‘Is Cheese Vegan?’ And 10 Other Things You Probably Googled in 2020

Is Cheese Vegan? And 10 Other Things People Googled in 2020

Google shared vegan search data exclusively with LIVEKINDLY, including the top trending vegan-related searches of 2020, like “Is cheese vegan?”

“Is cheese vegan?” was one of the top queries Americans Googled in 2020. According to data shared exclusively with LIVEKINDLY from the folks on the Google Search team, people across all 50 states were particularly interested in whether or not the savory food item is plant-based. (For the record, cheese made with dairy milk is not vegan, but there are plenty of delicious dairy-free alternatives that are vegan!)

Google also shared that search interest in veganism reached an all-time high in the United States in November 2019.

In 2020, searches for veganism were at their highest in January, likely due to increased interest in Veganuary — an annual challenge that promotes and educates about veganism by encouraging people to follow a vegan lifestyle for the month of January. 

To put this into perspective, interest in veganism, according to our Google intel, doubled in the period between February 2016 and November 2019. And even though search data fluctuates from year-to-year and even month-to-month, it’s clear that Americans are increasingly interested in the topic.

Additionally, according to Google AdWords, vegan-related searches across the globe were up 47 percent in 2020 as compared to 2019.

Is Cheese Vegan? And 10 Other Things People Googled in 2020
“Vegan mug cake” was one of the top trending Google searches of 2020. | Hannah Pemberton/Pexels

The trending searches are compiled based on the search terms that had the highest spike in 2020 as compared to 2019. In other words, these are the terms that showed the highest increase in search interest from year to year.

Many of the top trending vegan-related searches in America in 2020 were all about plant-based sweets.

For example, “vegan carrot cake” took the tenth spot, while “vegan fried rice” and “vegan zucchini bread” came in ninth and eighth, respectively. Food items like “vegan cinnamon rolls,” “vegan naan” and “fluffy vegan pancakes” rounded out the middle of the list.

The sweets trend continued for the top two spots. “Vegan whipped cream” came in at No. 2, while “vegan mug cake” was the top trending vegan-related search term of 2020. Check out the complete list below:

  1. Vegan mug cake
  2. Vegan whipped cream
  3. Vegan salami
  4. Fluffy vegan pancakes
  5. Vegan naan
  6. Vegan cinnamon rolls
  7. Vegan coffee cakes
  8. Vegan zucchini bread
  9. Vegan fried rice
  10. Vegan carrot cake

What About Vegan Cheese?

As you may have noticed, certain vegan staples are MIA from this list. That’s because, while plenty of users were searching for them, they didn’t exhibit enough change year-over-year to warrant a spot on the trending list. 

However, the search term “vegan cheese” is in a league of its own. According to the insights from Google, searches for “vegan cheese” reached an all-time high in the U.S. in January 2020, nearly doubling from just three years earlier. The top states searching for “vegan cheese” were Nevada, Oregon, California, Arizona, and Washington. 

The top queries related to the dairy-free delight included “is cheese vegan?,” “vegan cheese sauce” and “best vegan cheese.”

On the worldwide front, searches for “vegan cheese” were most popular in Trinidad & Tobago, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.