A love of plants can also be good for your health – vegetarian food is completely on trend at the moment. Would you like to eat fewer animal products but you’re just not quite sure how to go about it? It is actually much less complicated than you would think! Even if you don’t want to commit to a fully vegan diet, you can still enjoy these 5 easy vegan alternatives as a substitute for meat, dairy and egg products. You will be surprised at how varied and delicious vegan food can be and, at the same time, at how many new foods you can discover.

Plant-based drinks instead of cow’s milk

One of the easiest vegan alternatives is “plant-based milk” instead of cow’s milk. Countless variants of almond milk, rice milk, hazelnut milk and oat milk, to name just a few, are now easily available in stores. Plant-based drinks can be used in the same way as cow’s milk. So you can drink them on their own, add them to coffee or muesli or use them for baking and cooking. Special “barista editions” of vegan milk alternatives froth up particularly well – perfect for latte macchiatos and cappuccinos.

Aubergine instead of schnitzel

Once barbecue season is up and running again, a vegan alternative to meat is worth its weight in gold. How about some homemade aubergine schnitzels? Simply peel and slice your aubergine and marinate in a mixture of oil, salt, pepper, garlic and herbs for a few hours. Then coat the vegetable slices with sesame seeds and breadcrumbs and fry in the pan or cook on the barbecue.

Vegetarian spread instead of liver sausage

Do you love a hearty spread on your bread for your evening meal or as a snack? Well, there’s also a veggie version! Several vegan alternatives for beginners mean that you can happily forego liver sausage or minced pork for your lunch or snack. Plant-based spreads made from hummus, vegetables and herbs can be found in almost every supermarket or health food shop. You can of course also make your own spread by mixing these ingredients together.

Chickpea flour instead of scrambled eggs

It sounds unusual but it’s ingenious! Use chickpea flour to conjure up an easy vegan alternative to scrambled eggs! Give it a try. Mix the chickpea flour with some salt and pepper. Kala namak – an Indian rock salt – provides the typical “egg flavour”. Add this to the seasoned chickpea flour and mix together with water. Cook in the pan in the same way you would cook scrambled eggs, and add onions, herbs or tomatoes to taste.

Agave syrup instead of honey

Ideal for anyone with a sweet tooth! There is no shortage of easy vegan alternatives to honey. Plant-based products like agave syrup, rice syrup or dandelion syrup can be used to sweeten food and drink or to put on your breakfast roll. Even simpler: add fresh or dried fruit to your muesli or baking for a delicious sweet taste.

Which vegan idea is your favourite?

Your Dole Team