Vegan cooking inspiration: Where do you get those tasty (and easy) ideas from?

Van boven een kopje soep met een belegd broodje. Links ervan ligt een lepel


“I’d love to cook plant-based more often, but… what do you actually make?” This is the number one question many people struggle with when they want to skip meat for a day (or every day). It’s not surprising, of course; if you grew up cooking with animal products, it takes some thought and adjustment to figure out what else you can cook!


Fortunately, you don’t have to search endlessly for flavorful ideas. Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or just starting out with plant-based eating, there are countless surprising places to find the tastiest and easiest inspiration. From social media to your favorite restaurant and even artificial intelligence; we asked Sanne from our team to share the best tips to take your vegan cooking skills to the next level without the hassle.

How do you start with truly creative plant-based cooking?

Years ago, Sanne felt exactly the same way. No cheese, no cream, no eggs—the standard rotation of recipes went straight into the bin. She soon discovered that plant-based cooking is actually a playground for flavor. No endless repetition of meat, veg, and potatoes, but a world full of colors, textures, and combinations. By experimenting much more, she started eating a lot more variety. Where ‘cheese makes everything better’ used to be her motto (now: nutritional yeast, haha!), she now enjoys trying something new every time. And you can too!

Where can you find the most surprising vegan recipes online?

Whenever a vague idea pops into Sanne’s head, or she needs to use up a specific ingredient (aubergine?), she dives straight into the online world.

Vegan inspiration from Pinterest

Type in an ingredient and you’ll get twenty variations: Thai aubergine balls, roasted aubergines with tahini, aubergine tempura… You start with one word and end up with a completely new, inspiring dish. See it as your starting point, and then dive deeper via Pinterest or Google, for example, for the recipe that perfectly fits your vibe.

Vegan food influencers on social media

Instagram and TikTok are guilty pleasures for many of us ;). From crispy tofu tricks to creamy pastas without the cream, Sanne can get lost in food content for hours. Recently, she learned via Wendy the Food Scientist (definitely a tip to follow her for vegan cooking inspiration!) that you should boil tofu in salted water for the very best texture. Game changer. The great thing about social media is that you immediately see how something works. No long lists, just: look, this is how you do it, nice and quick. A small warning: be careful, because before you know it, you’ll be stuck on the couch watching videos for too long and no cooking will get done at all 😉

Which cookbooks really make you want to dive into the kitchen?

Nothing beats a good cookbook. Leafing through the pages the old-fashioned way, sticking on post-its, circling recipes… And no, we’re not talking about boring, dull, preachy books. These are Sanne’s current favorites:

Elly’s Plate: plant-based comfort food made easy: Elly used to develop burgers for her job and you can taste it. Her recipes are accessible, comforting, nutritious, and delicious (and oh, those burgers!). Guaranteed enjoyment.

Vegan Comfort by Milou van der Will: For when you have cravings for hand-pulled noodles, delicious Asian dishes, or street food vibes. Pure indulgence. Here you’ll find dishes that make you shout: “Holy sh*t, this is good!” A big favorite is the Thai curry pizza!

Spice Box, 100 Fresh, Vegan Curry House Favourites: Indian cooking with fragrant spices and deep flavors. Literally everything from this book is delicious. My copy is now full of stains and sticky pages. The sign of a top-tier book! Click here for the Chana Masala recipe from Spice Box made by Daisy and Patrick from the Vegan Food Tour.

And they have also shared a list of their favorite cookbooks; click here for that.

How do you use dining out as the ultimate cooking inspiration?

When I go out to eat, I read the menu from A to Z (and back again). I pay attention to combinations, textures, seasonings, and immediately think: how do I make this at home? The best part is when I taste something that completely surprises me. And I’m lucky: one of my best friends is a chef in a vegan restaurant. So I regularly send him a message asking: “How do I make this tasty myself?” Tip: befriend a vegan chef 😉

Can AI help you with groundbreaking vegan dishes?

Absolutely! Sanne’s tech-savvy friend cooks in a totally different way than she does. While she cooks by feel, he just asks AI: “What can I make with broccoli, rice, and peanut butter?” That’s how he veganizes recipes and discovers surprising combinations. Just be careful, because AI can be very creative (Sanne was once served a puff pastry tart with vegan liverwurst by him—no, this is not a joke). Of course, you don’t want to ask AI for input on every little thing, but it’s certainly handy for inspiration.

Cooking is about discovery, and you’re brave enough to try!

Whether you cook by feel, scroll endlessly on TikTok, or get your recipes from an AI: plant-based cooking never has to be boring. On the contrary. It challenges you to be more creative, discover new flavors, and sometimes just fail (and learn from it). It’s about the fun and the experience, not about perfect dogma.

Do you really want to gain new inspiration?

Then we obviously say: join a Vegan Food Tour! This is the perfect, flavorful kickoff for your plant-based adventure. During the tours, you’ll discover the best vegan hotspots, taste original dishes, and you’re guaranteed to feel like diving into the kitchen yourself. Prepare yourself for a ‘Holy sh*t, this is delicious!’ moment. It’s time to surprise your taste buds!


