5 Vegan Kitchen Essentials You Need

May 5, 2023 by Hannah Sunderani

5 Vegan Kitchen Essentials You Need

Today I’m sharing my top 5 vegan kitchen essentials that I believe every home cook needs. Whether you’re a seasoned vegan cook or brand new to a vegan diet, I think you’ll find something new here today!

Plus, in addition to sharing the essential tools that you do need, I’ve also listed my top 4 kitchen tools that you don’t need. So (spoiler!), if you had your eye on that cool avocado slicer you saw on social media, you might want to keep reading!

Or, watch the episode on Vegan Afternoon with Two Spoons!

#1 Nut Milk Bag

I absolutely love this kitchen gadget. It has so many uses and I find that it just keeps everything nice and tidy. In addition to using it to make your own homemade nut milks, such as homemade almond milk and homemade oat milk, you can use it for a number of things in a plant-based kitchen, including:

• Squeezing the excess water out of tofu to make things like Vegan Chocolate Mousse (Mousse Au Chocolat).
• A makeshift coffee filter for your morning cup of coffee.
• Make your own vegan cheese at home.

It’s one of the most affordable kitchen essentials (about $5-$10) and is super easy to clean – just throw it in your washing machine and it will come out brand spanking new! Once you get the hang of it, I promise you’ll be reaching for this one on a regular basis.

#2 Wide Mouth Funnel

A stainless steel wide mouth funnel might be something you’ve never thought of adding to your kitchen, but I promise you it’s so handy and a great addition! As a vegan, we cook with a lot of whole food ingredients like nuts, beans, legumes, grains and seeds. Getting your hands on a wide mouth funnel will help you easily pour your vegan staples into things like glass containers and mason jars without making a mess.

You can also use a wide mouth funnel to help transfer homemade nut milk into jugs. Again, it’s very affordable at about $10 on Amazon and well worth it! You’ll end up using it a lot more than you think – I promise!

#3 Mandoline Food Slicer

A mandoline is very helpful kitchen essential when you need to thinly slice vegetables. It’s super efficient and makes the cuts very consistent, something that is difficult to do with a chef’s knife. If you’re looking to up your healthy cooking, or simply make more veggie-packed plant-based meals, then adding a high quality mandoline to your kitchen tools is a great way to do it!

I love using it to thinly slice zucchini to make my Easy Vegan Lasagna, thinly slice radish and other veggies for vegan salads like this Spring Mix Salad with Lemon Baked Tofu and thinly slice potatoes to make a Cheesy (Vegan) Hasselback Potato Gratin.

Depending on the mandoline you purchase, it may also have the ability to julienne vegetables which is great for making homemade french fries or cutting veggies into matchsticks for things like Vegetable Tempeh Spring Rolls.

You do want to keep in mind, however, that mandoline blades are very sharp so watch your fingers! I often use something like a kitchen towel to create a barrier between my hand and the vegetable. I find it works really well for extra protection.

You can pick one up on Amazon for about $40, which isn’t too expensive, especially when you consider how efficient it makes your kitchen experience.

#4 Immersion Blender

You can use an immersion blender to mix, blend and emulsify pretty much anything. I use it all the time for pureeing baby food and blending creamy soups. You can even use it to make things like homemade vegan mayonnaise.

This kitchen appliance also doesn’t take up much space. It breaks into two pieces and can fit really nicely in a shallow kitchen drawer. I typically like to clean mine by whisking the immersion blender head in a bowl of warm soapy water.

If you’re interested, you can pick one up for anywhere between about $50-$100. It really depends on where you shop and the brand you go with, but again, you’re going to be using this kitchen essential a lot. So, it’s well worth the money.

#5 Vitamix Blender

Last but not least, my trusty and beloved high-speed blender – the Vitamix! Now, if you’ve made a few of my recipes or follow along on my Youtube Channel, Vegan Afternoon with Two Spoons, this probably isn’t a surprise to you. I absolutely love this blender – I actually call it my sous chef and leave it out on my kitchen counter because it gets used to make vegan recipes every single day.

It does a fantastic job of pulverizing really tough ingredients, making smoothies with tough leafy greens that are extra smooth and creamy, thick smoothie bowls, homemade pasta sauces, pulverizing oats into a flour consistency, and making homemade nut milk.

You can even use it to make homemade nut butters, salad dressings and sauces like this Green Goddess Salad Dressing, Vegan Alfredo Sauce, and dips like this delicious Vegan Ranch Dressing Dip.

There’s truly nothing the Vitamix can’t do in my opinion!! So, if you’re going to invest your money in one must-have kitchen appliance, let it be this one! It will run you anywhere from $500-$1000 depending on the model you invest in, but you can regularly find them for a great discount at Costco Wholesale.

What Not To Buy

Now that I’ve told you what kitchen gadgets you do need when cooking on a plant-based diet, let me quickly tell you what you don’t need.

Tofu Press

You can easily press a block of tofu using a kitchen towel with a few heavy vegan cookbooks on top (I highly recommend the Two Spoons Cookbook!). Depending on the recipe, you can also purchase super firm tofu, which doesn’t require any pressing at all. Seriously, a tofu press is an appliance you can confidently skip. They’re just not necessary and can even run you up to $200 depending on the brand. In my opinion, that money’s much better spent on something like the Vitamix!

Avocado Slicer

I’m not a big fan of appliances that serve only one purpose, but I will admit I (regretfully) got sucked into buying this one. There’s only so much real estate in the kitchen cupboards, why waste it on appliances that can only do one thing?! Learn from my mistake and skip this one. You can slice an avocado so much faster with a good knife and cutting board. It’s an all around no from me.

Turkey Baster

Why would a vegan home cook need a turkey baster? Need I say more?

Pizza Wheel

I’ll just say it…they don’t even cut pizza! You have to go over and back, over and back a million times and it’s just not worth it. Not to mention, it takes the hot cheese with it while it rolls, making a mess and they’re annoying to clean.

Instead, invest in a pizza chopper or just use kitchen scissors. (I grew up cutting my pizza with kitchen scissors all the time and it simply works very well – give it a try!).

More Vegan Inspiration You Might Like

• My Dream Vegan Kitchen
• 5 Pantry Staples for a Vegan Diet
• 30+ Easy Vegan Pantry Recipes
• Vegan Guide to Paris – Where to Eat in Paris

So there we have it! The top 5 vegan kitchen essentials I recommend for vegan cooking! I’d love to know what your essential kitchen tools are and whether you’ve been inspired to pick any of these up. I truly love hearing from you, and I’m always here to answer any questions you might have. 

If you’re interested in browsing even more of my favourites, check out the Two Spoons shop! I share everything from kitchen staples to lifestyle pieces!

And of course, tag me on Instagram with your pictures using the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations. 

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