So here we are, the end of our vegan cooking series. We’ve covered vegan appetizers and snacks, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Today I’m sharing with you my all-time favorite vegan recipes.
As you’ve seen, vegan cooking is a little bit different. However, I cannot tell you enough how much fun it is cooking and experimenting with a plant based diet! 😍
The senses of smell and taste play the biggest role in appetite and eating, but vision plays a large role as well. Vegan cooking is all about tricking your eyes and your taste buds. If food looks and smells familiar, your brain, through a series of learned and natural responses, has already decided what it will taste like.
Cook with lots of color, season with bold flavors, experiment with different textures and tastes of meat substitutes. Start with what you like and go from there. Find vegan versions of your favorite recipes. And remember, our taste buds have the amazing ability to change!
Eating a plant based diet is important to me, and I’m really excited to share my journey with all of you. 🌱 I hope you enjoy this curated list of vegan recipes and find some inspiration! 💚
Snacks
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
Roasted chickpeas are one of my favorite snacks. Crunchy, sweet or savory, low in fat, and packed full of protein and fiber. Super easy to make and oh so delicious! There are endless flavor combinations. 🤗
Kale Chips
Feta
Popcorn with Skittles
Definitely not the most sophisticated snack, but it has a lot of sentimental meaning to me. Growing up, this was always a special treat when my brother and I would go to my Aunt Lisa’s to spend the night. She always had fun activities planned and arranged scavenger hunts around the house. The night would end snuggled up on the couch watching a movie, eating popcorn and Skittles.
Aunt Lisa passed away suddenly when I was in college, and there is still so much that reminds me of her. When I miss her more than usual and desperately want just one more of her famous gigantic hugs, I make some popcorn and settle in. Nothing brings my childhood more to life than this simple treat. ❤️
I used to be a Pop Secret microwave popcorn sort of girl (homemade was a special treat only enjoyed when mom would make it!) My mom then recently taught me this trick:
In a large brown lunch bag, place ⅓ cup popcorn kernels; fold down the top of the bag and microwave for about 2 minutes. Voila! Fresh popcorn! Thanks mom 🥰
Appetizers
Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
My sister-in-law made these last year for Thanksgiving, and they are to die for!
Queso
I have tried a lot of different vegan queso recipes this past year. And to me, this is the most similar to “normal” queso. But unlike regular queso, it has a cashew base and is actually good for you! 🙌
Lunch
Creamy Potato Soup
Nothing more comforting than potato soup!
Vegan BLT with Baked Tempeh Bacon
This was sooooo good! I truly didn’t miss a “normal” BLT. (Also FYI–my favorite vegan mayo: Chosen Foods Traditional Vegan Mayo.)
Salad with Greek Vinaigrette dressing
The more dark leafy greens you include in your salad, the better! Add lots of fresh veggies, and top with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Sprinkle with flax meal for added nutrition. Sunflower, pumpkin, chia, and hemp seeds are my go-tos.
Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly
Prepare as you would grilled cheese, but with PB&J. This is also something my Aunt Lisa used to make for me. Every time I eat this, I think of her. ❤️
Dinner
Pistachio Pesto
Creamy Mushroom Risotto
For a healthier version, I used farro instead of arborio rice. (An extremely nutritious grain, farro is an excellent source of protein, fiber, and essential nutrients.)
Lemon Garlic Orzo
Bonus points: I used whole wheat orzo and added extra veggies so it contained all the colors of the rainbow! Even more bonus points if you make your own vegan feta. 😉
Spaghetti Squash with Chickpeas and Kale
Simply omit the parmesan (or replace with store bought vegan parm or make your own), and this is a tasty, low calorie, low fat meal. Spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or any other spiralized vegetable are not only healthier, but are a great way to add more veggies into your diet.
Red Beans and Rice
Black Bean and Jalapeno Burgers
Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
My mother-in-law first made this for us, and it became an instant hit!
Red Curry
Gochujang Aioli & Kimchi Tacos
Tacos with Lentil Walnut Meat
A great addition to your Taco Tuesday! 🌱
Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla
The Vegan Power Bowl
Sides
Shishito Peppers
One of my favorite snacks of all time! (Right up there with kale chips and roasted chickpeas).
Lightly toss in olive or peanut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in skillet until blistered, and serve with sea salt flakes. 💃
Roasted Vegetables
Cucumber Salad
My favorite season for food is summer, and this is summer on a plate. ☀️
Grilled Corn on the Cob with Tomatillo Dressing
If the cucumber salad is summer on a plate, this is summer in a bite. Who else waits all year for the best seasonal corn on the cob?!
Dessert
Pumpkin Bread
After going vegan, I worried I would never again eat my favorite fall dessert. Using my mom’s recipe, I simply replaced the eggs with flax eggs, and it tasted the exact same! 💃 For crunch and texture, use chia seeds instead of flax meal.
