50 Vegan Cookout Recipes

If you’ve ever thought cookouts are just for meat eaters, think again! This list of Vegan Cookout Recipes proves you can throw down a serious summer spread without an animal product in sight.

If you’ve been vegan for any length of time, chances are you’ve lived this one: you get invited to a classically omnivorous holiday spread, where animal-based mains and sides are the main event, and there’s nary a plant-based dish in sight.

When I went vegan about 15 years ago, this became one of my missions (right alongside veganizing all my favorite comfort foods): finding plant-based alternatives for celebration meals. Christmas and Thanksgiving, sure — but also Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Because who says the meat eaters get to have all the summer fun?

What follows is my roundup of favorite vegan cookout dishes — everything from potato and pasta salads to burgers, tacos, and soul food. Whether you’re hosting a meatless party, looking for a few vegan dishes for your plant-based guests, or just bringing a few vegan sides to a potluck so you’ve got more than tortilla chips to munch on, these are tried-and-true and good enough that even the meat-eaters will be loading up their plates.

So fire up the grill and let’s get into it.

For more vegan recipe roundups, check out my Easy Vegan Salads, Cauliflower Recipes, Bean Recipes, and Air Fryer Recipes.

Beans, Salads & Sides

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Black Eyed Pea Salad

My Black-Eyed Pea Salad is my take on Texas caviar (Harlem caviar, in my cookbook), built around my favorite bean — firm, nutty, and made for a salad like this. It only gets better as it marinates, so it’s a dream for advanced prep.

Black Eyed Pea Salad

An overhead shot of a bowl of black bean and corn salad with lime, cilantro, and jalapenos.

Zesty Black Bean and Corn Salad

My Black Bean and Corn Salad earns its spot at any cookout — set it out with chips, spoon it onto tacos, or serve it as a side, and it works every way. Zesty, lime-bright, and even better after it sits a while.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Marinated White Bean Salad

Sweet, tangy, and herby all at once, my Marinated White Bean Salad is the rare side that feels a little special without any fuss. Set it out next to grilled veggies, burgers, or a hunk of crusty bread — it holds its own in any company and never lasts long.

Marinated White Bean Salad

Vegan Potato Salad

All the creamy, tangy, herby comfort of the classic, just made plant-based — that’s my Vegan Potato Salad. It’s even better after a night in the fridge, so you can make it the day before and show up to the cookout with zero stress.

Vegan Potato Salad

Sweet Potato Salad Vegan Soul Food | sweetpotatosoul.com

Southern Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet potatoes bring a touch of sweetness and earthiness to a classic Potato Salad. Pair this Sweet Potato Salad with vegan burgers, bean salads, or vegan BBQ for the perfect cookout plate.

Sweet Potato Salad

Watermelon Peach Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

This Watermelon & Peach Salad is the perfect summer staple! Sweet fruit is paired with a tangy lime vinaigrette for a refreshing and delicious treat. It’s the perfect way to elevate fresh fruit, and enjoy a twist on a classic fruit salad.

Watermelon Peach Salad

Vegan Nicoise Salad

Enjoy this vibrant, hearty Vegan Nicoise Salad inspired by the classic French dish. Loaded with flavorful plant-based ingredients and a homemade tangy dressing, it makes the perfect main dish for lunch or dinner or a colorful side dish.

Vegan Nicoise Salad

Creamy Cucumber Avocado Salad

When the heat calls for something light, this Cucumber Avocado Salad is the answer. Crisp, creamy, and a little spicy, it comes together in ten minutes with no cooking — and pulls double duty piled on top of tacos or a veggie burger too.

Cucumber Avocado Salad

Crunchy Sesame Tofu Salad

Not every salad can hold its own as a main, but this Crunchy Sesame Tofu Salad can. Crispy air-fried tofu and crunchy veggies in a zippy orange-sesame dressing — hearty enough that the no-meat guests won’t leave hungry.

Sesame Tofu Salad

Vegan Pasta Salad

For a dish that tastes like the heart of summer, make this Vegan Pasta Salad. With a creamy avocado-basil pesto and grilled squash and asparagus, this pasta salad makes most others pale in comparison.

Vegan Pasta Salad

Mango Avocado Salad

If you’re looking for a little fiesta on-a-plate energy, this Mango Avocado Salad is for you. It takes all the flavor of my mango guacamole and turns it into a full salad, with curly kale, it is colorful, protein-packed, and right at home next to a basket of chips.

