7 Imitation Foods Worth Eating And 6 You Should Avoid Completely

There are imposters lurking in your grocery store. And no, I'm not talking about those cute little "Among Us" characters. Rather, I'm talking about the numerous items in your grocery store with labels that don't match up to the products actually inside of them. No, this isn't a matter of someone forgetting to switch out the label gun. These products are purposefully being marketed toward you as something other than what they are — for better or worse.

Imitation foods are created for a variety of reasons. For example, in the case of plant-based alternatives like those for milk and butter, their name gives shoppers a reference to their animal-based equivalent and sets an expectation for what it should taste like. Other products, like "wasabi" and artificial vanilla, are cheaper alternatives to premium-priced products. 

The benefits of these products — whether in terms of price, dietary suitability, or taste — can vary. Therefore, which imitation products are actually worth adding to your cart? I used my experience as a frugal shopper and food label sleuth to decide which imitation items are worth buying and which ones are better off left on the shelf. 

The spike in egg prices in 2025 has been linked to persistent outbreaks of avian flu, but people were developing substitutes for eggs long before thousands of chickens were culled in the name of biosecurity. 

Egg substitutes can be made with a variety of ingredients and fill several culinary niches. Whether you're looking for something that can be a replacement for eggs in a boxed cake mix or can't bear the thought of spending a ton of money on a carton of eggs for your morning scramble, there are options out there for you. For one, if you're looking to replicate the runny consistency of eggs in a pan for something like an omelet, you might want to turn to Just Egg, which is made with mung beans, oils, and stabilizers. For baking, I'm particularly partial to powdered egg replacer, which has all of the binding properties of eggs, just without the eggs themselves. 

There are tons of egg replacements to choose from, and you're likely to find one that fits your needs. Less cholesterol, potentially fewer calories, and a lower cost — why wouldn't you want to try one for yourself? 

If you take a walk through the baking and spice aisle of your grocery store, you'll notice that there are vanilla extracts made with real vanilla beans and others labeled as "artificial vanilla" extract. Many people have asked over the years if it's worth spending the money on the real stuff or settling for an artificial extract.

Real vanilla is made with vanilla bean pod scrapings suspended in alcohol. Artificial vanilla, on the other hand, is made with a smorgasbord of compounds like ethanol, propylene glycol, and synthetic vanillin — which is what imitates the flavor of real vanilla. While artificial vanilla is certainly cheaper than the real stuff, some people have said that it tastes and smells fake and lacks the complexity of real vanilla. 

When you're buying vanilla extract, there are some important things to look for on the label. If you want to suss out a high-quality extract to use in your frosting and baked goods, always opt for one made with vanilla, alcohol, and water. Some of the best vanilla brands out there aren't even super expensive. 

Imitation crab's name is a little deceptive. You may instead know it as surimi, which is not crab at all. It's deboned whitefish (often pollock) that's been pressed into a log shape. It's a far cheaper alternative to crab and has been shown to be higher in certain nutrients, including vitamin B12 and zinc. You can find it in the frozen or refrigerated section of your grocery store. 

Affordable proteins that are sold ready to eat are a great thing to have on hand. Although you might be wary about this fish touting itself as crab, you may be more willing to add it to your cart when you see all of the ways that you can use it. Not only can you dice it up and add it to homemade sushi, but you can also use it as a protein in tacos, stir-fry, or even a decadent, seafood-inspired mac and cheese. It's a versatile protein and one that, despite its imitation status, is worth picking up and using regularly. 

Have you ever realized that the maple syrup on the table at your favorite diner doesn't taste like the high-quality maple syrup that you remember from childhood outings to the sugarhouse? That's because one is not like the other. 

Real maple syrup is made with one ingredient: maple syrup. You can tell the difference between it and the fake stuff because the latter contains a whole laundry list of ingredients — often a corn syrup base, maple flavoring, caramel color, and other additives. It also lacks the rich, complex, and oaky flavor of maple syrup, which is all the more reason not to use it. 

Sure, you will be paying a premium for the real stuff, but in turn, you'll be getting a fuller flavor that's more "natural" and less adjacent to "flavored sugar." It's a convincing reason to pack a little travel container of maple syrup for when you go out to eat.

