Vegan Staples – Essentials Made From Shelf Stable Foods

Do you want to be prepared with vegan staples in case of an emergency?  Well, you don’t just have to live on beans and rice.  Let me show you some easy ways to make things like butter, cheese, mayo, sour cream, yogurt, and vegan meats from shelf-stable ingredients.  You can stock up on these ingredients and easily make your own staples as needed.

Vegan Prepping

With the current world pandemic, the talk of prepping is everywhere.  I was taking a walk with a friend a few days ago, and we started talking about what food we should have on hand if quarantines are put in place.  I realized that my family won’t have to rely solely on pasta and canned foods for weeks on end, since I already make most of my own vegan staples like butter, cheese, yogurt, and vegan meats from shelf-stable ingredients.

Dairy items

I recently wrote a cookbook, “The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Staples,” which includes over 40 recipes for nearly every type of everyday dairy-free staples.  Twenty years ago, when I went vegan, there weren’t many vegan options at grocery stores, so I learned to make my own at home.  These recipes taste better and are significantly cheaper than store-bought vegan items, so I wrote the cookbook to share them with people who were interested in that, never thinking they would be useful for prepping, too. 

Somehow it never occurred to me before, but nearly every recipe in the book can be made from shelf-stable ingredients!  As long as I have those shelf-stable items, I can make anything my family needs from a few basic ingredients!

These recipes are great for people who live far away from stores or those who want to be prepared in case of a shortage or emergency.

Refrigerator staples

• Vegan Butter – made from coconut oil, canola oil, soy milk, lemon juice, salt, and soy lecithin.
• Vegan Cheese – made from coconut milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, and agar-agar.
  • Smoked Gouda – made from coconut milk, nutritional yeast, salt, agar-agar, and liquid smoke.
  • Pepper Jack – made from coconut milk, nutritional yeast, salt, agar-agar, and peppers.
  • Cheddar – made from soy milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, turmeric, and agar-agar.
  • Garlic Herb – made from coconut milk, nutritional yeast, salt, agar-agar, garlic, and herbs.
  • Melty Vegan Mozarella Cheese – made from coconut milk, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, salt, and agar-agar.
• Vegan Mayo – made with soy milk, oil, salt, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice.
• Homemade Vegan Coffee Creamer – made from plant-based milk, sugar, and tapioca starch
• Vegan Sour Cream – made from tofu (you can use the shelf-stable silken tofu), oil, salt, sugar, and lemon juice.
• Soy Yogurt – made from shelf-stable soy milk and probiotics.
• Coconut Alfredo Sauce – made from canned coconut milk, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, and salt.
• Nacho Cheese Sauce – made from plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, and salt.

Key ingredients

• Canned Coconut Milk – Full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream that comes in cans can be used to make vegan cheese, cheese sauces like coconut alfredo, or even meals like my Coconut Curry Soup or Thai Coconut Rice.
• Nutritional Yeast, aka Nooch, is a yellow, flaky powder with a cheesy, umami flavor.  You can use it to make vegan cheese or cheese sauces, or to sprinkle on popcorn.  You can find it in most major grocery stores and health food stores, or easily order it.  Note: It is not the same as regular yeast or brewer’s yeast.  It must say nutritional yeast.
• Tapioca Starch – This is a flour made from tapioca that is usually sold in most grocery stores near gluten-free flour.  It gives my vegan cheeses and sauces a stretchy, melty consistency.
• Agar-Agar Powder – This is powdered vegan gelatin made from seaweed.  This will firm up your cheese and make it set.  (Powder works better than agar agar flakes.)
• Refined Coconut Oil – As a base to make my Vegan Butter.
• Shelf-Stable Soy Milk – This is the soymilk they sell on grocery store shelves, not the type sold in the refrigerated section.  You can use this to make nearly everything that you would make with milk.  You can also use it to make Vegan Ranch Dressing, Vegan Caesar Dressing, Vegan Mayonnaise, and Vegan Butter.
• Lemon Juice – you can use bottles of shelf-stable lemon juice.
• Probiotic – to make your own soy yogurt.

