Plant-Based Pea Protein ‘No-Egg Egg’ Crackd To Launch At U.K. Retailers This December

British plant-based egg brand Crackd, dubbed as the country’s first liquid vegan egg replacement, will be launching into stores this December. The Hertfordshire-based company has secured nationwide distribution across supermarket chain M&S as well as online specialty retailer The Vegan Kind, and says there will be more retailers launching its product, Crackd The No-Egg Egg in the coming months. 

Crackd, the 100% plant-based liquid egg brand owned by startup Plant Heads, is set to launch its products nationwide this December in British grocery giant M&S and The Vegan Kind, a plant-based specialty retailer. It’s flagship product, dubbed Crackd The No-Egg Egg, is made using only European Food Safety Authority-approved plant ingredients, such as cold pressed pea protein, nutritional yeast, black salt. 

Rich in Vitamin B12 and D and allergen-free, the plant-based egg will be sold for £3.99 (US$5.18) per 490-gram bottle, with more retailers to stock the product in the coming months ahead of the plant-based movement Veganuary. 

Inspiration for the product came about when the culinary duo behind food development firm Bingham & Jones saw a gap in the market when it came to plant-based eggs. Having created a number of popular vegan products including plant-based meat brand Heck and a number of ready-made products in GOSH! range, they decided to come up with a vegan egg that wouldn’t compromise on taste, versatility and and functionality. 

3 years, 900 iterations and a lot of washing-up later, Bingham & Jones finally Crackd it, and Crackd The No-Egg Egg was born.

Crackd

Read: Meet these 6 food tech pioneers making eggs from plants

“After all, an egg-replacement would need to be able to help create anything from fluffy sponges, to gooey brownies and even golden Yorkshires,” the Crackd team explains. “3 years, 900 iterations and a lot of washing-up later, Bingham & Jones finally Crackd it, and Crackd The No-Egg Egg was born.” 

Speaking to Green Queen, Rik Roberts, the general manager of Crackd added that unlike other plant-based egg products on the market that tend to be made from a base of aquafaba, their substitute acts as a whole-egg replacement. 

“It’s designed to perform like an egg – aerating and emulsifying. Combined together they both help the item you’re cooking to rise and bind, leading to a lightening in texture,” Roberts said. “Crackd works exceptionally well in baking, mimicking the effect of a whole beaten egg. We have noticed that it does take slightly longer to work its magic, and it’s better on a slightly lower temperature.” 

It’s designed to perform like an egg – aerating and emulsifying. Combined together they both help the item you’re cooking to rise and bind, leading to a lightening in texture. Crackd works exceptionally well in baking, mimicking the effect of a whole beaten egg.

Rik Roberts, General Manager of Crackd

While at the moment, the product will only be available to customers in the U.K., looking ahead, Roberts explains that the company would “love to move internationally when the time is right.” It doesn’t hurt that Crackd currently uses co-packers to produce its vegan egg, which will ensure the ability to scale-up to meet the demand, which has surged across the country and globally amid the pandemic. 

The increasing popularity of vegan foods has also paved the way for other emerging plant-based brands to enter large retail chains, from Amsterdam-based Willicroft’s vegan cheeses being introduced across Waitrose and Whole Foods to Spanish plant meat makers Heura launching at Planet Organic and The Vegan Kind. Asda, the third biggest supermarket retailer in the U.K., has even decided to roll out dedicated vegan bays across its stores to display only plant-based products. 

All images courtesy of Crackd.