“I’d love to cook plant-based more often, but… what do you actually make?” This is the number one question many people struggle with when they want to skip meat for a day (or every day). It’s not surprising, of course; if you grew up cooking with animal products, it takes some thought and adjustment to figure out what else you can cook!


Fortunately, you don’t have to search endlessly for flavorful ideas. Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or just starting out with plant-based eating, there are countless surprising places to find the tastiest and easiest inspiration. From social media to your favorite restaurant and even artificial intelligence; we asked Sanne from our team to share the best tips to take your vegan cooking skills to the next level without the hassle.

How do you start with truly creative plant-based cooking?

Years ago, Sanne felt exactly the same way. No cheese, no cream, no eggs—the standard rotation of recipes went straight into the bin. She soon discovered that plant-based cooking is actually a playground for flavor. No endless repetition of meat, veg, and potatoes, but a world full of colors, textures, and combinations. By experimenting much more, she started eating a lot more variety. Where ‘cheese makes everything better’ used to be her motto (now: nutritional yeast, haha!), she now enjoys trying something new every time. And you can too!

Where can you find the most surprising vegan recipes online?

Whenever a vague idea pops into Sanne’s head, or she needs to use up a specific ingredient (aubergine?), she dives straight into the online world.

Vegan inspiration from Pinterest

Type in an ingredient and you’ll get twenty variations: Thai aubergine balls, roasted aubergines with tahini, aubergine tempura… You start with one word and end up with a completely new, inspiring dish. See it as your starting point, and then dive deeper via Pinterest or Google, for example, for the recipe that perfectly fits your vibe.

Vegan food influencers on social media

Instagram and TikTok are guilty pleasures for many of us ;). From crispy tofu tricks to creamy pastas without the cream, Sanne can get lost in food content for hours. Recently, she learned via Wendy the Food Scientist (definitely a tip to follow her for vegan cooking inspiration!) that you should boil tofu in salted water for the very best texture. Game changer. The great thing about social media is that you immediately see how something works. No long lists, just: look, this is how you do it, nice and quick. A small warning: be careful, because before you know it, you’ll be stuck on the couch watching videos for too long and no cooking will get done at all 😉

Which cookbooks really make you want to dive into the kitchen?

Nothing beats a good cookbook. Leafing through the pages the old-fashioned way, sticking on post-its, circling recipes… And no, we’re not talking about boring, dull, preachy books. These are Sanne’s current favorites:

Elly’s Plate: plant-based comfort food made easy: Elly used to develop burgers for her job and you can taste it. Her recipes are accessible, comforting, nutritious, and delicious (and oh, those burgers!). Guaranteed enjoyment.

Vegan Comfort by Milou van der Will: For when you have cravings for hand-pulled noodles, delicious Asian dishes, or street food vibes. Pure indulgence. Here you’ll find dishes that make you shout: “Holy sh*t, this is good!” A big favorite is the Thai curry pizza!

Spice Box, 100 Fresh, Vegan Curry House Favourites: Indian cooking with fragrant spices and deep flavors. Literally everything from this book is delicious. My copy is now full of stains and sticky pages. The sign of a top-tier book! Click here for the Chana Masala recipe from Spice Box made by Daisy and Patrick from the Vegan Food Tour.

And they have also shared a list of their favorite cookbooks; click here for that.

How do you use dining out as the ultimate cooking inspiration?

When I go out to eat, I read the menu from A to Z (and back again). I pay attention to combinations, textures, seasonings, and immediately think: how do I make this at home? The best part is when I taste something that completely surprises me. And I’m lucky: one of my best friends is a chef in a vegan restaurant. So I regularly send him a message asking: “How do I make this tasty myself?” Tip: befriend a vegan chef 😉

Can AI help you with groundbreaking vegan dishes?

Absolutely! Sanne’s tech-savvy friend cooks in a totally different way than she does. While she cooks by feel, he just asks AI: “What can I make with broccoli, rice, and peanut butter?” That’s how he veganizes recipes and discovers surprising combinations. Just be careful, because AI can be very creative (Sanne was once served a puff pastry tart with vegan liverwurst by him—no, this is not a joke). Of course, you don’t want to ask AI for input on every little thing, but it’s certainly handy for inspiration.

Cooking is about discovery, and you’re brave enough to try!

Whether you cook by feel, scroll endlessly on TikTok, or get your recipes from an AI: plant-based cooking never has to be boring. On the contrary. It challenges you to be more creative, discover new flavors, and sometimes just fail (and learn from it). It’s about the fun and the experience, not about perfect dogma.

Do you really want to gain new inspiration?

Then we obviously say: join a Vegan Food Tour! This is the perfect, flavorful kickoff for your plant-based adventure. During the tours, you’ll discover the best vegan hotspots, taste original dishes, and you’re guaranteed to feel like diving into the kitchen yourself. Prepare yourself for a ‘Holy sh*t, this is delicious!’ moment. It’s time to surprise your taste buds!