scent is packed with compounds that signal “delicious” to our brains. Scientists found that heated bacon releases over 150 chemical compounds, many found in chocolate and coffee, which is why it’s basically the siren song for ex-meat-eaters.
2. Melted cheese (pizza, grilled cheese, mac-and-cheese)—and yes, cheese actually has mild addictive qualities. It contains casein, which triggers something resembling the reward pathway in your head. Add that to comfort food nostalgia, and boom: Sometimes the vegan cheese just doesn’t cut it.
3. Chicken—especially fried or roasted. It’s often about the crispy texture or the aroma of Sunday dinners more than flavor alone. People say they miss the ritual of it, not just the food.
4. Steaks and burgers—especially at summer BBQs. It’s not just the taste, but the feeling of being part of the grill crowd and those childhood memories at family cookouts.
5. Seafood—especially sushi and shrimp. Sushi is missed for its savory umami-rich taste and social fun. Shrimp and scallops come up thanks to their distinct textures and often celebratory context (think: fancy dinners).
Here’s a quick summary table showing the results of that 2023 survey:
Food | % of Vegetarians Who Miss It |
---|---|
Bacon | 38% |
Melted Cheese Dishes | 32% |
Chicken | 24% |
Steak/Burgers | 21% |
Sushi/Seafood | 17% |
Don’t see your own craving? That’s totally normal. Some miss their mom’s meatloaf, others get haunted by the memory of Philly cheesesteaks. Food connects to your life story, not just your taste buds.

What’s Actually Going On In Your Brain (And Gut)?
You’d think after a year or two eating veggies, your cravings for meat or cheese would just evaporate. But cravings aren’t just about nutrition—they’re almost always tangled up in your biology and even memories.
Let’s talk dopamine. Foods high in fat, salt, and protein—like fried chicken or a cheeseburger—boost the brain’s dopamine. That’s the same neurotransmitter that fires up when you get a text from someone you like, or win at a slot machine. So, yes, you’re craving a reward and a happy moment, not just a snack.
Habits and routines matter more than you think. If you spent high school Fridays sharing cheesy nachos and melting into a food coma, your brain stores that as a ‘happy place,’ and the mere sight or smell later on can make you want it all over again—even after years away.
Casein and glutamate–nature's flavor bombs. Cheese and meats both pack these “umami” molecules that hit the savory sweet spot like nothing else. Fun fact: Parmesan has more glutamate than many brands of MSG. That’s why nutritional yeast (lovingly called “nooch”) is so popular among vegans for sprinkling magic “cheesy” flavor on popcorn and pasta.
And here’s what else happens:
- Your gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria in your digestive system—actually ‘learn’ to crave what you eat a lot. After 90+ days plant-based, most people report missing meat and cheese less. But if you cheat, the cravings can reignite fast.
- Smell memory is crazy-strong. Even vegetarians who haven’t touched a hot dog in a decade may still get a brain twinge walking past a baseball stadium vendor. It’s your olfactory system, linking scent directly to the limbic (emotional) part of the brain.
- EVEN WITH policies in school and workplace cafeterias shifting, there’s still social pressure. If everyone else is knocking back wings, you’ll want wings, too, thanks to a very human desire to fit in.
- Some veg folks notice random cravings during stressful times—usually something from childhood, or their culture’s “comfort” food, such as fried fish or pepperoni pizza. Your mind hunts for foods associated with comfort and love.
Is there a magic number when cravings finally go away? Studies suggest after 6 months to a year without animal products, cravings fade a lot—but never fully vanish for everyone. Some say new foods become their go-to, but surprises can pop up even years later.

How to Outsmart Those Cravings: Substitutes That Actually Satisfy
Alright, so if you know everyone misses bacon or pizza now and then, what’s a vegetarian supposed to do? The good news: plant-based food tech has leveled up hard since the sad tofu patties you remember from your aunt’s freezer in the ‘90s.
Here’s what’s working now—real talk style:
- Bacon fixes: The old-school tempeh or coconut “bacon bits” are okay, but for the best crunch and smoke, try rice paper bacon or even seitan strips brushed with smoked paprika and maple syrup, then baked crisp. The brand Thrilling Foods “Bakon” has a following for a reason—it sizzles, smells right, and actually pleases half the omnivores who try it blindfolded.
- That pizza cheese pull: Vegan cheeses changed a ton in just the last few years. Miyoko’s and Violife melt like the real deal, but for that deep-flavored crusty edge, sprinkle a little nutritional yeast or miso paste on top of your slice. One trick: Use a blend. Combine a shreds-type cheese with a creamy cashew cheese sauce underneath. You’d be surprised how close you can get to a classic slice, with the right brands and toppings.
- Chicken cravings: You can go classic with soy nuggets (Quorn or Gardein still score high in blind taste tests), or try oyster mushrooms torn and roasted—they nail that shredded, meaty bite. TikTok is full of folks turning jackfruit into BBQ “pulled pork”—if you get the right seasoning and a touch of smoke, it’s way more convincing.
- Burgers that bleed—if you want them to. The Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger have exploded for a reason: beet juice and heme iron create that “juicy” bite. But for homemade, try a mix of mushrooms, black beans, and walnuts. Season heavy. Don’t skip the grill—it makes the crust.
- Sushi hacks: Sushi rice, avocado, nori, marinated tofu, and roasted peppers actually trick your brain. Not joking—cooked eggplant brushed with umami sauce nails the eel-texture, and hearts of palm do a decent job as faux “crab.” If you miss salmon rolls, try thinly sliced raw tomato or carrot marinated in rice vinegar and a dash of liquid smoke.
Some folks just go full nostalgia—like making a grilled cheese with three vegan cheeses, or deep-frying cauliflower bites until they actually taste like their favorite pub snack. The goal isn’t to “replace” your old favorites perfectly, but to give you the same feeling: fun, indulgence, or connection.
Popular Substitution | Main Ingredient | Best For Fixing |
---|---|---|
Rice Paper Bacon | Rice Paper Sheets | Bacon cravings |
Violife or Miyoko’s Cheese | Coconut Oil, Cashews | Melted cheese dishes |
Gardein/Quorn Nuggets | Textured Soy, Mycoprotein | Fried Chicken |
Impossible Burger | Soy Protein, Heme | Beef Burger Flavor |
Jackfruit BBQ | Jackfruit | Pulled Pork/Chicken |
Couple quick tips to fight cravings:
- Don’t starve yourself or skip meals. Hunger makes cravings spike.
- Eat protein and healthy fats. Beans, tofu, nuts, and seeds will make you feel satisfied, and reduce the “primal” urge for meat.
- Switch up your food routines. Try world cuisines—Ethiopian lentils, Thai curries, Indian chana masala—packed with flavors and textures that make you forget about old standbys.
- Make eating social. Share your plant-based food at potlucks or BBQs, and you’ll start associating new foods with good times, instead of feeling left out.
- Don’t beat yourself up. Pretty much every long-term vegetarian admits they’ve had at least one “fall-off” or fantasy about old favorites. That’s normal, not a failure.
The thing is, cravings are only human, and the foods vegetarians miss most have more to do with memories, emotions, and brain chemistry than just taste. The wild thing? Give yourself time, play with new flavors, and soon, you’ll find your cravings changing on their own. And if they don’t, there are better plant-based options now than ever—so you can enjoy the best of both worlds: nostalgia and new discoveries. That’s what keeps it interesting, and honestly, it’s half the fun.
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