Simple Food-Sampling Recipe Ideas

Whether you’re looking to draw in the crowds with something sweet or show off the latest available vegan meat and cheese alternatives, there are plenty of vegan recipe ideas to inspire you!

When preparing for a vegan food sampling event, it’s important to keep in mind your outreach location. Try to select food items that are practical for your event, appeal to the demographic you are targeting, and use products and ingredients that are accessible in the local community.

Here are suggestions for a few simple homemade vegan food samples that use some popular food sampling products.

Vegan Sandwiches

Ingredients:

  • Vegan sourdough baguettes or vegan French bread
  • Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders/Tofurky Deli Slices
  • Vegenaise/Mustard
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato

Instructions:

  1. If using Gardein, bake the Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders according to the package instructions.
  2. Cut the bread lengthwise and slather both sides with Vegenaise or mustard.
  3. Add the tenders or slices, lettuce, and tomato.
  4. Slice into thin, sample-size servings.

Veggie Meats on Toothpicks

Ingredients:

  • Toothpicks
  • Vegan veggie meat (for example, Gardein, Field Roast, Tofurky, Linda McCartney’s cocktail sausages, or Wheaty chorizo)
  • Cherry tomatoes or olives (depending on which go better with your chosen veggie meat)
  • Mustard/Vegenaise for dipping

Instructions:

  1. Cut veggie meat into bite-sized pieces.
  2. With the toothpick, skewer one piece of veggie meat and one cherry tomato or olive.
  3. Repeat until the desired number of samples are created.
  4. Have the mustard/Vegenaise available for dipping.

Mini Tostadas

Ingredients:

  • Mini tortilla scoops (make sure they’re vegan)
  • Black beans
  • Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage
  • Follow Your Heart or Tofutti Sour Cream
  • Salsa
  • Daiya cheese shreds

Instructions:

  • Heat up the black beans and Field Roast sausage.
  • Assemble the tostada by adding the heated beans and Field Roast, Daiya cheese, salsa, and sour cream.

Pizza Fingers

Ingredients:

  • Pizza dough — homemade or bought (make sure it’s vegan)
  • Pizza sauce/passata — homemade or bought (make sure it’s vegan)
  • Daiya mozzarella style cheese shreds
  • Tofurky sausages, sliced
  • Mixed vegetables, sliced

Instructions:

  1. Split the dough into small balls; then roll out into discs.
  2. Evenly spread a small amount of the tomato sauce across each disc; then sprinkle with the Daiya mozzarella cheese.
  3. Top with sliced Tofurky sausage or mixed vegetables.
  4. Oven cook at 180 °C/356 °F for 10–12 minutes.
  5. Cool and serve.

Ice-cream Cuties

Ingredients:

  • Tofutti Cuties/So Delicious Minis
  • Napkins

Instructions:

  • Place a selection of Tofutti Cuties or So Delicious Minis on a serving tray with napkins.
  • Be sure to keep the samples frozen by storing them in a cooler with ice until needed.
  • Replace the Cuties or Minis a few at a time when samples are taken.

Plant Milk Samples

Ingredients:

  • Mini disposable cups
  • A selection of popular plant milks in different flavors: So Delicious, Almond Breeze, Koko Dairy Free, Alpro, Oatly, or your favorites

Instructions:

  • Pour a 1 oz. serving of milk into a cup, repeating until the desired number of samples are created.
  • Place the samples neatly in front of their carton so people can see which product they are sampling.
  • Be sure to keep the samples chilled by storing the cartons in a cooler with ice until needed.