5 Easy Vegan Trends All Plant-Based Readers Should Know
Whether you’re a newbie to the plant-based scene, a long-time vegan, or simply looking for new recipe ideas, knowing the upcoming easy vegan trends is a must. These’ll boost your satisfaction and cooking skills simultaneously — what’s not to love?
At Cafe Love Life, we’re all about delicious and nutritious vegan eats, especially if they’re blending cutting-edge flavours with healthy ingredients. Alongside the top trends, we’ve included two of our most popular easy vegan recipes to help you get ahead of the curve.
Ready to cook up a plant-based storm? Scroll down to get started!
1. Vegan Focaccia
First on the list is vegan focaccia. This classic bread dish is here to stay in 2024, so get ready to make fluffy sandwiches and starters. While many breads are vegan, finding 200% vegan focaccia can be difficult. But we’re here to put a stop to this.
As a vegan restaurant in Birmingham, we’ve created a fool-proof easy vegan focaccia recipe you can use at home. So, put on your chef’s hat, preheat the oven, and save into this smoked paprika and sea salt focaccia recipe.
Smoked Paprika & Sea Salt Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
- 500g Extra strong Canadian bread flour
- 7g fast-action yeast (dried)
- 3 tsp sea salt
- 100ml olive oil, plus more for greasing the tin and serving
- 10g Smoked sweet Paprika
Method
- Tip the bread flour into a generously sized mixing bowl. Put the yeast on one side of the flour and the fine salt on the other. Combining these elements separately initially prevents the salt from hindering the yeast.
- Create a well in the centre of the flour mixture and the olive oil and 350ml lukewarm water gradually, ensuring you achieve a slightly sticky dough.
- Sprinkle the work surface with flour, transfer the dough onto it, and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is soft and less sticky.
- Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover it with a tea towel, and allow it to prove for 1 hour until it doubles in size.
- Grease a shallow rectangle tin (25 x 35cm) with oil. Transfer the dough onto the work surface, stretch it to fit the tin, cover it with a tea towel, and let it proof for another 35-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Create dimples in the dough by pressing your fingers into it. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and some extra sea salt over the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. While the bread is still hot, drizzle 1-2 tbsp olive oil over it. Cut into squares and serve either warm or cold, accompanied by extra olive oil if desired.
And that’s it! You’ll have golden, airy vegan focaccia in no time. Bookmark this page now so you don’t lose the recipe.
2. Vegan Dips
Once you’ve made your fluffy bread, you need some veggie-approved dips to complete the dish. Luckily, another of the upcoming easy vegan trends is plant based dips. But don’t worry, it’s not hummus (although we do love this chickpea champion).
Instead, the easy vegan trends include Muhammara, a spicy dip made from red bell peppers and walnuts. Known for its vivid orange colour and powerful flavour, this will be your new staple.
Skip the experimentation. Cafe LoveLife’s chef team has prepared an easy vegan recipe to help you achieve perfect Muhammara without muss or fuss. Divine.
Roasted Pepper and Walnut Muhammara
Ingredients
- 75g toasted walnuts
- 30g panko breadcrumbs
- 3 Red peppers (around 600g)
- 20ml pomegranate molasses
- 50ml olive oil
- 10g ground cumin
- 3 garlic cloves (Minced)
- 10g Aleppo chilli flakes
- 5g Sea Salt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200ºc
- Place the walnuts on a baking tray and toast for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and cool.
- At the same time Rub the red peppers in oil and transfer to a baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes until soft then transfer to a mixing bowl and cover with cling film to allow the skin to steam. After half an hour take the peppers out of the mixing bowl and remove the skin, stem and seeds.
- In a food processor, combine the toasted walnuts, panko breadcrumbs, red peppers, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, ground cumin, minced garlic, Aleppo chilli flakes, and salt.
- Blend the ingredients until you achieve a smooth and creamy consistency. This may take a few minutes, depending on your equipment.
- Taste the muhammara and check the seasoning. Adjust salt or other seasonings to your preference.
3. Fermented Veggies
Are any kombucha fans reading? Fermentation is another easy vegan trend for the next year, but this one isn’t a fizzy drink!
Fermented foods like kimchi and cashew cheese are on the menu now. You might be unsure of these unique snacks if you're not used to fermentation.
However, fermentation is a process that enhances the flavour and elevates the food with healthy probiotics. These are essential for a healthy digestive system, so note these down if you’re interested in health and digestive well-being!
4. Crispy Enoki Mushrooms
Mushrooms will always be a vegan classic. But one mushroom is taking the vegan world by storm faster than any other — the humble Enoki mushroom.
Enoki mushrooms (also known as flammulina filiformis) are long and thin mushrooms widely found throughout East Asia. These are prevalent throughout Chinese and Japanese cuisine, but they’re making their way to the forefront as a crunchy snack.
Instead of in soups or curries, crispy enoki mushrooms are battered and fried for a crisp bite and a lot of flavour. Perfect if you want an easy vegan crisp replacement.
5. Plant-Based Seafood
While plant-based seafood might sound impossible, it’s set to be the next big thing. Move over meat and cheese alternatives; this year, we’re all about vegan salmon, tuna, crab, and sushi.
Plant-based seafood is made from a mix of ingredients. Some are tofu, some seaweed, and others seitan. All offer a unique dining experience, so don’t forget to add these to your foodie bucket list for 2024.
You’ll mostly spot vegan seafood options at plant-based restaurants or from health food stores. Otherwise, you might have to make your own, as these haven’t hit the main supermarket chains just yet (beyond veggie fish fingers).
Other Hot Vegan Trends To Know
Can’t get enough of vegan innovations? Here are some other trends that should be on your radar.
- Tempeh (as a meat substitute)
- Whole-food legumes (e.g. lentils, chickpeas, and kidney beans)
- Mycoproteins (fermented funguses)
- Vegan fast food
While some of these might not sound so new, more and more chefs are experimenting and creating improved tastes and healthier options. So, no need to worry about your food falling flat in the future!
Embracing The Easy Vegan Trends
So, will we catch you trying out a vegan focaccia recipe? Or will you head to the store and check out Enoki mushrooms? No matter your style, adding more vegan dishes to your repertoire is a great way to eat a well-balanced diet and experiment with new flavours and textures in the kitchen.
But you don’t have to be a professional chef to taste these wonders!
Cafe LoveLife is here to help if you don’t fancy slaving over the stovetop. With plenty of vegan-friendly Mediterranean dishes and a focus on healthy produce, we always consider the latest trends when curating our veggie-packed menu.
Top options for vegans include full Mediterranean breakfasts, scrambled tofu, vegan mezze plates, garlic roasted swede steaks, and dark chocolate and Aleppo chilli mousse.
Whatever you fancy, our Birmingham restaurant is here to show your plant power with a Mediterranean twist.