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How to Cook for a Vegan in a Non-vegan Household
- May 17
- 8 min read
Tips on how making eating vegan easier in a mixed household, at home and on your travels.
First and foremost I want to let you know that I am not here to judge your life choices and being vegan is a personal choice of mine. If you aren't vegan, that is fine as it's your choice and I'm here to support you doing what is best for you and your body.
I've not always been vegan (proof is in the last photo) and I admit I had to do a lot of research when I went vegan on how to cook to nourish myself. So I can understand why it can be challenging for most, but I'm hoping this will help.
THE ONLY VEGAN
You might not know this, but I am the only vegan in our family (and friends group) and unless I bring my own food it can often make it difficult. Inviting us over for dinner is already almost non-existing as most of them don't know what to cook for a vegan. But on the other hand some of them really make a big effort to cook me something special, which I love and truly appreciate!
COOKING WITH OR FOR A VEGAN
I understand cooking vegan food is not easy for everyone, but I'm hoping to make this easier for you.
The key here is:
MEAL PLANNING
Sit with whoever normally does the cooking (if visiting someone) and create a meal plan that works for everyone. If they are a "meat and two veg" type of family, ask them what the side dishes are. Find recipes where it's easy to replace a few ingredients to create a vegan alternative. If that doesn't work cook a separate dish that's vegan and freeze left-overs for another dinner.
FINDING SUBSTITUTES
MEAT / FISH
Many dishes often don't need the meat replaced as such, but examples for meat substitutes are tofu, seitan, tempeh, jackfruit or pre-made vegan "meat" alternatives you can buy at the grocery stores. Many of these have a neutral taste so you can add the flavour you want. Make sure to season the ingredients well.
If you are looking to create a dish that traditionally is made with mince meat you can use lentils or white beans as an alternative. Shredded tofu or seitan are also great to use.
If it's a dish that get more of a "shredded meat" then I would recommend tofu, seitan, jackfruit or vegan mushrooms!
Yes, sometimes vegetables such as mushrooms or even cauliflower are great alternatives... Examples are curries, soups or tagines where you can simply add more vegetables.
Here are a few recipes traditionally made with meat or fish, but made vegan friendly:
DAIRY
CHEESE
When I first became vegan there were not many vegan cheese alternatives available, however you can find these now easily. Many "cheeses" are cashew or coconut oil based.
Depending on the dish, ingredients such as nutritional yeast, onion granules and garlic granules are great to give a "cheesy" flavour.
MILK
There are many nut-based alternatives to milk. Most of them are good to use, but I would recommend using either a cashew, almond or soy based milk if it's used for a savoury dish. Unsweetened cashew, almond or soy based milks have a neutral flavour which won't interfere with the savoury.
For sweet dishes you can use almost any type.
YOGHURT
Thankfully, you can buy vegan-friendly yoghurt alternatives, often made with oat, soy or coconut.
CREAM
If you are planning to make a dish that traditionally is made with dairy cream, you can substitute the cream with a cashew cream. It's easy to make. Simply soak about 1/2 cup raw cashews in hot water for about 15 minutes. Drain and blend the cashews with a bit of water, until completely smooth. This works best in a high-speed blender to ensure a completely smooth consistency.
Blending silken tofu into a cream consistency is a fantastic alternative. Plus it ups the protein in the dish.
Another option would be coconut cream.... of course depending on the dish you are cooking. Make sure the coconut flavour will work with the dish.
Here are a few recipes traditionally made with dairy, but made vegan friendly:
DESSERTS
CHOCOLATE
Being vegan doesn't mean no chocolate. Most chocolates that have a 70% or higher cacao content don't actually have any dairy added. Check the ingredients list before buying though.
I have many chocolate or chocolate flavoured desserts on my blog, so I have got you covered if you are cooking for a vegan.
ICE CREAM
If you have the time and an ice cream maker you can make vegan ice cream from scratch. It is really easy and tastes so good! I have a few ice cream recipes on my blog.
Thankfully you can find some good vegan-friendly ice creams in most supermarkets (in the UK), but if not then a good other option are sorbets. Most sorbets don't contain dairy, but do check the ingredients list.
CAKES
Birthdays and celebrations don't have to be without biscuits or cakes. There are many vegan cake recipes available and some biscuits, such as oreos, happen to be vegan-friendly.
Most store-bought puff pastries are vegan friendly, so that is a great option is you want to make a quick fruity, pastry dessert or a galette type dessert.
