Is This The World's First Vegan Hard-Boiled Egg?

In the vegan world, the question is not, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" It's actually, "Which company was first to invent the plant-based hard-boiled egg?" For years, vegans have been using ingredients like flaxseeds and silken tofu as substitutes for eggs. Meanwhile, plant-based egg products, like JUST Egg, have had customers replacing chicken eggs for all sorts of cooking and baking projects. Still, no one had come up with a vegan hard-boiled egg — until recently.

Swiss grocery retailer Migros, through its vegan line called V-Love, has developed a plant-based hard-boiled egg called The Boiled. Made from soy protein, The Boiled's egg "white" is filled with a vegetable-based, yolk-like substance, per European Supermarket Magazine. While Migros claims to be the first company to have created such a product — according to the World Record Academy, The Boiled has been sold in Migros stores since November of 2021 — other plant-based companies recently launched similar items that mimic the chicken egg in terms of looks, taste, and texture. 

In May of 2021 (a few months before Migros' The Boiled launch), VegNews reported that OsomeFood, based in Singapore, had released a vegan hard-boiled egg made with fungal protein, carrot juice, almond milk, potato starch, and other flavorings. To complicate the question further, yet another brand has come on the vegan hard-boiled egg scene claiming to be the pioneer.

"WunderEggs are the world's first whole food, plant-based hard boiled egg that is made with nuts," a representative from the Texas-based plant-based foods company, Crafty Counter, said in an email sent to Mashed. The brand's website states that WunderEggs are cholesterol-free and ready to eat. They have a base of cashews, almonds, coconut milk, and agar (a seaweed-based gelatin substitute) and are colored and flavored with turmeric and nutritional yeast. The Crafty Counter product is scheduled to launch this August in Whole Foods stores.

Many eaters already know the truth about plant-based eggs: They offer shoppers who are concerned about animal welfare and the environment a plant-based alternative to chicken eggs. In order for them to have market longevity, however, it may be the flavor that really counts. One WunderEggs reviewer called their texture and mouthfeel "mindblowing," while an abillion user complimented OsomeEggs' "flavor and texture," despite their "expensive" price. Whichever brand was really first to create the vegan hard-boiled egg, from the consumer's standpoint, all of this variety simply means more options for plant-based egg salad, avocado toast, and deviled eggs.