The best vegan sandwich recipe ideas from around the web. Great ideas for plant-based sandwich fillings, including jackfruit, chickpea, vegan cheese, and more!
Sometimes the best meals to eat are the simplest ones to make. When you want something quick and full of nutrients to pack in a lunchbox for work or the kids’ school lunch, a sandwich is always a great option.
Many people have a hard time imagining what a vegan would even put on a sandwich besides raw vegetables between two slices of bread. How boring and unappetizing does that sound?! But longtime vegans know better.
There’s plenty of room for creativity in your preparation within the sandwich’s humble framework without the meat and dairy. You can even create vegan versions of the sandwiches carnivores and omnivores have as staples of their diets. Want to know how? Read on to find out!
These best vegan sandwich recipes from around the web will have you ready to pack the ultimate healthy picnic that fits your lifestyle!
Buffalo Cauliflower
If you miss the flavors of buffalo chicken wings, this sandwich is an excellent way to replicate that dish in vegan form. Hearty cauliflower absorbs the sauce well and fills you up, making this the perfect sandwich to fuel you through a long day. If you’re craving something saucy, this is the vegan sandwich for you.
To make this sandwich, prepare the cauliflower. You can cut it into steaks, mimicking the shape and texture of a chicken cutlet, or cut it into florets that resemble chicken wings. Then, prepare the sauce by mixing store-bought buffalo sauce with garlic powder, olive oil, and chili powder if you want an extra kick.
To assemble the sandwiches, dip the cauliflower into the buffalo sauce. Once the cauliflower is battered, you can fry it for the perfect crispy texture or bake it if you are health-conscious. The good thing about cauliflower is that its robust, thick texture means this vegetable will not fall apart during cooking, and it makes an excellent meat substitute.
Tomato, Mushroom & Artichoke
This sandwich is the perfect way to punch up the middle of your day with the fresh taste of seasonal produce. Using perfectly in-season tomatoes helps you feel the bounty of nature in each bite! Plus, fiber-rich artichokes help fill you up and fuel you through the rest of the day.
The vegetables make this sandwich, so make sure that you choose only the best tomatoes. The first step is to use the basil to make a spread for the sandwich. You can blend fresh basil with edamame to make a rich, fresh spread or chop it up with other herbs to make a fresh chutney.
Then, start assembling your sandwich. Slather the basil on your choice of bread (we recommend a crusty baguette) and add slices of tomatoes and quartered roasted or jarred artichokes. For extra crunch, add fresh basil, in-season greens, and pine nuts.
Fried Green Tomato
This vegan twist on the Southern classic has all the flavor and fried goodness you want without being battered with an egg mixture.
Simply replace the eggs with flour, water, and turmeric powder, slice and coat the green tomatoes, and fry them. Serve on toasted bread with some vegan mayonnaise.
Garden Sloppy Joes and Cole Slaw
Everyone’s favorite messy, meaty sandwich has met its vegan match!
Substitute meat for savory, seasoned textured vegetable protein. Cook it in a skillet for an easy meal. Warm some buns and add the mixture. Top with a bit of vegan coleslaw. Don’t like TVP? Try lentils or mashed chickpeas instead!
Smashed Chickpea Salad
Do you miss the chicken salad grandma used to make now that you’re vegan?
Try this tangy chickpea salad recipe instead. Smash the chickpeas, add pickles, onions, and a little veganaise. The vinegar, mustard, and fresh dill tie the flavors together. Add your favorite fixings. Serve on multigrain bread.
Garlic Dairy-Free Butter Grilled Cheese Sourdough
Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese with tomato soup on a chilly day?
Now vegans can indulge in the cheesy goodness! Daiya pepper jack and Tofutti cheddar cheeses are recommended, but feel free to pick your favorite brand. Add tomato and spinach. Serve it all up on some sourdough bread.
Grilled Dairy-Free Cheese
Want to get creative with the vegan grilled cheese? This recipe is perfect. It offers three variations.
