Table of Contents

Favorite Vegan Comfort Food Recipes 2

Sides 2
Main Dishes 2
Desserts 3

10 Easy Recipes for Vegan Beginners 4

Breakfast 4
Lunch & Dinner 4
Dessert 5

Vegan Pantry Recipes 6

Sides 6
Mains 6
Desserts 7

Favorite Travel Snacks 8

Go-To Vegan Resources 9
Vegan Beauty Resources 9
Resources for Eating Out & Fast Food 10

Recommended vegan dairy and meat substitutes 12

Cheese 12
Ice Cream 12
Eggs 13
Milks 13
Yogurts 13
Butter 13
Mayo 13
Sour Cream 13
Meat Alternatives 14
Desserts / Baking 14

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Favorite Vegan Comfort Food Recipes
Sides
1. Mashed Potatoes
Creamy and rich yet fluffy and light vegan mashed potatoes are possible! It’s the two
types of potatoes you use and my addition of miso butter that make them just as good as
the classic version loaded with dairy.

2. Vegan Cornbread
This crispy-crusted, buttery, and moist vegan cornbread is truly the best cornbread you'll
ever eat, thanks to 5 secret techniques. No one will know it's vegan! Easy to make
gluten-free.

3. Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Ginger-Tahini Dressing

The most perfect crispy smashed potatoes get drizzled with a tangy, slightly sweet, and
nutty ginger-tahini dressing and then topped with fresh mint, cilantro, chili peppers, and
roasted peanuts. An addictive blend of textures and gourmet Asian-inspired flavors.

4. Crispy Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese

vAn incredibly creamy (and easy) vegan cheese sauce gets paired with elbow macaroni,
covered in a crispy and buttery breadcrumb, and then baked in the oven.

Main Dishes
5. Vegan Breakfast Burritos
These vegan breakfast burritos feature an eggy tofu scramble, vegan queso, pico de
gallo, crispy roasted potatoes, and creamy avocado. All rolled up into a flour tortilla and
skillet griddled to perfection.

6. Vegan Chili
This vegan chili is incredibly rich and velvety and packed with layers of complex flavor,
just like a classic chili should be. An easy homemade chili powder and slow simmering
take this bean chili over the top.

7. Creamy Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

This Mushroom Stroganoff is packed with umami, super flavorful, and is so creamy you
won’t believe it’s dairy free and vegan. It’s the ultimate comfort food!

8. Vegan Mushroom Risotto

This Mushroom Risotto is creamy and velvety and bursting with umami, just like classic
risotto but it's dairy-free and vegan. Plus, these tips will help you nail the perfect vegan
risotto every time.

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 9. Red Lentil Curry
This curry is a fan favorite for a reason! It’s easy and quick, making it a perfect
weeknight dinner! Plus, it’s creamy and indulgent but made with wholesome vegan
ingredients!

10. Tofu Tikka Masala

Tofu chunks get marinated in a homemade spice blend and creamy yogurt, then broiled
until charred and coated in a rich tomato-onion gravy. It's a plant-based spin on chicken
tikka masala and one of the most delicious Indian dishes you'll ever taste!

11. Vegan Crunchwrap Supreme

Layers of vegan nacho cheese sauce, homemade vegan taco meat, sour cream,
guacamole, crispy tostadas, and more! The most unbelievably delicious copycat fast
food recipe you will ever taste!

12. Crispy Spicy Cauliflower Tacos with Jicama-Carrot Slaw

Made with crispy baked cauliflower coated in a buttery hot sauce, a cooling jicama-carrot
slaw, and a delicious cilantro crema. Vegan, nut-free, soy-free, and easy to make
gluten-free.

Desserts
13. Vegan Brownies
Supremely fudgy and chewy, intensely chocolatey, and with a gorgeous shiny, crinkly
top. Truly the best vegan brownie you'll ever try!

14. Banana Bread

This vegan banana bread recipe is a reader favorite! After only 20 minutes of hands-on
work, it emerges from the oven tender and moist, never dense or dry.

