It’s no secret that it can be overwhelming when you first turn vegan, or even if you’re just trying to introduce more plant-based food into your diet. Whether this is for ethical reasons, environmental reasons or for your health, it can take research, time and energy to figure it all out. But have no fear! I’ve created lots of tools and tricks to help you work out what exactly you should be eating and what to buy at the supermarket so you’re not lost wandering the aisles. From beginner vegan food lists to weekly food planners, there will be something here to help you make the transition easier. Plus, it’s all FREE!
More posts that are helpful for new vegans:
- How to go Vegan: The Ultimate Guide
- 10 Essential Tips for New Vegans
- How to Read Ingredients Labels for New Vegans
- A Beginner’s Guide to Amazing Vegan Alternatives
- 10 of the Best Accidentally Vegan Foods
- A Guide to the Best Vegan-Friendly Chocolate
As you can see the blog is PACKED full of helpful guides for new vegans. If it all seems too overwhelming or you can’t find what you’re after, leave a comment at the bottom of the page and I’ll help answer your questions!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means if you follow a link to a product/service and purchase it I will receive a small commission, which helps me to keep creating content for this blog. See all blog policies.
Table of Contents
Beginner Vegan Food Lists
Keep in mind that this is a food list and not a shopping list – so it will most likely be a lot longer than what you’d actually buy on a weekly supermarket trip! Instead, use it as a guide for the things you could buy. At the end of this section there are also free printables to help you on your weekly food shop, so make sure you give them a download (no email sign up necessary).
Fresh Fruit & Veg
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Fruit
- Apples
- Apricot
- Avocado (technically a fruit!)
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Dates
- Kiwi
- Lemon
- Lime
- Oranges
- Mango
- Papaya
- Peaches
- Persimmon
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Satsumas
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
This is not an exhaustive list, but should be a good starting point!
Vegetables
- Asparagus
- Artichoke
- Aubergine (eggplant)
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Celery
- Courgette (zucchini)
- Cucumber
- Edamame
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Pepper (technically a fruit but always with the veg in the supermarket)
- Potatoes
- Rocket (arugula)
- Spinach
- Squash (butternut squash, pumpkin)
- Sweet potato
- Tomatoes (also technically a fruit!)
Similarly to fruit, this is not a complete list of vegetables, but choose what is available to you and what you enjoy 🙂
Fridge – Dairy & Meat Substitutes
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- Cheese alternatives – my favourites brand is Sheese, which comes in different cheeses, such as Smoked German Style, Mature Cheddar (great for melting in toasties) and a Garlic & Herb cheese spread.
- Humous
- Margerine or dairy-free butter – I use Vitalite, but most supermarkets have dairy-free options now which is great.
- Falafel
- Dairy-free milk such as oat milk or coconut milk.
- Tofu – my favourite is Tofoo Naked Block because it’s ready to go out of the packet, with no pressing necessary, and unflavoured so it can absorb all of the spices or the sauce I cook it with.
- Yoghurt – my favourite dairy-free yoghurts are Alpro coconut and vanilla! Especially paired with granola and some fruit.
I have an entire blog post dedicated to the best vegan food alternatives that are out there in UK supermarkets, so make sure you give it a read!
Bakery & Grains
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- Bread – I like seeded bread, tiger bread and sourdough the best! Make sure you have a quick glance at the ingredients list to make sure there is no milk or L-cysteine (which can come from duck or chicken feathers, or even human hair!)
- Buckwheat
- Cereal – my favourite is Jordan’s Strawberry Country Crisp which is SO good.
- Flour
- Granola – one of my favourite breakfasts mixed with fruit and yoghurt!
- Quinoa
- Rolled oats
- Tortilla wraps
Cupboard Essentials
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- Baking powder
- Beans – either dried or tinned, such as red kidney beans, pinto beans or black beans.
- Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Biscuits – did you know that some biscuits such as bourbon biscuits and party rings are vegan? Check out my blog post on the best accidentally-vegan foods!
- Chickpeas
- Chocolate – definitely a cuboard essential! I have an entire blog post dedicated to the most delicious vegan-friendly chocolate.
- Coconut milk (tinned)
- Condiments – ketchup, mustard etc.
- Herbs and spices – such as basil, cumin, marjoram, oregano, paprika, rosemary and thyme
- Lentils
- Maple syrup – or golden syrup as a cheaper alternative
- Noodles – my favourite noodles are the Amoy udon thick noodles, which are perfect for a quick stir fry on evenings when I’m too tired to cook a lengthy meal.
