Vegan Recipe Resources: 21 Plant-Based Diet Cook Books, Recipe Sites, and YouTube Channels
When you first go vegan, the first challenge you’ll encounter is having to find new recipes.
Chances are that before going vegan, your go-to recipes involved an ample amount of animal products. This is what intimidates a lot of people about going vegan.
Most people don’t know that there is a world of tasty plant-based recipes.
Well, worry not, my friend! You have come to the right place at the right time!
We have put together 21 cookbooks, recipe websites, and YouTube channels for you to help you with your journey towards an amazing vegan lifestyle.
If you find our guide useful, please share it with a friend - especially if they are the kind of friend that cycles through only a handful of recipes on a weekly basis!
Cookbooks vs. Recipe Sites vs. YouTube Cooking Shows
Cookbooks
Pros
The great thing about cookbooks is that they’re always accessible - if the power is out or the internet is down, you still have a recipe book to make food unlike websites and YouTube videos.
Not everyone has or wants an Ipad/Phone/Laptop in the kitchen while handling food as this can be both dangerous and messy.
Cookbooks can make a great gift for someone - in this case, someone in your life who is vegan or looking into it.
Cons
Unfortunately, there are also cons that come with cookbooks: You’re not likely to use every recipe in a cookbook, henceforth taking up unnecessary space in the kitchen.
Cookbooks are easy to make a mess on - once you spill something on it, there’s no turning back.
If you lose your cookbook, you’ve lost your favorite recipe. At least with a website or YouTube video, you can jot down the URL.
Recipe Sites
Pros
Online recipes may encourage you to try new foods or cuisines.
Buying cookbooks can be expensive, but websites are free so if you don’t like them, it’s easy to move onto another.
It’s easy to share a recipe with family and friends. You can share it on Facebook or attach it in an email. The possibilities are endless!
On many sites, recipes are rated. It’s good to know how others got on and if it’s worth your time.
Cons
If you don’t bookmark, save, or print out your recipes then you may never be able to track them down again.
Also, a website may decide to delete your favorite recipe at any point so make sure you jot down a backup.
Sometimes having many options can be overwhelming - and some recipes are overcomplicated.
Why are there 10 different ways to make a simple vegan chocolate cake?
Not everything is online. I know, this might be hard to believe but there are a lot of really good cooks, and really good cookbooks, that aren’t represented online.
YouTube Cooking Shows
Pros
You are able to examine every single little detail of the cooking method and this will help you identify mistakes you have made.
YouTube videos feel more personal, this is because they are looking into a camera and talking directly at it. This helps the viewer feel more confident and comfortable.
Comments under the video are usually from people who are planning on making it or already have, here you can see if the recipe is worth your time.
Cons
Just like on websites, YouTube videos can be deleted and your new favorite recipe could be potentially lost forever.
Most of the time, there is a written recipe in the description box but on occasions where there isn’t, it can be annoying pausing the video every 5 seconds to check what the correct measurements are.
It is easy to get distracted by the video and not being able to focus on the actual cooking.
We have collected a few of our favourite vegan YouTube channels that are bound to help you along the way!
Cookbooks
Minimalist Baker’s Cookbooks
Minimalist Baker’s 31 Meals Cookbook: A Month Of Healthy, Simple Dinners
31 Meals is a digital cookbook with resources to help you make dinner simple, affordable, and delicious. 31 Meals includes a meal every day for a month - so it’ll get you started on your vegan journey easily!
Minimalist Baker's 31 Meals Cookbook
Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking.
This cookbook contains 101 entirely vegan, mostly gluten-free recipes including breakfast, sides & appetizers, mains, desserts, & beverages.
Just like their website, the recipes in this cookbook required 30 minutes or less, one bowl or one pot, or 10 ingredients or less to prepare.
Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking
Thug Kitchen
Thug Kitchen is all about not being a “pretentious” vegan with their kale and just eating normal food.
This cookbook is an invitation to everyone who wants to do better to elevate their kitchen game.
