Perri O. BlumbergUpdated: May 03, 2021
Because you can have your vegan cake, and eat your vegan mac and cheese, vegan pizza, vegan sushi and more, too. These vegan comfort food recipes are from the best of the blogs.
Kathy Patalsky, healthy-happy-life.com
The Ultimate Burger
What says “burger with the works” better than this Peanut BBQ Sweet Potato Burger with Avocado from blog LunchBoxBunch? The patty (sweet potatoes, cannellini white beans, brown rice and peanuts) gets a burst of bold flavor from vegan barbecue sauce.
86Lemons.com
Mac and Cheese
Perhaps the ultimate comfort food, this vegan version of Baked Mac and Cheeze from blog 86 Lemons is a dairy-free dinner charmer that relies on items you can find at any grocery store. The creamy sauce comes together by puréeing simmered vegetables, Dijon mustard, and a handful of cashew nuts.
86Lemons.com
Buffalo Wings
Quench a hankering for Buffalo Wings and Blue Cheese Dressing with this recipe from blog 86 Lemons. The game-day comfort food is ingeniously vegan-friendly with baked cauliflower tossed in hot sauce and a tofu-tahini tangy dressing. For an Asian-inspired BBQ wings take, blog Olives for Dinner has whipped up Garlic Siracha Vegan Buffalo Wings.
Courtesy FatFreeVegan.com
Spaghetti with Meat Balls
These gluten-free “meatballs” from blog Fat Free Vegan use rolled oats and nuts for a hearty, familiar texture. You want meat sauce? Vegan When Sober makes wheat sauce, a“Bolognese”thatmixes crumbled seitan (a
wheat-based meat substitute) with homemade tomato sauce and “I Can’t
Believe It’s Not Parm!” cheese sauce. Supper is served.
Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
Meatball Sub
The blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes tantalizes with a walnut bella “meatball” sub, combining walnuts and baby portobella mushrooms to replicate the traditional version’s substantial chew. The mixture is held together by a “flax egg”—ground flaxseed and warm water.
Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
Pizza
The blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes reinvents ‘za as a Tomato Tart, topping it with thinly sliced eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, flaky salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Won-dough-ful comfort food.
Olives for Dinner
Bacon
“Vegans will make bacon out of anything,” tweeted author Isa Chandra, which inspired blog Olives for Dinner to knock out a version of savory Shiitake Bacon strips using mushrooms, olive oil, salt, liquid smoke, and sesame oil. Other vegan swaps for bacon include eggplant, coconut, and firm tofu.
86Lemons.com
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Party pleaser: Creamy Artichoke Spinach Dip from blog 86 Lemons begs for crudite, crusty bread, or chips to scoop up its full, velvety texture. Make it in three steps with easy-to-find vegan staples like lemon juice, non-dairy milk, cashews, garlic, and mustard along with artichoke hearts and spinach.
86Lemons.com
Cheesy Lasagna
For comfort-food fans anywhere:Vegan Lasagna, the recipe on blog 86 Lemons features “Basil Cashew Cheeze Sauce” (with nutritional yeast) and cheddar or mozzarella-style Daiya shreds.
Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
Cookie Dough Milkshake
Cookie dough balls from cashews, rolled oats, dark chocolate chips, maple syrup, and spelt flour get dunked in this Cookie Dough Blizzard from the blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes. Froth up the “blizzard” by blending frozen bananas, almond milk, and the cookie dough batter.
Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
Sticky Cinnamon Buns
Who doesn’t love a gooey, iced, Chocolate Spotted Cinnamon Roll? The blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes created this vegan comfort-food treat with a spice-infused batter (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) and three-ingredient glaze of powdered sugar, almond milk, and Grand Marnier.
Courtesy Vegenista.com
Doughnuts
From the blog vegan yum yum, tryglazed vegan donuts that use Earth Balance, a vegan alternative to butter, and apple cider vinegar to turn out a soft dough.
Celine Steen of Have Cake Will Travel
Black Forest Cake
This rich cake from blogHave Cake Will Travelis flavored with coconut oil, almond, vanilla, and cherry brandy for a boozy-good recipe.
Kathy Patalsky, healthy-happy-life.com
Chocolate Pudding
Traditional pudding may use eggs and milk, but this Chocolate Pudding from the blog Lunch Box Bunch uses silken tofu, coconut milk, and cacao powder to create a familiar, silky texture.
Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
Cupcakes
From the blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes, aBourbon Brown Sugar Cupcakeis frostedwith a creamed vegan butter, almond milk, and brown sugar mixture.
Celine Steen of Have Cake Will Travel
Cake and Whipped Cream
Applesauce helps turn out a moist crumb for Apple Spice Cake with Whipped Cream Topping from the blog Have Cake Will Travel. For another take on schlag, try the coconut milk and powdered confectioner’s sugar recipe from blog LunchBoxBunch.
Courtesy of Isa Chandra
Ramen Noodles
A steaming, nourishing bowl from the blog Post Punk Kitchen:Grilled Ramenshowcases marinated tofu and sh*take mushrooms in a blend of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and fresh lime juice.
86Lemons.com
Clam Chowder
This Healthy “Clam” Chowder on blog 86 Lemons goes vegan with cubed oyster mushrooms and a splash of liquid smoke. The “chowdah” base includes soy milk, soy creamer, and one secret ingredient: raw cashews soaked overnight in salted water to lend a distinctly creamy consistency tothe blended broth.
Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
Sushi Rolls
Maki Rolls are stuffed with fried sweet potatoes (dredged in Panko bread crumbs) and avocado inside a sesame seed-studded roll in this recipe from the blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes. To serve, dunk each morsel in an “eel sauce” made from mirin, tamari, and granulated sugar.
Olives for Dinner
Shish Kebabs
Sambal Seitan Skewers from the blog Olives for Dinner offer tongue-tickling flavors like Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, and Sriracha.
Olives for Dinner
Crab Cakes
For an inventive vegan spin on crab cakes, the blog Olives for Dinner created Farro “Crab” Cakes recipe, using the nutty grain farro, and combining it with shallots, Old Bay seasoning, dill, bell peppers, and Ritz crackers (yes, they’re vegan!).
Courtesy FatFreeVegan.com
Pimento Cheese
Southerners, rejoice! That creamy blend of mayo, pimentos and processed cheese or sharp cheddar is given a vegan makeover with mouthwatering Pimento Cheese-Style Hummus from the blog Fat Free Vegan.
Courtesy of Isa Chandra
Omelettes
The blog Post Punk Kitchen turns out aTofu Omeletwithfluffy chickpea flour “eggs” that get boosted with a hint of cheesy-tasting nutritional yeast.
Originally Published: September 18, 2013
Originally Published in Reader's Digest
A former food editor at Reader's Digest, Perri Blumberg is a writer and editor based in New York City. After attending Columbia University, where she received a BA in psychology, she went on to study food at a health-supportive culinary school. Her work has appeared in O Magazine, Men's Journal, Country Living, and on Mind, Body, Green, among others.
