Enjoy a taste of authentic Italian cuisine vegan-style with these vegan versions of classic Italian recipes. From cannoli to semifreddo, your tastebuds will be transported to the shores of Italy with these vegan recipes.
Italian cuisine is famed throughout the world for its fresh flavours and traditional cooking techniques that Italians hold dear to their hearts.
Whilst pizza, pasta and gelato are the dishes we typically think of when we think of Italian food, this rich cuisine is so much more than these popular dishes.
Allow us to take you on a culinary journey through Italy to discover tasty vegan Italian recipes you can make at home that are completely meat-free and dairy-free.
1. Classic Vegan Lasagne
This is hands down the best vegan lasagne recipe you’ll ever make. With homemade vegan béchamel sauce and mozzarella cheese, it tastes just like the classic recipe.
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2. Vegan Tiramisu
For an espresso-infused vegan dessert, this recipe uses aquafaba to create a delicious sweet treat.
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3. Homemade Vegan Trofie Pasta with Pesto
Switch up your pasta with trofie, a thin, twisted pasta from Linguria in Italy and serve it with fresh vegan pesto.
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4. Vegan Cannoli
With their crisp shells filled with a creamy filling, it’s no wonder why cannoli is such a popular Italian dessert! We’ve made our vegan cannoli using brandy snap shells and have filled them with a sweet creamy filling studded with freeze-dried raspberries and pistachios to give them even more flavour and texture.
5. Vegan Lemon Panna Cotta with Blackberry-Basil Coulis
This festive Italian dessert uses coconut milk to make this creamy dessert free from gelatine and entirely vegan. Served with a blackberry and basil coulis, the refreshing, summery flavours of this dessert are oh-so tempting.
6. Vegan Salted Almond Biscotti
This vegan version of biscotti studded with salted almonds and dipped in dark chocolate is just as delicious as the original and so easy to make! They are wonderful with a cup of coffee and keep for ages so make great Christmas gifts!
7. Vegan Gnocchi Recipe
Have a go at making your own gnocchi with this simple recipe. It’s so easy to make and perfect for a low-budget meal served with fresh and sundried tomatoes for an authentically Italian meal without meat.
8. Vegan Courgette, Mushroom & Truffle Oil Pizza
Swap out the dairy on your pizza for delicious courgettes, a drizzle of chilli oil and a handful of fresh wild rocket. The leftovers make a great lunch the next day!
9. Vegan Mocha Semifreddo
For those who love the rich, deep flavours of chocolate and coffee, there is no dessert more delicious than a semifreddo. With its creamy semi-frozen texture and punchy flavours, it’s a grown-up treat that looks as impressive as it tastes.
10. Vegan Romanesco Pizza with Cashew Cream, Salsa Verde and Pine Nuts
Topped with a cooling cashew cream, tangy salsa verde and pine nuts for added crunch, this plant-based pizza proves that you don’t need dairy to enjoy a truly delicious pizza.
11. Vegan Spinach and Cashew ‘Ricotta’ Rolls
Packed with Italian flavours, this ‘cheesy’ pasta dish is something just a little different.
12. Vegan Roasted Vegetable Calzone with Olives
Calzone originated in Naples, southern Italy in the 18th century, and is essentially a folded pizza filled with delicious fresh ingredients. We’ve stuffed this vegan version full of roasted vegetables and olives to ensure each bite is authentically Italian.
13. Vegan Roasted Vegetable Stromboli
Stomboli is a baked bread-based Italian dish that contains similar components to a pizza served in a different form. This vegan version of the classic Sicilian vegetable stromboli is packed with vegetables like spinach, red pepper, aubergine and courgette and is a delicious and easy way to get your 5-a-day.
14. Vegan Cannelloni with Spinach & Almond Ricotta
Cannelloni originated in Italy in the nineteenth century and soon became a popular dish idolised by the upper classes. So, if you’re feeling fancy, this vegan cannelloni recipe is the perfect dinner to make! We’ve filled it with spinach and almond ricotta so it tastes just like the original but is entirely dairy free.
15. Vegan Frittata with Potato, Spinach & Tomato
Traditionally am egg-based dish, this vegan version of the classic Italian recipe uses chickpea flour in place of eggs with kala namak and nutritional yeast to give it that traditional frittata flavour.
