Shopping for vegans, whether you’re a longtime vegan, vegan curious, or simply someone like me with a lot of vegan friends, can take just a little extra consideration and attention. “It doesn’t begin and end with cruelty to animals,” says Caitlin McCormack, an outspoken vegan, artist, and one of my closest friends, whom I consulted in compiling this guide. “The most important thing is to think holistically about animals, human-labor practices, and environmental sustainability.” (Be wary of products labeled vegan that are simply made from plastic or polyester, as many “vegan leathers” are.)
McCormack, who uses they/them pronouns, has been vegan for 23 years and believes that the best gifts are consumable, like food or personal-care products. “You want to give them something useful and effective that doesn’t make them feel like an anomaly,” they say. “Vegans want to make high-quality food in their kitchens, without being labeled by their lifestyle choices.” So, skip the sweatshirt that is printed with the word “vegan,” and avoid animal-derived ingredients like honey, beeswax, down, and lanolin. Remember, certain dyes and pigments can come from animals, as well as certain fibers, so look for labels like “plant-based.” In terms of textiles, ethically sourced linen, hemp, and cotton are great choices, as well as fibers made from kelp. There is no vegan silk.
The food gifts in this guide contain traceable ingredients and pack a ton of flavor, and since refined sugar is widely processed with animal-derived bone char, I sought foods that avoided it. In compiling the food section of this guide, I tapped other food experts with experience purchasing community-oriented and environmentally beneficial food products, and drew on my own prior experience as a private chef who has cooked for vegans. Everyone I spoke to advised against giving overprocessed meat replacements. “Encouraging the creative use of materials that are minimally tampered with is probably what most vegans want,” says McCormack. Whether you’re giving a gift to a seasoned vegan or to someone who is looking to integrate veganism into their lifestyle, you’re sure to find something thoughtful.
Vegan food gifts
“Miss Rachel’s Pantry is a restaurant worth a trip to Philly,” says McCormack. “You should build a trip around going to it. Rachel puts so much tenderness and care into running the restaurant and it’s an incredible experience. I took my non-vegan parents there and they loved it. She puts her cooking classes online and there are tiers, which make it an accessible gift for different budgets. It’s a good gift for seasoned vegans who have gotten in a rut and want to use seasonal produce in an interesting way or even for people who want to cook a vegan meal once a week. Her lessons are given in a kind, methodical, quirky way.”
Ocean’s Balance uses regenerative aquaculture practices and produces utterly delicious seaweeds. This furikake combines Maine seaweed, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds, salt, and truffle powder to make everything it’s sprinkled on a little more luxurious and nutritious.
This curry dry rub is delicious on roasted cauliflower but could be easily applied to all sorts of vegetables and even tofu. It’s balanced, herbaceous, and savory.
“For vegans trying to make a more authentic ‘crab’ cake or any kind of seafood dish,” McCormack recommends this kelp sprinkle. “You can put it in homemade kimchi. It adds a marine element to your ‘tuna’ salad or other attempts at seafood replication.”
I have a hard time deciding whether I like the original version of this Thai chile jam or the vegan one better. I put Pink Salt’s Nam Prik Pao on everything from steamed rice to Bandit’s cashew cheese (see below). It’s smoky, garlicky, and made savory with mushroom extract and sweet with palm sugar and tamarind.
This company pays Palestinian farmers three times the going rate of other oil companies. The bottle’s design is stunning and needs no gift wrap. “It’s a gorgeous handmade olive oil you used to only be able to get via word of mouth in a mosque parking lot. It’s super-flavorful and new to the U.S. market,” says Rupa Bhattacharya, restaurant consultant and former editor-in-chief of Munchies.
I am writing this description with a spoonful of Mother Butter’s delightfully and gently grainy chocolate spread in my mouth. If your recipient loves Nutella, but gave it up because it contains dairy, this is a healthier alternative anyway. It’s also hopelessly addictive, even for non-vegans. Yes, you can spread it on toast or crackers and bake with it, but my preference is to consume it straight from the jar.
This tea is incredible and somehow more delicious than any other hibiscus tea I’ve tasted. It is tart yet a little more savory than a typical hibiscus tea. It would be a great gift for vegans and non-vegans alike. It’s made with regeneratively grown, organic hibiscus flowers from Uttar Pradesh, packaged in an elegant compostable bag.
While I am a dairy-cheese-based organism, I still count Bandit’s vegan Maverick as one of my favorite cheeses. McCormack likes it, too, and suggests cooking with it: “They have a recipe on Instagram for a roasted-potato dish with Maverick cheese and pomegranate seeds and it is incredible. It’s a showstopping holiday side dish. I’ve made it many times and it’s always a hit,” they say.
“Gloria’s Shito brings the taste of Ghana to your kitchen in the form of flavorful chile oil, but without the traditional fish, so it’s vegan. This will elevate any sandwich, pizza, or dish,” says Jen Honovic Herczeg, owner of Salt & Vinegar.