Here are a few vegan dessert recipes:
MAYONNAISE
Be on the look-out for a vegan-friendly mayo. If you can't find vegan mayo you can always use a vegan unsweetened, soy yoghurt or silken tofu and mix it with a bit of salt, a bit of acid (such as lemon juice or vinegar), a bit of sweetener (such as sugar or maple syrup) and seasoning. Finelly chopped fresh herbs such as dill or chives can add a delicious flavour too.
EGGS
If you are using egg in a baked or sweet dish, you can sub it for apple sauce, flaxseed egg, mashed banana or chia seeds.
Here are a few recipes traditionally made with eggs, but made vegan friendly:
ADDING FLAVOUR
If the dish requires a meaty stock such as chicken or beef stock, simply replace it with vegetable stocks.
Substitute Worcestershire sauce with Soy sauce.
Substitute fish sauce with soy sauce and a tiny bit of sweetener.
Substitute the anchovies flavour with capers.
To add a fishy flavour to broths you can add a little bit of seaweed - but don't add too much.
Chorizo or smoked meat flavours - add the flavour with smoked paprika or liquid smoke
Fresh herbs can add a lot of flavour! Don't be scared to use them.
Ingredients such as miso paste, dried mushrooms, marmite or nutritional yeast can add deep umami flavours.
Don't be scared to experiment with dried spices and chillies
A squeeze of fresh lemon before serving can often perfect the balance of flavours (depending on the type of dish, of course).
RESEARCH
We love to travel, but I know many places are still very limited with having vegan options.
Before going on trips I recommend to always research which restaurants in the area have vegan options. Not all restaurants might come up on google that they have vegan options, so it might be worth checking their menu online or giving the restaurant a call to ask if they have any vegan options available. Some restaurants might even make something vegan specifically for you.
Another option would be to bring your own food to a restaurant that doesn't have any vegan options. I do however ask them beforehand if it would be okay if you bring your own food. Not all restaurants might allow or like this option, but it's worth checking.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FRESH PRODUCE
I always take fresh fruit with me or buy if I can. At least this way I have something to eat if no restaurant has vegan food available. If that is the case your family/partner can always order take-aways and you eat at home or have an impromptu picnic in a park or on the beach.
AS A VEGAN, DON'T EXPECT TOO MUCH
I don't like complaining as it's my choice to be vegan but I do feel like I should share this.
I was at a fancy wedding last year. On the online RSVP platform it asked to say if one has any dietary needs, to which I responded "vegan" please. Fast forward to the wedding... It was a lovely wedding, at (what I can only imagine is) an expensive venue that did all the catering for the wedding.
After the church ceremony canapes and cocktails were served. A long tables was laid out colourfully with many light bites. In between everything thankfully a few delicious olive bread sticks and some fresh fruit. You know me, give me good bread and fruit and I am happy. So, not a bad start on the vegan food front.
For dinner they had a large bowl of salad on each table, for everyone to share. It looked beautiful and was a vibrant salad of leavy greens, fresh strawberries and cooked pumpkin, but unfortunately it was finished off with crumbed feta. This meant for me having to pick out ingredients trying to avoid the feta, which was not very successful. BUT I can say that was somewhat okay, as the salad was after all for everyone at the table to share. However, I was a little bit surprised they couldn't bring me just a small portion without the feta.
The more disappoint moment was the main meal. My plate arrived and it was a small vegetable stack comprising of 3 slices of grilled aubergine, two slices of warmed tomato and a 7 small cubes of cooked, unsalted pumpkin between one of the layers. This was served on a sea of (hopefully) vegan pesto. Under seasoned and nothing to help counteract the richness from the pesto. Everyone around me had a generous portion of cooked potatoes, garlicky green beans and a choice of chicken or beef. If this veggie stack was a starter I would have thought " Okay, that was not lifechanging, but let me not be too hard". Portion wise it was the size of a starter, but as a main?? Nothing to "soak up" the sea of pesto and no sustenance to the dish, considering I could not eat the salad.
I'm not asking for the stars and the moon, but I would have been very happy with just a plate full of simple steamed potatoes and green beans. Add a tablespoon of that pesto to my plate and I would really not needed more than that. My advice here is if you don't know what to cook, just keep it simple.
I AM CURIOUS?
In this situation would you let the bride(s parents) know about the disappointing main meal as they are paying the venue a small fortune per person or do I keep quiet? This is a venue that caters for many, many weddings and I would be surprised if I was the first vegan ever they had to cook for.
Is it really so difficult to make a tasty vegan main dish?
Lesson learned, to not expect much, even at a fancy restaurant/ event.
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