Jewish Vegan Recipes – plant-based versions of traditional favourites

These Jewish vegan recipes are plant-based versions of traditional Jewish dishes like kugel, cholent, challah, babka and even gefilte fish!

Every year Veganuary rolls around and I start the year full of healthy plant-based intentions. My daughter Kipper is a keen eco-warrior, and is usually right behind me. Unfortunately her Dad is a committed carnivore…

Family life is all about compromise, right? These days I consider us to be flexitarian – mostly vegan/veggie, but with the occasional fish or poultry meal just to keep the whole household happy. As time passes, the non-plant-based meals seem to be getting further and further apart and so far he hasn’t said anything. We will wait and see.

Vegan Jewish food

One way to keep everyone on side is to make sure that we are eating delicious, familiar dishes, even when they’re completely vegan!

There are numerous Jewish foods that are already compatible with a vegan diet, such as humous and similar dips, vegetable strudels, hearty soups with beans and pulses, pickles and preserves, and even many desserts.

That said, many of our traditional Jewish favourite foods are decidedly NOT vegan. So that we don’t miss out too much on our favourites, I have gathered together all the vegan versions of Jewish classic recipes that I could find.

There are plenty of Jewish vegan recipes around, including for some decidedly UNvegan dishes like gefilte fish and pastrami! If they can be made vegan, anything can!

Spoilt for choice

I’ve compiled a list of favourites below. You’ll find Jewish vegan recipes for everything from challah and babka, to matzo ball soup and bagels with lox.

Some of the recipes are my own, and others have come from around the web, including places like The Jewish Vegetarian Society. If you’re interested in exploring a vegetarian or vegan diet further, they have plenty of great information.

Types of Jewish Vegan Recipes

I’ve divided the recipes up into the following categories:

• Shabbat recipes
• YomTov dishes
• Deli favourites
• Brunch dishes
• Israeli favourites
• Jewish baked goods

It was hard to decide which category some items fell into, and you may not always agree with my classifications! Sorry about that. I hope you’ll enjoy these recipes anyway.

Vegan Shabbat recipes

Timeless Shabbat classics, including challah, cholent and potato kugel.

Vegan challah in 1 hour

Delicious fluffy loaves of vegan challah ready in only 1 hour.

Check out this recipe

Vegan Gefilte Fish from the Jewish Vegetarian Society

A delicious vegan version of the traditional Ashkenazi Jewish appetiser, Gefilte Fish.

Check out this recipe

Vegan hummus basar – humous with spiced mushrooms

Velvety smooth homemade hummus is topped with a layer of deeply savoury spiced mushrooms to create a vegan version of the delicious Israeli dish, 'hummus basar' – hummus with spiced beef.

Check out this recipe

Great British Cholent (vegan)

A hearty and satisfying vegan/vegetarian cholent full of British flavours! Made with carrots, parsnips and a can of baked beans, it's a perfect British Shabbat stew.

Check out this recipe

Parsnip and carrot kugel (vegan)

Sweet root vegetables shine in this gorgeous parsnip and carrot kugel. Crispy edges & a soft, almost cakey interior make a delicious vegan side dish.

Check out this recipe

Iraqi Tebit Rice

Delicious Iraqi spiced rice, plus instructions to make your own baharat spice blend.

Check out this recipe

Arbes – Ashkenazi chickpeas

A traditional Jewish dish of seasoned chickpeas. Though simple, this delicious dish is nutritious and incredibly moreish!

Check out this recipe

Vegan YomTov dishes

It’s not YomTov in our house until there’s matzo ball soup!

Vegan Matzo Ball Soup from The Vegan Atlas

The Passover soup course functions primarily as a delivery system for matzo balls. Here is an easy and tasty vegan matzo ball soup.

Check out this recipe

Vegan tsimmes with a helzel crust

Vegan gantze tsimmes is a rich carrot stew, with a tasty savoury helzel topping. Real Jewish comfort food!

Check out this recipe

Sweet Noodle Kugel from The Vegan Atlas

Sweet noodle kugel, the Jewish classic, is made egg and dairy free, but it’s just as luscious as the original.

Check out this recipe

Vegan Jewish deli favourites

Think vegans can’t have chopped liver? Think again!

Vegan Pastrami from Zardy Plants

Moist, rich, tender, and meaty, this Vegan Pastrami is the ultimate sandwich filling. Packed with protein and more importantly FLAVOR.

Check out this recipe

Vegan Chopped Liver Recipe from The Nosher

Rich and savoury this faux chopped liver uses lentils, mushrooms, walnuts and plenty of aromatics and seasonings for a full flavour.

Check out this recipe

Easy potato latkes from the Jewish Vegetarian Society

Crispy, golden, vegan potato pancakes.

Check out this recipe

Mushroom barley soup with miso from Family-Friends-Food

A thick, rich and creamy mushroom barley soup with terrific depth of flavour from miso. Just a few simple ingredients make this awesome vegan dish.

Check out this recipe

Vegan Jewish brunch dishes

Is there anything more Jewish than bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon? Enjoy a plant-based brunch instead.

