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 are the simplest to make. A sandwich is always a great option when you want something quick and filling to pack in a lunchbox for work or school. But many people have a hard time imagining what vegan sandwiches could look like besides raw vegetables between bread slices.
However, longtime vegans know better. There’s plenty of room for creativity within the sandwich’s humble framework without using meat and dairy. These best vegan sandwich recipe ideas are here to reinvent finger food.
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 without the non-ingredients. Replace the egg batter with a paste of flour, water, and turmeric powder. Slice and coat the green tomatoes in the vegan batter and deep fry to add a crispy texture. Serve on toasted bread with vegan mayonnaise.
Garden Sloppy Joes & Cole Slaw
Everyone’s favorite messy, meaty sandwich has found its vegan match! Substitute meat for seasoned textured vegetables of your choice. Cook the filling in a skillet for an easy meal. Warm some buns, add the mixture, and top with vegan coleslaw. If you don’t like TVP, you can also make vegan patties from lentils or mashed chickpeas!
Smashed Chickpea Salad
This sandwich will remind you of the classic chicken salad sandwiches that were a summer staple back in the day. To recreate the classic taste in a vegan way, smash boiled chickpeas and add pickles, onions, and veganaise. Add your favorite salad when serving between slices of multigrain bread.
Garlic Dairy-Free Butter Grilled Cheese Sourdough
Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese with tomato soup on a chilly day?
Vegans can indulge in the cheesy goodness too! Daiya pepper jack and Tofutti cheddar cheeses are recommended, but feel free to pick your favorite brand. Add tomato and spinach and serve on some sourdough bread.
Grilled Dairy-Free Cheese
Want to get creative with vegan grilled cheese? This recipe offers three variations.
Inspired by jalapeño poppers, the first has jalapeños and vegan cream cheese. The second includes spinach, vegan pesto, and Swiss Daiya. The third has cranberry sauce, pecans, and Daiya Provolone as ingredients and is perfect with Thanksgiving leftovers.
Balsamic Sweet Potato
If you like to combine sweet and savory flavors, this recipe is for you! Add sweet potato slices, coconut oil, green onions, and balsamic reduction to achieve a balanced sweet and savory flavor combination. Use your choice of vegan cheddar, veganaise, and bread to assemble the sandwich.
Buffalo Chickpea Salad
This recipe is healthy yet spicy! It contains chickpeas, carrot, celery, thinly cut green onion, and peppers. Add buffalo sauce and 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 six ingredients required for this recipe, and it takes only 10 minutes to prepare. Add vegan mayo or hummus and serve on your favorite bread.
Non-Egg Salad
If you want to recreate the flavor of egg salad without the eggs, you 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 a summer sandwich that’s vegan and gluten-free! Make the bread with chia seeds, tapioca starch, and Simple Mills bread mix. For the salad, mash the chickpeas, add celery, bell pepper, and carrots. Add avocado and strawberries to elevate the flavors to new heights!
Smashed White Bean & Avocado
This sandwich is creamy yet light, healthy, and gluten-free. It also takes only 5 minutes to prepare!
White beans, basil, and avocado are mixed with Dijon mustard and lemon juice to round out the flavors. Top with greens and tomato on this open-faced sandwich.
Jackfruit Pulled Pork
Jackfruit is a wonderful substitute for pulled pork because of its texture. This recipe uses jackfruit from a can to avoid the overly-harsh sweetness of the fresh variety.
Spinach Pesto Grilled Dairy-Free Cheese
Use your favorite vegan cheese to fix a quick lunch. Add vegan pesto spread between the cheese slices to get an extra cheesy Italian kick.
Homemade TTLA
TTLA stands for tempeh bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado. You can use store-bought tempeh bacon if you don’t want to go the extra mile, but the recipe links to a site that teaches you how to make it yourself.
Wakame Seaweed & Chickpea
The addition of dried Wakame seaweed in the recipe brings the flavors of the ocean while chickpea filling makes it filling. You may want to eat this sandwich with a knife and fork to minimize the mess.
Plant-Based Philly Cheesesteak
Portobello mushrooms are naturally meaty in texture, making them the perfect beef substitute. This recipe uses that texture with a marinade of vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and homemade Dijon mustard to bring together the signature Philly cheesesteak flavor for vegans.
Thai Peanut
This sandwich recipe’s creamy peanut butter and hoisin sauce combination gives it a rich, lush flavor. Add sriracha if you find it too sweet, and swap the bread for a gluten-free version.
Tofu & Kale Pesto
Tofu soaks up the marinades and brings a variety of flavors to everything. In this recipe, its soft texture pairs well with kale pesto mixed with nutritional yeast to create a cheesy flavor and texture.
Easy Maine Lobster Rolls
Hearts of Palm is the main ingredient in this recipe. It is chopped to resemble chunks of lobster. Add celery hearts for extra texture and flavor.
Chickpea Sloppy Joes
This humble sandwich takes only 20 minutes to make! The chickpeas keep it healthy, while tomato sauce, ketchup, and yellow mustard bring the classic sandwich flavors.
Tofu Egg-Free Salad
This egg salad is a little different from your grab-and-go deli sandwich. It uses tofu instead of eggs. Sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and capers keep the tofu from being bland and add much needed acidic notes to the flavor.
Cashew Mozzarella & Fig Jam
The combination of figs and cheese is one you need to try! The creaminess of nutty vegan cheese paired with sweet figs on top of crusty bread makes it a filling snack or meal any time of the day. Feel free to make your own fig jam as per the recipe or use your favorite store-bought one!
BBQ Tofu with Pineapple Relish
This sandwich combines fresh pineapple with jalapeños, red onions and bell peppers. If you want to cut down on the heat, feel free to omit the jalapeños.
Coconut Bacon with Sliced Peaches
The recipe used unsweetened coconut flakes, while the strong spices make it smell like bacon. These flakes are fantastic in a sandwich. Use leftover coconut bacon flakes to sprinkle on some vegan mac and cheese.
Smoky Tofu Lettuce Tomato
Using tamari, smoked paprika, and maple syrup, the recipe creates a marinade that gives the tofu a flavor reminiscent of maple smoked bacon. Add some vegan mayonnaise on top of some crisp lettuce and tomatoes to fix an easy lunch!
Caesar Smashed Chickpea
The chickpeas are mashed with homemade Caesar dressing in this recipe before being smothered onto some bread. If you don’t want to spend time making Caesar dressing from scratch, a 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 sandwich combines turmeric with black sulfur salt to create the perfect scrambled tofu. You can prepare the tofu egg the night before if you want to intensify its flavor. Assemble the tofu egg in an English muffin and you’ll have the perfect brunch sandwiches ready in 15 minutes.
Garlic Butter Chickpea
This vegan sandwich combines smashed chickpeas and simple spices with dairy-free mayonnaise to create a rich, buttery flavor. This base can be dressed up or down by adding sauces like sriracha or chili sauce for heat or caramelized onions for sweetness.