Mango Avocado Salad

mediterranean pasta salad in a blue bowl

Magical Mediterranean Pasta Salad

This Mediterranean Pasta Salad is the one to bring when you want something heartier than a side but lighter than a main — the marinated tofu makes it filling enough to serve as a main for your plant-based guests. It travels well, holds up in the heat, and actually gets better the longer it sits; a fantastic make-ahead option!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

An overhead shot of a bowl of edamame salad garnished with chopped almonds.

Crunchy Edamame Salad

Crunchy, colorful, and packed with plant-based protein, this Crunchy Edamame Salad disappears fast at a potluck. The real star is the creamy garlic-ginger almond dressing — bright, a little sweet, and nothing like the usual peanut sauce — pulling together edamame, cabbage, and carrots into something downright delicious.

Edamame Salad

Easy Vegan Appetizers

Vegan Nachos

These Vegan Nachos pile crunchy tortilla chips high with my smoky lentil-walnut taco meat, creamy avocado, kidney beans, salsa, and a dollop of vegan sour cream. The lentil-walnut crumble stands in for ground beef so well, nobody at the table will clock that there’s no cheese in sight.

Loaded Vegan Nachos

Easy Guacamole Recipe

I’ve been making this Easy Guacamole Recipe for over ten years, and it disappears every single time I set it out. Just ripe avocado, lime, jalapeño, red onion, and cilantro mashed to that perfect rustic texture — no cookout spread is complete without it.

Corn and Peach Crostini

For a fancy-looking appetizer that takes all of ten minutes, make these Corn and Peach Crostini. Sweet summer corn and juicy peaches tossed with basil and balsamic, piled onto toasted ciabatta over a creamy white bean purée — it’s peak-season produce doing all the work for you.

Corn and Peach Crostini

Pecan Muhammara

This Pecan Muhammara is a smoky-sweet Syrian red pepper dip with a Southern spin: toasted pecans instead of the traditional walnuts, for a buttery, extra-creamy finish. Roasted red peppers, pomegranate molasses, and Aleppo pepper blend up in minutes into something that’ll be the most interesting thing on your appetizer table.

Pecan Muhammara

Vegan Buffalo Wings

Crispy, saucy, and just the thing to pass around the backyard, these Vegan Buffalo Wings convert skeptics fast. Breaded tofu strips get double-dredged so they actually crunch, then tossed in a buttery homemade buffalo sauce with a creamy tofu ranch for dipping — even the diehard wing fans won’t miss the chicken.

Vegan Buffalo Wings

Best Sweet Potato Hummus

Roasted sweet potato is the secret behind this Sweet Potato Hummus — it’s the creamiest, most interesting hummus I make, savory and bold with just a touch of sweetness, plus miso and balsamic for real depth. Set it out with pita and a pile of cut veggies, and it’ll hold its own next to any dip on the table.

Sweet Potato Hummus

Brilliant Beet Black Bean Dip

The prettiest thing you’ll set on the table, this Beet Black Bean Dip wins over even the skeptics. Steamed beets and black beans blend into a creamy, savory dip with a stunning fuchsia color, rounded out with just enough miso and balsamic — don’t be surprised when it’s the first bowl scraped clean.

Black Bean Dip

Mango Guacamole

Sweet, juicy mango takes my classic guac somewhere tropical in this Mango Guacamole — folded into the avocado, lime, and cilantro with a little jalapeño kick. That sweet-and-spicy combo tastes like summer in a bowl, exactly what you want next to a basket of chips or dolloped on tacos.

Mango Guacamole

Vegan Burgers & Sliders

Mushroom Veggie Sliders

Crispy on the edges, smoky-sweet, and piled with a quick cabbage slaw, these Mushroom Veggie Sliders are reason enough to throw a backyard BBQ. Sautéed oyster mushrooms pulled in a homemade chipotle barbecue sauce do a convincing pulled-pork impression — set out a tray and watch them vanish.

Mushroom Veggie Sliders

side view of quinoa zucchini burger with a pickle

Hearty Zucchini Burgers

For a veggie burger that actually holds its own next to the beef ones, these hearty Zucchini Burgers deliver. Quinoa and cannellini beans make them a filling, protein-packed patty, and they hold together on the grill or off — serve loaded on a bun with all the fixings.

Zucchini Burgers

Sweet Potato Burgers

You won’t miss the meat with these delicious and wholesome Sweet Potato Burgers. Packed with spices, veggies, and texture, these burgers taste amazing off the grill. I’ve been making them for over a decade, and they never disappoint.