Vegan Bagel with Vegan Lox & Cashew Cream Cheese from Yum Vegan Lunch Ideas

Vegan bagel sandwich loaded with cashew cream cheese and delicious vegan lox. It’s just the same as salmom and cream cheese only its completely VEGAN!

Check out this recipe

Vegan Shakshuka with tofu eggs from Yum Vegan Lunch Ideas

This vegan shakshuka is naturally low carb, gluten free, plant based, healthy and unbelievably delicious.

Check out this recipe

Malawach – a Yemeni Jewish delicacy

Malawach is a delicious, 3-ingredient flaky fried flatbread. Serve with fresh tomatoes and fiery schug for a fabulous breakfast or brunch.

Check out this recipe

Vegan Matzo Brei from The Vegan Atlas

Matzo brei is a classic breakfast during Passover week and beyond. This recipe is for making vegan matzo brei without the customary eggs.

Check out this recipe

Vegan Israeli favourites

Israel has the highest number of vegans per capita in the world, so it’s no surprise that they have lots of delicious vegan dishes.

Vegan Sabich from Yum Vegan Blog

Stuffed with fried eggplant, black salt flavored potato, lots of tahini, and more, this sandwich will fill you up and indulge your taste buds.

Check out this recipe

Israeli chopped vegetable salad

Diced fresh, ripe vegetables, lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon and herbs. Israeli salad is great with falafel, or even just for breakfast!

Check out this recipe

Israeli Hummus from My Jewish Learning

You’ve seen it in the stores. Now you can make it at home.

Check out this recipe

Authentic Middle Eastern Pita Bread

Soft, fluffy pita bread, perfect for filling with falafel or scooping up humous.

Check out this recipe

Caramelised onion and aubergine dip

A deliciously savoury and rich, easy aubergine dip with the sweetness of caramelised onions.

Check out this recipe

Vegan Shawarma from Jewish Veg

A delicious, fast-to-make, and healthy plant-based version of the beloved Middle Eastern classic, this shawarma is sure to satisfy your cravings.

Check out this recipe

Mejadra – Middle Eastern rice and lentils

Mejadra is a fragrant, comforting mix of rice, lentils, spices & crispy onions. Enjoy hot or cold as a delicious side dish.

Check out this recipe

Vegan malabi

A creamy vegan version of this Israeli rosewater pudding, topped with syrup and pomegranate seeds.

Check out this recipe

Vegan Jewish baked goods

Babka, rugelach… no need to miss out just because you’re missing the animal products.

Vegan chocolate babka

Gooey, rich & full of sumptuous chocolate filling, this vegan babka is a surprisingly easy and indulgent treat.

Check out this recipe

Classic Poppy-Seed Hamantaschen Buns

These vegan poppy-seed hamantaschen feature a soft and fluffy yeasted dough, a sweet glaze, and plenty of delicious homemade filling.

Check out this recipe

Amazing Vegan Rugelach from Dalya Rubin

This vegan Rugelach recipe was passed down from my great grandmother. These are perfect to make for Rosh Hashanah (or year-round!).

Check out this recipe

Vegan Coconut Macaroons from Fran Costigan

Delicious vegan coconut macaroons. dipped and drizzled in chocolate.

Check out this recipe

Vegan Black and White Cookies – Gretchen’s Vegan Bakery

Famous bakery black and white cookies is now vegan! Soft cake like cookie with white icing on one side and chocolate icing on the other side!

Check out this recipe

Vegan Jewish Recipe Books

I hope you agree that there’s plenty to choose from. If you’d like to explore more Jewish vegan and vegetarian recipes, then why not treat yourself to one of these books?

Hazana: Jewish Vegetarian Cooking by Paola Gavin

I love this book, both for its fabulous recipes and it’s gorgeous illustrations. Although not all the recipes are vegan, there are plenty to choose from. You can see one of the recipes for kasha with mushrooms here (plus a full review of the book).

The Jewish Food Hero Cookbook by Kenden Alfond

This beautiful cookbook contains 50 delicious plant-based recipes. The recipes are helpfully arranged into menus for every Jewish holiday.

Mayim’s Vegan Table by Mayim Bialik

This lovely book of family recipes from actress Mayim Bialik includes dozens of healthy everyday dishes, and covers breakfasts, dinners, soups, snacks and more. There are also plenty of vegan Jewish recipes like latkes, tsimmes, hamantaschen and mandelbrot.

NYC Vegan by Michael Suchman

Although not strictly speaking a Jewish recipe book, it does contain vegan recipes for cheese blintzes, matzo brie, latkes, humous and Israeli salad. Plus of course plenty more recipes besides.

Plant-based future

As I said above, we don’t eat an exclusively vegan diet. I’m not really one for ‘all-or-nothing’ thinking.

Personally, I think it’s better to commit to a general plant-wards movement in terms of what we consume. If everyone added just one more plant-based meal to their weekly menu we could make a big difference, both to our own health and to that of our planet.

With that in mind, maybe you’ll join me and my family as we increase our plant-based eating. I hope that this list of fabulous Jewish vegan recipes is helpful. I’m looking forward to trying some of them, and making others over and over again!

Updated 6 January 2022, originally published 20 December 2020. Additional recipes added 24 January 2024.