The staple ingredients in my vegan pantry that you too will need to create the delicious vegan food of your, or your nephew’s, dreams.
Nutritional Yeast
There’s a reason this stuff is in so many vegan recipes. Well, actually many reasons. The first of which is that tastes cheesy! It’ll give anything that unctuous, smile-from-the-inside cheese flavor, without actually having to use cheese.
Secondly, there are variants of nutritional yeast that are fortified with b-12, which you may have heard plant-based diets are not plentiful in. Check the labels before you buy it, however, as not all contains the legitimate b-12 you need to stay healthy.
Thirdly, it’s a thickening agent. Put it in your creamy soups, not only to give them that flavor, but also to thicken them, too.
Tips and Tricks: You can buy this stuff in the bulk section of your store. It’s generally cheaper than buying individual containers, and the quality is not that much different. Also, you can sprinkle this over popcorn, and it’s delicious.
Liquid Smoke
It’s true that good things come in small packages, or in this case, small bottles.
Next up in the vegan pantry is liquid smoke – an amazing ingredient to have in your cupboard. It is typically the condensed smoke from some kind of fragrant wood chip, and it can pack a ton of flavor into a dish.
Likewise, it can also overwhelm a dish entirely, if you’re heavy-handed with it.
Just a 1/2 of a teaspoon (if that) is enough to give anything from homemade vegan hotdogs to soups to marinades an incredible smokey, meaty flavor.
Use with caution!
Raw Cashews
Where do I even begin about raw cashews?
These little c-shaped nuts are an amazing ingredient to have on hand, and my vegan pantry is never without a bag of them.
Raw cashews, unlike their roasted counterparts, have special properties that allow them to thicken when reduced. Simply soak them in water overnight or boil for 10 minutes, and they will then be ready to create the most lavish, creamy vegan sauces and dressings you have ever tasted, all without dairy.
Vinegars
Red wine, white wine, balsamic, apple cider – the list goes on. If it can ferment, you can bet someone’s made a vinegar out of it. Those first couple listed are my personal favorites.
Vinegars are a great way to impart a gigantic flavor into any dressing, soup, marinade, or any dish really, and often times can also be used as a healthy substitute for salt.
The essence of vegan cooking is this ingredient.
Ground Flaxseed
This stuff is my most reliable substitute for egg in baked goods.
A good binder is hard to find in vegan cooking, and even harder to figure out the ratios for, but flaxseed is easy. 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons of warm water = 1 egg. It’s that simple.
Let the flaxseed thicken in the warm water into a gelatin-like texture, and then you’re ready to use it. I would recommend using ground flaxseed more in muffin and cake batters.
Chickpeas
The chickpea is the most versatile, varied, and vibrant bean in existence.
It can be creamy and velvety, crispy and crunch, puffed and fluffy. I’m sure you’ve heard of and tried hummus before – chickpeas again. You can use the flour to make delicious gluten-free recipes or as a binder for batters and baked goods. Dried chickpeas soaked overnight in water make the best-ever falafel. Heck, you can even use the preserving liquid in the can, called aquafaba, to make eggless meringues!
Tamari and Soy Sauce
As staple-y as staples get, really.
Tamari and Soy Sauce can be found in almost anything that needs an umami, that’s to say savory, and salty kick.
Marinades, dressings, homemade seitan loafs, soups, ect.
The main difference between the two is that tamari tends to have little to no wheat, whereas soy sauce almost always contains it. So tamari for the gluten-free nephew and nieces.
Every pantry, not just a vegan pantry, should be stocked with tamari and soy sauce.
Tofu
Perhaps the most misunderstood ingredient of all time. Tofu, simply put, is just the curd from a soybean. It has a bad reputation for being tasteless flubber, but that could not be farther from the truth.
Would you cook any protein without seasoning it or flavoring it or transforming it from its base state? No. The same applies to tofu.
Tofu is a blank canvas. Tofu is infinite possibility…
Marinade it, pan fry it, bread it, bake it, blend it up to make creams and mousses…you can tell I’m passionate about debunking the myth that tofu is somehow a bland blob.
Tofu comes in many varieties of textures: silken, firm, extra-firm. Depending on the recipe, pay attention to the specific kind you need. Desserts tend to use silken, whereas savory dishes will use firm or extra-firm tofu.
Tips and Tricks: Pressing tofu is a key technique when preparing firm or extra-firm tofu for marinading or pan frying. Doing so will rid the curd of excess water and make way for the marinade and any other added flavor.
To press the tofu, simply cut your apportioned sections, and lay it (padded with a dish towel) between two cutting boards. Place something heavy on the top, and wait for 20 to 30 minutes.
Lemon
When life gives you lemons, you can make so much more than just lemonade.
Not only is lemon a delicious sour spike of flavor, but also an excellent preserver of fresh fruits and vegetables. If you have a fruit salad – juice it with lemon to keep it fresh. Half an avocado? Juice it with lemon.
What’s more is the zest, the skin of the lemon, adds an amazing bitter lemon flavor to both savory and sweet dishes, and is worthy of a teaspoon of inclusion whenever you might use the juice.
Maple Syrup
If you’re anything like me, you were brought up eating a mockery of real maple syrup – a high-fructose corn syrup infused, tar-textured imitation of it.
Real maple syrup is much less viscous, and has a lighter, more mild flavor. If you give yourself a chance to get used to it, you’ll never go back (even though it is rather expensive). My vegan pantry always has at least one bottle as backup.
Use this to dress up marinades, dressings, and baked goods, for a more natural inclusion of sugar than processed white cane sugar.
Peanut Butter
Okay, this is a staple for almost everyone. Unless you’re allergic to peanuts, I am suspicious of people who don’t like peanut butter.
Creaminess manifest, peanut butter is amazing in both savory dishes and desserts or just on the end of a spoon by itself. I love it. Even before having a vegan pantry, this stuff always inhabited some place in my home.
I tend to buy the natural stuff, as the others have added sugars and salts that detract from the flavor.
Sriracha
My hot sauce of choice. I know, I know – not very hot, but hot enough for me. I’m not totally one to shy from heat in a dish, but I’m not going to test the limits of the Scoville scale either.
Sriracha is excellent as a companion to more mild flavors, like when it’s mixed into a peanut sauces to give it some oompf, but it also works well solo as a garnish, on top of soups with relatively clear broths like Pho.
My favorite brand is Yellowbird Sauce – Blue Agave Sriracha.
Dijon Mustard
This, like natural maple syrup, was an acquired taste for me. But once I acquired it, oh was I hooked.
Dijon mustard pacts a wallop of flavor, and is more than just a condiment on a hot dog or sandwich. Use this stuff in dressings and potato salads, or whenever you need a good zip of tartness.
Peppers
Bell, jalapeño, poblano, habanero, cayenne, chili, serrano…
Peppers are a gift to any dish, and they will not only add a delicious spice, but also a beautiful color. They come in so many varieties and sizes and shapes and colors that the possibilities are really endless.
Stuff them, sauté them, pickle them, blend them…
Chili and cayenne powders are also a staple seasoning.
Tips and tricks: De-seed the peppers to mitigate a lot of the heat, especially for the peppers like jalapeños, serranos, habaneros, and hotter.
Just be sure to equip hand protection like latex gloves when working with spicy peppers…Trust me, I speak from experience on this one.
Tahini
It sounds fancy, but it’s just sesame seed paste. It’s bitter, thick, and very rich. It’s the vegan elixir of life.
Most people know that tahini used in hummus, but it can also be a sturdy backbone for any dressing when mixed with citrus, some water, salt and pepper.