Inspired by jalapeno poppers, the first has jalapenos and vegan cream cheese. The second includes spinach, vegan pesto, and Swiss Daiya. The third is perfect for Thanksgiving – cranberry sauces, pecans, and Daiya Provolone.
Balsamic Sweet Potato
Do you like to combine your savory vegan foods with something a little bit sweet?
Added sweet potato slices, coconut oil, greens, onions, and balsamic reduction make for a perfect flavor combination in this vegan grilled cheese recipe. Use your choice of vegan cheddar and veganaise on your favorite bread.
Buffalo Chickpea Salad
Want to kick your typical lunch fare up a notch? Try vegan “chicken” salad, but make it spicy! This quick and healthy recipe will have even the pickiest people eating their veggies. Besides the chickpeas, there’s carrot, celery, thinly cut green onion, and peppers. Add buffalo sauce. Serve on sprouted grain bread.
Eggplant Bacon & Aquafaba Mayo
This vegan version of the classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich replaces the crispy pork bacon with your choice of grilled eggplant or coconut slices. There are only 6 ingredients, and it takes 10 minutes to make!
Add vegan mayo or hummus, onion, and serve on your favorite bread.
Non-Egg Salad
If you miss the flavor of egg salad but want to skip the eggs, you definitely need this recipe in your life.
Instead of eggs, mix mashed firm tofu with yogurt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, celery, green onions, parsley, and seasonings. Serve on whole-wheat bread with your choice of toppings.
Gluten-Free Strawberry Avocado Chickpea Salad
This recipe mixes sweet, savory, and creamy ingredients for the perfect summer sandwich that’s vegan and gluten-free!
Make the brad with chia seeds, tapioca starch, and Simple Mills bread mix. For the salad, mash the chickpeas, add celery, bell pepper, and carrot. Let the avocado and strawberries steal the show!
Smashed White Bean and Avocado
This healthy sandwich is creamy and light. It also happens to be vegan, gluten-free, and ready to serve in 5 minutes!
White beans, basil, and avocado are the key ingredients, but it also includes Dijon mustard and some lemon juice to round out the flavors. Top with greens and tomato.
Jackfruit Pulled Pork
Jackfruit is a wonderful substitute for pulled pork because of the floss like texture it has – it is almost as if you are eating pulled pork. What makes this wonderfully special is that the jackfruit is from a can so you do not have to worry about tasting the sweetness of the jackfruit while enjoying your sandwich.
Spinach Pesto Grilled Dairy-Free Cheese
Grilled cheese is so delicious and with so many different vegan cheeses on the market, of course a version of grilled cheese would be listed! Use any cheese you favor to make a quick lunch. This one ups the yum factor with adding a vegan pesto spread that gives this an extra cheesy Italian kick.
Homemade TTLA
It is not a spelling mistake – TTLA stands for tempeh bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado. You can feel free to use store-bought tempeh bacon if you are strapped for time or if you want to go the extra mile, the recipe can also link to a site that teaches you how to make it yourself.
Wakame Seaweed & Chickpea
It may not seem very tuna like with the chickpeas but man, it really gives a wonderfully filling feeling after you are finished. The addition of dried Wakame seaweed in the recipe gives this an ocean like taste that makes you want to double the 1 tablespoon amount! Warning to those eating this sandwich – do not eat with your fingers! Use a knife and fork to minimize the mess.
Plant-Based Philly Cheesesteak
One of the best alternatives to meat is Portobello mushrooms. They are naturally so meaty in texture, people would hardly notice it is not meat unless it is specifically pointed out. The marinade recipe for this cheesesteak is what will really sell it to non-vegan eaters! The mixture of vinegar, Worcestershire, and homemade Dijon brings together the signature Philly cheesesteak flavor everyone loves.