15. Vanilla Layer Cake with Raspberry Jam

This cake is so tender and buttery that no one will believe it's vegan! Layers of fluffy
vegan vanilla cake amidst a tangy buttercream frosting and easy raspberry jam.

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10 Easy Recipes for Vegan Beginners

Breakfast
1. Stuffed Breakfast Sweet Potatoes: 5 Recipes!
Learn how to make 5 varieties of delicious stuffed sweet potatoes: Cinnamon Apple,
PB&J, Pesto White Bean, Southwest Scramble, and Double Chickpea! They’re all
incredibly simple to make, healthy, vegan and gluten-free.

2. Eggy Tofu Scramble

This quick and easy eggy tofu scramble tastes uncannily similar to scrambled eggs -
rich, creamy, and flavor-packed, and the perfect recipe to try if you're tired of dry, bland
tofu scrambles.

3. Vegan Chocolate Sweet Potato Milkshake

This milkshake is just as luscious and creamy as the classic but it's packed with nutrients
and antioxidants! Made with sweet potatoes, frozen bananas, and raw cacao powder, it's
a milkshake you can feel good about!

Lunch & Dinner

4. Vegan Tuna Salad Sandwich
This sandwich is made with chickpeas and hearts of palm, seasoned with dulse flakes
for a taste of the ocean, and finished with classic American ingredients like sweet pickle
relish. It’s the new “I can’t believe it’s not tuna!”

5. Mediterranean Lentil and Grain Bowls

Gourmet but easy to make, these Mediterranean Lentil and Grain Bowls are packed with
fiber and protein and are great for weeknight dinners as well as meal prep.

6. One Pot Chili Mac

A protein-packed chili meets pasta in this One-Pot Vegan Chili Mac! Easy and quick and
made with simple ingredients, it’s a hearty weeknight-friendly and budget-friendly dinner!

7. Spiced Chickpea Tacos with Cilantro Pesto

Pan-fried spiced chickpeas and a citrusy, spicy cilantro pesto make these tacos flavorful
and fancy, but they're so easy and quick that you can have taco night ready in just 20
minutes! Note: This recipe is the 2nd in the linked blog post.

8. Crispy Sesame Tofu and Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

Tofu and oyster mushrooms are baked on a sheet pan, then doused in a spicy
almond-sesame sauce and served in lettuce wraps. A light yet flavorful Asian-inspired
dinner perfect for any time of year!

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 Dessert
9. Vegan Fudge
You won't believe how rich, creamy, and chocolatey this vegan fudge is! It tastes just like
the beloved Ferrero Rocher candy but is so easy to make, dairy-free and vegan!

10. No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars

Made with just six ingredients, these cookie dough bars are an easy no-bake treat to
satisfy any sweet tooth. Plus, they're vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and oil-free
so they're a healthy, allergen-friendly, feel-good treat.

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Vegan Pantry Recipes

Sides
1. Vegan Naan
This vegan naan is fluffy and pillowy, soft and chewy yet crisp and flaky in some spots. It
melts in your mouth and is the perfect bread for scooping up delicious Indian curries.
Plus, it requires just a handful of simple ingredients.

2. Instant Pot Spiced Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

A creamy Indian-spiced soup that’s naturally creamy from red lentils and sweet potatoes,
and made super simple thanks to the Instant Pot. With warming spices like garam
masala and turmeric, this is a healthy yet hearty meal that’ll give you all the cozy vibes.

3. Instant Pot Spicy Mexican Kidney Beans

A recipe for a spicy version of Frijoles that requires absolutely no hands-on cooking!
Note: This recipe can be found on the 2nd recipe card of the linked blog post.

4. Instant Pot Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

This is the easiest and most delicious chickpea salad ever!
Note: This recipe can be found on the 3rd recipe card of the linked blog post.

