Easy and Delicious Vegan Food Swaps

When you first switch to a vegan diet, one of the challenges you might have is missing 
some of your old favorite foods, or just not knowing how to put meals together. One of 
the best ways to plan for your meals is to look at food swaps. You can take traditional 
foods on a standard diet, and find alternatives for swapping them out with plant-based 
or vegan ingredients. Here are a few vegan food swaps to try out first.

Make Veggie Burgers

This is probably one of the easiest vegan food swaps to make. If you previously enjoyed 
hamburgers made of meat like beef or turkey, it is time to look for an alternative. You 
don’t have to eat just salads all day, so don’t feel like that is your only option. You can 
still make a burger, but choose a veggie alternative. While there are frozen veggie 
burgers, you might like to make your own and have that fresh, whole taste. One good 
option is to combine black beans with sweet potatoes. They can mold together and 
provide more texture to your burger by mixing them with cooked quinoa. Add in 
whatever meat spices you like, from garlic to chili powder.

Use a Butter Alternative

If you are used to using butter and margarine, don’t worry! There are plenty of 
alternative options for you. You can find soy, oil, and nut butter spreads that are the 
perfect alternative to butter in many different recipes. If you just want to flavor steamed 
veggies, don’t be afraid to just drizzle some olive oil on top. For cooked or baked 
recipes that use butter or margarine, switch to a sunflower diary-free spread or simple 
dairy-free butter. Most health food stores will have options available for you. 

Swap Steak for Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms really are the perfect alternative to steak. They aren’t going to 
taste just like the steak you are used to, but when cooked right and including all the 
toppings, you can make an amazing plate of steak fajitas and many other steak dishes 
with your mushrooms. Slice up Portobello mushrooms and sauté them with your favorite 
steak seasonings, then combine with grilled or sautéed onions and peppers to make 
fajitas. Put it inside flour tortillas (vegan friendly of course) with some salsa and 
guacamole, and you’re good to go.

Go to your local health food store to check out the frozen and packaged items, and you 
will find just about every alternative you could hope for. There are vegan versions of 
milk, butter, mayonnaise, burgers, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and a lot more.