Dairy-free milk has come a long way. It wasn't too long ago that you would have to cross your fingers and your toes that whatever coffee shop you were visiting carried something dairy-free. Now, it's odd not to have a plethora of dairy-free milks to choose from on the menu, including everything from oat and almond milk to coconut and cashew milk. 

I'm not going to lie to you and say that all dairy-free milks taste the same — and of course, they shouldn't all be used for the same thing. However, if you're using a dollop here and there, whether in your coffee or baked goods, you can usually get away with using a plant-based milk "imitation" instead of the real stuff. Granted, there is some know-how required, as not all dairy-free milks froth the same or offer the same thick mouthfeel as dairy. Once you find a dairy-free milk you love, though, you'd be hard-pressed to go back to real dairy.

Not only are dairy-free milks safe for those with lactose allergies or vegans, but using them instead of regular milk can also lessen your environmental footprint. According to data gathered by the World Resources Institute, soy, oat, and the often-demonized almond milk all come with a lower greenhouse gas and water use footprint than dairy milk. Sustainability is something to which we can raise a glass. 

If shredded Parmesan cheese in a plastic jar or bag sounds suspicious, well, that's probably because it is. Cheese that has been pre-shredded is often treated with anti-caking agents and compounds. While the cheese in the container may, in fact, be the cheese listed on the label, chances are that you're getting more than just that cheese when you sprinkle it on your pasta or add it to your mac and cheese. 

There are an array of anti-caking agents that may be used in pre-grated or shredded cheese. Some brands, for example, will use cellulose, a wood pulp derivative. Others will employ starches, like potato or cornstarch, to keep the flecks of cheese from sticking together in the bag. This can mess with the consistency of your recipe, which is why you're always better off grating your own cheese than buying a pre-bagged one.

Maybe it's because I've been a plant-based eater for so long, but I have a big soft spot in my heart (and in my stomach) for vegan butter. And before you ask, no, I'm not talking about margarine. Margarine tends to leave a greasy aftertaste in your mouth, and it may not be suitable for plant-based eaters, as some products still contain some milk derivatives. Vegan butter, on the other hand, is entirely plant-based and made with an oil blend. As long as you get a high-quality vegan butter brand, you can expect it to taste, schmear, and look exactly like a normal dairy-based butter. The only thing that I've found is that it doesn't brown like normal butter does, though some folks have seen good results by adding pecans into the mix as the nuts release a nutty flavor akin to dairy butter as they cook. 

There are many reasons why using an imitation butter is advantageous. Vegan butters tend to have less calories and saturated fat than regular butter, and since it isn't made with animal products, it doesn't have cholesterol, either. Like plant-based milks, switching to a dairy-free alternative also comes with positive environmental benefits, including a decreased carbon and water footprint. 

I am personally opening up my inbox to hate mail on this one, but I think it's more than justified. Cool Whip isn't really whipped cream, and I think we should stop trying to convince ourselves that it is. It's all in the name: whipped topping. 

There is a very important difference between whipped cream and whipped topping. The former contains cream as its primary ingredient, and then follows it up with sugars and stabilizers. Topping, on the other hand, is primarily made of stabilizers and hydrogenated oils. It may contain cream somewhere in there, but it's generally not at the top of the list. The cream component is a smaller proportion of the recipe, which means you don't get as much of that rich flavor. You may also experience the all-too-common oily sheen on your lips after you bite into a piece of pumpkin pie smothered in whipped topping, whereas whipped cream would give you something cleaner (and more satisfying).

There are two possible avenues to avoid this topping trap: buy whipped cream or make your own. The latter is not that difficult, as you really only need whipping cream, and you can choose from several different methods to make it. 

The "buy or skip" factor on these so-called "frozen dairy desserts" will really depend on how you like your ice cream. If you like something on the Ben & Jerry's side of "dense and rich," then you should probably stick to buying ice creams that are made with a high butterfat content. But, if you consider yourself a little more impartial to cheap ice cream brands that are light and fluffy, including from brands like Blue Bunny and Breyer's, you are better off looking at frozen desserts.

This is one imitation food that is very, very deceptive. After all, if it looks like ice cream, scoops like ice cream, and tastes like ice cream, isn't it ice cream? Legally, no. The Food and Drug Administration says ice cream must contain 10% butterfat and weigh a minimum of 4.5 pounds per gallon. That's to say that ice cream with a whole bunch of air pumped into it isn't technically considered ice cream. Airy, fluffy ice cream does tend to be cheaper than premium ice cream, and since it's lighter, you can eat more of it — right? 

