While you can find delicious vegan food in every grocery store – things like fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice, potatoes, beans, nuts, lentils, cereal, chips, granola bars and more (most stores also carry soy milk and a few vegetarian meats in the produce and freezer sections) – the following stores go above and beyond the usual offerings. And if you know a grocery store with great vegan goods in the Chico area that we’ve overlooked, please contact us.
Asian Market
347 Nord Ave #3
Chico, CA 95928 (map)
(530) 342-9740
Good selection of Asian specialty items, such as canned young jackfruit in brine, mock meats, noodles. Also a lot of produce in the refrigerator cases, often from local farms. Great place to browse the aisles and read labels.
Chico Grocery Outlet
2157 Pillsbury (map)
Chico, CA 95926
(530) 345-2666
Great place to look for bargains before you do your regular shopping or before you stop at Trader Joe’s across the street. This market almost always has vegan ice cream, non-dairy yogurt, vegan deli slices, soyrizo, several types of plant-based milks and creamer, and several name brand cruelty-free and/or vegan health and beauty products. They have an organic produce section as well.
Chico Natural Foods
818 Main St
Chico, CA 95928 (map)
(530) 891-1713
Hours: Mon-Sun 7:30am-10pm
Natural foods and vitamin co-operative featuring an excellent selection of local organic produce and some vegan specialty goods. Look for non-dairy milks and margarines, refrigerated vegetable meats, cold cereals, cookies, crackers, and more.
Hungry Wildcat Food Pantry
(530) 898-6131
Pantry Locations and Hours of Service
Hungry Wildcat Food Pantry, Siskiyou 109A, Mon-Thu, noon-4pm.
Student Affairs, Kendall Hall, Room 110, Mon- Fri, 8am-4pm.
Center for Healthy Communities, CalFresh Outreach Office, 25 Main Street, Mon- Fri, 10am-4pm.
The Hungry Wildcat Food Pantry provides nutritious food, CalFresh food program assistance and referral services for students experiencing food insecurity (those not having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food).
New Earth Market
864 East Avenue (map)
Chico, CA 95926
(530) 673-9355
Hours: Mon-Sat 7am-9pm, Sun 8am–8pm
Natural foods and vitamin store featuring an excellent selection of organic produce and many vegan specialty goods. Look for non-dairy milks and margarines, refrigerated vegetable meats, cold cereals, cookies, crackers, and more. The store has convenient shelf tags indicating many, but not all, vegan products. The sandwich and burrito bar have vegan options and you can build your own sandwich with Tofurky slices or hummus. The hot bar and deli have vegan options which are haphazardly labeled vegan; sometimes they’re labeled, sometimes not. Ask the staff to be sure. There is a co-located pizzeria in a corner of the store that will make pizzas to order; be sure to specify the “longboard flatbread” crust, as their usual pizza crusts are not vegan. They do not offer vegan cheese, but you can buy your own from elsewhere in the store and they will make your pizza with it. (Hopefully this tedious process will change in the future.) This store opened in April 2016 and is a welcome addition to the grocery store landscape in Chico.
S&S Organic and Natural Foods
1924 Mangrove Ave
Chico, CA 95926 (map)
(530) 891-1713
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-8pm; Sat-Sun 8am-8pm
Natural foods and vitamin store featuring an excellent selection of organic produce and some vegan specialty goods (great vegan ice cream selection). Look for non-dairy milks and margarines, refrigerated vegetable meats, cold cereals, cookies, crackers, and more. It has an extensive vitamin and supplement section.
Trader Joe’s
801 East Ave
Chico, CA 95926 (map)
(559) 222-4348
Hours: Sun-Mon 8am-10pm
This national chain offers exceptional products for every vegan’s refrigerator, freezer, pantry, and household. You’ll find great vegetable meats, non dairy milks and yogurts, Earth Balance margarine, coconut and soy ice creams, cookies (and Cookie Butter), crackers, and candies. Lots of nuts and dried fruits at very competitive prices. TJ’s also carries vegan frozen and deli options, lotions, soaps, detergents, and household cleaners. For a full list of their vegan goods click here.
WinCo Foods
2060 E 20th St
Chico, CA 95928 (map)
(530) 345-7899
Hours: Sun-Mon, open 24 hrs
This employee-owned mega grocery is filled with vegan staples at excellent prices. Features a large selection of conventionally grown produce, several varieties of tofu, soy and almond milks, vegan cream cheese, great soy meats (look for Gardein, Tofurky and Lightlife products in the produce section and soy chorizo in the deli aisle), and a fantastic bulk foods section. WinCo’s bulk foods offer a great value for wheat gluten (homemade seitan, anyone?), nutritional yeast, chocolate chips, grains, legumes, and spices.
Updated: May 2016
Chico Vegan 