I know how difficult it can be to come up with vegan sandwich ideas, and how easy it is to fall into a boring sandwich rut, so I’ve dug down deep into the internet and come up with everything you need to know right here about plant-based sandwiches.
In this roundup, you’ll find classic sandwiches with a vegan twist like vegan Philly cheesesteak, simple ones like 5-minute vegan masala sandwiches, and unique recipes like barbecue tempeh sandwiches, as well as an easy vegan sandwich ideas guide.
These delicious healthy sandwich recipes are perfect for vegetarians as well.
Enjoy these veggie sandwiches all by themselves for brunch or add to your easy lunch ideas list. Add a side of chips, fries, or wedges and a side salad to make a meal out of it.
Pssst if you’re more of a bagel than a sandwich fan (or are equally in love with both!) you can also find out if bagels are vegan and check out our post on vegan bagel toppings ideas.
Scroll on down below to find:
Veganized classic sandwich recipes
Whether you’re hankering for a hearty sandwich you used to enjoy before you went vegan, or have never even tried some of the classics due to your diet, you’ll find a tasty solution here in this selection of 13 classic sandwiches that have been veganized.
Perfect Vegan Philly Cheesesteak - My Pure Plants
This vegan Philly cheesesteak skips the fake meats and instead uses shredded oyster mushrooms for a less processed healthier take with all the gorgeous taste and texture you'd expect.
Healthy Vegan Egg Salad in 15 minutes
This vegan egg salad sandwich has a yummy vegan filling made with tofu and cashews for an easy protein-packed healthy meal in just fifteen minutes.
Pulled BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches with Tahini Slaw (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
A healthy & delicious meatless recipe that will have you forgetting about the meat! Pulled BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches with Tahini Slaw that are gluten-free, vegan, & top-8 allergy-free! Great for a quick & easy plant-based weeknight dinner!
How To Make the Best Vegan BLT Sandwich
This Ultimate Vegan BLT recipe is packed with smoky eggplant "bacon," crisp lettuce, ripe tomato, and homemade vegan mayo, sandwiched between two toasty pieces of your favorite bread. It's also gluten-free and soy-free. Lunchtime will never be boring again!
Easy Vegan Maine Lobster Rolls (Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free)
Nothing screams New England summer than a lobster roll! These Easy Vegan Maine Lobster Rolls are gluten-free, allergy-free, meatless, and fit for everyone to enjoy! A simple, healthy, and delicious recipe that redefines this classic fast-food sandwich!
Vegan Tempeh Reuben Sandwich | Heartful Table
This vegan tempeh Reuben sandwich is quick and easy to make and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser! Layered with your favorite vegan cheese, sauerkraut, crunchy gherkins, marinated tempeh, and finished with the perfect sandwich sauce
Vegan Meatball Italian Sub
This delightfully messy Vegan Meatball Sandwich is great for dinner, parties, and game-day food. It’s such a versatile meatless marinara sandwich, even kids love it!
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich with added fresh strawberry slices. Perfect for picnics, lunch boxes or snacking
No-Tuna Chickpea Salad Sandwich
This vegan chickpea salad sandwich is a great lunchbox option conveniently packed with plant-based protein and comes together in just ten minutes.
Lentil Sloppy Joes - Vegetarian Sloppy Joe Recipe
Sloppy and delicious, these Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes are made using pantry essentials including meaty lentils and a tangy tomato sauce. Easy to make, freezer-friendly, and ready in just 30 minutes, serve this lentil sloppy joe recipe sandwiched between a toasted bun with pickled red onions and a side of baked sweet potato fries.
Vegan Breakfast Sandwich [GF]
This tofu-based vegan breakfast sandwich is a twist on the classic egg and cheese popular in New Jersey and New York delis. Also made gluten-free using gluten-free rolls.
Vegan Chicken Salad
Vegan Chicken Salad is creamy, nostalgic, SO flavorful, and made with healthy, whole-food ingredients. With both chickpeas AND jackfruit, it has the best texture! Vegan chicken salad is perfect for meal prep, snacks, parties, and quick lunches!
Vegan Tuna Melt
This 100% vegan, creamy, cheesy, perfectly toasted vegan tuna melt will melt your heart into a pool of bliss. We're talking straight-up diner-style vegan comfort food! With tuna made from both jackfruit and chickpeas.
Unique vegan sandwich recipes
Stuck in a rut or all out of ideas when it comes to vegan sandwiches? Then you’ll enjoy the 22 original sandwich ideas in this section. Surprisingly enough, the vast majority are heavy on the vegetables and light on the meat substitutes, meaning they’re not just tasty, they’re pretty healthy too.
5-minute Masala Vegetable Sandwich
This easy vegetable masala sandwich is an easy quick taste of India - crisp cucumber slices, tomato, and onion combine with tangy chaat masala and vegan buttery spread before being toasted to golden perfection in under five minutes.