Meat substitutes

• Chickpea Omelets – a high-protein egg-like omelet made from chickpea flour.
• Vegan Meatballs – made from TVP, oats, spices, and flax meal.
• Sausage Links – made from TVP, spices, oats, and flax meal.
• Vegan Taco Meat – made from TVP and taco seasoning.
• Vegan Fried “Chicken”– made from Butler Soy Curls and chicken-flavored vegan broth.  You can toss this in pasta dishes
• Vegan Buffalo Chicken – made with Butler Soy Curls, chicken-flavored vegan broth, and vegan buffalo sauce.
• Soy Chorizo – made from TVP and spices.
• Vegan Pulled Pork -made with Butler Soy Curls, flavored vegan broth, and barbeque sauce.

Ingredients for meaty vegan recipes

• Chickpea Flour – This is dry ground garbanzo beans.  They sell it in the gluten-free section of most grocery stores. You can use this as an egg replacer in things like vegan French toast, and it cooks up like eggs in a chickpea omelet.
• TVP – This stands for textured vegetable protein.  It is made from dehydrated soy protein.  When rehydrated, it takes the flavor of whatever broth you soak it in.  I use it to make vegan taco meat, vegan tuna salad, and vegan sausage crumbles, and to add it to soups like this kale stew.
• Butler Soy Curls – These are larger chunks of soy protein, similar to TVP but less processed.  They also come dehydrated and are shelf-stable. I use soy curls to make vegan fried chicken, vegan chicken noodle soup, vegan pulled pork, vegan “chicken” pot pie, vegetarian fajitas, and vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches.  You can also make a delicious vegan jerky with these that keeps well and is packed with protein.
• Oats – this works as a binder in vegan sausages, holding the TVP together.
• Broth – to rehydrate the TVP and/or Butler Soy Curls.

More ingredients to stock up on

• Pasta/ Rice Noodles – a few different shapes and sizes for noodle dishes and soups.
• Rice – white, brown, and arborio for rice dishes, added to soups, bean salads, and risotto.
• Beans – to add to rice, make bean salads, use in tacos or burritos, or add to soup.
• Lentils – for lentil soups and lentil loaf
• Bullion or Vegetable Broth – to make soups, flavor your rice, or rehydrate vegan meat substitutes.
• Frozen Veggies – to add to rice, pasta dishes, and soups.
• Tofu – to add protein to meals.  It keeps well in the fridge for 3 months and in the freezer for 3 months.
• Flour – to make cookies, muffins, cakes, or other baked goods. (Gluten-free if necessary)
• Oats– to make homemade oat milk (recipe in my cookbook) or grind into your own all-purpose gluten-free flour mix.
• Flaxseed – to use as an egg replacer in baking.
• Nuts – to snack on or make into cashew cheese spread or vegan pate.

Canned or frozen foods

I started thinking about what recipes I can make with the foods that I have in the pantry or freezer.  There are a lot of recipes that you can swap out some canned or frozen veggies and make a delicious, complete meal.

These are some basic meals that I know I will be able to make with canned and frozen foods:

• Vegan Pasta Primavera
• Thai Coconut Rice
• Pumpkin Bean Soup
• Vegan Lentil Loaf
• Southwest Bean Salad
• Alfredo Sauce Made with Coconut Milk
• Vegan Fried Rice
• Loaded Vegan Nachos
• Vegan Mac and Cheese 
• Vegetarian Fajitas
• Tacos with refried beans or vegan taco meat.

I’m happy to know that my family can easily have a variety of vegan foods on hand if stores close or become low on staple items.  With just a little preparation and the right recipes, you can too.

I hope this gives you some ideas of what to buy and what you can make with these pantry items.  Stay safe and healthy!

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!