5 Pantry Staples For New Vegans
If you’re a new vegan, or are in the process of going vegan, chances are you’re fretting over the ingredients you’ll have to remove from your pantry. You’re probably realizing that a lot of the things you usually keep on hand just don’t make the cut.
My first piece of advice to you would be this: don’t throw those things away.
You’ve already purchased them, so just go ahead and use them up. But once you have, another question will probably enter your mind: what do I replace them with?
Have no fear! For I’ve compiled a list of my favorite vegan pantry staples, meaning no, your shelves will not be bare. In fact, you may have one or more of these items in your pantry already!
1. Nutritional Yeast.
Nutritional yeast is a pretty popular ingredient among the vegan population. Not only is it fortified with necessary amino acids and B vitamins (such as B6 and B12), it also adds a wonderful cheesy flavor to whatever you use it on.
I personally love to add it to tofu scrambles and salads, as well as mix it into seitan dough. I’m able to find Braggs brand in my local grocery store, but you can also buy it online.
2. Vital Wheat Gluten.
Seitan, which is made using vital wheat gluten, is the vegan’s answer to anything from ribs, to chicken wings, to steak and more. There are countless uses for seitan all over the web that would probably blow your mind.
Not only is seitan a good source of protein, selenium and iron, it’s also a soy-free vegan meat substitute for those who cannot consume soy.
If you’re looking for a recipe to try it in, perhaps you’d like to start with my vegan riblet recipe. It’s to die for!
3. Canned Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans).
Chickpeas are a delicious and versatile ingredient in vegan cooking. You can add chickpeas to your favorite pasta salad for a protein and fiber boost, mash them into falafel or chickpea salad, or even blend them into some edible “cookie dough.”
But the real kicker about canned chickpeas is the aquafaba that comes with them. Aquafaba (the water from a can of chickpeas) has countless uses and can often be used the same way egg whites can.
People have made meringue using aquafaba, ice cream and whipped topping can be made, vegan cheeses and butter can also be made using aquafaba.
Perhaps my favorite use for aquafaba is making vegan mayonnaise, which is drastically cheaper than buying premade vegan mayo and also gives you control over ingredients and flavor.
4. Textured Vegetable Protein.
Textured vegetable protein, or TVP, is the vegan’s shelf-stable answer to ground beef. Use it in tacos, on salads, in stuffed cabbage rolls, or even in place of bacon bits.
TVP is as much a blank slate as a block of tofu, so jazz it up with whatever flavors you like for an instant boost of protein to any meal. TVP comes dried, and when you add water as per a recipe’s instructions, it will rehydrate and expand.
Not to mention it’s fairly inexpensive. At my local grocery store, I recently bought a 12 ounce (15 serving) bag of TVP for $3.43, meaning it comes in at just 23 cents a serving. My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill!
5. Tofu, and JUST Egg.
If you’re a person who typically has eggs for breakfast, the idea of swapping to something vegan probably has you a little stumped. Take a quick trip to your local grocery store and look out for those bright yellow bottles of JUST Egg in the dairy section, and voila! Problem solved.
Though JUST Egg is a little bit more of a processed food, it’s definitely an easier option if you’re just starting out or are a little more on-the-go (in which case, you’ll love this muglet recipe).
If, however, you have a little more time to dedicate to breakfast preparation, tofu scramble is a long-standing staple of mine. You can jazz it up any way you like, spoon some into a wrap with salsa, or even put it on an English muffin for a yummy breakfast sandwich.
Hopefully this post helped to steer you in the right direction! If you are indeed a new vegan, you might also want to check out this post, which includes six easy recipes to get you started.
Until next time, peace 😉