There is increasing evidence that a plant-based diet is not only good for us but is good for the planet too. While this may be true, vegan recipes are often quite daunting as they are full of ingredients that most of us have never heard of. This is often the reason why many of us are put off becoming vegan or even just ‘having a go’ at vegan recipes.
Preparation is key to cooking vegan recipes. Making sure you have a well-stocked pantry is crucial before you get started. So here we hope to help a little by listing some of the key ingredients you need to build a vegan pantry. We’ve also created a table of ingredients that many of us may never have heard of to describe what they are and what they do.
Basic Vegan Pantry Staples
- Beans – Tinned and Dried
- Legumes – Tinned and Dried
- Grains – Rice, Oats, Quinoa, Bulgar Wheat, Buckwheat, Millet, Farro..
- Nuts & Seeds
- Natural Sweeteners – Maple Syrup
- Condiments and sauces – Soy, Tamari
- Miso paste
- Pastas
- Flours
- Dried Fruit
- Coconut Milk
- Plant-based Milk – Oat, Rice or Almond
- Spices
- Oils & Vinegars
- Tofu
- Vegan Butter
Common ingredients and alternatives
And for some of those more unusual ingredients that crop up, here is our handy reference table including alternatives you substitute when you can't find them.
|
Ingredient |
What it is |
What it does |
Alternative |
|
Aquafaba |
The viscous water in which legumes such as chickpeas have been cooked |
It mimics the functional properties of egg white |
Chia seeds soaked in water |
|
Jackfruit |
In the same family as figs and grown in Asia. Fairly bland flavour and fibrous texture. |
It mimics meat such as pulled pork and because of its bland flavour it adapts well to any sauce. |
Courgette or squash |
|
Aminos |
Seasoning similar to soy |
Naturally vegan and gluten-free |
Coconut aminos |
|
Nutritional Yeast |
Deactivated yeast in the form of powder or flakes. Has a nutty, cheesy, savoury flavour |
Usually used to make vegan cheese |
Yeast extract such as marmite and vegemite |
|
Tempeh |
A plant-based protein made from fermented soybeans.
|
It is high in protein and has a chewy nutty flavour. A vegan substitute to meat as it can be marinated, seasoned and cooked in different ways. |
Tofu – another soybean product which is made from curdled soy milk and has a less nutty flavour. |
|
Seitan |
Known as ‘Wheat Meat’ - Seitan is made from gluten |
It has a good texture and is often to create meat products like meatless sausages, sliced Tofurky and fakin Bacon |
Quorn |
