3 Vegan Comfort Food Recipes You'll Love

If you are on a plant-based diet and craving comfort food, here are a few vegan comfort food recipes to satisfy your appetite. These dishes can be just what you need when you're craving the home cooking of potlucks and family dinners, but you don't want to load up on meat and dairy.

Healthy comfort foods are possible—from egg-less French toast to cheese-less macaroni and cheese, vegan comfort food can satisfy your taste buds and make you happy. Here are three recipes to get you started.

1. Vegan French Toast

If you're a breakfast person, chances are you have a craving for French toast every now and again. You can enjoy this dairy-free and egg-free treat in under 30 minutes.

Your ingredients are:

• 1 cup cashew milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• thick-cut sourdough, or bread of your choice
• fresh fruit, maple syrup, or jam

Mix cashew milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Heat a pan over medium to high heat and melt oil on the pan. Dip the bread, one slice at a time, into your cashew milk mixture. Both sides of the bread should be saturated. Sear both sides and repeat with other slices. Serve with fresh fruit, maple syrup, or homemade jam.

2. Vegan Bacon Flavor

If you want the savory and salty taste of bacon without the meat, roast up some carrot, eggplant, or portabella mushrooms with this tasty sauce. This flavorful dish is a true vegan comfort food.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• 1 cup of the vegetable of your choice, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. maple syrup
• a splash of liquid smoke (or barbecue sauce, if you have that instead)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Slice your carrots, eggplant, or mushrooms thinly and place on a baking sheet. Combine sauce ingredients in bowl, mix, and brush over veggies. Bake for about 5-10 minutes, flip, and brush again. Bake for another 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the oven, because baking time will depend on the thickness of your veggies.

3. Vegan Cheese Sauce

What do mac and cheese, nachos, and au gratin potatoes have in common? Cheese sauce! This might seem like something you can't eat when you're vegan, but you don't need dairy to satisfy this craving. Make this cashew sauce and enjoy your plant-based comfort food.

These are the ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• ½ cup filtered water
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. spices (I use onion powder, minced garlic, paprika, and salt)

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Transfer mixture to a saucepan and heat your sauce, stirring to prevent burning. Then, enjoy as a dip or top off pasta, potatoes, or veggies.

Once you've experimented with these recipes, adjust the spices and seasonings to make them your own. After all, healthy comfort food is for you to indulge in. Enjoy!

Do you have a go-to vegan comfort food? We'd love to hear about it! Let us know with a #GoodMatters tweet.

Image source: Mali Anderson

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