Our ultimate vegan swaps food list

Here are our top easy vegan switches for when following a plant-based diet:

• Swap beef burgers for mushroom burgers
• Replace mince with beans in cottage pie and shepherd’s pie
• Embrace olive oil spread
• Find your plant milk
• Use arrowroot for gravy
• Add protein to meals using chickpea flour
• Embrace jackfruit
• Substitute agar for gelatin
• Top drinks and desserts with coconut cream
• Learn about seasonings
• Swap banana blossom in for fish
• Use nutritional yeast in place of parmesan

Now let’s find out more…

Swap beef burgers for mushroom burgers

A large portobello mushroom is the perfect substitute for a burger - its deep flavour and meaty texture make a fitting alternative to beef without imitating it, and it can even be cooked on a barbecue for that flame grilled flavour!

Alternatively, white mushrooms can be chopped finely and mixed with breadcrumbs and an egg replacement to create a more traditional patty.

And of course, you can keep all the trimmings like a bread bun, fried onions, ketchup, mustard and a gherkin.

Replace mince with beans in cottage pie and shepherd’s pie

A healthy and cost effective move being made by some in Public Sector Catering is to replace half the meat in meals like Cottage pie, Shepherd’s pie, chilli and spaghetti bolognese with a seasoned pulse such as lentils or beans. Like meat, pulses are high in protein, and since they blend well with vegetables, herbs and spices, vegans can swap pulses for the entirety of meat and not lose any of the flavour.

Embrace olive oil spread

No it’s not butter, but olive oil spread can be used in a similar way - melted for cooking, spread on toast and bagels, on sandwiches, in baked goods and fried bread. It does have a slightly different flavour, but olive oil spread has less saturated fats than butter and more monounsaturated fat - which is good for the heart.

Olive oil spread is made predominantly from plant oils, with homemade olive spread almost entirely made from olive oil and processed versions from olive oil, rapeseed oil, water, salt, additives and other vegetable oils.

Find your plant milk

Plant milks are widely available in both retail and hospitality environments, and the good news is there’s a type for pretty much every purpose and everyone. A best plant milk for frothy coffee, a best plant milk for baking and so on.

Varieties include soya, rice, oat, almond, pea and coconut, and we put together a guide of everything you need to know about them here.

Allergy alert!

Several varieties of plant milk fall under the umbrella of major allergens. Soya, almonds (a Tree Nut) and oats (a Cereal containing Gluten) are all among the 14 major food allergens.

Use arrowroot for gravy

Gravy is traditionally made with the juices of a roasted joint of meat as the base ingredient, to which other components are then added, some of them not vegan-friendly - like butter and meat stock. This can lead some plant-based gravy to taste watery and flavourless, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Arrowroot is a naturally gluten-free root vegetable that is often made into a powder or flour, and it can be used to thicken gravy and give it that silky texture usually provided by meat juice and butter.

You will, however, have to make sure you don’t skimp on seasonings like herbs, mustard, salt and pepper to ensure your gravy packs a punch.

Add protein to meals using chickpea flour

One complaint sometimes made about vegan meals is that they are lacking in protein. Chickpea flour is high in protein and fibre, and can be used to bulk out dishes such as stews, plant-based burger patties, casseroles and soups to ensure they keep you fuller for longer - but without making you feel bloated like excess carbohydrates might.

Embrace jackfruit

When plant-based diets boomed in popularity about a decade ago, so too did the jackfruit - fruit from the jack tree, which is in the same family as fig and mulberry trees.

Unripe, cooked jackfruit has a stringy texture similar to that of shredded meat and soaks up barbecue sauce beautifully, making it an ideal vegan version of pulled pork. You can find our guide to jackfruit and how to cook it here.

Substitute agar for gelatin

The animal-derived polymer gelatin is famously used in sweets, but it’s also a common ingredient in desserts like jelly, panna cotta, flan, and other baked or chilled dishes.

The good news is they don’t need to be excluded from plant-based menus - agar powder, made from red seaweed, can generally be substituted for the same amount of gelatin in a recipe, as it is a natural gelling agent.

Top drinks and desserts with coconut cream

Whipped cream is made from milk, and so obviously not suitable for a plant-based diet. However, coconut cream is totally vegan-friendly and can be beaten in a bowl with an electric whisk on high speed until it becomes just as fluffy and creamy in texture. The perfect whipped cream alternative for desserts and topping hot chocolate and frappucinos.

Learn about seasonings

One thing meat replacements like tofu, seitan and quorn have in common is that they have a very mild or even bland taste. But you should still use them in place of white meat like chicken and pork, because with the right seasonings their flavours will sing! And some seasonings that can help replicate a “meaty” flavour include tahini, soy sauce, black pepper, dried mushrooms, smoked paprika, miso paste, capers and even mustard.

Allergy alert!

Tofu, soy sauce and miso paste are both made using Soya, tahini is made using Sesame, and seitan is made using wheat - a Cereal containing Gluten. All of these ingredients, along with Mustard, are among the 14 major food allergens. DIfferent quorn products might include different allergen ingredients so it is best to check the label.

Swap banana blossom in for fish

Banana blossom (also known as banana heart) is a tear-shaped, fleshy flower that you find at the end of a banana cluster, and it has a flaky texture similar to that of fish - making it an easy fill-in when it comes to make recipes that included things like tuna, cod and haddock suitable for vegans. Like white fish, banana blossoms can easily absorb other flavours and sauces, and is a staple in South East Asian cooking.

Use nutritional yeast in place of parmesan

Vegan cheese gets its fair share of complaints, so many plant-based dishes just avoid cheese altogether - but if your recipe calls for parmesan, nutritional yeast is the perfect alternative. This is a savoury, deactivated yeast that comes in yellow flakes and can be sprinkled over pasta and added to sauces to give them that extra bit of flavour.