If you’re a new vegan, just trying it out, or have a vegan relative visiting, you might be wondering what to buy at the store. Here’s a basic grocery list of vegan items to keep in stock, some easy meal ideas to go along with the ingredients, and shopping tips for each item on the list.

Basic Vegan Shopping List

1. Bread 
2. Hummus
3. Marinara Sauce
4. Pasta
5. Tortillas
6. Rice
7. Beans
8. Peanut Butter
9. Maple Syrup
10. Oatmeal

Any vegan who visits will love to see these items stocked in your kitchen. Add a few fresh fruits and veggies, and you can make meals for days. For heartier dishes, just throw in your favorite vegan protein or meat substitute—tofu, tempeh, Gardein, Beyond Meat, etc.

Easy Vegan Meal Ideas

• Use the bread to make avocado toast, mushrooms on toast, peanut butter and banana sandwiches or hummus and veggie sandwiches.
• Hummus is also great for a snack with celery and carrot sticks, or in a rice bowl with cucumber, tomato, and parsley.
• The marinara is for the pasta, obviously. Just add some mushrooms, cherry tomatoes & zucchini, or your favorite Italian veggies.
• I like to keep a big stack of corn tortillas in my fridge—black bean tacos are always a quick and easy dinner.
• Rice! A definite staple. Serve it with a veggie stir fry or curry, wrap it up in a bean burrito, or get fancy and make some mushroom risotto or avocado rolls.
• Beans can be used in tacos, chili, curry, soups, salads and more. 
• Peanut butter is always good on toast or in oatmeal for breakfast.
• Maple syrup for pancakes, obviously. But it’s also great in baked goods or drizzled over a baked sweet potato.
• You can’t go wrong with oatmeal for breakfast. It’ll “stick to your ribs” as my grandpa used to say. Add some maple syrup, a bit of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

Vegan Shopping Tips

Bread 

When you’re buying bread, always read the ingredients. Sometimes bread has dairy, eggs, or honey. You might have to go through several different loaves or brands until you find a vegan one.

Hummus 

It’s usually vegan, but double check the ingredients just in case.

Marinara Sauce 

Watch out for cheese, and obviously, don’t buy a marinara with meat in it. Flavors like roasted garlic or basil herb are usually the way to go.

Pasta 

Look for pasta that has two ingredients: semolina and water. Sometimes pasta has eggs in it, so be careful.

Tortillas 

Usually vegan, whether you’re buying corn or flour tortillas. The fewer ingredients, the better.

Rice

Vegan! There’s no ingredients in rice except…rice. So get some nice basmati or Arborio or even Minute Rice.

Canned Beans 

If the only ingredients are beans, water, and salt, they’re vegan. Steer clear of baked beans, as they usually have pork in them, and check that refried beans don’t have things like lard or cheese.

Peanut Butter 

Usually vegan, but watch out for honey. Some vegans might object to peanut butter with sugar (if it’s not organic, it might not be vegan) or palm oil (orangutan habitat loss). 

Maple Syrup 

100% pure maple syrup is 100% vegan! Maple syrup comes from trees. Imitation “pancake syrups” are probably made from corn, but check the label just in case.

Oatmeal 

Like rice, it’s vegan! Look for plain rolled oats or quick oats.