Ground pork substitutes

Similarly mild and pale so aromatics still shine, but far leaner, so a dumpling filling comes out drier and slightly grainy instead of juicy, and a meatball firms up rather than staying tender.

Best for

dumplings, meatballs, larb, lettuce wraps, ragu, stir-fries

Insist on thigh meat, not breast. Beyond the added oil, stir two to three tablespoons of cold water or stock per pound into a dumpling or meatball filling, which pork's own fat would normally supply as moisture. Poultry must be cooked to 165F, higher than pork's 160F, so keep meatballs small so the outside does not overcook.

Roughly the same fat content and the same juiciness, but a strongly mineral, iron-forward flavour that pushes to the front of the dish, so a pork-and-chive dumpling tastes beefy and a banh mi patty loses its sweetness.

Best for

ragu, meatloaf, meatballs, chili, stuffed peppers, empanadas

Works best in tomato-based and heavily spiced dishes, where the beefiness is welcome. In Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese fillings where pork's mildness matters, add one teaspoon of soy sauce and a quarter teaspoon of sugar per pound to restore the sweet-savoury balance. Do not use lean 90/10 or higher, or you lose the fat that pork was providing.

It is ground pork already, just pre-seasoned, so the texture and fat are spot on and the only change is a layer of fennel and garlic, or sage and black pepper, sitting on top of the dish.

Best for

ragu and Bolognese, lasagne, meatballs, stuffing, pasta sauce, pizza topping

Excellent in Italian and American recipes and wrong in most Asian ones, because fennel or sage clashes badly with ginger, five spice or fish sauce. Sausage is already salted, so cut the recipe's added salt roughly in half and taste before adding more. Squeeze it out of the casing and break it up in a hot dry pan.

Better than most store-bought ground pork rather than a compromise, because the pieces stay distinct and the filling has a juicy, slightly chunky bite instead of the pasty uniformity of fine commercial grind.

Best for

dumplings, wontons, meatballs, siu mai, larb, sausage patties

Cut the shoulder into cubes, freeze for 20 minutes so it firms up, then pulse in a food processor in short bursts, or chop by hand with two knives. Stop while there are still visible pieces. Aim for a fatty piece of shoulder rather than lean loin, which grinds into something dry and mealy.

Even milder than pork with a fine, silky texture that binds beautifully, but much leaner, so the filling is tender without being rich.

Best for

meatballs, meatloaf, terrines, stuffed pasta filling, delicate dumplings

A good swap where texture matters more than richness, such as Italian meatballs or a filled pasta. Add fat, whether that is olive oil, butter or a little grated pork fat, or the finished dish will taste polite and dry. Veal is expensive and not always stocked, which limits how practical it is.

The vegetarian route, and an honest one: with soy sauce and mushrooms you can get real savoury depth, but you cannot get the springy, cohesive bounce that pork protein provides, so the filling stays soft and slightly loose.

Best for

dumplings, mapo tofu, lettuce wraps, vegetarian ragu, stir-fries

Press the tofu hard to remove water, crumble it, and brown both the tofu and the mushrooms separately before combining, since browning is where the savouriness comes from. The cornstarch and a beaten egg, if you eat eggs, provide the bind. Season more aggressively than the recipe says, because there is no fat carrying flavour.