American plant-based brand Crafty Counter is to launch what it claims are the first ready-to-eat vegan boiled eggs. Known as Wundereggs, they are cholesterol-free and contain around the same amount of saturated fat as a conventional egg.
The eggs have a “white” and a “yolk” and are made mostly with cashews and almonds. The other ingredients are probiotics, coconut milk, agar-agar, nutritional yeast, turmeric extract, and black salt. Founder Hema Reddy says future versions may include additional nutrients to match the nutritional profile of eggs.
Reddy told FoodNavigatorUSA that while she loves eggs, she could no longer justify buying them after learning about the cruelty involved in the egg industry. She explained that she wanted to create a boiled egg that her children could take to school as a snack, or that could be sliced up and put on a sandwich.
© Crafty Counter
Launching later this year or in early 2022, the eggs will be sold in packs of two, retailing at around $5. A proprietary high-pressure processing method is used to give the eggs a long shelf life — between 90 and 120 days if kept in the fridge.
While several companies are working on plant-based egg alternatives, most focus on either liquid, scrambled, or fried eggs. There are few options for plant-based eaters who miss boiled eggs, so Crafty Counter will fill an important gap in the market. But Reddy says the Wundereggs are still a work in progress.
“The first iteration uses cashews and almonds, but later versions may use pea as a base,” she told FoodNavigatorUSA. “We’re also looking at other form factors.”