16. Vegan Green Vegetable Farinata
A farinata is a thin, unleavened pancake that originated in Italy and is popular in lots of locations along the Ligurian Sea coast. Unlike many of the vegan Italian recipes featured here, farniata is actually traditionally a vegan food as it’s made from chickpea flour. We’ve added plenty of greens to ours to give it a nutritious boost.
17. Vegan Orecchiette with Pesto, Broccoli and Kale
‘Orecchiette’ is an Italian word that means ‘little ears’, which is what this pasta resembles! This shell-shaped pasta is great for saucy dishes, like this tofu-based creamy pesto sauce recipe.
18. Vegan Neapolitan Pizza
If you’re looking for a truly authentic Italian pizza then look no further than this vegan Neapolitan pizza recipe.
True to Italian tradition, this vegan Neapolitan pizza dough is made up of very few ingredients, water, salt, yeast and flour. Top it with vegan mozzarella and fresh basil for a simple pizza that taste anything but!
19. Vegan Pink Grapefruit And Basil Sorbet
After indulging in all of these vegan Italian recipes, it’s time for a palate cleanser! We can’t think of a better way to round off an Italian feast than with a cooling scoop of sorbet. This fruity sorbet is made from grapefruit and basil so is wonderfully refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
20. Spiced Cranberry, Almond and Orange Biscotti
These spiced vegan Christmas biscotti biscuits are a festive favourite. Crisp and crunchy, as biscotti should be, the cranberries and chopped nuts pack the biscuits full of flavour and texture making these biscuits the perfect partner for coffee.
21. Vegan Griddled Polenta with Roasted Tomato Salsa
The best thing about Italian food is its simplicity, which allows the flavours of the individual ingredients to really sing.
In this recipe, the sweet, caramelised red peppers and tomatoes complement the crispy polenta perfectly. It’s the most delicious way to enjoy this Italian staple.
22. Vegan Genoa Cake
As the name may suggest, this vegan Genoa cake originates from Genoa, Italy. This delicious recipe keeps a moist texture due to the fruit and the almonds on top give the cake a great crunch.
23. Vegan Socca Pancakes with Spinach, Fennel & Tahini Dressing
A staple in Northern Italy and Southern France, socca pancakes (AKA la socca or farinata) are a gluten-free and vegan flatbread made with chickpea flour.
In this recipe, we combine fennel, spinach, and chickpeas to create a drool-worthing topping that is hearty and flavoursome.
24. Vegan Cannellini Bean, Mushroom & Lemon Risotto
Risotto is one of the most beloved vegan Italian recipes for a reason – it’s simple to make and the possibilities are endless when it comes to flavouring it.
The combination of cannellini beans and lemon gives this risotto a fresh flavour, making this a great meal for a summer’s evening.
25. Vegan Cavatelli Arrabbiata
Cavatelli Arrabbiata is a satisfying spicy tomato dish, seasoned with chilli flakes, basil and garlic. Arrabbiata supposedly originates in the heart of Italy, Rome.
The pasta dough is rigged and the edges are folded towards each other to create perfect dents to pick up the spicy sauce. This is where the name stems from, with ‘cavatelli‘ translating as ‘little hollows’ in Italian.
26. Vegan Blueberry Polenta Cake
Polenta originates from Northern Italy and gives cakes a delightfully dense, moist texture that’s hard to resist. It’s a great alternative for gluten-free bakers too as you can use it instead of flour.
27. Vegan Pappardelle with Fennel, Courgette & Lemon
This vegan pappardelle pasta recipe is light and summery with the courgette and fennel flavours combined with zesty lemon to create this elegant dish. Pour a glass of (vegan-friendly) white wine and enjoy!
28. Vegan Tofu Parmigiana
Although technically popularised in Italian-American cuisine, this veganised chicken parmigiana is still full of fresh, vibrant Italian flavour. Serve with pasta and salad for a filling week night meal.
29. Vegan Tempeh Bolognese
Filled with traditional flavours, this vegan tempeh bolognese recipe swaps mince for tempeh to make a high-protein alternative that’s satisfying meaty. This bolognese is a classic served over a pile of spaghetti, but you can also use penne, fusilli, or any other kind of vegan pasta you like.
Got a craving for carbs? You need one of the vegan pasta recipes.
