Easy vegan snacks, foods, and cooking ingredients

If your resolution is to try and eat less meat or explore more of a plant-based diet, we’ve got your back in the lazy kitchen! There is loads of food out there that you might not even realise is vegan…

Whatever the reason, if you’re looking for some easy vegan snacks and foods, or you want to this list will bring you joy. A few surprises in here too. This is a short but my no means definitive list of foods that are vegan.

Cupboard fillers

Well let’s start off with the cupboard fillers, things you can keep in there for when you need them to cook, or maybe a long-life snack

Bisto Gravy Granules and Smash original instant mash are both vegan. Tesco’s ‘Free From’ range offers White Lasagne sauce, Korma Cooking sauce, Pesto and many more. These can all easily be paired with a carb like rice or pasta, and a vegan protein like tofu or Quorn for an easy-peasy vegan meal.

Vegan spreads to liven up your toast

One surprising revelation might be that Lotus Biscuit Smooth Spread is vegan – yeah that amazing Biscoff stuff! Along with Marmite, Nature’s Store Gluten Free Chocolate Spread, and ASDA Crunchy Wholenut Peanut Butter it’s a great thing to have in your cupboard to have on your toast. And yes, mostly bread is also vegan. Check though.

Vegan condiments

We all like our sauces with our food, but which ones are vegan? Well, everyone’s favourite Heinz Tomato Ketchup is vegan; Tabasco Sauce, Coleman’s Original English Mustard, Amoy dark Soy Sauce, and Thai Dragon Sriracha Hot Sauce are all vegan. No reason to have a dull meal.

It’s definitely worth mentioning that Hellmann’s have their Vegan Mayonnaise which is delicious. And honestly we can’t tell the difference from the original, it’s amazing.

Start your day right with some vegan cereal

Cereal is a fairly easy breakfast and can easily be paired with oat, soy or coconut milk for a hearty start to the day. Weetabix is a good choice you can build on; add some fruit and already you’ve got a nice healthy breakfast going. Shreddies is another excellent easy vegan option, go to town adding fruits etc. Quaker oats are perfect for those cold mornings, and if you’re looking for something you don’t have to think about, Jordan’s Strawberry Country Crisp is brilliant. High in fibre and with fruity strawberry bits, excellent.

See also Kellogg’s Plant Protein Crunch, which will keep you fuelled for the day, and any of the following Dorset Cereals are vegan:

• Bircher Muesli Mix Raspberry & Blackcurrant
• Simply Fruity Muesli, Gloriously Roasted Nut Muesli, Fantastically Fruity Muesli, Simply Nutty Muesli
• Luscious Berry & Cherry Muesli, Simply Delicious Muesli, Our Lovely Organic Muesli.

Vegan sweet and savoury treats

I think what sometimes puts people off of being vegan – and staying vegan – is that they think it’s really hard to find snacks and convenience foods when they’re on the go. But that’s not the case – let’s have a look at some easy vegan snacks and foods – both sweet and savoury options.

Sweet tooth?

Hartley’s Ready to Eat Jelly Blackcurrant is a very speedy vegan sweet treat, along with Green & Blacks Organic Dark 85% Chocolate, Oreos (I know, we’re just as surprised as you), Jammie Dodgers Raspberry Biscuits, Fox’s Party Rings, and McVitie’s Ginger Nuts and Rich Tea Biscuits. Apart from biscuits, fruit pastels might not always spring to mind (check they don’t have gelatine in) but many brands of this fruity chew are vegan.

A bit of vegan crunch

How about some vegan crisps for your crispy hankering? Pringles offer a few different flavours that are vegan friendly such as Original, Sweet Chilli, Paprika, Smokey Bacon Flavour, and Texas BBQ sauce. Unfortunately, the salt and vinegar flavour are not vegan, despite being the people’s favourite, but if you need your salty, vinegary fix, Kettle Chips’ Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar Crisps, Walker’s Crisps Salt and Vinegar, Salt and Vinegar Hula Hoops, and McCoy’s Salt and Malt Vinegar Crisps are all vegan.

As well as these, Original Hula Hoops, Twiglets, and many Walker’s flavours like Prawn Cocktail, Ready Salted, and Marmite tick the box, and so do Sunbites, both Original and Sweet Chilli.

Veganism in the fridge and freezer

Let’s move on to the cold stuff now. So, things used in meals, things you can nibble on, and of course those easy frozen items you can just whack in the oven after a long day.

Quick icy meals

A few companies do vegan frozen pizzas for those lazy days. Chicago Town Deep Dish Cheezeburger Vegan Pizza, Dr Oetker Vegan Margherita Pomodori Pizza, and Goodfellas’ Vegan Spicy Vegetable Salsa, Vegan Falafel and Vegan Meatless Mediterranean Pizzas are all really great options. There’s also a huge list of items you can throw in a bun or have with rice, like Quorn Vegan Crunchy Fillet Burgers, Linda McCartney Vegetarian Sausage Rolls, Birds Eye Vegetable Fingers, and so many more. The freezer is definitely your friend when it comes to easy access vegan food.

Frozen sweet treats

Of course we all enjoy some ice cream here and there and even vegans can enjoy this now. Magnum have three flavours of vegan ice cream including Vegan Sea Salt Caramel, Vegan Almond, and Vegan Classic; all good options. As well as these, Oatly, Halo Top, and Roar are plant-based companies that make speciality vegan ice cream in a variety of flavours.

And finally… fridge fillers

Need some sandwich fillers or lunchtime snacks? We’ve got you. If you’re looking for some ways to make sandwiches tasty then why not try Tesco’s Olive Spread, Quorn Vegan Chicken Free Slices, Quorn Vegan Smoky Ham Free Slices, Richmond Meat Free Smoked Rashers or Sausages, or Violife Vegan Epic Mature Cheddar Flavoured Block?

Or maybe you just want something even easier. So many already well-known companies now make vegan alternatives to their well-loved products such as Ginsters, who have both Vegan Moroccan Vegetable Pasty and Vegan Quorn Pasty, and Higgidy (a well-loved Sussex Brand) who offer their Mini No-Pork Pies. Pukka do a Vegan Chicken and Mushroom Pie, and Gu’s Free From Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecake is to die for. Not literally, obviously. That wouldn’t be very vegan.

As you can see, there’s tons out there for vegans now, and of course this isn’t including all the amazing vegan food you can make from scratch. But this little list, if anything, shows you that there is convenience in veganism. Maybe this year you’ll swap out a few of your favourite snacks for a vegan alternative… or you might commit all the way! Who knows?

For more information on a vegan diet and lifestyle, check out the Vegan Society here in the UK.