Scandi Inspired Smoked Tofu Sandwich
This Scandi Inspired Smoked Tofu Sandwich makes for an easy meal, with delicious flavors from things such as pickles and capers. The vegan cream cheese is a great addition too!
Vegan Pesto Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich
This vegan pesto tomato mozzarella sandwich is simple, easy, but most importantly delicious and filling! A lot of people don’t know about the pesto tomato sandwich and its glory, but we’re here to shine a light on it.
Rainbow roast vegetable sandwich
Epic vegan-friendly sandwich packed with roast vegetables, avocado, and pesto.
Easy Eggplant Sandwich (Vegetarian or Vegan)
Layers of smoky eggplant and fresh vegetables are packed in fresh ciabatta bread, then toasted till perfection!
Buffalo chickpea sandwich with vegan blue cheese
Sink your teeth into a spicy buffalo chickpea sandwich. It's topped with a cooling vegan blue cheese dressing.
Hot open faced sandwich with seitan & gravy
Relive your diner days with this open-faced sandwich. Turkey-style seitan is topped with a pile of mashed potatoes and gravy on a slice of bread. You'll need a knife & fork for this one!
Coronation Chickpea Sandwich
Make this tasty Coronation Chickpea Sandwich recipe with chickpeas, mayo, mango chutney, curry powder, and sweet dried fruit. It's my vegan take on the famous chicken salad created for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.
Peruvian Sandwich (sanguche)
This is the most incredible, flavorful Peruvian Sandwich (aka sanguche). Peru is famous for sandwiches, and this veggie version is filled with Peruvian spices and roasted vegetables to give it loads of great taste.
Bombay Sandwich - Vegetable Grilled Sandwich
Bombay sandwich is a deliciously wholesome sandwich with generous amounts of lip-smacking fresh cilantro-mint chutney and thinly sliced veggies layered between slices of soft bread and grilled. This Indian vegetarian sandwich is hassle-free, loaded with amazing flavors, making for an immensely gratifying bite.
Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe (Vegan)
This Vegan Curried Chickpea Salad recipe is easy to make and perfect for lunch! It's great served on a sandwich, wrap, as a dip or spread
Cucumber Hummus Sandwich
This cucumber hummus sandwich is filled with veggies and roasted garlic hummus. It is super easy to make and the filling ingredients are easily customizable to your preferences!
Chickpea Avocado Sandwich
This vegan chickpea and avocado sandwich is packed with protein and full of cilantro, celery, dill, green onion, lime, and more! The perfect lunch recipe!
Veggie Hummus Sandwich (Vegan, Gluten-Free) ~ Veggie Inspired
This Veggie Hummus Sandwich is super quick, easy, and customizable, not to mention healthy and nutritious. It’s got texture and flavor and it might just become your new favorite lunch! Ready in 10 minutes or less!
Veggie Triple Decker Sandwich with Easy Avocado Spread & Hummus
Make a bright green pea and avocado spread for the main layer of this easy vegan triple-decker sandwich. Also includes a layer of hummus and sliced tomato. It's perfect for picnics or weekday lunches!
Vegan Cream Cheese Bagel Sandwich
This vegan bagel sandwich is packed with veggies and a delicious cashew cream cheese. It makes a satisfying lunch that is easy to make, and you can use any leftover cream cheese as a spread for crackers, veggies, or more sandwiches!
Vegan Banh Mi
Our Vegan Banh Mi is made with marinated and grilled tofu, quick pickled carrots, fresh cucumbers, fresh cilantro and mint, fresh chilis, vegan sriracha mayo, and our special touch... mango!
Buffalo Tofu Sandwich - Plant-Based on a Budget
This crispy and spicy sandwich is quick and easy. You'll love the play of textures inside.
Easy Vegan Mushrooms Sandwich
If you're getting tired of eating the same vegan cheese and tomato sandwich then this recipe is for you! Check out this vegan mushrooms sandwich recipe!
Tofu & Pesto Sandwich - Plant-Based on a Budget
This tofu and pesto sandwich is the perfect weekday lunch! It only takes a few minutes and it's full of plant-based protein!
BBQ Tempeh Sandwich
This vegan BBQ Sandwich uses deliciously smoky and savory Tempeh patties nestled between soft, fluffy buns! It is so easy to throw together when needing a quick yet filling lunch or dinner. It's a healthier and lighter alternative that is downright delicious; even meat-eaters will love them!
Eggplant Parm Sandwich
The crispiness of the battered and fried eggplant in this sandwich is so delicious. It’s loaded with tomato sauce, vegan cheese and served on toasted buns.
