Eggo Debuts Meatless Chick’n and Waffles In Time for National Waffle Day

Food giant Kellogg’s celebrated National Waffle Day this week by launching a limited-edition Chik’n & Waffles combo package that combines the MorningStar Farms' Incogmeato line with its signature Eggo Waffle. The vegetarian product was the company's first plant-based alternative to their classic chicken and waffles dish. Kellogg’s, which makes Eggos, aimed to provide Eggo fans with a meatless alternative to its beloved breakfast classic.

“Eggo has been helping parents and waffle lovers ‘L’Eggo with Eggo’ and celebrates small wins all year long, and as the number one waffle in America, we knew we had to celebrate National Waffle Day in a big way,” Marketing Director of the Eggo brand at Kellogg Company Joe Beauprez said. “On the biggest waffle day of the year, [August 24th] we’re teaming up with Incogmeato to expand the wins beyond breakfast and give waffles lovers the chance to enjoy our delicious waffles in new ways all day long.”

The new Incogmeato Chik’n Tenders and Kellogg’s Eggo Buttermilk Waffles pack is only available through a one-day giveaway on August 24. The giveaway deal will be in celebration of National Waffle Day, giving meat-free consumers a chance to try the southern staple at home. The company will randomly select winners on August 25, and award 700 participants with their very own packages.

“We’re always looking for new ways to make vegetarian foods more accessible for everyone, so we’re excited to partner with an iconic brand like Eggo to put a delicious new spin on a beloved dish like chicken and waffles,” Marketing Director, MorningStar Farms and Incogmeato at Kellogg Company Heidi Ray said. “This limited-edition combo pack gives people another opportunity to see how delicious plant-based can be and experience our Chik’n Tenders that look, cook, taste, and tear just like the real thing.”

The limited-edition Chik’n and Waffles package, however, is not completely vegan: While the Incogmeato fried chicken alternative contains only plant-based ingredients, Kellogg’s Eggo Waffles will retain its traditional recipe that uses dairy products. The move is meant to push the company towards incorporating more plant-based products. Kellogg’s told VegNews that it intends to accelerate its plant-based development, working in the vegan sector more in the future.

The introduction of the Chik’n Waffles follows a sharp increase in the dish’s popularity. A study from DataEssential found that the Nashville-classic dish increased in popularity by 121 percent over the last four years. This surge encouraged Kellogg’s to bring the dish into the plant-based sphere, giving plant-based consumers an option for a meatless chicken and waffles meal.

Earlier this year, MorningStar launched its new plant-based chicken line with Incogmeato. As the plant-based chicken market continues to rise, companies including Kellogg’s have begun funding vegan meat alternatives that provide the same texture and taste as conventional animal-based chicken. The new range follows MorningStar Farms’ announcement that it will transition its entire product selection to become fully vegan by the end of the year.

“We’re making sure we’re delivering on what consumers want and what we believe is right,” Head of Kellogg Co.’s Global Marketing Plant-Based Protein Division Mel Cash said in 2019 at the time of the announcement. “It’s less about having a competitive advantage and more about being able to satisfy as many people as possible who want to eat plant-based.”