Mains
1. 10-Ingredient Lentil Bolognese
This 10-Ingredient Lentil Bolognese is hearty, meaty, and packed with umami but 100%
wholesome, vegan, and gluten-free. And it’s made with just 10 main ingredients—all
pantry staples!

2. Vegan Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Beans

Vegan Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Beans - a remake of a classic dish, veganized and
made simple in the Instant Pot. Made with affordable ingredients and made in a flash
with the Instant Pot, so it’s perfect for easy weeknight dinners and meal prep.

3. Creamy White Beans with Kale and Wild Rice

Here’s a simple yet flavorful meal for those busy weeknight dinners. Made with
wholesome everyday ingredients, this recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free but
doesn't skimp on flavor.

4. Vegan Italian White Bean and Pasta Stew

This stew is rustic Italian comfort food at its finest. Creamy and saucy and packed with
flavor, but also easy and fuss-free. Made with all pantry ingredients, it’s budget-friendly
and perfect for weeknight dinners.

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 5. Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas
Made with a spicy buffalo sauce, chickpeas, and a Mexican cheese sauce, these
quesadillas are the ultimate comfort food!

6. Chana Masala
This vegan Instant Pot Chana Masala is packed with authentic Indian flavor, but is easy
and quick to make. Stovetop and Instant Pot instructions included.

7. Caramelized Onion Pasta

This 9-Ingredient Vegan Caramelized Onion Pasta is bursting with umami from
quick-caramelized onions, tomato paste, sundried tomatoes, and a handful of other
pantry staples. Easy enough for weeknight dinners and loved by vegans and omnivores
alike!

8. 10-Ingredient Creamy Pantry Pasta

This Creamy Vegan Pantry Pasta is made with just a handful of everyday pantry staples
and it’ll quickly become part of your regular easy weeknight dinner rotation. It’s creamy,
cheesy, and smoky and indulgent yet healthy, and guaranteed to be a crowd pleasing
meal.

Desserts
9. Breakfast Cookies
Although they are called “Breakfast Cookies,” these cookies are great any time of day,
including as a healthy sweet treat. They’re made with oats, seeds, and almond butter
and are filled with nearly 5g of protein each. They’re also vegan, gluten-free, refined
sugar-free, soy-free, and have no added oil.

10. Chocolate Chunk Vegan Pantry Cookies

These cookies are made with all your favorite vegan cookie ingredients, like chocolate
chunks, oats, nuts, and dried fruit. They’re perfectly chewy, indulgent, and irresistible!

11. The Absolute Best Vegan Banana Bread

After only 20 minutes of hands-on work, this banana bread emerges from the oven
tender and moist, never dense or dry. This reader favorite is simple, extremely delicious,
and uses fewer than 10 ingredients!

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Favorite Travel Snacks
● My Healthy Vegan Breakfast Cookies (my absolute favorite!)
● Roasted Chickpeas
○ Note: The instructions for how to roast chickpeas are included in #2 of the linked
blog post.
○ For store-bought, I love the roasted chickpeas from Saffron Road (Bombay spice
is my favorite flavor!)
○ Speaking of chickpeas, these Nacho Vibes Hippeas are delish!
● Bananas, apple slices, or pretzels with almond butter: I like these travel-friendly nut
butter packs; or try a nut-free option like sunflower seed butter
● Granola: Purely Elizabeth and One Degree Organics have tasty vegan options that are
relatively low in sugar
● Roasted Pistachios: such a fun and healthy snack!
● Homemade Popcorn: toss it with a little extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast, yum!
● Homemade Kale Chips: or, for store-bought, I like Brad’s nacho-flavored kale chips and
Rhythm’s Mango Habanero kale chips
● Trail Mix
○ My favorite homemade blend consists of toasted and salted almonds, walnuts or
pecans, pepitas, dried cherries, dark chocolate chips, and toasted coconut!
● Crackers + Vegan Cheese (depending on how long you’re traveling / if you have a
cooler bag)
○ Some good vegan options for crackers: Back to Nature, Simple Mills, Triscuits,
Mary’s Gone Crackers
○ Some good vegan cheese options for snacking: Miyoko’s Cheese Wheels,
Treeline, Spero Goat Cheese, and Chao Creamery Slices
● Pita Chips + Hummus (depending on how long you’re traveling / if you have a cooler
bag)

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Go-To Vegan Resources
LIVEKINDLY
LIVEKINDLY is a leading plant-based digital lifestyle brand that offers resources on how to
make sustainable, plant-based consumer choices; and how science, technology, and community
action propels these choices.

