I Spent HOW MUCH on the New "Vegan Amazon" Was It Worth It?
Amazon is one of the largest companies in the world, and also one of the most controversial. From labor practice concerns to environmental criticism to its impact on local small businesses, it's a platform many conscious consumers have complicated feelings about.
As a whole, Amazon has fundamentally changed the way we shop, order what you want, and it shows up at your doorstep. It's convenient, but for conscious consumers, the ethical and environmental trade-offs are getting harder to ignore.
What if you could get that same convenience, shop 100% vegan, support small plant-based brands, and give back to animal sanctuaries in the process? Enter Vegan America.
What is Vegan America?
Vegan America is a marketplace of all kinds of vegan products, including food, fashion, cosmetics, home goods, and more. There are thousands of products available and with each purchase 1% of the profits are donated to an animal sanctuary that changes weekly.
Like Amazon, Vegan America offers an annual membership with perks including free shipping, member-only deals, and a points system you can apply toward future purchases. There's also a 7-day free trial so you can try it out before committing fully.
What I got from Vegan America (+ Price Breakdown)
When selecting items I wanted to make sure that I had a wide variety of items to get the full experience. The only two categories I didn't shop from were clothing and home goods, and I mostly ordered food items because… well I'm a registered dietitian and this is a page about plant-based foods.
Once I started browsing, I found the categories easy to navigate and well-categorized. The variety of products is good. You can find anything from shelf-stable to frozen options. When looking at plant based "meats" they all were at a higher price point, but I'd love to try more eventually. They have brands like Oshi, Juicy Marbles running around $50-90. Because of the higher price point I didn't spend much time in this section, and did miss that they also have more affordable soy curls mixed within which I'd love to give a try!
My Vegan America Order
One of the things I was most curious about going into this order was whether everything would arrive together from a central warehouse or ship separately from each brand. The answer: everything is packaged and shipped directly by the individual brand, so many packages arrived at my house over several days.
If you are someone who likes one delivery with limited packaging, just know that is not how this works.
I placed my order on May 15th. Here is how and when they all arrived
Arrival Dates
May 19th The first package from Dallmann arrives with the vegan hot chocolate bombs and strawberry matcha bar, nicely packaged and cold upon arrival.
May 20th Dubai chocolate, Fygen, and Renegade salami sticks all arrived on the same day. The Breakfree candy also came on May 20th, but unfortunately it arrived completely melted. There was a note inside acknowledging it may have melted in transit and suggesting I put it in the fridge, which I appreciated, but it was still a bummer. It shipped on May 16th and took four days to arrive, which felt long, especially since several other chocolate products I ordered came through just fine. However, the taste of the bars was nostalgic and enjoyable!
May 21st The Darë vegan cheese arrived cold and packaged perfectly. As an RD I will say the serving size is a little unusual and the main ingredient is coconut oil, which is not my favorite from a nutrition standpoint. That said, the texture is smooth and the flavor is very mildly chocolate. The Eleven TLC blue matcha and The Be Hive vegan pepperoni also came in on this day. I didn't realize the pepperoni came in SIX boxes… Six, pizza for days!
Also on May 21st, Pastabilities arrived. This is a pasta brand with fun shapes, and they actually offer a school fundraiser program which I think is such a smart idea. I recently saw a former classmate post that their school was selling meat for a fundraiser, and a shelf-stable pasta with fun shapes feels like a much more accessible and practical option.
May 22nd Pans Jerky, River Organics lip stain, Primal Jerky, and Vegan Elders freeze-dried sandwiches all arrived (these made me feel like an astronaut!)
May 31st It's Jerky Y'all and Vegan Chili Crisp were the last to arrive, sixteen days after I placed my order. For context, my first package arrived in four days, so the gap between first and last delivery was significant. Spicy Moon sent a handwritten note apologizing for the delay caused by a technical issue and included two complimentary noodles.
