If you're looking for some impressive Meat free vegan dishes that even the staunchest meat eaters will love, I gotcha! I asked some of my favorite recipe bloggers for their best Vegan Meaty but Meat Free recipes and they came up with the goods!
From plant-forward dishes made with jackfruit and mushrooms, plus plenty of hearty bean and lentil recipes through to nifty meat-alike seitan and tempeh as well as soy curls and tofu there is something here for everyone's taste buds.
Vegan Meat substitutes such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Food's abound these days, so I've also included some handy recipes particularly designed for those.
Some of the vegan meat alternatives can also be swapped out for others, so if you find a recipe you like for say, seitan chicken curry, but don't want to make your own seitan, you can easily swap it for some store-bought vegan chicken or firm tofu.
I've divided the recipes into 'Meat Free' categories, so if you find a great vegan meat substitute you really like, you can maybe try some other recipes with the same ingredient!
Feel free to reach out to me if you need help with any of the recipes or have a question about vegan meat substitutes or creating recipes without meat!
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🌭Seitan
Seitan is sometimes also known as Wheat Meat. It's a super clever meat substitute first made in ancient China by monks who eschewed meat but wanted to still have the familiar flavors and textures. It's made by extracting the protein from the wheat by making a dough, then washing the dough with water to remove the starch. Now days you can purchase Vital Wheat Gluten from health food stores. VWG (aka Vital Wheat Gluten) is pure wheat protein with the starch already removed. Seitan is amazing as it can really replicate a meaty texture, allowing it to be formed into vegan steak, made into vegan chorizo, sausages and salamis and turned into vegan ground beef!
Seitan
🥪Tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented soy product from Indonesia. It's meatier than tofu, and can be used in a number of vegan meals as a replacement for meat products. It's high in protein and low in fats and carbs. Tempeh is a great way to get a meaty texture using whole-food ingredients. Use it instead of chicken, as a bacon substitute or in plant-based meat balls.
Tempeh
🍛Tofu
Tofu is much misunderstood as an ingredient, however when used well, it's amazing and can be used in so many recipes! One of my favorite recipes made with tofu is crunchy nuggets made in the air fryer, but it can also be flavored up with soy sauce and paprika to resemble bacon, made into taco meat and turned into vegan meat balls that even meat lovers will want seconds of!
Tofu
Soy Curls and TVP (soy crumbles)
Soy Curls and TVP (soy crumbles) are a great addition to a plant-based diet as they're easy to make and have a chewy texture that many people prefer. High in protein, and if you choose the organic variety, not massively highly processed, they can be made into everything from chicken stir fries to a vegan ground beef recipe! Even better, they are a shelf stable product so are great to keep on hand if you can't get to the supermarket often.
Soy Curls and TVP (Dried Soy Mince)
Lentils, Beans and Chickpeas
Lentils, Beans and Chickpeas are all legumes and are the OG staple of vegan cooking! Legumes are high in fibre, low in fat, have a good amount of protein in them and have a sating effect when eaten. Even if you're skeptical of eating other vegan meat recipes, you should definitely give a lentil bolognese or a black bean burger a try. Long-time vegans will tell you there's nothing better than a good three bean chili to stick to your ribs and warm you up!
🍄Mushrooms
Let's not forget mushrooms for fantastic flavor and texture as a meat replacement! Whether you're grilling a portobello mushroom steak, or trying out king oyster mushrooms cleverly made into Korean style bulgogi mushrooms pack a punch. I like to add shiitake mushrooms to stews for their texture and umami-rich flavor that really satisfies!
Mushrooms
🥭Jackfruit
Jackfruit made an appearance fairly recently world wide as a meat substitute, however it has long been prized in it's native India as it's both prolific and when picked young makes a lovely pork substitute in curry. You can now find it cooked in many different ways, from 'Pulled pork' sandwiches through to used in taco bowls and even in shawarmas!
Jackfruit
Shop Bought Vegan Meats
There are so many great vegan 'meat's available in the supermarkets now! From Impossible Foods and their burgers, through to 'This isn't who make amazing chicken and bacon substitutes, you can pretty much make any kind of meaty dish. Fancy sloppy joes? Why not try it with some vegan mince. Want vegan burgers? Easy peasy. With so many options that the whole family will love it's made it so easy to eat well as well as being kind to the planet and your own tastebuds.
Commercial Faux Meats
If you're wondering what's the best way to try out a new vegan recipe, I always suggest trying a familiar recipe that you know you'll love, but making it meat free. Love spaghetti sauce? Why not try a lentil bolognese? Big fan of chili?Why not try one made with black beans. Plant-based foods need not be scary, they're delicious, and when you know how to combine a few new flavors, can be so exciting to try! Let me know what your new favorite dishes are in the comments or pop me a message on social media!
x Louise-Claire
