15 Ways To Make Your Favorite Brunch Dishes Vegan

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day — we all know that. But what happens when the hours tick by, and what you thought would be a quick breakfast sandwich at 8 a.m. turns into a 12 p.m. affair? Then, you have breakfast's even better, grown-up brother: brunch!

Brunch is far more versatile than breakfast, as the dishes tend to be full of more complex flavors. Though these dishes might require more time to whip up, you'll see more sophisticated items emerge — like elaborate French toast renditions, effervescent cocktails, and more. I personally love brunch fare, but as a person who was vegan for about six years, I found that there weren't many options for me to enjoy when I was invited to other people's brunches. So, I decided to start crafting my own vegan brunch selections to bring instead. 

Although it may seem intimidating to tweak these brunch favorites in favor of something plant-based, the results may be a more delicious than you thought was possible. Whether you're looking for inspiration for an upcoming gathering or are just vowing to eat less animal products, here some tips to keep in mind when you're veganizing brunch food. 

Even if you aren't eating an explicitly plant-based diet, vegan pancakes might be a real hit for you. The sweet flavor of the fruit plays well with the other ingredients in the pancake, which often include your standard pancake suspects. The banana acts as the binder (and egg replacer); you'll just need to swap out some non-dairy milk and melted vegan butter (or oil) to ensure that the rest of your pancake is 100% plant-based. 

However, there are some drawbacks to making banana pancakes — and it's mainly that your whole pancake will taste like banana. While this might play well with some toppings, like chocolate chips and peanut butter, it's not well-suited for every topping out there. If you're looking for a more neutral pancake, I would recommend using an oatmeal pancake recipe instead. The binder here is the applesauce; it sticks to the oat flour and interacts with the leavening agents to give you the perfect fluffy rise. Though, since they are made with oat flour, expect that they'll be a little more stick-to-your-ribs than ones made with your favorite boxed pancake mix.  

Mimosas, bellinis, and the like are a staple of the brunch scene. They're effervescent, fresh, and a great way to start out a sweet or savory spread. But before you pour that bubbly, you're going to want to make sure it's vegan — because not all wine is. Producers will occasionally use animal products during the filtration and fining process and winemaking process, which would make it unsuitable for a vegan to drink. This step, which makes the wine transparent, can involve a whole array of animal-based products, including bone marrow, gelatin, milk proteins, egg whites, and chitin (which is sourced from the shells of crustaceans like shrimp).

The best piece of advice that I can give you in finding a vegan wine, prosecco, or Champagne is to search for a vegan-friendly seal on the label. And when in doubt, buy organic or unfiltered wine. Organic wines aren't fined, which means they won't contain any of these animal-based products. You can also use a database, like Barnivore, to help determine if your selection is vegan or not. 

The taste and texture of seafood is something that's hard to replicate in a vegan item. But for folks who love the flavor and thinness of lox, there's some hope. You can make carrot lox for your bagels instead. 

Recipes will vary in how to make a decent carrot lox. Some will call for rubbing the root vegetables in salt before tossing them in a flavorful marinade for several days, while other recipes will call for just slicing the carrots with a peeler, seasoning them, and baking them. I would recommend you try several different methods to find one that works for you (and one that you're patient enough to follow through with). Personally, I think the salt-cure method works the best, as it imparts the briny taste that lox is known for. 

Once you have your lox prepared, you can assemble your bagels. Many store-bought bagels are already vegan (except for egg bagels or enriched ones — like brioche bagels), or you could always try your hand at a homemade recipe. Add a schmear of vegan cream cheese, capers, herbs, red onion, and cucumbers and you'll be well on your way to a vegan-ified lox bagel. 

Yogurt parfaits are one of the lighter brunch options out there, though they remain one of the easiest to customize. Add your favorite granola, seeds, fruits, and other ingredients, and watch this simple breakfast transform into a hearty and nutrient-dense meal. 

The one thing that you will need to do to make this recipe vegan (besides making sure your granola is free from honey) is to swap out your regular yogurt with a plant-based substitute. Luckily, the number of vegan yogurt options out there has skyrocketed in recent years. There's almond yogurt (which I think tastes a little like tree bark, but to each their own), soy yogurt, coconut yogurt, oat milk yogurt, and even cashew yogurt. While the flavor and texture of a non-dairy yogurt isn't the same as regular yogurt, once you cover it in your favorite parfait toppings, it works itself out. 