Thai Peanut
This can be easily made gluten-free – just swap out the bread for a gluten-free one! The creamy peanut butter that is used in the sandwich marinated with hoisin sauce gives this sandwich a rich, lush filling that sings of sweet and creamy. Throw in the sriracha and you will have harmony in your mouth.
Tofu & Kale Pesto
Do not sleep on tofu – this humble ingredient is a sponge for flavor and more people need to start using it! It will absolutely soak up any kind of marinade without worry. The tofu is a great contrast to the kale pesto that has nutritional yeast mixed in to create a cheesy undertone.
Easy Maine Lobster Rolls
This is the sandwich to please everyone sandwich and no one is sorry about it. Hearts of Palm is the main ingredient here and with how it is chopped, it can really resemble huge chunks of lobster. To keep the sandwich from being too one tone in texture, the celery hearts are absolutely necessary.
Chickpea Sloppy Joes
This humble sandwich takes only 20 minutes to make! Imagine how quick this would be to throw together for a quick and healthy lunch. The chickpeas keep this packed with protein and to make things easy, the recipe uses tomato sauce, ketchup and yellow mustard to create the sauce to smother them in.
Tofu Egg-Free Salad
Scrambled tofu looks so much like egg, it is no wonder the creation of an egg sandwich would arise. This egg salad is a little different from your grab-and-go deli sandwich – the added bits of sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers keep the tofu from being bland and adds much needed acid to the whole thing.
Cashew Mozzarella & Fig Jam
The combination of figs and cheese is so delicious. The creaminess of cheese paired with the sweet fig on top of crusty bread is so perfect, no one would imagine there is an ingredient that needs to be added. Feel free to make your own fig jam as per the recipe or purchase a jar if you are short on time!
BBQ Tofu with Pineapple Relish
Back to the tofu but with a different kind of barbecue sauce! This sandwich incorporates a fresh pineapple relish that is reminiscent of a pineapple salsa with the use of jalapeños, red onions and bell peppers. For those that do not prefer sauces that are spicy, feel free to omit the jalapeños!
Coconut Bacon with Sliced Peaches
This sounds very strange but it is sincerely a lot tastier than it sounds. It will not taste as if you are having a coconut sandwich. The coconut flakes are unsweetened and because of the strong spices used, it will smell like bacon more than coconut. These flakes are fantastic in a sandwich or even sprinkled on some mac and cheese!
Smoky Tofu Lettuce Tomato
If you are still not convinced with the coconut bacon, give this tofu bacon a shot! Using tamari, smoke paprika and maple syrup, the marinade gives the tofu a flavor very reminiscent of maple smoked bacon. Add that with some mayonnaise on top of some crisp lettuce and tomatoes, you have yourself a great lunch!
Caesar Smashed Chickpea
If you are not crazed about having to catch chickpeas out of your sandwich as you eat, this may be the sandwich for you! The chickpeas are mashed with the homemade Caesar dressing before being smothered onto some bread. If you find that making Caesar dressing is too much work, store bought works just as well!
Homemade TTLA
This recreation of Whole Foods’ ‘TTLA’ sandwich matches homemade tempeh bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado. Topped with aioli the final result is a juicy, filling sandwich packed full of fresh ingredients.
Fried Tofu & English Muffin
This screams brunch and it will not disappoint. This sandwich combines turmeric with Kala Mamak black sulfur salt to create the perfect look of scrambled eggs made with tofu! The tofu egg can be made the night before and left in the fridge if you really want to intensify the flavor. To make this recipe really simple, it calls for store-bought chicken-style tofu patties so you do not have to spend the day slaving away in the kitchen.
Garlic Butter Chickpea
This vegan sandwich starts with tender, smashed chickpeas and a handful of simple spices. Next comes the simple dressing of dairy-free mayonnaise to create a richness that is reminiscent of butter. This base can be dressed up or down by adding various flavors like sriracha chili sauce for heat or caramelized onions for sweetness
