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Vegan recipes that don't pretend to be something they're not
The worst vegan food tries to imitate meat and fails. The best vegan food doesn't bother. It uses ingredients that are already good on their own: lentils that fall apart into a rich sauce, chickpeas that crisp up in a hot oven, cashews that blend into something eerily close to cream cheese.
Six recipes that work because they were designed as plant-based food, not as sad substitutes for something else.
Mushroom wellington — the dinner party centrepiece
This one takes effort and it's worth all of it. Portobello and chestnut mushrooms, cooked until completely dry, wrapped in spinach and puff pastry. The Dijon mustard brushed inside the pastry creates a moisture barrier and adds a sharp kick that cuts through the richness.
Every step is about removing water. Mushrooms are 90% moisture and spinach isn't far behind. Skip the wringing-out step and your pastry is soggy. Get it right and you have something that looks like it belongs on a restaurant menu. Let it rest 10 minutes after baking. Cutting too early sends the filling sliding out.
Vegan chili — the one that converts skeptics
Two types of beans, smoked chipotle, and cocoa powder. The cocoa isn't gimmicky, it's borrowed from Mexican mole sauces and adds a dark, almost coffee-like depth without any chocolate taste. Kidney beans hold their shape for texture, black beans break down and thicken the broth naturally.
Make a big batch. This is one of those dishes that genuinely tastes better the next day, once the spices have had time to meld. Serve with cornbread or over rice. Freezes well for months.
Chickpea tikka masala — Indian comfort food, no chicken needed
Roast the chickpeas first. This is the step that separates a good version from a forgettable one. Tossed in spices and baked until the edges crisp, they hold up in the creamy tomato sauce instead of turning to mush. Bloom the garam masala in hot oil before adding tomatoes and the spice flavour triples.
Coconut milk replaces the cream, and nobody notices. Serve over basmati rice with naan for the full experience. This feeds four generously and reheats without losing anything.
→ Chickpea tikka masala recipe
Cashew cream pasta — the sauce that fools everyone
Soaked cashews blended with nutritional yeast, garlic, and lemon juice. That's the entire sauce. The first time I made this for non-vegan friends, someone asked what cheese I used. The nutritional yeast is doing the work, providing that savoury, almost-parmesan quality.
Blend for a full two minutes on high speed. Any graininess means you stopped too early. A high-powered blender helps, but even a regular one works if you give it time. Toss with hot pasta and enough pasta water to loosen it. The starch in the water helps the sauce cling.
Cauliflower buffalo wings — bar food, plant-based
Cauliflower florets in a light cornflour batter, baked until crisp, then tossed in buffalo sauce. The broiler for the last 3 minutes gives you the charred edges that make these work. Without that step they're just soft cauliflower in sauce.
Toss in the buffalo sauce while they're still hot from the oven so it sticks and caramelises slightly. Serve with celery sticks and a vegan ranch or blue cheese dip. These disappear at parties and nobody asks where the meat is.
→ Cauliflower buffalo wings recipe
Vegan buddha bowl — the weekday lunch that doesn't get boring
Roasted sweet potato, spiced chickpeas, quinoa, avocado, greens, and tahini dressing. The trick is roasting the sweet potatoes and chickpeas on the same tray but in different spots. Chickpeas need direct heat to crisp, sweet potatoes do better slightly crowded so they steam a bit.
Make double the tahini dressing every time. It keeps for a week in the fridge and turns any leftover vegetables into a proper meal. The ratio matters: thin enough to drizzle but thick enough to coat. Add water a tablespoon at a time until you hit it.
Stocking a vegan kitchen
The ingredients that show up in these recipes again and again: canned coconut milk (full-fat, from a can, not the carton stuff), nutritional yeast, tahini, smoked paprika, chipotle in adobo, cashews, and good olive oil. With those on hand, half the recipes on this page come together from pantry staples.
One more thing: learn to press tofu and roast chickpeas properly. Those two techniques alone open up dozens of meals.