Maybe it's just a personal preference here, but has anyone ever eaten a food made with artificial banana flavor and thought, "Wow! That really does taste like a real banana!" That's because banana flavoring is about as far as you can get from real bananas — kind of. 

We can tip our hats to isoamyl acetate for giving banana Laffy Taffy its unique flavor. This ester is released by the banana plant, as well as other botanicals, to invite pollinators to pay it a visit. When candy makers first wanted to make banana-flavored things, they utilized a banana high in isoamyl acetate — the Gros Michel. It was the precursor to the banana variety we see most frequently now: the Cavendish. This is why banana-flavored candies tend to be much more strongly banana-flavored than the bananas we are used to now.  

The Gros Michel has been decimated due to blights, but when you take a bite into a Laffy Taffy, you still are getting a taste of "real banana " — just a chemically synthesized version of it. History aside, it doesn't change the fact that banana-flavored candy is just plain gross. 

The wasabi you're eating with your sushi may not be real, but that doesn't make it any less delicious. The actual wasabi plant is a member of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes cabbage and broccoli. It's a fickle beast in terms of its cultivation, which makes its geographic range limited and its cost sky-high. You can expect to pay upwards of $100 for a pound of it.  Fresh wasabi also loses its pungency quickly, which doesn't make it the best choice for even the busiest of sushi counters. 

The cheaper, imitation wasabi is typically made from horseradish and mustard. While it does have of those same, Brassica-adjacent flavors as the real wasabi, it tends to be more pungent and harsher on the palate than actual wasabi. So, if you would call yourself a wasabi fiend, chances are you wouldn't really like the real stuff — and your wallet wouldn't either. The fake stuff does its job just fine. 

Truffle oil has been enemy No. 1 for many celebrity chefs, including Anthony Bourdain, Martha Stewart, and Gordon Ramsay, who have all expressed their dislike of it. And the truth is that your truffle oil likely doesn't contain real truffles anyway, which is just another reason not to add it to your cart.

Instead of being made with real truffles, which are complex, earthy, and deeply tied to the region that they're sourced from, your truffle oil is likely made with synthetic 2,4-dithiapentane and oil. The compound brings an artificial truffle essence to your dish, which is made all the more obvious if you're too heavy-handed with your pour. If you want to ensure the truffle flavor that you're adding to your dish is genuine, you're better off shaving truffles on directly or using a truffle salt with flecks of the fungus peppered in rather than relying on a bottle of who-knows-what. 

"Plant-based meat" is a big umbrella term for certain foods. While you have veggie burgers and bean burgers, you also have your "meat analogs," which are designed to have the same texture, chew, and consistency as meat. These meat substitutes can include everything from plant-based chik'n to sausages or the plant-based burgers from brands like Impossible and Beyond Meat. 

As someone who has been a vegan for the better part of their adult life, I can tell you this: It's easier for a brand to make a vegan product that's highly processed than one that is less processed. Therefore, you won't get plant-based marbled ribeye anytime soon, but you can get a great plant-based burger. Not all of the imitation beef burgers on the market are good — Gardein doesn't hold a candle to a juicy Impossible or Beyond patty — but as a whole, they make for a pretty solid replacement for beef patties, whether you're grilling or cooking them on the stovetop. 

Plant-based burgers (and meats as a whole) have long been demonized for their long ingredient list. However, when push comes to shove, it's the more ethical option, it has a smaller environmental footprint, and it doesn't taste that far off from beef. 

There are a ton of factors that go into deciding whether to purchase something imitation or not. For some people, imitation foods are sustainable or more accessible alternatives to other products. For others, it's based on the price and the comparable value of that product in their cooking routine. In order to parcel out whether these imitation items are worth buying or being avoided, I tied everything back to the advantages of each item. In other words, do the benefits — like lower cost, better sustainability, or better nutrition — of using the imitation product outweigh the benefits of using the real product? 

This is, of course, subjective, but I tied everything back to my experience as a thrifty and relatively well-versed home cook. I also considered the idea that as consumers, as a whole, want better flavor, more eco-friendly, and cheaper items — it's just a matter of what they're willing to sacrifice when deciding on buying imitation or "real" item.