“This is indispensable. I put it in everything, in every baked good. You can drizzle it on ice cream. You can make boiled-cider mustard vinaigrettes. You’re going to want to have it in your fridge for the rest of your life. It is one of my top-used ingredients,” says McCormack.
This is a neutral cooking oil derived from fermenting algae that poses a wonderful alternative to seed oils. It requires less energy and land to cultivate than, say, palm oil, which has been linked to health problems and deforestation. It’s also marvelous for making popcorn and comes in a sleek aluminum bottle that only needs a bow for gift wrap.
“Born out of a community garden during the pandemic lockdown, Goodlands Food Co. hot sauces are made using seasonal produce and herbs resulting in fresh, flavor-forward sauces that bring more than just heat,” says Herczeg. “I love all their gift sets, but I think the Magic Sandwich Spice Flight is unique and special enough to please anyone from a fave co-worker to your brother-in-law.”
This chile crisp also identifies as a salsa macha, but it’s a little less spicy and not as salty as other salsa machas. I like its mild flavor, texture, and crunch, much of which comes from the whole pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds suspended in avocado oil.
“There’s pretty much no vegan chocolatier that’s as remarkable,” says McCormack of Lagusta’s Luscious. “Everything they make is delicious. You can’t get more ethical than its business practices. The company considers every aspect of production and labor.” They recommend these tahini meltaways, which they say are “unique, not too sweet, and a little savory. They would suit a lot of different peoples’ palates.”
This box of creamy oat-based Ceylon tea latte mix makes a beautifully designed gift. It’s sweetened with monk fruit, which is McCormack’s preferred sugar: “Monk fruit doesn’t have the salty, chlorinated aftertaste of stevia.”
An elegant gift that requires no additional wrapping. You can also order the set with a grinder. The green peppers add a bright, delectably tingly sensation to tofu, vegetables, and cocktails, and the red peppers do the same, but with satisfying warmth. The jars can be used again and again to store spices.
If they like hotter hot sauces, they’ll love these nuanced, low-sodium sauces that skip the sugar. I love the turmeric habanero in particular and the trio makes an attractive gift.
“It’s a compact, giftable, well-made item that is easy to clean,” says McCormack. “You put your tofu in it and it magically extracts the water from it, then you can water a plant with the excess water. It’s practical and cute and anyone can use it and liberate themselves from having to use paper towels to press their tofu.”
I have given this perilla oil as a gift more times than I can count. Made from the seeds of the perilla plant, an aromatic herb used in Korean and Japanese cooking, it’s smooth and nutty, and is my favorite finishing oil and base for tofu poke. It’s great for anyone who loves sesame oils, and the bottle is super-elegant and minimalistic.
Showing up to a last-minute vegan potluck? Keep these at the ready, says cookbook author Jeffrey Yoskowitz. “The Spiced Mango dip is tangy and savory. I like its light, piquant spice. It’s not too sweet, and unexpectedly I keep finding myself going back to this flavor,” he says. “It reminds me of amba. But a dippable amba. I can imagine it on a tofu shawarma or sabich.”
Stuffed with snickerdoodle-cookie butter, these organic and fair-trade-chocolate-covered dates are a sumptuous treat. This pack comes with six boxes, which would make excellent stocking stuffers.
No need to gift wrap this stunning, vividly designed paper tube, packed with the company’s seasoning powders, which are inspired by the founder’s childhood in Bangalore. Sprinkle the savory, spicy (but not too spicy) seasonings on fruit or freshly fried snacks or mix them into hummus. I’ve never seen anything else quite like this packaging, which tucks three glass jars into an information-packed inner tube that slides out from the outer, decorative tube. It’s printed with suggestions on how to use the Savory Chana, Spicy Peanut, and Super Sesame crunchy powders. The latter is my favorite (though it’s hard to choose), consisting of sesame seeds, flax seeds, nutritional yeast, jaggery, garlic, curry leaves, and hing.
If they, like me, are new to cooking Indian food, they will likely find this trio of seasoning combos helpful for making perfectly spiced dals. All they need is lentils.
It was a long process to reformulate my Hawaiian-inspired sauces to be both vegan and gluten free, in my aim to make Hawaii’s flavors accessible to as wide an audience as possible. This set includes Chili Peppah Water, Guava Katsu, and Poi Dog Huli, a pineapple-based sauce. McCormack uses the Guava Katsu to make tofu and pineapple tacos and likes to take it camping.
If you haven’t quit Pop-Tarts yet, you will after tasting these toaster pastries, inspired by flavors of the Bronx. “I have not been able to have a Pop-Tart since I was 13,” says McCormack. “These don’t fall apart in the toaster and they’re not full of b.s. They satisfy the Pop-Tart urge I’ve been suppressing for my entire adult life.”
Clothing and accessories
“I technically bought these for myself with a gift card but they are one of the wisest purchases I’ve ever made in my life,” says McCormack. “I wear them everywhere. They show no signs of age in daily use for over three years. I’ve worn them hiking after rainstorms and I’ve never fallen. They grip stones and keep my feet dry and warm.”
