The Veganuary movement may have had its day, but the plant-based bakery market continues to grow in the UK.
In fact, its increasingly being done in stealthy way. Bakeries are now producing quality goods that sell well without many consumers even realising they are vegan.
Dr Carys Bennett works for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), where she helps businesses increase their appeal to a wider range of customers with plant-based F&B. Here she offers her thoughts on how the strategy of being ‘quietly vegan’ in sweet bakery production is a smart one.
“When I think of vegan food, I don’t think of apples and lettuce. I think of flaky orange & hazelnut crowns from Benugo; the decadent viral crème brûlée croissant from Coughlans Bakery, Caffè Nero’s luscious apple crumble & custard tart, and the nostalgic sugar strand doughnut from Greggs. These are just some of the indulgent, mouthwatering, and ‘quietly vegan’ treats that are helping both major chains and boutique bakeries alike to capture more customers by making their goodies extra accessible.
It’s a savvy strategy. While customers seek vegan foods for a variety of reasons – environment, animal welfare, allergies and intolerances, or religious beliefs – bakeries aim to create delicious temptations for all. Which is where cakes and pastries that are free from eggs and dairy come in. You can sell more of your products to more customers by making them vegan by default.
With one in ten Brits intolerant to dairy, and cow’s milk allergy being the most common cause of food allergy among children, it’s little wonder that Future Market Insights has flagged the UK as a centre of innovation for plant-based cakes and pastries. It’s forecast that the global vegan bakery market will enjoy a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.5% to reach US$628.4m [£466.7m] by 2035. Even France, the birthplace of the buttery pastry, is embracing the evolution. French gastronomy historian Patrick Rambourg notes that ‘the success of these plant-based pâtisseries lies in proposing the classics but done in a different way’.
Egg-free recipes also make your business immune to shortages or price increases caused by avian flu outbreaks. In the UK, over three million birds have been culled in the last three years after avian flu ripped through farms, and driving up prices. On this front, we can learn from America. When bird flu hit there in 2025, the resilience of vegan bakes was widely reported, with many non-vegan bakers reporting savings by turning to plant-based treats.
Making goods ‘quietly vegan’ is also a wise move for businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint, with the Climate Change Committee urging Brits to reduce dairy intake. The UK’s biggest sports venue caterer, Levy, has a target of 100% plant-based desserts as part of their climate action strategy, and most of the cakes in its Tottenham Hotspur Stadium coffee shop are vegan as standard. Levy reports that its partner venue, the QEII Centre, sells a vegan panna cotta that emits 43% less CO2e per serve than the dairy version. Other major suppliers have also gotten the memo: Bidfood, Brakes, and Sysco all supply quietly vegan bakes at comparable prices.
No one would miss a small bit of dairy and eggs in cakes or pastries when they taste amazing. The quality scones served at the National Trust’s cafés have been vegan for a number of years, and visitors only noticed this when it was reported in the media. BEK Sourdough Bakery in the Southampton area takes this approach too, and Coughlans Bakery has dozens of sweet goods that just happen to be vegan. Gail’s Chocolate & Tahini Bites, Pret A Manger’s Very Berry Croissants, and Subway’s Double Chocolate Cookies are other great examples of this. Suitable for vegans, but enjoyed by everyone.
Trends come and go. Today’s Dubai chocolate cake is yesterday’s cronut. But embracing animal-free recipes as standard is a sound, long-term strategy to future-proof your menus, expand your customer base, reduce allergen risk, and lower your carbon footprint, while also creating delicious products comparable in quality, taste, and price. That’s a recipe for success that’s here to stay.”
No comments yet