Vegan Sandwiches - How to guide

Learn how to prepare yummy vegan sandwiches (and make your non-vegan friends jealous)

Summer is coming, yay! 

Time to enjoy the beach, the outdoors and your long-awaited holidays. 

But something has changed compared to last year, right?  

Now you’re on a plant-based diet…  

What can you take to eat next time you go on an excursion?!

If you’re used to eating your sandwiches with butter and cheese, giving up dairy can seem challenging indeed.

You’ll be happy to hear though that with some practice and creativity you can easily learn how to make vegan sandwiches that are even more satisfying than before. 

And in this article we’ll help you with that.

We’ll start by discovering what the basic ingredients of a vegan sandwich should be…

… and then we’ll put everything into practice with some delicious ideas. 

 

What are the key components of a great plant-based sandwich?

 

These are the main ingredients you’ll need to make your own vegan sandwich:

 

Some fresh bread

The key ingredient of a successful sandwich is bread, so make sure the one you choose is fresh and tastes great.

Whole meal, rye, spelt or multi-seed breads are more flavoursome and nutritious than the usual white bread, so give them a try. 

Most types of bread are vegan, but you need to read the label carefully (or ask your bakery) to see if they include any non-vegan ingredients such as milk or animal shortening.

If you don’t have fresh bread, you can toast it for a better texture.

 

A creamy ingredient

To replace butter or cream cheese, you could use:

• hummus or any other legume or vegetable based dip
• ripe avocado
• pesto
• vegan margarine
• any type of nut butter (such as peanut or cashew butter)
• olive tapenade 
• any nut-based non-dairy spread
• any vegan alternative to cream cheese

Another good option is to use moist ingredients such as dried tomatoes, marinated or grilled vegetables instead.

 

Lots of fresh greens

For some more nutrition and crispness, add lots of greens such as lettuce, rocket, watercress, baby spinach, kale or any other type of salad.

Shredded cabbage, carrot or radish would work very well too. 

 

Any other ingredient you enjoy eating!

 

Feel free to add any other ingredient that you like, such as sliced tomatoes, any other vegetables, vegetable fritters or veggie patties. 

Other protein-rich options include tofu, tempeh, falafel and Mediterranean-style chickpea fritters (such as socca or panisse in France or panelle and farinata in Italy).

 

And now let’s put it all into practice. 

 

7 Delicious vegan sandwich ideas

Quick & easy classic hummus sandwich

 

When you’re in a hurry, you can prepare the classic Mediterranean-style sandwich with hummus, rocket salad and sliced tomatoes. 

Add some olive oil, pepper and a pinch of salt to taste.

 

Italian grilled veggies

 

Spread on the bread a nut-based non-dairy cream such as our sesame spread. Add some lettuce, dried tomatoes and grilled veggies such as capsicum, eggplant and zucchini.

You could also add salt and herbs (for example mint, basil or parsley). 

 

Mexican wrap 

 

You can spread some mashed avocado on your wrap, add baby spinach leaves and a salad made with red beans, olive oil, tomatoes, onion, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. 

Some fresh chilli would work well too if you like spicy foods.

 

Satay tofu wrap 

 

You can prepare an Asian-style wrap with peanut sauce, grilled tofu, steamed broccoli and shredded cabbage.

To make your own quick and easy peanut sauce, combine peanut butter (smooth or crunchy), soy sauce, fresh lime juice, coconut cream, chili flakes and a pinch of sugar.

 

Eggplant pesto sandwich

 

Another easy option is to prepare a sandwich with grilled eggplants marinated overnight with mint, plant-based basil pesto and mixed-leaf salad. 

For a stronger taste, you could also add some olive tapenade too.

 

Roasted veggies wrap with tahini

 

Prepare a tahini dressing by combining pure sesame paste with lemon, water and salt. Spread it on the wrap and add lots of oven-roasted veggies such as cauliflower, pumpkin, carrot and rosemary. 

 

Marmite tempeh sandwich!

 

Marmite lovers can spread some vegan margarine and Marmite on the sandwich, add watercress or any other salad, grated radish and grilled tempeh. 

Feel free to mix up the ingredients and add your personal touch to create your own yummy vegan sandwich recipes. 

But don’t forget an important thing.

Your meat-eating friends will want to try it, so bring some extra sandwiches for them as well 😉