Vegan Grocery List for Beginners

Vegan Grocery List for Beginners

When you’ve eaten vegan for years and years, you don’t have to think twice about grocery shopping anymore. You know exactly what is vegan and what isn’t vegan. You know what you like and where to go to get it. Newbies, on the other hand, might appreciate a vegan grocery list for beginners.

For those just starting out on a vegan diet, grocery shelves can all of a sudden seem mysterious. Your go-to staples must be reexamined for their veganism. So many labels, so little time.

Where To Start

This is a starter list for you to get to know the pantry of a vegan. Some of the items on this list aren’t detailed, like all of the fruits and veggies you should stock but vary according to personal taste. Many baking ingredients like flour, baking soda, baking powder, and canola oil, are already vegan so they’re not fully itemized here.

Some of the ingredients on this list have links to the Plenty Vegan Market. You can add all of the items you want to your cart right here on Plenty Vegan and then checkout with the convenience of Amazon.

Customize It

People have their own preferences, obviously, and not everyone’s kitchen will look the same. Also, while many of the items below are eaten by people of all dietary persuasions, they hold a special place in the hearts of vegans and often take a more prominent role in the daily diet of a vegan (vs. an omnivore or even a vegetarian).

Add items you like, cross off what you don’t – no two vegan grocery list for beginners look the same!

PANTRY

Dairy Substitutions

• Canned coconut milk
• Plant-based milk – almond, soy, rice, etc. (can be stored unrefrigerated before opening)

Proteins

• Nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, etc.
• Seeds – pumpkin, sunflower, etc. (I recommend some other seeds that I keep in the fridge but that’s up to you – they do have a long shelf life but fridge helps extend it, especially if you live in a warm climate)
• Nut butters – almond, peanut, sunflower, etc.
• Raw cashews (used a bunch in vegan cream sauces)
• Chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, etc. (If you get refried beans, make sure they’re vegan because some beans use lard – check the label)
• Lentils
• Plant-based protein powder

Staples

Grains:

• Quinoa
• Rice (brown and/or white)
• Millet
• Barley
• Oats

Packaged Goods (check label for vegan-ness)

• Granola
• Cereals
• Chips
• Crackers
• Vegan mac & cheese
• Canned soups

Other

• Pasta and other noodles like soba

Flavor

• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Other oils like sesame, peanut, etc.
• Veggie stock or bouillon (Better Than Bouillon is kept in the fridge after opening)
• Capers & olives
• Rice vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Liquid smoke
• Turmeric
• Sweeteners like agave if you object to honey

Snacks & Sweets

• Dried fruit – mango, raisins, cranberries, dates, etc.
• Popcorn kernels
• Coconut flakes/shredded coconut
• Vegan chocolate chips
• Vegan cookies (Oreos are vegan!)
• Dark chocolate – vegan
• Any candy you like (see Halloween guide)

Baking

• Apple cider vinegar
• Flaxseed (I list this for the fridge too – it will keep longer there)
• Vegan sugar (most sugar is vegan but some is processed using bone char and you might object to that)
• All the other stuff: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, etc.

Fresh Stuff

• Fruit!
  • Bananas, avocado and other fruit you are ripening or keeping out of the fridge.
• Veggies!
  • Onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, garlic and other veggies you store out of the fridge.

Refrigerator

Substitutions

• Earth Balance (Butter)
• Plant-based milk like almond, soy, rice, etc. – refrigerate after opening (Dairy Milk)
• Nutritional Yeast (Cheese)
• Prepared, packaged vegan cheeses (Miyoko, Daiya, etc.) (Cheese)
• Vegan yogurt – soy, coconut, almond (Dairy Yogurt)
• Vegan cream cheese – Tofutti, Vegan Gourmet, etc. (Cream Cheese)
• Vegan sour cream- Tofutti, Vegan Gourmet, etc. (Sour Cream)

Seeds – Nutrition Boosters

• Flaxseed
• Chia seeds
• Hemp hearts or hemp seeds

Flavor

• Soy sauce
• Sriracha (can prolong its life to keep it in the fridge)
• Ketchup, mustard
• Tahini
• White miso
• Maple syrup (after it’s open)

Dips & Spreads

• Hummus
• Just Mayo, Vegenaise or other vegan mayo

Proteins

• Tofu (prepared baked tofu, too)
• Tempeh (including prepared tempeh strips)
• Vital wheat gluten/seitan (use vital wheat gluten to make seitan or buy prepared seitan)
• Packaged, vegan meats – deli and “imitation” like burgers
  • Beyond Meat
  • Field Roast
  • Tofurkey

Fresh Stuff

• Veggies!
  • Cauliflower, broccoli, kale, collards, spinach, tomatoes, fresh herbs, etc. (anything that needs to be refrigerated)
• Fruit!
  • Lemons, limes, grapes, grapefruit, mango, figs, apples, oranges, etc.  (anything that needs to be refrigerated)

Freezer

Fresh Frozen Stuff

• Frozen fruit for smoothies (packaged or that you freeze yourself)
• Frozen veggies you like (For those lazy times when you only can make pasta and frozen veggies – I recommend peas!)

Flours

• Almond flour/meal
• Chickpea/garbanzo bean flour

Desserts

• Soy, coconut ice cream
• Fruit bars
• Other packaged vegan treats

Packaged Foods

• Amy’s
• Daiya
• Tofurkey
• Field Roast

Notes:

A way to transition into a vegan diet can be to replace your favorite things. So, if you eat sour cream a bunch, get some Tofutti sour cream. If you want to put shredded cheese on your burrito, get some Daiya shreds. Or, you can just keep things simple and turn to whole foods in their original form. It’s totally up to your time/interest and what you are up for!

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Visit the Plenty Vegan Glossary to see terms, ingredients and brands defined.

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