Easy Vegan Versions of Recipes Inspired by ‘The Bear’

Posted by Calvin on June 25, 2024

Do you enjoy watching The Bear but get bummed by the number of animal-derived foods used in the kitchen? You’re not alone—and with Season 3 dropping on June 27, there’s no better time to put a compassionate twist on some of the recipes shown on screen. ❤️ Most of us aren’t out here creating fine dining dishes, but there’s a vegan version of everything. Here are 10 easy vegan meals inspired by the show:

1. Vegan Chicken-Pepper and Sausage-Pepper

In The Bear, some of the restaurant’s dishes include “chicken-pepper” and “sausage-pepper.” For a compassionate version, cook some vegan chicken or vegan sausage, grill some peppers, and put it all on a hoagie roll made without eggs or dairy.

2. Vegan Beef Stew

On her first day in the kitchen, Sydney (played by Ayo Edebiri) makes a stew to win over her coworkers. Channel her success by making a vegan stew of your own. PETA’s recipe for Vegan ‘Beef’ Stew uses ingredients like seitan, vegetable broth, tomatoes, and frozen green beans and corn.

3. Vegan Beef Sandwiches

Here’s how to veganize The Bear’s famous hot beef sandwiches: Start by heating up vegan beef and seasoning it with oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, red chili flakes, and basil. Then put it on a vegan hoagie roll and enjoy. 😋

4. Vegan Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

First, make vegan mashed potatoes using potatoes, nondairy margarine, and unsweetened almond milk. Then add rosemary and olive oil to mimic The Bear’s unique twists on classic dishes.

5. Vegan Donuts

Follow PETA’s recipe to bake delish vegan donuts. To help prevent chickens and cows from being exploited for their eggs and milk, use egg replacer or cinnamon apple sauce, soy milk, and nondairy margarine. 🐔🐮

6. Vegan Chicago-Style Hot Dogs

We can’t talk about The Bear without mentioning Chicago-style vegan hot dogs. To really rep the city, make a vegan frankfurter topped with yellow mustard, bright-green relish, chopped white onions, a dill pickle spear, tomatoes, peppers, and a dash of celery salt—all on a poppy seed bun.

7. Vegan Plum Tart

You can recreate the plum dessert made by Carmy (played by Jeremy Allen White) by making a simple vegan tart. Vegan premade pie crust, soy vanilla yogurt, and sliced fresh plum (plus any other fresh fruit you think would sound good) are the only ingredients you’ll need.

8. Vegan Chocolate Cake

The chocolate cake that Marcus (played by Lionel Boyce) makes on the show would be so good without animal-derived ingredients. You can legit make a tasty vegan chocolate cake using just a vegan chocolate cake mix and a can of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or lemon-lime soda—and no, you can’t taste the soda in the finished cake. 😅

9. Vegan Lemon Chicken Piccata

Create a compassionate “chicken” piccata à la Carmy by coating a thawed piece of vegan chicken with flour and then frying it. Make a sauce with vegan butter, lemon juice, and vegan broth, and then add the “chicken” to the pan to absorb it.

10. Vegan Family Spaghetti

Making vegan spaghetti is super-simple. Most boxed pastas are already vegan (but def check the ingredients to make sure). Just make some vegan sauce and add in any veggies, vegan meats, or vegan cheeses you want.

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For more vegan cooking inspo, check out these seven Black vegan chefs—their content will show you how to make mouthwatering dishes without harming animals.