If you’re in the habit of thinking of sandwiches as slices of meat – or fish, chicken, or egg salads – between two slices of bread, you may be at a loss for how to quickly throw together a vegan sandwich. Here are a few ideas. Vary the bread based on your preferences and what you have on hand – sliced, rolls/buns, pita, tortilla wraps, flat – or even just use Romaine lettuce leaves as your wrap.
1. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich (or other nut butter, spreadable fruit, jam/preserves) – This old standby is vegan and kid-friendly. Ideally choose a peanut butter with no added ingredients, and a fruit spread with limited sugar. I usually buy Shoprite brand organic peanut butter, which contains only organic dry-roasted peanuts and sea salt. For fruit spread, I vary brands, but look for ones that have about 6 grams of sugar per serving. Many of them have way more than that, so always check labels.
2. Peanut butter and Banana Sandwich – Slice the banana thinly, or if it’s ripe enough, you can even mash and spread it. If you want to make it Elvis style, grill it. I like to use coconut oil, but any med-high heat oil or non-dairy butter works.
3. Hummus and Tabouli Sandwich – Just buy pre-made hummus and tabouli, and spread inside bread or wrap. There are many variations of hummus to choose from.
4. Hummus, Roasted Red Pepper, and Avocado Sandwich – Actually hummus is a great starting point for many variations of sandwiches – and even mini-pizzas you can make quickly in the toaster oven. In the sandwich pictured, I used a hummus with sun-dried tomatoes.
5. Baba Ganoush, Tomato, Lettuce, and Avocado – Or use hummus instead of baba ganoush.
6. Falafel Sandwich – you can buy pre-made falafel, like these from Trader Joes, and add whatever you like. Some typical options are hummus or tahini, tomato, and lettuce.
7. Veggie “Cold Cuts” Sandwiches – This “one” idea actually should give you many different sandwich ideas! There are lots of vegan deli slices options available, from substitutes for familiar deli meats like turkey, bologna, ham, to ones that offer something unique. For example Field Roast offers Lentil Sage, Wild Mushroom, and Smoked Tomato deli slices. Try your favorite combinations. I like adding sliced or mashed cranberry to turkey-style slices. Avocado and tomato is great in most sandwiches. Add a little mustard, ketchup, and/or vegan mayo, and you’ve got a tasty deli-style sandwich. When buying deli slices, be sure to check labels and buy the least processed. Many brands use soy protein isolate, and while not horrible in moderation, it’s better to choose brands made of whole foods. Tofurky and Field Roast are my usual choices. Tofurky is in most mainstream groceries. Field Roast is available at the Kings and Whole Foods near me and of course available online. Don’t fret too much about ingredients if you can’t find the perfect option in your grocery store. The processed veggie meats aren’t as bad for you as the processed animal-based deli meats you’re replacing.
8. V-Bacon Lettuce and Tomato (VLTs) – I usually use tempeh bacon, and sometimes seitan bacon. Lightlife’s tempeh bacon is available in most mainstream groceries. Spread some vegan mayo on your bread, and if you like, also add some slices of ripe avocado.
9. Baked Tofu and Cranberry Sandwich – You can buy pre-made baked tofu and keep it on-hand to throw into salads as well as sandwiches. If cranberry sauce isn’t your thing, add whatever fixings and condiments you like.
10. Southwestern Wrap – Spread some canned vegetarian refried beans on a tortilla – or you could use canned black or kidney beans. Season with a dash each of salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder. Add some salsa, black olives, green onions (or just onion powder), and lettuce, and roll up into a cold wrap. You could take this up a notch by rolling into a burrito and heating in the oven.
11. Mediterranean Wrap – Spread the following onto a tortilla and then roll up: some canned cannellini beans, jarred marinated artichokes, roasted red pepper, marinated mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and fresh basil. If you don’t have, or like, all these ingredients, just use a sub-set. If you omit both the marinated items and basil, add a dash of Italian seasoning and balsamic vinegar for flavor.
12. Grilled Cheese and Tomato – Make like you would any grilled cheese and tomato, just use a vegan cheese. There are many on the market. Most mainstream groceries carry Daiya.
13. Tofu Hotdog – These cook up in a matter of minutes. Add whatever you like, such as mustard, sauerkraut, and vegetarian baked beans.
14. Vegan burger/patty – There are plenty of options on the market. One of the healthier options is Dr Praeger’s California burgers. Try these with some unsweetened, organic, applesauce.
15. Veggie meatball subs – Use jarred marinara sauce and a hearty roll and heat up. Optionally sprinkle on some nutritional yeast, or melt on some vegan cheese.
Of course there are endless combinations. And since I called this post “no recipe,” I didn’t include vegan versions of the traditional lunch sandwiches: Eggless Tofu Salad Sandwich, Tuna-style Chickpea Salad, but of course they would be easy lunch sandwiches as well.
Here’s an easy recipe for making grilled cheese sandwiches without using store bought vegan cheese. It includes a few ingredients that you may not keep in your pantry, but will become staple items once you start making cheesy vegan dishes. All these items can be found in mainstream groceries.