Thug Kitchen
But I Could Never Go Vegan
These are for all of you who have ever said those 6 words. Yes, you can go vegan! Can’t imagine living life without cheese?
Convinced that dairy-free cheeses just don’t cut it? Hate the taste of tofu and not a fan of plain jane salads? This is the cookbook for you!
But I Could Never Go Vegan
Frugal Vegan
Katie Koteen and Kate Kasbee show readers the best new tips and techniques to follow a plant-based diet on a budget.
You can use flavorful but less expensive vegan ingredients to create beautiful and delicious vegan meals with Frugal Vegan.
Frugal Vegan
15 Minute Vegan
By using ingredients that are easily available to purchase in the supermarket, 15 Minute Vegan shows the easy, hassle-free side to vegan cooking.
The cookbook covers Breakfast, Light Bites, Mains, Essentials and Sweet Stuff.
15 Minute Vegan
The New Vegan
Going vegan may seem like a daunting prospect - it feels like you’re giving up all your staple ingredients!
But with Aine Carlin’s help, she writes about how to enjoy a healthy, tasty diet while it’s vegan.
The New Vegan
Keep It Carbed, Baby!
This cookbook features 45 of the most-asked-for recipes in Anji’s back-to-basics style of high carb, low fat, whole food, plant based dishes.
What more could you ask for in a cookbook?
Keep It Carbed, Baby
Recipe Sites
Minimalist Baker
Minimalist Baker is a website devoted to simple, minimalist cooking. All recipes require 10 ingredients or less, one bowl or one pot, or 30 minutes or less to prepare.
This is perfect for a new vegan who is wanting to save money as much as possible.
Our favorite recipe: Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
This one-bowl vegan gluten-free carrot cake is perfect for birthdays!
Note: Although all of the recipes we have ever come across on this site are vegan, the about page mentions:
Credit to this image from Minimalist Baker
“While this has never been a strictly vegan or gluten-free blog, most new recipes fall into these two categories. This is simply because we enjoy eating and cooking this way and love making food everyone can enjoy. We don’t subscribe to any one diet (nope, we’re not vegan!), but plant-based cooking and baking has become the focus for this blog with our top priority always being on simple, delicious food.”
Exceedingly Vegan
Exceedingly Vegan aims to show how easy and delicious vegan food can be, not just for vegan but also for omnivores who are looking for some new tasty dishes.
Exceedingly Vegan’s main goal isn’t to turn people vegan, but to open their mind to luxurious and mouth-watering plant-based food.
Our favorite recipe: Vegan Boiled Egg on Avocado Toast
Credit to this image from Exceedingly Vegan
This recipe shows that you can even go as far as to “veganizing” boiled egg on avocado toast - amazing! Another cool factor about this recipe is that you won’t need to use egg moulds, Philipp used avocado skins!
Vegan in the Freezer
Are you a parent wanting to go vegan but you’re not sure how you’re going to keep on top of the pressure of cooking vegan for your kids every day?
Look no further. Recipes on Vegan in the Freezer feature healthy and delicious food that you can enjoy now or freeze for future meals.
Our favorite recipe: Vegan Combo Beef Sausage Chili
This recipe is perfect to make in bulk as you can put it in the freezer and save the rest for another day - simple!
Beef sausage chilli is also perfect for the cold winter nights that are on the way!
Credit to this image from Vegan in the Freezer
Vegan Recipe Club
Vegan Recipe Club features a wide range of different vegan recipes for you to try - let your mind run wild!
Our favorite recipe: Chocolate Bonbons
Have a sweet tooth? Why not try some chocolate bonbons without playing havoc with your blood sugar.
These could also make a great Christmas present!
Credit to this image from Vegan Recipe Club
Fat Free Vegan
Fat Free Vegan aims to create recipes without any added fat - so this is definitely a website to check out if you’re looking into going down the healthy route of veganism!
Our favorite recipe: Oil-Free Waffle Iron Hash Browns
We have never seen a recipe like this before, and it looks absolutely delicious!
