Cake, Pot Noodles, roast dinner: foods your parents didn’t know could be vegan

Once upon a time, your parents labelled you the fussy eater of the family. But look at them now: so scared of vegan food you’d think you were asking them to eat sand.

The benefits of plant-based eating are clear: according to a study by researchers at the University of Oxford, eating a plant-based diet can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 73%. Even skipping meat for just one day a week can reduce your annual carbon footprint by as much as not driving your car for a whole month.

So, now’s the time to prove to your parents they’re more vegan than they realise with this handy menu of plant-based foods they already know and love, whatever the occasion.

Breakfast

Marmite on toast
Sceptics often ask how vegans get vitamin B12 in their diets. Well, Marmite is bursting with it and your parents’ generation has been eating it all their lives. The iconic spread is also packed with other healthy vitamins including B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin).

Croissants
Want the buttery taste without the actual butter? Jus-Rol’s ready-to-bake croissants get the tasty flakiness just right – or try La Boulangere vegan croissants.

Lunch and dinner

Roast dinner
With all the nut roasts and imitation meats available, there are many options to make a plant-based Sunday roast. The even better news is that no one needs to miss out on the all-important finishing touches because Bisto Onion Gravy has long been plant-based.

Curry
Who wants to miss out on curry? Nobody, we can assure you. And now you won’t have to with Bol Malaysian Laksa Curry. A fresh and modern take on a traditional Malaysian classic, this protein-packed meal combines a creamy coconut curry with black turtle beans and spiced chickpeas. Your parents won’t be opting for their usual chicken tikka masala on the next curry night, that’s for sure.

Beans on toast
The ultimate comfort food, Heinz baked beans on toast is entirely vegan – and you can even mix things up with Birds Eye Potato Waffles, which are made out of freshly mashed potatoes.

Related: 'Genuinely tasty': how a 12-year-old changed her dad's misconceptions about being vegan

Sweet treats

Ice-cream
What? An ice-cream made out of oats? Keep up, people: plant-based ice-cream is just as good as the traditional variety. Oatly’s impressive ice-cream range includes chocolate fudge, strawberry, vanilla, hazelnut swirl and salted caramel. So there’s something for everyone!

Biscuits
Lotus Biscoff caramelised biscuits are so beautifully moreish that there should probably be a law against them. They are the perfect accompaniment for your parents’ morning coffee – and entirely vegan.

Cake
When your mum and dad were growing up they probably saw the adverts that boasted that Mr Kipling makes “exceedingly good” cakes. Well, it turns out he also makes exceedingly good vegan treacle tart.

Snacks

Popcorn
They may not “Netflix and chill” much any more (take a moment to block that image out of your head), but your parents probably still enjoy some popcorn when watching a film. Many leading brands – including Tyrrells, Metcalfe’s and Propercorn – have plant-based popcorn, or you can make your own with an air popper.

Crisps
Did you think vegans miss out on the bacon flavour? They sure don’t. Get an instant hit of the crackling meat with Tesco’s plant-based rashers, This Isn’t Bacon Rashers. Your parents won’t be able to tell the difference between the real thing.

Crackers
Ritz Originals are salty, savoury and will melt in your mouth. Top with vegan cheese and feel good that absolutely no animals were harmed in the making of them. Win-win.

No-fuss meals

Pot Noodles
When your mum and dad were your age, there’s a good chance that Pot Noodles formed a big part of their food intake. That’s just how students lived in those days. Surprisingly, even the Brazilian BBQ Steak, Chinese Chow Mein, Piri-Piri Chicken and Beef and Tomato flavours are all vegan.

Drinks

Stout
Vegans used to have to avoid stout because animal products were used as finings to help filtration. However, in 2018, this process was phased out and the black stuff is now cruelty free. There are also countless vegan lagers, wines and spirits. We’ll cheers to that!

Need help talking to dad about milk? Visit oatly.com/helpdad