New to vegetarian cooking, or just curious about all the meat-free ingredients showing up in these recipes? This guide covers the basics: how to get enough protein, what tofu/tempeh/jackfruit/seitan actually are, how to substitute common ingredients, and a few foundational kitchen techniques. Jump to any section below, or read straight through.
Protein Sources
Do vegetarians actually get enough protein?
Yes, easily, as long as meals include a reasonable variety of plant foods over the course of a day. Beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, seitan, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and even vegetables all contribute protein, and most people eating a varied vegetarian diet meet their needs without special planning or supplements.
What are complete proteins, and do I need to combine foods to get them?
A “complete” protein contains all nine essential amino acids in meaningful amounts. Soy foods (tofu, tempeh, edamame) and quinoa are complete proteins on their own. Older nutrition advice suggested carefully pairing foods like rice and beans in the same meal to form a complete protein, but current guidance says this isn’t necessary — as long as you eat a variety of protein sources across the day, your body pools amino acids from different meals on its own.
What are the best plant-based protein sources?
Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas), soy foods (tofu, tempeh, edamame), seitan, whole grains like quinoa and farro, nuts, seeds, and nutritional yeast are all strong sources. Dairy and eggs, if you eat them, add protein too. Meat analogues like tofu and tempeh tend to be some of the most protein-dense options gram for gram.
How much protein do I actually need?
A common general guideline is about 0.36 grams per pound of body weight per day for most adults, though needs go up with activity level, age, and other factors. Rather than tracking grams obsessively, aim to include a protein source (beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, nuts) in most meals.
Meat Analogues
“Meat analogue” just means a plant-based food used to stand in for meat — either because it naturally has a similar texture, or because it’s processed to mimic one. Here are the main ones you’ll see in recipes on this site.
What is tofu?
Tofu is made by curdling soy milk and pressing the curds into blocks, similar to how cheese is made from dairy milk. It has a smooth, custardy texture on its own and very little flavor, which makes it excellent at soaking up marinades and sauces. Firm and extra-firm tofu hold their shape well for baking, pan-frying, or stir-frying.
Try it in our Crispy Sesame-Ginger Baked Tofu
What is tempeh?
Tempeh is also made from soybeans, but instead of being pressed from soy milk, whole cooked soybeans are fermented and pressed into a firm, dense cake. That gives it a chewier, nuttier, more textured bite than tofu, along with more protein and fiber per serving, plus some fermentation-related gut benefits.
Try it in our Chipotle Tempeh Taco Bowl
What is jackfruit, and how is it used as a meat substitute?
Young, unripe (green) jackfruit has a naturally fibrous, shreddable texture that closely resembles pulled meat once cooked, which is why it’s popular in dishes like pulled “pork” sandwiches and, traditionally in South Asian cooking, in curries. Make sure to use young jackfruit packed in brine or water — not ripe jackfruit in syrup, which is sweet and used for desserts instead.
Try it in our Indian-Spiced Pulled Jackfruit Curry
What is seitan?
Seitan is made from vital wheat gluten, kneaded and cooked until it becomes dense and chewy — genuinely one of the closest plant-based textures to meat you’ll find, which is why it’s sometimes called “wheat meat.” It’s been used in East Asian cooking for over a thousand years, long before modern meat substitutes existed. Because it’s pure gluten, it’s not an option for anyone avoiding gluten or with celiac disease.
Try it in our Kung Pao Seitan Stir-Fry
What is TVP (textured vegetable protein)?
TVP is a dehydrated soy product, usually sold as dry granules or chunks, that rehydrates quickly in liquid and takes on a texture similar to ground meat. It’s a pantry-friendly option since it’s shelf-stable and doesn’t need refrigeration until rehydrated — a good addition to dishes like chili or a Bolognese-style sauce.
Ingredient Substitutions
What can I use instead of eggs in baking?
It depends on what the egg is doing in the recipe. For binding, a “flax egg” (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, rested 5 minutes) or mashed banana works well. For moisture and lift, unsweetened applesauce is a good swap. Commercial egg replacers work reliably too, especially in recipes with several eggs.
See mashed banana in action in our Fluffy Banana Oat Pancakes
What are good dairy substitutes?
For milk, unsweetened plant milks (oat, soy, almond) substitute 1:1 in most recipes; oat milk tends to behave most like dairy milk in cooking. For butter, plant-based butter sticks or neutral oil work in most applications. For cheese like feta or parmesan, look for plant-based versions, or simply omit and season with a bit more salt, lemon, or olives to make up the savoriness.
Our Shakshuka with Feta and Spinach & Feta Stuffed Portobellos can both be made dairy-free by swapping in a plant-based feta.
How do I make a recipe that calls for meat vegetarian?
Ground meat in dishes like chili, tacos, or bolognese can usually be swapped 1:1 for crumbled tempeh, TVP, or a can of extra beans or lentils. Shredded or chunked meat (in tacos, sandwiches, curries) swaps well for jackfruit or seitan. Sliced or cubed meat in stir-fries swaps well for tofu or seitan.
Our Hearty Three-Bean Veggie Chili is a good example of a classic ground-meat dish rebuilt entirely around beans.
What can I use instead of honey or gelatin?
Maple syrup or agave nectar substitute well for honey in most recipes, roughly 1:1. For gelatin, agar agar (a seaweed-derived setting agent) works in most desserts and sets even more firmly than gelatin, though it behaves a little differently, so it’s worth following a recipe written specifically for it.
Our No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bites use maple syrup as the sweetener.
Basic Techniques
How do I press tofu?
Pressing removes excess water so tofu browns and crisps instead of steaming. Wrap a block of firm or extra-firm tofu in a clean towel, set it on a plate, and place something heavy on top (a cast-iron pan, a few cans) for 15–30 minutes. A dedicated tofu press works too, if you make tofu often.
See this step in our Crispy Sesame-Ginger Baked Tofu recipe
How do I cook dried beans from scratch?
Rinse the beans and soak them in plenty of water for at least 8 hours or overnight (a quick-soak method: boil 2 minutes, then rest 1 hour, works too). Drain, cover with fresh water, and simmer — most beans take 45–90 minutes depending on the variety, until tender. Salt toward the end of cooking rather than the start for best texture.
Our Hearty Three-Bean Veggie Chili works well with home-cooked or canned beans.
How do I batch-cook grains for the week?
Cook a large batch of rice, quinoa, or farro at the start of the week and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (or freeze in portions for longer). Reheat with a splash of water to restore moisture. Having a batch of grains ready makes bowls and wraps come together in minutes.
Our Chipotle Tempeh Taco Bowl and Indian-Spiced Pulled Jackfruit Curry are both great uses for a batch of rice you’ve already made.
How do I build a balanced vegetarian plate?
A simple framework: a protein source (beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils), a whole grain or starch (rice, quinoa, potatoes), plenty of vegetables, and a source of healthy fat (avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, tahini). Bowls are an easy format for this since each component can be added separately.
Our Roasted Vegetable Buddha Bowl is a ready-made example of this approach.