I love tofu scramble. Maybe it's weird to say that I like it more than eggs, but it might just be because I grew up eating the stuff and have grown to love it. Tofu scramble can be made with common kitchen staples, including firm tofu, nutritional yeast, and spices like paprika and turmeric. Once you fully dry the tofu, you can add it to a pan with your other ingredients and cook it down until it's aromatic and flavorful. It's really that easy — and I would say it's even easier than having to babysit scrambled eggs so that they don't overcook. 

You can use your tofu scramble in a ton of different brunch recipes, including breakfast burritos, sandwiches, and tacos. It's also just as tasty to eat on a plate alongside some vegan sausage and breakfast hash. 

French toast is one food that I missed a ton when I was vegan. It can be hard (yet not impossible) to replicate the same crust on the outside of the bread with all-vegan ingredients. When substituting a recipe with vegan ingredients, I always recommend first looking at the function of the animal-based items. In terms of French toast, the eggs help solidify a crust on the outside of the bread once they hit the heat. It also adds a bit of fat and richness to your custard base. The milk also adds sugar, fat, and protein to the custard and contributes to that signature mouthfeel. So, you need to make a custard out of vegan ingredients that will fulfill these same functions. 

Substituting the milk for a non-dairy product is the easy part. But the eggs? That's something a little more difficult. Some recipes recommend using cornstarch as a binder, though using too much can cause the other flavors in your custard to become muddled. I would instead recommend using an egg replacer (I swear by Bob's Red Mill's egg replacer for almost all of my baking and cooking needs) instead to get that texture. Just don't be afraid to add flavorful ingredients, like cinnamon, brown sugar, and maple syrup to your custard to put these flavors at the forefront and "hide" the lack of the eggs.  

People who serve up Dutch babies at their brunch table are overachievers — in a good way. I always admire someone that can bring that energy, and a brunch table that's overrun by ho-hum egg dishes needs that kind of spark, too. Dutch babies, for the unfamiliar, are popover-like pancakes that can be made savory or sweet. A basic Dutch baby recipe starts with egg, butter, flour, milk, and the like, so you'll need to do some workshopping to transform this puffy favorite into something that's more vegan-friendly. 

I've seen tons of different substitutions for the eggs in a Dutch baby. While some folks will use flax eggs, I think they impart a heaviness on the food that they're used in — which is something you'll especially want to avoid in a puffy Dutch baby. Instead, I would recommend using a powdered egg replacer or Just Egg, a liquid egg replacer. Oh, and a word to the wise about Dutch babies, don't bake them too far in advance. The hot oven and cast iron skillet combo is what gives these pancakes their signature fluff — eggs or no eggs. The second you pull it out of the oven is the second it will start to deflate. 

Sausage is an ingredient that's easier to make vegan than you may think. After all, companies already make vegan burgers and nuggets, so how hard is it to make a ground sausage patty?

There are some companies that do this ingredient really well, and there are some companies that have a ways to go. If you have a little more time on your hands to thaw a roll of frozen "sausage," then you may want to opt for Impossible's ground sausage. This ground meat, which cooks up just like fatty sausage, can go in everything, from vegan lasagna to plant-based pork rolls. It's easy to work with and flavor is perfect; just hit your sausage with a little bit of sage, thyme, and fennel seeds as it cooks and you have a meat fit for a (brunch) king. If you're looking for something hands-off, try the MorningStar Farms frozen patties instead; they're easy to pop in your microwave and serve with the rest of your brunch favorites. 

I'm not going to lie to you about this one, tempeh bacon is a bit of an acquired taste. The meat substitute itself is studded with different grains and seeds, like millet, barley, and brown rice. Therefore, you need to know that tempeh will never taste like real bacon, nor impart that mouthfeel that pork bacon offers. Though, it will satisfy your protein cravings. 

When I make tempeh bacon, I steam the tempeh first so that it softens. This also help negate some of that bitter flavor. Then, I'll slice it up thinly, coat it in seasonings, and bake it until it's crunchy. In order to emulate some of that complex, smoky flavor, I like to add liquid smoke or smoked salts. Coconut aminos will also offer the perfect balance of sweetness, umami, and saltiness that your tempeh craves. And, if you don't like the flavor and consistency of tempeh solo, you may also want to try cubing it up and adding it to another brunch staple, like a hash.

Hash is one of my favorite parts of a full breakfast because there are really no rules about what it has to contain. Most skillet hashes contain some sort of potato, and many folks will also add onions, garlic, and meat to their own iterations. I prefer to bolster the flavor of the potatoes with root vegetables in my recipe; it's not uncommon to see turnips, carrots, and beets in the hash that I make for my family. 

