Here are some quick plant-based snack recipes for you to try. Vegan Four Berry Pie Bars (Crowded Kitchen) can be made with any kind of berries (this recipe uses strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries. But just use whatever is in season. Cloudberry tastes like apple, saskotoon berry is a cousin of apples and bumbleberry a cross of berries/rhubarb (just bin rhubarb leaves, as they contain a toxin that could harm garden creatures in the compost bin).
Snacking is a popular pastime in the western world. However, you may be surprised (or not) to learn that many countries don’t snack. The most obvious ones are France and Italy, where three square meals a day are the norm. It’s rare for anyone to buy candy bars or bags of crisps (potato chips). A pastry at the weekend yes, but snacking no.
There are varying opinions on whether we should snack or not. Some say three meals a day is better, others prefer us to ‘graze’ throughout the day. It’s up to you, your blood sugar levels and your lifestyle. A top athlete is likely wanting to graze to keep energy levels up, whereas someone more sedentary may wish to just take their time with a couple of long meals, and a hearty breakfast.
So if you’re a snacker (or know someone who is), you’ll find lots of ideas in this post. Most snacks tend to not be vegan (just look at the choices in any vending machine) so you’ll have to make your own or order online. Another idea is to subscribe to a ‘vegan snack box’, which sends you random full-and-sample-size snacks each month, to try out the latest brands. More on them below.
Another tip is to watch portion sizes. French women are aghast at the size of ‘snack muffins’ in the USA, saying they are around 10 times the size of what they would call a ‘snack muffin’. Likewise, it’s good to stay away from 2-for-1 supermarket offers, or giant bags of crisps because they are cheap. This why making your own snacks if often a better option.
It’s better for health and pocket. Dr Katja Rowell who specialises in eating habits says that if children snack all day, they become ‘fussy eaters’ as they don’t develop proper appetites. And Professor Karen LeBillon from University of British Columbia (who has lived in both France and Canada) says that in France, children never visit the fridge to ‘root around for a snack’. It’s just not the culture.
Caramel Apple is one of Canada’s most popular flavour combinations. Vegan Caramel Apple Pie Bars (Crowded Kitchen) are gluten-free and ideal for a treat on chilly days. Serve with vegan vanilla ice-cream and coffee.
Vegan Cornbread (Crowded Kitchen) is a gluten-free recipe made with just 10 ingredients. Easy to make and free from refined sugar, this is perfect for soup and chilli, and also good to use in vegan stuffing. Keep fresh dough away from pets.
Peanut Butter Jelly Brownie Bars (Addicted to Dates) is a recipe by a classically trained Irish baker. Layers of raw vegan brownie are served with creamy peanut butter and jelly, encased in a chocolate shell. No-bake and gluten-free. Keep chocolate away from pets.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars (Addicted to Dates) are made with just 6 ingredients. Choose organic peanut butter to be free from palm oil. You can also make these gluten-free.
Energy Bars with Beetroot & Blackcurrant (The Veg Space) are the perfect boost when you are feeling tired. Sweet and chewy, these contain banana, nuts, seeds and oats.
Try these Chocolate Dates with Peanut Butter (Rainbow Plant Life). Dates are so old, they are mentioned in the Bible, and are so popular that 3% of the world’s farmland is given over to trees to grow them (mostly in Egypt). Being a fruit from the Middle East, they are also mentioned frequently in the holy Quran. Bedoin tribes eat a lot of dates, and have a very good health record. Dates also keep well, so make a wonderful emergency food, in times of drought. Keep dates away from children and pets due to being dry and sticky with stones – also keep chocolate away from pets. Choose peanut butters free from palm oil.
Dates are one of nature’s sweetest foods, and if you buy the good medjool dates, you’ll never be lost for some naturally sweetened goodies. Good for your tummy and rich with calcium, dates are a vegan with a sweet tooth’s best friend. Considered the oldest cultivated fruit in the world (over 50 million years!), they are native to the Middle East, often eaten by royalty.
