If you’re anything like me, you probably take any chance you can get to show your non-vegan loved ones how incredibly tasty, satisfying, and easy vegan eating on a regular basis truly can be. Breaking the stigma that vegans eat more than “grass” will always be a lifelong endeavor for me in my quest to educate others about what it means to live by a vegan lifestyle.

When throwing an event with a sizeable guest list, it will always be impossible to please every single partygoer to the standard of perfection. Of course, we want our guests to enjoy the food amongst other aspects of the party. Unfortunately, the majority of people in our society have limited if any experience with vegan food that makes their taste buds scream, “More, more, more!” Don’t be afraid to make your event the moment where your guests make the connection that cruelty-free food can taste really good, if not better than animal flesh.

Turn Traditionally Catered Meals Vegan

When planning your menu for a party that will be dominated by non-vegan guests, I think it’s important to play it safe with a lot of items. You can also get a little frisky by adding some unique combinations to the table. Don’t make every item so obscure that people will not be willing to try it. When taking into consideration whether you will opt for a sit-down or buffet-style arrangement, you can morph these suggestions into what works best for you.

Know that your guests will be looking forward to meals they’re accustomed to ordering at catered events and large, formal gatherings. Steak, chicken, fish, and other typical meat-centric combinations of meals.  There are so many ways to veganize these dishes without any sacrifice to taste. From pigs in a blanket to shrimp cocktails, with a little bit of research and willingness to attempt these novel recipes in advance, you can really veganize any dish.

Hors D’oeuvre

  • Vegan Smoked Salmon: carrots, seaweed, soy sauce, oven. To be served atop multigrain crackers with vegan cream cheese and EVOO to taste.

        Recipe at simpleveganblog

  • Pigs in a Blanket: simple! Vegan hot dogs wrapped in Pillsbury crescent rolls. If you really want to get fancy with it, you can opt to make your own pigs in a blanket from scratch and make them healthy, too.

Recipe at thevegancaveman

  • Vegan Potstickers: there’s no need to make these from scratch when you can buy them in bulk from Costco, etc. Vegan, healthy, delicious.
  • Pretzel bites served with mustard on the side: a crowd favorite, it’s easy to purchase frozen vegan pretzel bites in bulk and throw them in the oven moments before the start of cocktail hour.
  • Bruschetta: (so simple it almost slipped my mind)- wow your guests with locally grown tomatoes topped with olive oil, s+p, some parsley, and freshly chopped garlic. It may be at this moment that they will realize they have been eating vegan food for years!
  • Fried Asparagus (hold the prosciutto): panko bread crumbs, aquafaba (chickpea juice), seasoning, oven, yum! Can be served with a garlic aioli sauce.

Recipe at karissavegankitchen

  • BBQ Jackfruit Mini Sliders: do not underestimate the power of jackfruit and how much it can taste like pulled pork. You might even fool your guests into thinking a non-vegan item snuck its way onto the menu. Smoky, tender, simple, scrumptious.

Recipe at minimalistbaker

Main Course if Sit-Down

  • Filet Mignon→ Balsamic vinaigrette portobello mushroom “steaks” topped with avocado chimichurri and served with a grain eg: millet, quinoa, rice, couscous, etc. 

Serve with a side of grilled veggies like asparagus and mashed potatoes or with a side of a massaged kale using olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast + garden fresh tomatoes.

Recipe at minimalistbaker I’ve followed this recipe a handful of times and it never fails to taste like a 5-star restaurant order!

  • Chicken Frances→ Tofu Francese served with creamy, lemony, “francesy” sauce and thick oodles of noodles that will have non-vegans shocked at how much they love it. These tofu patties will crisp to perfection and pair perfectly with vegan cheesy linguini.

Recipe at eatdrinkshrink

Buffet-style

  • Penne vodka made vegan→ 15 minute cook time to whip this one up

Recipe: PinchOfYum

  • Mashed potato bar→ From white potatoes, sweet potatoes, to even purple potatoes, don’t be afraid to get crazy with the toppings. When I worked in catering, I loved being placed on the mashed potato bar. Mostly because I got the chance to stuff my face while I hid behind the counter. But it did give me lots of ideas on how to make my mashed potatoes more fun. For a savory taste, you can opt for vegan butter, vegan sour cream, vegan cheese, scallions, fried red onions, and roasted red peppers. For a sweeter option, you can also include cinnamon and vegan mini marshmallows at your mashed potato station. 
  • A Selection of Flatbreads→ borrowed from a well-known vegan restaurant in New Jersey called Veganized
    • Squash-it: composed of maitake mushrooms, delicata squash, charred corn, arugula, and a cashew cheese spread
    • Roma: slow-roasted Roma tomatoes, caper calamata tapenade, pesto, arugula, and cashew cheese
    • Philly: roasted cremini mushrooms, slow-cooked peppers and onions, arugula, and cashew cheese.
  • Mac and Cheese + Chicken Fingers (for the kids): Growing up I always loved elbow macaroni when making creamy mac and cheese from scratch. It’s also easy to make this buffet option gluten-free friendly as well as nut-free. Vegan chicken fingers can be purchased frozen in bulk.

Recipe: FromMyBowl 

I’d love to include more recipe ideas and go down the rabbit-hole of endless savory Italian classics made vegan. But I’d really like to dive deep into different options from cuisines like Mediterranean to Japanese, Asian to Indian. Stay tuned, as I will have to devote that to another article.

Wishing you a wonderful vegan event filled with lots of happy soon to be vegan tastebuds! 😉

Xo, Susie