Vegnews
VegNews covers every aspect of the veg lifestyle, from vegan recipes and new products to
editor-tested beauty picks and spotlights on ethical fashion.

VegOut
VegOut’s website and magazine are great places to get tips on how to eat and live a vegan life.
This blog post titled “How to Be Vegan in a Small Town” is just one example of the many useful
articles you’ll find on their website.

PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in
the world. The “Living” tab on their website is chock full of tips regarding vegan personal care &
fashion, food & health, recipes, and entertainment, just to name a few!

Veganuary.com
Veganuary is a non-profit organization that encourages people worldwide to try vegan for
January and beyond. On their website you can find recipes and eating guides as well as catch
up on all of the latest vegan news via their blog.

Leaping Bunny
Makes it easier and more trustworthy for consumers to shop for animal-free products.

Barnivore
Brewmasters, winemakers, and distillers may include animal ingredients in their products
directly, or they might use them in the processing and filtration. Barnivore has over 55,000
entries that have been checked and often double or triple checked by the Barnivore community
to guarantee each wine/beer/liquor is 100% vegan!

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Vegan Beauty Resources
I’ve included a couple of links to websites where you can find information on a variety of beauty
brands. If you don’t see a certain brand or product listed on their website, I highly encourage
you to go to the brand’s website directly and search the FAQ and/or the ingredients lists of
specific products. If all else fails, reach out to the company directly for an answer!

Here’s an article detailing many of the animal products that may be found in your non-vegan
beauty products.

Ethical Elephant
Ethical Elephant is a modern-day ethical consumer guide to navigating through conscious and
cruelty-free living. On their website, explore a variety of vegan and eco-product guides and
resources designed to help you on your journey to create positive change. Here’s their 2021
Ultimate List of Cruelty-Free & 100% Vegan Makeup & Skincare Brands!

Cruelty-Free Kitty
Cruelty-Free Kitty’s list of cruelty-free brands is where you can find approved beauty, personal
care, and cleaning brands. You can use the filter and search functions to find exactly what
you’re looking for and narrow it down to brands that are 100% vegan, not owned by a parent
company that tests on animals, and more.

Resources for Eating Out & Fast Food

Favorite options at fast food restaurants
● Taco Bell: Any meat-free menu item made “fresco style” (which means no cheese or
sour cream). The RPL team loves their fresco-style spicy potato soft tacos and bean
crunchwraps.
● Chipotle: my go-to order is a burrito bowl with the brown rice, tofu sofritas, black beans,
fajita veggies, and all the salsas (do as you wish!). If you order a traditional veggie bowl
(no sofritas), guac is free :)
● Del Taco: Beyond Avocado Tacos or Epic Beyond Fresh Guacamole Burrito; Crinkle-Cut
Fries
● Carl’s Jr: Beyond Famous Star Burger (order cheese or mayo) and crisscut fries

This Buzzfeed article is a great resource regarding everything vegans can order at fast food
restaurants in 2021.

Happy Cow
HappyCow’s purpose is to make healthy food easy to find and more accessible. It was founded
to assist travelers and people everywhere find plant-based / vegan options and healthy food in
their area using GPS technology.

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VegOut
Check out this roundup of 18 fast food spots that have what you’re looking for—from burgers
and fries, to pizza and breadsticks, and milkshakes, and ice cream. VegOut also posted this
article titled “15 Midwest Chain Restaurants That Offer Vegan Options,” which may be a good
resource for those of you living in places other than California!