Books to Make Vegan Snacks
Vegan Snacks & Munchies offers 60 recipes to quit convenience snacks full of salt, sugar and dairy and instead choose a healthier way to graze. Find nuts and other nibbles, pocket-size energy balls and other foods for when you’re on the move. Whip up a dip for friends or for larger gatherings, find a crunchy creole cauliflower recipe, perfect for party platters. Recipes include:
- Spicy Burgers & Wedges
- Cocoa-Almond Freezer Fudge Pops
- Carob Coconut Snacks
How to Make a Vegan Platter Board
Vegan Boards offers ideas with 50 stunning plant-based boards with instructions and a colour photo of each one. Using roasted veggies, quesadillas or bruschetta, you’ll find guidance on how to use equipment and utensils to make serving food on boards, both beautiful and safe. Recipes include:
- Mediterranean Grazing Board
- Sweet & Spicy Melon Sparkler Board
- Ombre Farmers’ Market Board
- Front Yard Picnic Board
- Overnight Guest Welcome Board
- Midsummer Backyard BBQ Board
- Backyard Campfire Board
- Family Movie Night Board
- Date Night Vegan Cheese Board
- Mini Berry Pie Board
- Frozen Banana Pops Board
Install a Healthy Vending Machine
Vinny (UK) is a unique business that offers plant-based vending machines for offices, schools, gyms and anyone that presently uses vending machines to serve snacks and drinks to others. These stylish vending machines are fully monitored, replenished and maintained by the company, with remote services to monitor stock levels, temperatures an sales. The system benefits from a fully contactless QR code payment experience, for a touchless and COVID-proof purchase journey.
The machines are super-smart and hygienic, built with groundbreaking features in a post-COVID world. Each brand is carefully selected for its goodness and deliciousness, and the vegan-friendly food excludes 0% of the population. Snackers will be pleasantly surprised to find goodies, not found on standard supermarket shelves.
The standard machines feature cash-free and contactless payments, with real-time stock management and 24/7 control via the VendLive™ platform. There is a large, welcoming HD touchscreen with easy-to-use filters for selection, alongside helpful nutrition information. And the fun attractive design is ideal to get noticed. If needed, you can use local advertisements on the machine, to help pay for the upkeep.
The optional add-ons include microbial screens to offer 24/7 anti-bacterial protection, UVC light to destroy bacteria and an automated flap that opens automatically with no unnecessary touching, or getting your hands caught in annoying vending flaps. If not compostable packaging, recycle the wrappers with business waste, or place in supermarket bag recycling bins.
Chocolate brownies are one of the world’s most popular snacks, and particularly popular in the USA, where you can also enjoy ‘blondies’, which are simply made without the chocolate, to the same recipe (sometimes with brown sugar and/or molasses). Although not health food, the most popular flavour is one made with walnuts, which give important protein and calcium to vegans, so is worth a go. Serve with cold plant milk, tea or coffee.
Choose palm-oil-free vegan butter to protect orangutans and other endangered creatures. Keep chocolate and other toxic ingredients (nuts, xylitol – best to use natural sugar) away from pets.
Beet Brownies (Crowded Kitchen) are made with vegan chocolate chips and the bright pink frosting is made from naturally sweet beets, which add moisture and veggies, although taste of chocolate. Don’t worry if your pee turns pink after eating beets, unless a medical condition.
Single Serving Vegan Brownie Recipes
Gluten-Free Vegan Skillet Brownie (Short Girl, Tall Order) is not only free from refined sugar, but a great recipe if you have a brownie addiction, because it’s a miniature brownie for one or two. So you can indulge in a gooey fudgy treat, but are no danger of eating the whole batch!
Raspberry Mocha Mousse Brownies (Addicted to Dates) are bite-sized treats, with layers of mocha (chocolate coffee) mousse, a homemade raspberry vegan jelly and a raw brownie, all covered in dark chocolate. Gluten-free.
Recipes for Vegan Blondies
Vegan Blondies (Lazy Cat Kitchen) are made with white chocolate and studded with raspberries (or blackberries, cranberries or rhubarb if wished – (don’t compost rhubarb leaves as they contain a toxin that could harm garden creatures – just bin where they will naturally biodegrade).
Cherry Bakewell Blondies (So Vegan) combine an American favourite with a classic English dessert. The almonds and cherry jam/cherries can be subbed with fresh raspberries, as a more affordable alternative.
No-Bake Vegan Brownie Recipes
Vegan Brownies with Peanut Butter Jelly (Addicted to Dates) combine layers of raw vegan chocolate with peanut butter and jelly, all in a chocolate shell. These goodies require no baking and are gluten-free.
No-Bake Vegan Caramel Brownies (Addicted to Dates) are made without gluten or flour, and feature a brain-healthy walnut brownie base. A gooey snack, with no need to turn on the oven.