Flax eggs: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water = 1 regular egg.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet
Ok, I dream about this dessert. 😂 Everyone needs warm chocolate chip cookie skillets in their life! This is our go-to when we’re craving chocolate.
Date Brownies
I’m not usually one for homemade brownies; I was always the boxed brownie lover. 🙈 However, these are probably the best homemade brownies I’ve ever had.
Mixed Berry Crumble
This mixed berry crumble recipe quickly skyrocketed to the top of our favorite desserts list. 😍
Store bought food
If I’m going to splurge, here are my favorite plant based options:
- Snack: B*tchin’ Sauce with fresh cucumbers or tortilla chips
- Breakfast: Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Crunch cereal
- Lunch: Amy’s vegan meals
- Dinner: StarLite Cuisine products
- Pizza: Amy’s vegan margherita pizza
- Dessert: Eat Pastry Cookie Dough and Nada Moo lotta mint chip ice cream
- Meat: Beyond Burger
- Cheese: Chao
- Coffee creamer: Silk Creme Brule or Caramel almond creamer
Cookbooks
These are great vegan cookbooks, especially for those new to a plant based diet. The recipes aren’t intimidating and are easy to follow. A great place to start is your local library; check out a wide variety of vegan cookbooks for inspiration and some creative motivation. 💃
Veganize It by Robin Robertson (2017)
Everything from cheese and bacon to omelettes and vegan fish sticks; from hollandaise and butter bearnaise to chocolate fudge and marshmallow fluff. Everything you can think of is veganized in this cookbook.
I recommend the Nut Parm.
But I Could Never Go Vegan! by Kristy Turner (2014)
Having worked in the “fancy” cheese industry at a French restaurant and fine cheese store, cheese was Kristy’s livelihood and something she was very passionate about. She would constantly say, “I could never be vegan.” I’ve probably said that myself before, and well, here we are!
I loved the tofu chevre. 😋
The Plant Based Diet for Beginners by Gabriel Miller (2019)
Great tips for getting started on a plant based diet as well as 75 healthy and delicious recipes.
I recommend the falafel burgers and creamy potato salad.
Plant Based on a Budget by Toni Okamoto (2019)
When cooking a plant based diet, this book includes suggestions for budgeting not only money but your time as well.
I especially enjoyed the entire section on one-pot meals.
Vegan Eating
Now that we’ve concluded our vegan cooking journey (just for now at least!), have any of these recipes enticed you to try a plant based diet? Do you feel enlightened? Nervous? Inspired? Skeptical?
If you’re considering a vegan diet, creating a vision board is a great way to visualize your goals, inspire motivation, and it is a great accountability tool.
Comment below with more questions and let me know where you are in your journey! Subscribe to A Case for Plant Based (see the green subscribe button at the top right of this page), and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Thank you all for your support! 🥰
Excellent!! Your food is making me hungry! Very appetizing! Vegan seems very intimidating. But converting seems somewhat easier once you know the products, like you do! Do you mostly use all purpose flour or a healthier version-is there such a thing? Roasted veggies are a go-to for us! Buoy can make a meal adding potatoes. Baby reds or Yukon gold are my faves. Love adding asparagus when in season. LOVE berry crumbles! My fave would be rhubarb. I heard Martha Stewart say her favorite berry combination is rhubarb and raspberry. Try it sometime! Anything in a cast iron skillet is so much better! Your chunky choc skillet looks amazing and I’m so wanting this!! Do you ship?? 😊
A vegan diet certainly seems intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes simpler. Converting to a plant based diet initially can definitely feel overwhelming and requires a lot of adaptation. Much of it feels almost second nature to me now though.
I do still use all purpose flour, but I like whole wheat flour as well. Can’t taste the difference and contains a lot more nutrients. I also use a lot of chickpea flour, which is the healthier option for sure. It’s high in protein, fiber, and nutrients and low in calories and carbohydrates.
If you like berry crumble, you’ll love this recipe! It didn’t last long in my house. 😂
Unfortunately at this time we do not offer shipping haha! Hope you find some recipes to enjoy! 🌱
What treasured memories of Aunt Lisa! Childhood memories will never leave you! Treasure each moment in life! It’s what carries me through when I’m missing a loved one! God bless you!! ❤️
Absolutely! 🥰
Hope you have a store like Wegmans out there. They have a lot of plant base stuff. I can’t even say have the names of these things 🤦🏼♀️😂. And I don’t do carbs but I like some of the things here. Kudos my friend!!! So miss you 😘
I loved shopping at Wegmans! Yes, we have some really nice grocery stores in this area. The perks of living near a big city 😊
Thanks for the comment. 🥰 Miss you too!
Great list of recipes!
Thank you! 💚