Indiana Vegan Original

Indiana Vegan Original: plant-based jerky that earns the name

Indiana Vegan Original is a meat-free alternative to beef jerky, built on pea and sunflower protein, seasoned savoury and smoky and dried into strips with a genuine bite to them. It is the calm half of Indiana's vegan pair, and the one the whole category should be judged against.

Why this one

• Savoury, not sweetened into a cereal bar: the seasoning points the same way as Indiana's beef range, so it reads as jerky.
• High in protein: the plant blend is the substance of the strip, not a line on the front of the bag.
• A texture that holds up: it resists the first bite and then gives, which is the part most meat-free versions get wrong.
• Single bags or a case of fifteen: useful, because this is the vegan snack that other people keep helping themselves to.

How Indiana makes it

The protein base is mixed with seasoning, formed into strips and slow-dried, with garlic and a smoky note doing most of the flavour work. Bags are sealed under a protective atmosphere. Storage is the one place Indiana gives an instruction rather than a suggestion: no fridge, cupboard only, and an open bag wants finishing inside a couple of days.

Taste and texture

Savoury first, with woodsmoke and garlic behind it and a mild peppery finish. There is none of the heavy beany note people brace themselves for. The strip is fibrous, faintly springy, and tears rather than snaps. Eaten with your eyes shut it lands far closer to dried meat than this category usually manages. Next to the Vegan Hot & Sweet it is quieter and more obviously savoury.

Who it is for

Vegans who miss having something to chew rather than something to crunch. Anyone doing a few meat-free days a week who refuses to also do a few flavour-free days. Packed lunches, since it survives all morning in a bag with nothing keeping it cold. And the one vegan at the party who is tired of crisps.

Frequently asked

Is it as chewy as real jerky? Close. A touch softer and more even, since the strips are formed rather than sliced from muscle, but it pulls apart in strands the way dried meat does.

Original or Hot & Sweet? Original is the straight savoury one. Hot & Sweet is the sweet and chilli-warmed version of the same strip. Buying for somebody else, Original is the safer bet.

Why does the pack say no fridge? Cold and damp are not its friends. It is sealed to keep at room temperature, so a cupboard shelf beats the fridge door every time.

Order Indiana Vegan Original at Jerky Store Europe

Single 25 g bags and fifteen-pack cases are in stock, with fast delivery across Europe from Jerky Store Europe.