Sweet Potato Burgers

Black Bean Beet Burgers

Nothing says summer like firing up the grill, and these Black Bean Beet Burgers are the patty to throw on it — my all-time favorite veggie burger. Beets, carrots, black beans, and walnuts cook down into a brilliant red patty with incredible texture. Even committed beet-haters come back for seconds.

Black Bean Beet Burgers

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

For anyone who likes a little fire on their plate, this Spicy Black Bean Burger brings the heat with Tajín, cumin, and cayenne worked right into the patty. It grills, bakes, or air-fries up with great texture, and it’s begging for a pile of guacamole and a toasted bun — set out the toppings and let people build their own.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

BBQ Tempeh Sandwich

Saucy, smoky, and stacked on toasted sourdough, the BBQ Tempeh Sandwich is a hearty handheld that travels beautifully. Tempeh simmered in barbecue sauce gets layered with avocado, crisp romaine, and tomato — wrap it in parchment and it’s a cookout lunch that holds together start to finish.

BBQ Tempeh Sandwich

Craveworthy Cookout Mains

Vegan Fried Chicken

If there’s one dish that wins over a skeptical crowd, it’s my Vegan Fried Chicken. Cauliflower florets get a double batter and the same classic seasoning my Nana used, frying up so crunchy and well-spiced that the meat-eaters go wild — pile them on a platter with dipping sauces and they disappear first.

Vegan Fried Chicken

Crispy Tofu Tacos

Fast, foldable, and endlessly customizable, Crispy Tofu Tacos are the low-effort main that lets everyone build their own plate. The seasoned tofu crumbles crisp up zesty and meaty in the air fryer, ready in 30 minutes — set out the tortillas and toppings and let the table do the rest.

Crispy Tofu Tacos

Vegan Jambalaya

When you want to bring a little soul food to the cookout, my Vegan Jambalaya delivers spicy, smoky, one-pan comfort. A trio of meaty mushrooms and pan-fried vegan sausage stand in for the usual chicken and andouille, and like any good jambalaya, it feeds a crowd straight from the pot.

Vegan Jambalaya

2-Ingredient BBQ Tofu

Two ingredients, real grill marks — that’s all it takes for BBQ Tofu that wins over even the tofu skeptics. Pressed and marinated tofu goes straight on the grill until the edges char and the barbecue sauce caramelizes, and it slots into everything from a BBQ plate to tacos to a sandwich.

BBQ Tofu

Mushroom Carnitas Tacos

Crispy, citrusy, and meaty enough to fool a pork lover, these Mushroom Carnitas Tacos are a backyard showstopper. Shredded king oyster mushrooms simmer in orange, lime, and cumin, then broil until the edges go crispy and caramelized — pile them into warm tortillas and guests won’t realize they’re vegan.

Mushroom Carnitas Tacos

Caribbean Jackfruit Tacos

Bring something with bold Caribbean heat to the cookout with these Jerk Jackfruit Tacos, spicy and smoky enough to make people ask what’s really in them. Shredded jackfruit simmers in a homemade Jamaican jerk sauce until it’s juicy and pull-apart tender — pile it into warm tortillas and don’t skip the mango guac on top.

Caribbean Jackfruit Tacos

Vvegan chickpea salad on toast on a wooden cutting board.

Chickpea Tuna Salad

For a no-cook, make-ahead dish that comes together in ten minutes, this Chickpea Tuna Salad is a cookout lifesaver. Mashed chickpeas stand in for tuna with the same flaky, savory bite — pile it on toast, stuff it into a sandwich, or set it out with crackers for an easy crowd-pleaser.

Chickpea Tuna Salad

Vegan Chicken Enchiladas

When you want a make-ahead dish that wows the whole party, these Vegan Chicken Enchiladas are it. Smothered in a zesty, craveable chile verde sauce and stuffed with chik’n and pinto beans, they’re hearty comfort food that meat-eaters and vegans devour alike — and they’re even better doubled and baked fresh for a crowd.

Vegan Chicken Enchiladas

Vegan Desserts You’ll Want to Write Home About

Avocado Pineapple Popsicles

Cool, creamy, and secretly good for you, these Avocado Pineapple Popsicles are the easiest way to beat the heat — and a hit with the little ones. Tropical pineapple, lime, and a little toasted coconut blend up in five minutes, then the freezer does the rest while you man the grill.