No-Bake Vegan Nutella Brownies (Addicted to Dates) are ideal if you like this popular chocolate-hazelnut flavour. Made with just a few ingredients, they are free from gluten.
Where to Buy Vegan Brownie Mix
Just Wholefoods Organic Vegan Brownie Mix (UK) is made with gluten-free oat flour, cacao powder, brown rice and coconut blossom sugar. Just mix up with 200ml of oat milk, 2 tablespoons of natural syrup and 50ml of sunflower oil, then bake for 12 brownie bites. Recycle packaging with household waste or at supermarket bag recycling bins.
Amisa Gluten-Free Organic Brownie Mix (UK) is free from wheat and yeast, and contains a hint of vanilla. Enjoy as a brownie when baked, or add to fresh berries and vegan vanilla ice-cream.
Renewal Mill Vegan Brownie Mix (US) is crafted by an award-winning baker and made with organic sugar. Simple to make with oil and water, this company upcycles plant milk pulp, to make unique flours that are rich in fibre and protein.
How to Make a Vegan Cornish Pasty
Cornish pasties are one of England’s most popular snack foods. One of the biggest turnovers for the Cornish economy (around 20% of total annual turnover within the food and drinks industry), nearly every village and baker sells them. The Cornish name is ‘oggy’, said to be after the chant ‘oi, oi, oi’ that tin miners’ wives would say to people, when freshly baked. Vegan Pasties with Mushrooms & Red Wine (The Veg Space) are perfect for a Sunday roast or picnics. Rich and packed with taste. This recipe is by a professional chef.
Keep vegan Cornish pasties away from pets, as they contain veggie mince, onion, garlic and mushroom. To avoid palm oil, make your own vegan pastry (keep fresh dough away from pets, as it can expand in the stomach).
Most Cornish pasties are still made by hand, crimped to the edge, surrounding a filling of minced beef, potato, sweed, onion, salt and pepper. Like champagne, you can only officially call it a ‘Cornish pasty’ if it’s made locally, so there have been a few fisticuffs with people who make alternate versions! The pastry can be puff or shortcrust, but must be thick enough to not fall apart, when held in the hand to eat.
Some Cornish pasty makers have also been up in arms, when the new plant-based versions called themselves Cornish pasties too. It reminds of the story when a big mayo company took a vegan ‘imitator’ to court in the US, saying they could not call their product ‘mayo’ as it had no eggs. The case generated so much free publicity, that many people switched to the cholesterol-free vegan mayo company instead, generating enough income to launch many more products! And the big mayo company – it now has its own vegan version without eggs – and still calls it ‘mayo!’ When in Rome etc….
Most ingredients in a vegan pasty are the same (swede, salt and pepper). The only difference is that you’ll have to find a good vegan mince. This is easy to do, just find a version that is free from palm oil. Moving Mountains Mince (UK) is a good brand, and sold in plastic-free and easy-to-recycle packaging. It’s also good to use for veggie burgers, meatballs, spaghetti bolognese and cottage pie (find it in all good stores). Made with oyster mushrooms, onion and pea protein, defrost in the fridge before cooking, then fry for around 10 minutes (do not preheat then cook again).
More Good Vegan Cornish Pasty Recipes
- Try this Cornish Vegan Pasty (A Vegan Visit).
- You can also find a nice recipe at Mouthwatering Vegan by a superb chef and cookbook author.
- Vegan Cornish Pasty (J Cooking Odyssey) is a recipe by a vegan junior doctor, who uses a healthy airfryer to make this a Cornish pasty to remember. The pastry is wrapped around chunky pumpkin, sweet potato, mushrooms and root veggies.
Where to Buy Vegan Cornish Pasties
An extensive search found that nearly all the vegan Cornish pasties online either are made with palm oil (there is no such thing as sustainable palm oil) or don’t list the ingredients. So it’s a case of make your own or – there is one! And it’s sold in Morrisons and Booths, in the freezer section. Just be sure to recycle any plastic packaging with household waste or at supermarket bag recycling bins.
Naughty Vegan Pasties have a thick crust and lots of yummy fillings, they are not health food but in the interest of research, they have been tasted and they are really that good! The No-Beef Pasties are made with vegan meat and vegetables in hand-crimped pastry, and there are also some rather devilishly good cheezy pasties with potato and onions. Both are made with sunflower and coconut oil, rather than palm oil.