PETA
Peta has many resources regarding how to eat vegan while out. Use the search bar to your
heart’s content to look up specific restaurants and fast food joints
1. Vegan Fast Food & Chain Restaurant Eating
2. The Best Vegan-Friendly Restaurants to Visit with Your Not-Yet-Vegan Family

VegNews
On their landing page dedicated to vegan eating at restaurants, VegNews features new
plant-based options and eateries as well as how to eat vegan at a variety of chain restaurants.

Sweet Simple Vegan

My friends Jasmine and Chris of Sweet Simple Vegan posted 11 different videos titled “24 hours
of fast food” where they tried out vegan fast food options at a variety of establishments. You can
check out the playlist of videos here!

Vegan Creators to Follow

Edgar Castrejon / @edgarraw: A first-gen Mexican-American who shares incredibly delicious
authentic Mexican recipes he’s learned from his mother and aunts. His cookbook Provecho is
one of my favorites.

Lisa Kitahara / @okonomikitchen: A Japanese-American video creator and food blogger who
finds the most creative ways to veganize Japanese foods.

Afia / @ thecanadianafrican: A Ghanaian-born creator living in Canada who shares vegan

eats from West Africa and always shares thought-provoking content.

WoonHeng Chia / @woonheng: A Malaysian-born foodie who shares the most delicious
veganized Asian recipes.

Jenné Claiborne / @sweetpotatosoul: A YouTuber sharing wholesome vegan eats and

veganized Southern soul food. Her cookbook is fantastic!

Jasmine Briones / @sweetsimplevegan: Jasmine and her partner Chris share easy vegan
recipes, along with several veganized Filipino and Ecuadorian recipes she’s learned from her
parents.

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Sadia Badiei / @pickuplimes: Makes the most gorgeous, calming YouTube videos, shares
easy recipes, and has a beautiful video all about remaking the Afghani food from her childhood.

George Lee / @chez.jorge: A young Taiwanese video creator sharing incredible East Asian
recipes and videos.

Joanne Molinaro / @thekoreanvegan: A Korean-American video creator who veganizes

Korean food while narrating the most heart-touching videos.

Sheil Shukla / @plantbasedartist: An Indian-American doctor who shares gorgeous veganized

Gujarati recipes. Look out for his cookbook, Plant Based India, coming in June 2022.

Radhi Devlukia-Shetty / @radhidevlukia: An Indian-British content creator who shares so

much helpful vegan lifestyle and Ayruvedic knowledge, always with joy and a big smile.

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Recommended vegan dairy and meat substitutes
Cheese
Pro Tip: to get your vegan cheese to melt in a grilled cheese or quesadilla, add an ice cube to
the edge of your skillet and cover with a lid. This creates steam, which helps the cheese melt.

For homemade recipes, I’m partial to my Vegan Queso, Greek-Style Feta, and Fermented
Cashew Cheese.

I’ve listed a few store-bought favorites below, but for more vegan cheese substitutes,
check out this blog post!

Chao Creamery Slices

Good for snacking, grilled cheeses, and quesadillas.

Violife Feta and Follow Your Heart Feta

Two great options that deliver the briny, salty bite you love about feta!

Follow Your Heart Parmesan

The best-tasting vegan parmesan I’ve tried! It browns beautifully, especially in my Vegan
Scalloped Potatoes recipe (link forthcoming).

Kite Hill Cream Cheese Alternative & Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
Sold in a variety of flavors, Kite Hill makes a pretty nice (and wholesome) almond-based vegan
cream cheese that has a subtle tang and is made with wholesome ingredients. For a more
decadent cream cheese that tastes JUST LIKE dairy cream cheese, pick up the Tofutti brand.

Kite Hill Foods Ricotta

This one is a little harder to find but it’s SO good. The texture is very ricotta-like, the taste is mild
and not at all artificial. So good spread on freshly baked bread.