Credit to this image from FatFree Vegan
Oh, Ladycakes.
Oh, Ladycakes believes in working with wholesome, seasonal ingredients as often as possible. Recipes are always vegan, sometimes gluten free and raw.
Our favorite recipe: Raw Fig Cheesecake
Credit for this image to Oh, Ladycakes
Raw fig cheesecake sounds weird, doesn’t it? A cheesecake that is easy AND healthy does exist!
YouTube Cooking Channels
Cheap Lazy Vegan
Rose is a vlogger known for her vegan recipe that are cheap & lazy tips and they have earned her more than 320,000 subscribers.
Our favorite VIDEO:
Best Vegan Stir Fry // Korean BBQ (Bulgogi) Sauce Recipe
In this video she shows us who to make a vegan stir fry with a traditional Korean sauce. As a vegan, we feel that it is important to try as many different flavors as possible
Edgy Veg
Edgy Veg is a channel that aims to change what we know as “vegan”. They veganize your old McDonald’s favorites and more!
Our favorite VIDEO:
Vegan Recipe: Vegan Vegetarian Big Mac
We love this video because it shows that you can “veganize” anything! Even your greasy fast food favorites. Candice even invited her friend who used to work at McDonalds to help build the burger for extra authenticity!
The Vegan Corner
The Vegan Corner pride themselves in being the first professional cookery YouTube channel dedicated entirely to plant-based cuisine.
They ensure that their recipes are healthy and tasty and will turn every meal into a mouth-watering feast where you’ll want to keep going back for more!
Our favorite VIDEO:
Scrambled Eggs
Are you worried that you’re going to miss eggs when you go vegan? This video is for you, it shows that you don’t have to give up anything as a vegan, including eggs!
You can also make scrambled eggs with tofu if you don’t have chickpea flour!
The Vegan Zombie
The Vegan Zombie creates unique recipes you would never even think could be vegan - with a twist of comedy and zombie references!
He also does taste tests of various new vegan products - so you don’t accidentally buy something you hate!
Our favorite VIDEO:
How to Make Almond Milk
You’ve probably heard the rumor that plant milks are “expensive” or “inaccessible” (they’re not), however, if you are concerned about the price of plant milks, The Vegan Zombie has put together a recipe for almond milk that only includes 2 ingredients, almonds and water!
Supreme Banana
Cami isn’t specifically a cookery channel but she has an amazing YouTube series called “Veganized” where she’ll either remake crazy recipes that non vegan YouTubers have created, or she’ll make a video taste testing vegan options at generic fast food chains.
Our favorite VIDEO:
Giant Vegan Donut Milkshake
In this video, Cami “veganizes” a giant donut milkshake Shane Dawson made to prove that you can make any food cruelty-free, and the milkshake looked damn good!
Hot For Food
Hot For Food aim to break all the misconceptions of what it means to be vegan one mouth watering recipe at a time!
They often do cooking challenges and ask their subscribers to vote on who’s food looks better!
Our favorite VIDEO:
Cauliflower Wings 3 Ways (Vegan)
Yes, you can make wings out of cauliflower! Lauren & John made not one, not two, but THREE different ways to make cauliflower wings, so you easily find out which one works out better to your taste!
High Carb Hannah
Hannah shed 60lbs on a carb-heavy vegan recipes and she shares her recipes and meal plans to show that anyone can do it and that carbs are not the enemy!
Our favorite VIDEO:
Vegan Cooking 101 : How To Make Vegan Pasta
Here she shows how to make vegan pasta, and it looks so yummy!
Thank you for reading and
don’t forget to share this article!
Hopefully by now you’re feeling more confident about the vegan lifestyle - with a lot more amazing recipes under your belt.
I’m sure you’ve come across a few people who believe that veganism is hard or not healthy for you but now you have all the tools to show them how easy and accessible it is for everyone!
New to veganism and are looking for a good documentary? Check out our master list of 40 vegan documentaries!
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