Recipes to Make Vegan Fudge
Fudge is a thick and quite rich treat, which many people enjoy. It’s not health food, but makes a nice treat and is easy to make vegan, and usually does not even require an oven. You just mix up the ingredients, pour them into a tray and freeze. This is easier than dairy fudge which is often cooked up. Some recipes use vegan condensed milk, others don’t. Chocolate is one flavour, but caramel is probably the most popular, alongside vanilla. Toffee Sweet Potato Fudge (The Vegan 8) uses a combination of cocoa butter and coconut butter, for the perfect texture, along with healthy sweet potato and plant milk.
Keep fudge away from pets and young children (choking hazard). Most fudge also contains toxic chocolate, nuts etc.
Vegan Cranberry Nut Fudge (Crowded Kitchen) uses the tart berries from North America for an American treat. The dried berries are blended with pecans and hazelnuts, and this stores well in the freezer.
Chocolate Tahini Freezer Fudge (Short Girl, Tall Order) adds some of the calcium-rich sauce made from sesame seeds, for a Middle Eastern flavour. It’s easy to make, no baking needed.
5-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (Addicted to Dates) are made with chocolate, vanilla bean paste, coconut milk, peanut butter and creamed coconut. Just melt everything together, then when made, serve on top of warm oats.
‘Ferrero Rocher’ Vegan Fudge (Rainbow Plant Life) is a super recipe for anyone who is a fan of the popular chocolate gift. Ideal for holidays, this uses dark chocolate and toasted hazelnuts, and vegan condensed milk, for the richest flavour. Ferrero Rocher is a good example of how marketing beats quality. Everyone thinks these chocolates are ‘luxury’. But if you look at the ingredients, they are anything but: a simple and quite mix of sugar, cocoa butter, a few hazelnuts and cocoa mass, along with palm oil (harms orangutans), skimmed milk powder and whey powder, butter and fat-reduced cocoa powder. Artisan food it is not. The chocolates are also wrapped in plastic packaging.
Nature’s Charm Chocolate Fudge Sauce
Nature’s Charm Chocolate Fudge Sauce is based on coconut milk, guaranteed not to be harvested by monkey slaves. Ideal for all your cakes and bakes. Coconuts are high in lauric acid, which is thought to be good for health. But some doctors say to avoid coconut products if you need to drastically reduce saturated fat. Ultimately, it’s up to you. If you follow the philosophy of ‘a little of what you like does you good’, then go for it. The important thing is to not to be frightened of one particular food. Everything in balance.
Vegan Chocolate Fudge (Pick Up Limes) is a creamy, melt-in-the-mouth fudge. It only has 3 ingredients, and stores for a few months in the freezer.
Where to Buy Vegan Fudge
- Raw Vegan Fudge Pie is made in Cornwall. Free from gluten and added sugar, the range uses coconut oil to replace the dairy and lucuma (a dried Amazonian fruit that tastes like maple) to replace the sugar. Sold in individual packs, the range includes Vanilla, Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Saltered Caramel and Combo Packs. The company also sells mixed bars of raw chocolate and fudge. Some of this company’s products contain pet-toxic xylitol so keep away from pets, if eaten.
- The Hemp Pantry makes organic fudge in tins, with its own palm-oil-free butter. Choose from Original, Cranberry Orange, Lemon Drizzle, Salted Caramel or Chocolate. Sold with a compostable bag and tube (recycle the paper sleeve), once opened, eat within 7 days.
- Enjoy! Vegan Fudge is made with just a handful of natural ingredients including coconut milk and coconut sugar. The range includes 4 delicious flavours: Vanilla, Orange, Mint and Banoffee (made with organic banana powder and a squirt of lemon juice).
- Fudge Kitchen (Kent) makes artisan fudge in vegan versions (some contain glucose syrup, but it’s all free from palm oil). Handmade to order, the range includes hazelnut, rum & raisin and chocolate. This fresh fudge keeps for 10 days and freezes well (just wrap each slie or the whole box) in foil to seal, and defrost in wrapping for 2 hours before eating. Best stored at room temperature (do not chill, it affects the texture and taste).
The same company also makes a vegan drinking fudge, for pure indulgence in a mug. Served hot or cold, the range includes single-serve sachets to stir into plant milk. Choose from Moreish Mint, Tangy Orange, Chocolate Caramel, Salted Caramel, Ginger Spice or Classic Chocolate. To use for a milkshake, just add milk and/or vegan ice-cream instead of ice.
