What do vegans actually eat?
LIFESTYLE
Short answer
Everything humans have eaten for millennia, minus animal products — grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and plant-based versions of common dishes.
LIFESTYLE
The detail
A typical week: oats with fruit and nut butter, curries with lentils and rice, pasta with tomato and vegetables, stir-fried tofu, tacos with beans, hummus with pita and veggies, veggie burgers, salads with chickpeas, ramen with mushrooms and edamame, pizza with plant cheese.
Plant-based meats, cheeses and milks reproduce familiar textures and flavours; whole-food staples do the heavy lifting nutritionally. See our meal planner and recipes.
One practical tip is to explore the 'International' aisle of your supermarket, where you will find naturally vegan staples like canned coconut milk, spices, and grains. A typical day could start with a smoothie, follow with a hearty lentil soup for lunch, and end with a vegetable stir-fry with peanut sauce. You don't need to learn a new way of cooking; you simply swap out the animal protein for a plant-based alternative like chickpeas or tofu.
RELATED
More questions like this
- Where do vegans get protein?
From legumes, tofu, tempeh, seitan, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Most vegans easily meet or exceed the daily requirement.
- Isn't a vegan diet expensive?
No — a whole-food vegan diet built on rice, beans, lentils, oats, potatoes, seasonal produce and tofu is one of the cheapest ways to eat.
Newsletter
One short letter. Once a month.
A handful of recipes, a story worth your time, and one thing you can do this week. Nothing else.
We never share your email. Unsubscribe in one click.