Avocado Pineapple Popsicles

Berry Vegan Crumble

Bursting with juicy summer berries under a cinnamon-spiced oat crust, my Brilliant Berry Vegan Crumble tastes like the season at its peak. Use whatever berries look best at the market, serve it warm with a scoop of vegan ice cream melting on top, and thank me later. 😉

Berry Vegan Crumble

Nana’s Vegan Pound Cake

Some recipes just taste like home, and my Nana’s Vegan Pound Cake is mine — my yearly birthday cake growing up, now made plant-based. Vegan cream cheese keeps it impossibly moist, and a slice is perfect as-is or piled with fresh summer berries and whipped coconut cream.

Vegan Pound Cake

Banana Mochi Cake

Chewy, moist, and a little unexpected, my Banana Mochi Cake brings something different to the dessert table. Sweet rice flour gives it that signature springy mochi bounce, with ripe banana, chocolate, and a hit of espresso in every chewy slice.

Banana Mochi Cake

Strawberry Sorbet

Make a batch of Strawberry Sorbet the day before and you’ve got dessert handled before the grill’s even lit. Frozen berries, lemon, and a touch of agave blend into a bright, tangy-sweet, nostalgic scoop — keep it in the freezer and scoop straight from the tub.

Strawberry Sorbet

Mango Sorbet

Three ingredients stand between you and a scoop of Mango Sorbet that tastes straight off a tropical island. Frozen mango, lime, and a touch of agave blitz into something frosty and scoopable — no ice cream maker, no fuss, just summer in a bowl.

Mango Sorbet

Vegan Peach Pie

Nothing says a Georgia summer like my Vegan Peach Pie, all juicy ripe peaches under a flaky lattice crust. Don’t be surprised if it makes your house smell like heaven! Serve it warm with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream, and watch it disappear before your eyes.

Vegan Peach Pie

Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Don’t be fooled by how wholesome they are — my Life-Changing Tahini Cookies are soft, chewy, and chocolate-studded enough to vanish off any dessert tray. Nutty tahini and a sneaky bit of shredded sweet potato keep them moist, and they travel like a dream.

Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Leave a comment below and let me know which recipe you plan to try first!

What to Drink at Your Vegan Cookout

The cherry on top of any summery food spread is a refreshing drink, of course. Whether looking for cocktails, mocktails, or something for the youngsters, I have you covered:

Strawberry Soda — Refreshing and easy to make, full of fresh berry flavor.
Watermelon Margarita — Summer melon takes your typical margarita from okay to yay! A must-make for adult summer gatherings.
Agave Margarita — Slightly lighter, but still boozy and bright. Great with tacos and enchiladas.
Pineapple Skin Tea — An N/A libation everyone will love, with surprising health benefits.
Strawberry Rose Bramble Cocktail — If you’ve never had rose and strawberry together, you’re in for a treat! A jigger of gin thrown in takes this cocktail to all-star status.
White Sangria — With pineapple, strawberries, and white wine, this sangria is one of my favorite drinks of summer.
Watermelon Smoothie — A refreshing and frosty, all-fruit-based drink that kids and adults alike will love.

Vegan Cookout Recipe FAQs

What vegan dishes are good for a cookout or BBQ?

The best cookout dishes are the ones that feed a crowd and travel well. Think hearty veggie burgers, BBQ tofu or tempeh hot off the grill, big bowls of pasta or potato salad, and a dip or two with chips and cut veggies. I always like to round things out with a make-ahead dessert, like sorbet or a fruit crumble, so I’m not stuck in the kitchen when everyone’s outside. This whole roundup is organized that way — appetizers through dessert — so you can build a full spread from it.

What can vegans eat at a cookout instead of burgers or dogs?

So much more than a sad veggie patty, I promise! Grilled BBQ tofu, smoky mushroom sliders, black bean and beet burgers, loaded nachos, and vegan wings all hold their own next to the meat versions. A lot of these are hearty and protein-packed enough that even the meat-eaters at the table happily go back for seconds — usually without realizing they skipped the beef.

What vegan dish can I bring to a non-vegan cookout or potluck?

You’ve got lots of great options! For something that travels easily and feeds a crowd, I love bringing a bean salad like my Marinated White Bean Salad or Black-Eyed Pea Salad, or a big bowl of Vegan Pasta Salad or Vegan Potato Salad. If you want to bring a main, veggie burgers and tacos are always a hit — the Black Bean Beet Burgers and Jerk Jackfruit Tacos disappear fast, even with the meat-eaters.

How do I keep food cold/safe at an outdoor cookout?

A little planning goes a long way here. Keep cold dishes in a cooler or nestled over ice until it’s time to eat, and try not to leave anything out longer than 2 hours — or 1 hour if it’s really hot out (above 90°F). I also like to pack dressings and toppings separately and add them right before serving, so salads stay crisp instead of going soggy in the sun.