- Nut butter – there are loads of different ones available that all differ in price and quality, but my go-to is Meridian Crunchy Peanut Butter which I get in 1kg tubs. It tastes great and doesn’t contain anything added – the ingredients are 100% peanuts! You could also get cashew butter or almond butter.
- Nutritional yeast – this is an ingredient used in a lot of vegan recipes and contains protein, vitamins and minerals that help make up a healthy balanced plant-based diet. It’s often used in cheese sauce recipes, as it has kind of a nutty, savory flavour! I use the Marigold Nutritional Yeast with added B12.
- Pasta
- Pumpkin seeds – these make a great addition to granola or oats in the morning.
- Olive oil or an alternative such as Fry Light.
- Rice
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable stock
- Vinegar – balsamic vinegar (my favourite!), apple cider vinegar, or rice wine vinegar.
If reading ingredients labels to check if something is vegan is overwhelming or confusing, then check out my blog post on reading ingredients labels for new vegans.
Freezer
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- Dairy-free ice cream – there are SO many great options out there nowadays, and my favourites are Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter & Cookies, Magnum Vegan Classic and Booja-Booja Hazelnut Chocolate Truffle.
- Frozen Fruit – this was my go-to when I was a university student, as it’s so much cheaper than fresh fruit and lasts longer. I always used to get frozen raspberries and blueberries and put them into my oats in the morning with lots of peanut butter! Delicious.
- Frozen veg – peas, sweetcorn, peppers and stir fry mixes are all great additions to have in the freezer ready to throw into a meal.
- Frozen vegan alternatives – there are some great choices that are now available, especially in the larger supermarkets! From sausages to burgers to pizzas, it’s definitely worth exploring for some delicious plant-based substitutes.
I thought it would be helpful to create a free downloadable and printable shopping list template so that you can plan the food you want to buy during your next supermarket shop! Once you’ve printed them out, all you need to do is read through the beginner vegan food lists provided above & jot down the ingredients you need to buy. There are two pages – one without headings and one with headings, in case you want something a bit more structured:
DOWNLOAD HERE! – Vegan Shopping List Template
Weekly Meal Plan Template
If you have the time, then sitting down at the weekend such as on a Sunday afternoon to plan all your meals for the week ahead can be great at reducing the stress of knowing what to eat each day. It also helps as a guide for when you do your shopping as you’ll know what ingredients you actually need to buy, and will reduce food waste too. It will also make it even easier to fill out the shopping list template provided above!
I have created three different FREE downloadable and printable designs to make planning your weekly meals easier for you!
DOWNLOAD HERE! – Click HERE to download your free weekly meal plan template (no e-mail sign up necessary)!
I hope these resources have been useful for you! Please let me know in the comments if there are any other free resources you’d love to see!
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Last Updated: 10th March 2021
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The Comments
Jenny in Neverland
This is one of the most helpful posts for beginner vegans I’ve ever seen! I’m not a Vegan myself but I would like to start incorporating more plant based into my diet so thank you! x
Dani
Jenny in NeverlandHi Jenny, I’m so glad you found it helpful! Thank you for commenting 🙂 x
Rachel
Great ideas!
Dani
RachelThanks Rachel!
Thilini
This is super helpful and I am going to use some of these recipes even though I am not a vegan (yet). I’ve been trying to eat healthy which was triggered by an autoimmune condition, so really appreciate you sharing these. Also love the presentation of the post 🥰
Dani
ThiliniHi Thilini, I’m glad you found it helpful 🙂 Good luck with trying to find the best food for your autoimmune condition. Thanks for commenting!
Kali Allen
I am not vegan but allergic to dairy so a lot of the same foods apply. Thanks for the great list! Can’t wait to try out the Ben and Jerrys peanut butter and cookies that you recommended.
Dani
Kali AllenThanks for reading – yes I love the Ben and Jerry’s dairy-free range! Definitely give it a try if you haven’t already 🙂
mia
This is such a handy list! I’m not vegan (one day hopefully) but my boyfriend and I try to cook vegan once or twice a week so I’m bookmarking this xx
mia // https://beautiful-inspiring-creative-life.com/
Dani
miaHi Mia, thanks for commenting. That’s great that you and your boyfriend try and cook vegan once or twice a week, hopefully this will come in handy for you in the future 🙂