Ice Cream
Van Leeuwen’s vegan ice creams
The ultimate indulgent vegan ice creams IMO and they offer bases made from oat or cashew!
Favorite flavors: Mint Chip, Churros & Fudge, Chocolate Oat Cookie Dough Chunk, and Cookie
Crumble Strawberry Jam.

NadaMoo
Nadamoo offers super creamy delicious coconut milk ice creams in tons of flavors (the coconut
taste is not strong!). Favorite flavors: Lotta Mint Chip, Rockiest Road and Cookies & Creme.

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Oatly
The makers of my favorite oat milk also make some dang good oatmilk ice cream. My favorite
flavors are the coffee and strawberry!

Eggs
My go-to egg substitute is my Tofu Scramble (it’s seriously eggy!). But for store-bought options,
Just Egg is great (you just gotta remember to get through it within a week; otherwise it goes
bad!).

Milks
Oatly is my ride-or-die when it comes to plant-based milk for its flavor, texture, and availability.
Their full-fat oat milk is my go-to for cooking when I need something rich and creamy, and their
original version works great for most other things! Califia Farms also makes good oat milk. And
Minor Figures makes incredible oat milk (so good to just drink or dip cookies), but it’s not widely
available.

I like Silk soy milk for an extra protein boost, like in smoothies or oatmeals. Another high-protein
option for smoothies is Ripple milk (pea-based), though it does have some chalkiness (fine in
smoothies though).

Elmhurts makes a variety of minimally processed nut and seed milks that are nice.

Yogurts
I am often partial to tart coconut yogurts, as they replicate the natural tanginess of yogurt. A few
options I love are Culina, GT’s Cocoyo, and CocoJune. I also really like the Greek-style almond
milk yogurt from Kite Hill.

Butter
The most widely available vegan butter that works great in baking is Earth Balance buttery
sticks (they also make a soy-free version). Country Crock Plant Butters also work great and are
affordable. Miyoko’s vegan butter browns great and is so good spread on toast.

Mayo
Follow Your Heart original Vegenaise, Just Mayo, and Sir Kensingtons’ vegan mayo are all great
options. The latter two are soy-free and FYH has a soy-free vegenaise.

Sour Cream
I love a homemade cashew sour cream (you can find it in my epic Crunchwrap Supreme
recipe), but Tofutti makes a great store-bought one that tastes very similar to the dairy-based
ones I remember. Kite Hill Foods also makes a pretty nice almond-based one.

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Meat Alternatives
For sausage, I love Beyond Meat hot Italian sausage (it crumbles just like the traditional stuff)
and Field Roast Italian sausage. Both brands make other flavors too.

For a really beefy ground meat alternative, you can’t beat the texture and taste of Impossible
Burger (warning: it may be too meaty for your taste if you haven’t eaten meat in a while).

For meatballs, two great affordable options are the Earth Grown Classic Meatless Meatballs at
ALDI and the Gardein Meatballs.

For breakfast patties, Beyond Meat breakfast sausage patties are a winner.

Desserts / Baking
The Dandies vegan marshmallows taste (and feel) just like the classic. Trader Joe’s also sells
vegan marshmallows.

Enjoy Life chips and chunks are both a delicious and wholesome substitute for all of your baking
needs! They’re always verified non-GMO and free from all 14 common food allergens.

Need a little whipped cream topping? So Delicious CocoWhip has the perfect consistency and
flavor.

The brand “Unreal” makes a variety of certified vegan versions of popular chocolate treats such
as dark chocolate coconut bars, peanut butter cups and chocolate covered peanuts! Make sure
to check the ingredients list, though, as the company does manufacture some non-vegan
sweets as well.

Here are some of my go-to dark chocolate bars: Theo Chocolate*, Raaka*, Hu Kitchen,
Endangered Species*, Alter Eco.
● * = the brand is Fair Trade or practices fair and ethical trading
● Some of these brands sell exclusively vegan chocolates; others sell some bars that are
vegan, so be sure to read the labels!

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