Easy vegan sandwich ideas guide
So you didn’t quite find your ideal vegan sandwich recipe in the carefully curated selection above, or you’re just more of a mix and match type of person looking to invent the best vegan sandwich?
Fear not, we have plenty of ideas here to get you out of your sandwich rut. Just look at what ingredients you have to hand, and see what they pair well with.
These are obviously vegetarian sandwiches as well and suitable for all to eat and have even been known to satisfy meat-eaters!
The bread
For very simple sandwiches, regular white sandwich bread will do. For sandwiches with heartier ingredients piled high, multigrain bread or thick slices of sourdough are a good choice.
Consider how “wet” the ingredients will be. Toasting the bread before assembling your sandwich can stop the bread from getting soggy, as can using an oily “barrier” sauce or spread on the bread, but don’t toast bread for sandwiches prepared ahead of time e.g. for lunchboxes.
Consider pita pockets as a light alternative to traditional sandwiches. Really dense bread, like seeded bread or pumpernickel, is best kept to a single slice, open-faced sandwich style.
I do love flatbreads and use them to make pizza-style open-faced sandwiches that I pop under the grill for a few minutes.
If you find yourself defaulting to “worthless” white bread every time you go to make a sandwich, look at the list of breads for sandwiches below and try to break out of the rut you’re in.
- Baguette
- Baps
- Ciabatta
- Ezekiel
- Flatbreads (note that naan bread often contains dairy)
- Foccacia
- Pita
- Rye
- Sourdough
- Spelt
- Wholewheat
Most types of bread are vegan but you can also check out this list of vegan supermarket brands to be absolutely sure.
Sauces and spreads
Sauces and spreads can add a lot of flavor to vegan sandwiches, and also act as a sealing layer to prevent other ingredients from making your sandwich mushy.
I recommend extra virgin olive oil or flavored oils (Mediterranean style), vegan butter or plant-based spreads, smashed white bean spread, homemade hummus or shop-bought, vegan refried beans, guacamole, vegan pesto, vegan mayonnaise, peanut butter, tahini, Sriracha, salsa, sweet chili sauce, and barbecue sauce.
White beans are great as a filling sandwich spread, I typically use the exact same sauce that I use in my white bean pizza recipe which just takes a minute to make. If using vegan mayonnaise you can use it alone or add something to flavor it (e.g. Sriracha or mustard). Your favorite salad dressings can also be added to sandwiches in small amounts to boost the flavors.
Some hearty creamy salads like vegan potato salad, vegan Russian salad, or vegan coleslaw are also amazing in sandwiches.
Fillings
There is an endless amount of vegan sandwich filling possibilities but usually, you can choose from a protein-rich option, a vegetable option, or combine the two.
Popular protein-rich options would include fake meats or tofu (I prefer smoked tofu in sandwiches), beans, bean-based salads, lentil or bean purees (hummus also fits into this category), or vegan cheeses.
You can put any vegetable in a vegan sandwich but the most popular options tend to be:
- Cucumber
- Onion
- Lettuce
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Bell peppers
- Roasted zucchini
- Grated carrot
- Thinly sliced cabbage
Don’t forget popular, “technically” fruit options such as sliced tomatoes (deseed if you want your sandwich to stay crisp), creamy avocado, or even sliced apple (paired with peanut butter or vegan cheese). Leftover stir-fried vegetables, roast vegetables, or even leftover curry can also be awesome in a sandwich or a pita pocket.
Extras
To really take your sandwich to another level, try adding some of these extra ingredients:
Alfalfa sprouts, sauerkraut, nutritional yeast, crispy French fried onions, Tajín Clasico seasoning, pickles, jalapeños, seasoning mixes, or sliced olives.
Sandwich suggestions
Try leaving your comfort zone and picking an unusual type of bread, some different sauces or spreads paired with chunky fillings (vegetable or protein or a mix of the two), and some “extras” (when you think they would combine well).
Or keep it simple with just one or two ingredients. Below are some of my favorite sandwich combos (and yes some of them sound weird, but they are super tasty).
- Vegan mayonnaise, sliced tomatoes, and a sprinkle of salt between two slice of soft white sandwich bread.
- Creamy vegan mayonnaise, leftover easy vegan stuffing, sliced peppers, sliced red onion, and shredded vegan cheddar in a soft sub or bap.
- Smashed avocado toast with Tajín seasoning sprinkled over.
- Toasted thick crusty bread with a cut clove of garlic rubbed over it, topped with olive oil, grated tomato pulp, and a sprinkle of salt (Spanish stye).
- Toast two slices with vegan cheese until melted, then add black beans, chopped bell peppers, thinly sliced onion, and salsa, and sandwich together (eat quickly or the salsa will make the bread wet).
I hope you enjoyed this roundup of delicious vegan sandwiches, do leave a comment below if you tried any of them or if you have a favorite that you think should be added to the list.
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