Potatoes Are Your Best Friend When It Comes To Vegan Recipes

If you're a tenured vegan, you might already be privy to this, but it's worth reiterating — potatoes are a vegan's best friend. Although the vegan food market is expanding and it seems like there are more plant-based options in grocery stores and restaurants than ever, crafting tasty, inspired vegan meals can still be tricky sometimes. But as long as you have potatoes in your pantry, you'll never have a sub-par meal. From versatility to nutritional content, satiety, and affordability, potatoes are far more than just an oblong starch with empty calories.

It's not just sweet potatoes that boast health benefits; all forms of potatoes are actually nutrient-dense foods. Potatoes are rich in vitamin C and boast a healthy serving of potassium, and when enjoyed with the skin on, they're a solid source of fiber, which can keep you full and satiated. Potatoes are also a starchy carbohydrate, providing a steady source of energy. 

Not only do potatoes themselves come in various varieties like fingerlings, sweet potatoes, and russets, but they're also used in cuisines worldwide, which means there are tons of vegan recipes to explore with potatoes. Of course, the biggest selling point for potatoes is that they're a plant-based comfort food, which means many joyful meals can be made from them.

Sure, there are plenty of classic potato recipes that are typically vegan (yes, we're talking about the highly coveted french fry), but sometimes we need to reinvent the way we enjoy potatoes. Pasta anyone? That's right, you can turn your potatoes into gnocchi by kneading a combination of mashed potatoes, flour, and olive oil. Once you have an amalgamation of wet and dry ingredients, roll the dough into a long cylindrical shape and cut horizontally into bite-sized pieces before boiling them and serving with your favorite pasta sauce. Or combine mashed sweet potatoes with flour to make an unconventional pizza crust (just be careful to avoid the common mistakes people make when cooking sweet potatoes, like boiling them or adding too much oil). 

Feeling like traveling without leaving the house? For a comforting Indian-inspired dinner, combine cooked potatoes with spinach and chickpeas in a fragrant curry sauce served over basmati rice with a side of naan. Or transport yourself to the Japanese coast by filling a sushi roll with sweet potatoes, rice, cucumber, and avocado.

Don't limit yourself to savory dishes, either. Take yourself to dessert heaven by baking a sweet potato and topping it with vegan coconut yogurt, fresh berries, cacao nibs, and a drizzle of agave nectar. Just because you're vegan or eating more plant-based, doesn't mean your options for tasty dishes are limited. Grab a sack of your favorite potatoes and make a mouthwateringly delicious vegan dish.