I’m a big fan of this brand and I’ve purchased several of the shirts as gifts for my husband (and myself). Each of its T-shirts are made from some form of industrial food waste (soybean shells, corn husks, etc.) and regenerative, sustainable fibers, and the company has transparent supply chains. The SeaFibe shirt, made from Icelandic knotted wrack, a seaweed that must be trimmed to maintain balance in its ecosystem, is my favorite because it’s buttery soft, silky, and breathable.
Terratela has teamed up with chef Rob Rubba of Washington, D.C.’s plant-based restaurant Oyster Oyster on a line of T-shirts made from food waste and soybean husks. Its artwork is inspired by the restaurant’s menu and printed in Brooklyn with sustainable, water-based inks.
Beauty
I’ve been using this bar for a few months now —it lasts for a really long time — because it’s made with rice water and using it is easier than pouring rice water over my hair (which I have done for years, also splashing it on my face to smooth my frizzy hair and tighten my pores). The packaging is stunning, and each bar is beautifully stamped and comes in an origami-like box that I save to put jewelry in.
“This small business is operated by a mom whose son was born with severe eczema, so she makes all of her body products vegan and with clean ingredients,” says Yesenia Ramdass, chef and owner of HAAM. “Of all of its products, I’d recommend this coconut-lime scrub and its mint-lavender body butter.
Ramdass also recommends products from Crystal Iriel, which are “cruelty-free, fully vegan, and handmade in small batches, so there’s a ton of quality control. Its Goddess Rose Oil is my absolute favorite body oil,” she says.
I heard about this body scrub when interviewing Giada De Laurentiis, and I had to try it. I’m a convert. It exfoliates, then melts into my skin, leaving it plump, smooth, and moisturized. It’s also the Strategist’s favorite body scrub for dry skin.
This moisturizer comes recommended by McCormack. “It is so rich and replenishing,” they say. “I’ve never found a daily cream moisturizer that works so remarkably well. It brightens your face. My lines and sagging were reduced by using it, and now my skin is never dry. It helps my makeup go on more smoothly. I appreciate the genderless packaging and branding. It’s ethically made and smells really good.”
The name of this oil makes its mission plain. It’s made with Torula, a biodesigned (i.e., made in a lab) alternative to palm oil that aims to combat deforestation. It’s lightweight and instantly absorbs into your skin. I use it as a body moisturizer and my husband uses it as beard oil. I first heard about it when the company’s founder was at a vegan retreat I cooked for and told the story of the oil’s development. I’ve been using it for years.
This is the best facial oil I have ever used, and I have used it religiously every night for at least the last few years. It smells incredible and it’s a blend of plant-based organic oils like pomegranate, olive-derived squalane, jojoba, geranium, and rose-hip seed. I use it as a final step in my skin-care regimen, and I’ve given it to my mother-in-law as a gift.
Candles
This beeswax- and tallow-free line of candles comes recommended by Ramdass. “The Leafy Lavender is my favorite, but it’s currently out of stock. We have them in our bathrooms at the restaurant,” she says.
“This candle is from the bathroom of a restaurant down the street from where I live,” says McCormack. “The smell is unique and wonderful. Pink pepper, cedar, apricot wood — mostly cedar with a musky light fruit scent with spiciness. It smells like a clean cabin. It smells like the person I wish I was. This is the scent that makes me feel like I can get my life together. Particle Goods’ ingredients are sourced ethically and they’re not going to give you a headache.”
Books
“A really insightful book about ingredients and how being vegan isn’t exclusively about animals,” says McCormack. “It’s about conservation, ecology, and human rights. This book helped me gain insight into all of these areas. How they work together is really valuable for vegans.”
A meditative look at plant-based eating that oscillates between the personal and scholarly, this book is a good gift for people of any diet. “It’s eye-opening,” says McCormack. “Great for seasoned vegans and for those making the decision to go vegan or vegetarian. Kennedy shows you the logic behind being plant-based and the politics of food and sustainability. She’s a wealth of knowledge.”
This just-published cookbook by a mother-daughter duo is pure plant-based escapism, providing recipes for craveable dishes suitable for a variety of celebrations: date night, slow mornings, and solo suppers.
This massive, just-published cookbook is a veritable bible of recipes culled from 20 contributors, including Alicia Kennedy. The recipes are inventive, creative, and feel very new. They range from building blocks like vegan butter and creamer to vegan ceviches, chutneys, and stews. They prioritize whole vegetables and its vivid photography serves as inspiration to cook more plants.
Camilla Marcus takes plant-based recipes further by addressing reducing food waste. The recipes — avocado-oil-washed martinis and mushroom larb lettuce cups, for example — are practical and fun. Marcus emphasizes substitutions for non-vegan ingredients, teaching one to think innovatively when looking at recipes, encouraging readers to start with just one plant-based meal or dish. Her approach is valuable to both seasoned vegans and the vegan-curious.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