If you're craving the meatiness of a breakfast hash, though, you may want to consider adding in vegan sausage or vegan chorizo. Trader Joe's soyrizo is a staple in my house and one that I find pairs really well with potatoes. Though, the textured vegetable protein that it's made of really captures those piquant spices of classic Mexican chorizo, though the fatty mouthfeel isn't entirely there. If you're after this fat, I would recommend opting for the Impossible sausages — in either the original or the spicy Italian flavor. Add your own spices as you see fit. 

Chilaquiles is a great brunch dish, especially if you're craving something a little more ... messy. The base of this recipe is comprised of tortilla chips that have been simmered in sauce until they're slightly limp and flavorful. While regular tortilla chips are something that you can eat with your hands, this is one that requires a fork and knife. 

Traditional chilaquiles are topped with shredded chicken and cheese, but there are tons of easy ways to make this recipe plant-based. Instead of chicken, consider cracking open a can of jackfruit instead. Jackfruit has a texture similar to that of shredded chicken, though you just have to make sure that it's well-drained and broken apart before you cook it. Soften your jackfruit with the seasonings that you would normally use for shredded chicken (like cumin, paprika, and cayenne), and add a sprinkle of vegan cheese on top of your vegan-ified chilaquiles right before serving them. Or, consider adding soyrizo for a twist on meaty chorizo chilaquiles.

Vegan bakes are not always a central component of a proper brunch, but that's not saying that you can't include them in your next brunch spread. After all, tantalizing plant-based cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, and scones can really show off to all your brunch-goers how deft you've become at vegan baking. 

There are some recipes that I would recommend novice vegan bakers start with. For example, muffins are a relatively simple recipe to transform and make vegan. You just need to swap out the melted butter for a trusty vegan butter brand, grab an egg replacer, and swap out any dairy-based milk with a plant-based alternative. If your recipe calls for buttermilk, you can make a simple swap by combining 1 cup of plant-based milk with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. This buttermilk substitute can be applied to a variety of different milks, though soy milk, thanks to its high protein content, will produce the thickest mixture out of all of them. 

North African shakshuka is one of the dishes that I've been experimenting more and more with. It's made with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and herbs; the eggs are added on later so that they can poach in the mixture. It's a reliably vegetarian dish to serve at lunch, though there are some simple swaps that can be made to make it totally vegan. The base — like the tomatoes and the like — is 100% vegan; just be sure to use oil or vegan butter in your skillet instead of the dairy-based variety. 

The eggs are where the challenging part comes in. You could use WunderEggs, though as of the date of publication, the brand has yet to released a product that mimics the softness of a poached egg (including that runny center). Though, tofu may be able to fulfill some of these gaps. A mixture of the soy product, black salt, yeast, and plant-based milk will offer a similar, melty mouthfeel as a "normal" egg. 

Chicken and waffles is a staple brunch dish if you're in the South. It's relatively easy to veganize your waffle recipe, as you need to follow similar instructions to a vegan pancake recipe; swap out the eggs for a powdered egg replacer, use vegan butter, and ditch the dairy milk for a vegan variety and you'll have a great recipe ready for savory, sweet, or anything in between. 

That being said, the chicken is where problems start to crop up. If you're looking for an easy solution, you can source out vegan chicken tenders from brands like Gardein, though if you have extra time, you may want to try making your own vegan fried chicken with seitan or fried oyster mushrooms. Seitan, which is derived from concentrated wheat gluten, will give you a more "meaty" mouthfeel. It's also super easy to customize, as you can add your seasonings of choice to your homemade seitan loaf. Though, I also like using fried oyster mushrooms because they bring a natural umami flavor and unique texture to the dish.

Quiche has to be up there with some of my favorite brunch items. Maybe it's because I just love experimenting with pie crust, or maybe it's because I can appreciate how hands-off it is to pour in the filling and push the entire thing in the oven while I go and do other things. 

If you're looking to veganize this brunch staple, I would recommend grabbing a few bottles of Just Egg. The liquid tastes and functions like an egg replacer. While it's not the best in baking because it's a little runny, adding it to a quiche is a great idea because the heat will help it to set. Moreover, you can customize your egg-free quiche with veggies (pre-cook these beforehand) or vegan cheese. 

The pie crust may be easier to make than you'd think. The one hurdle you need to jump over is the butter. Though, considering the number of vegan butter brands out there, there's not too much work that you'll need to undertake in this department. I recommend using a 50/50 ratio of cold vegan butter and vegetable shortening; the vegetable shortening offers the perfect bite while the vegan butter supplements the crust's flavor.