Price Breakdown
- The Be Hive Pepperoni (6 Pack) $48
- Darë Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Slice $10
- River Organics Vegan Lip Stain Plastic Free $15.99
- Break Free Candy Bar Variety Pack (10 pack) $38
- Koren Vegan Bakuchiol Vegan Collagen Cream $38
- Eleven TLC Blue Matcha Powder $15.25
- Pastabilities Springtime Pasta $6.99
- Spicy Moon Vegan Chili Crisp $14.95
- Original Pans Mushroom Jerky $8
- Renegade Italian/ Spanish Salami Stick (9 pack) $36.74
- Dallmann Confections Hot Chocolate Bombs (4 bombs) $27
- Dallmann Confections Strawberry Matcha Bar $18
- It's Jerky Y'all Sweet and Spicy Jerky $16
- Rawmantic Chocolate Dubai Chocolate Bar $19.99
- Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky Sampler Pack (6 pack) $14.95
- FYgen Vegan Collagen $40
- VeganElder Freeze Dried Ice Cream Sandwich $12
Total $379.86
Vegan America Pros
The selection leans more toward specialty items than everyday grocery staples, but if you are looking for a one-stop shop for premium vegan finds, this is a great option.
- 100% vegan
- Unique vegan snacks and products
- Supporting smaller businesses
- Donates to animal sanctuaries
One of my favorite things about shopping here is the peace of mind, everything is verified vegan, so there is no cross-referencing ingredient labels or second-guessing certifications.
As an RD, I especially appreciated how easy it is to discover new snack brands in one place. You can filter by snack type, find brands you never would have stumbled on otherwise, and diversify your plant-based snacking without hopping between a dozen different websites. You can even find harder to source shelf-stable proteins like soy curls.
Shopping here also means supporting small plant-based brands directly. These are not big corporations; they are independent vegan companies, and your purchase goes further than it would dropping the same amount on Amazon.
Similar to VeganCuts, Vegan America donates part of their profit to a rotating animal sanctuary with every purchase. It is a small percentage but it adds up across a platform and adds value to shopping here.
One of the biggest pros for non-vegans is, if you have a vegan in your life who you want to buy a gift for, this platform is a gift-haven. You can filter by category to find something thoughtful for any kind of vegan and it completely takes out the guesswork.
Vegan America Cons
While there are a lot of pros, there are some cons as well
- Longer shipping times
- Mostly premium vegan items
- Excess packaging (no eco ship together option)
One of the most exciting things about Amazon is instant gratification. You order something and it shows up the next day, two days at most. With Vegan America, shipping dates varied from 3 to 16 days depending on the brand.
And here is the thing, I still use Amazon. I think most of us do, because it is convenient and has everything. The idea of a central warehouse where anything you want ships in two days is hard to compete with.
The pricing is also steep. This is not your everyday grocery run. Most items skew toward the premium side, and the total can add up fast. My order came to just under $380. If you are budget-conscious, this is worth factoring in before you start adding to your cart. If you don't have the membership, shipping is also a factor to consider.
That said, most items are priced similarly or even slightly lower than on the brand's own website, so it can be a smart way to discover and try new products.
Because every brand ships separately, the packaging adds up. Multiple boxes, multiple mailers, multiple sets of filler material arriving over several days. For a platform built around conscious consumption, the environmental footprint of all that individual shipping is something I wanted to mention.
Is Vegan America Worth It?
Most of the items are priced similarly or lower than on the brand's own website, so this can actually be a smart way to try new products without paying a premium elsewhere.
While the selection skews more specialty than everyday staples, Vegan America is a great place to order premium vegan finds or shop for the vegan in your life.
If you plan to order regularly, the membership may be worth it for the free shipping, though my shipping was free without one.
So was it worth it? Yes, with realistic expectations. If you go in knowing that shipping takes time, packages arrive separately, and this is not your weekly grocery haul, you will have a great experience discovering brands you never would have found otherwise.
For the vegan who loves trying new specialty products, it is hard to beat the convenience of a fully vegan, vetted marketplace in one place.
