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Last Updated on March 25, 2025
Going vegan can be rewarding, especially when it comes to bettering your health. In this meat-loving world, however, there’s no doubt that it can be challenging, too.
In a qualitative study published in Appetite, new vegans outlined the biggest hurdles they faced after making the switch. The most common included dealing with non-vegan food cravings, concerns about social acceptability (especially among family)—and learning how to actually cook vegan dishes. “It forced me to get really creative … I remember having to learn new ways of cooking,” one participant shared.
If you’re facing similar struggles, don’t worry: your learning curve in vegan cooking doesn’t have to be so steep. With the right kitchen gadgets, you can quickly and easily master all the new techniques needed for making vegan meals, snacks, and more!
A powerful blender
You’ll want this gadget on hand for more than just making smoothies. With a powerful blender, you can make soups, sauces, and dips with your favorite veggies, grind spices to season your meals so they taste like the non-vegan dishes you miss, and even turn seeds and nuts into creamy vegan milks, cheeses, and butters. Given how versatile it can be across recipes, consider investing in a heavy-duty one that comes with accessories.
One model you can consider is the Vitamix Explorian 2.0 variable blender, which stands out as one of the “Top Rated” kitchen appliances on QVC alongside gadgets from brands like KitchenAid and Breville. It boasts over 13 functions, 10 different speeds, a pulse feature, and accessories like tampers and under-blade spatulas—so you can use it to easily make even peanut butter and vegan ice cream!
A food dehydrator
Another hurdle of vegan cooking is figuring out how to make your own plant-based snacks. With a dehydrator, you can open up a world of possibilities. You can create fruit roll-ups, crisp up some kale, and make tofu or seitan jerky. A dehydrator can even help you make crackers using the pulp left over from that one time you made plant milk!
The likes of the 9-tray model from Excalibur should easily meet all your needs. It uses patented Parallexx Airflow and Hyperwave Technology to dehydrate all your food slowly and at an even, low temperature. These ensure the nutrients in your fruits, veg, and nuts won’t evaporate along with their water content—and they’ll extend your food’s shelf life to up to 9 months. You’ll even get a downloadable Guide to Dehydration along with it, making it one of the best kitchen gadgets for vegans regardless of cooking skill.
A multicooker
Busier vegans will definitely want this tool in their kitchen because it combines the functionalities of multiple cooking gadgets into one easy-to-use device. For example, it can quickly soften up tough root vegetables and beans for various dishes. Conversely, you can dump ingredients in it to simmer for hours, so you can make large batches of vegetable stock from scratch or come home to a hot meal after work. Then, it can go even further!
Take the iconic Instant Pot. Its RIO Chef series easily outperforms brands like The Pioneer Woman among Walmart’s bestselling multicookers—because it can pressure cook, slow cook, steam, saute, cook rice, keep your food warm, and even make yogurt! It also comes with four customizable presets, so you can save your favorite vegan recipes for instant use.
A tofu press
Out of all the ingredients you’re likely to use in your vegan kitchen, you’ll probably work with firm tofu the most—especially if you’re using it as a meat substitute. Such recipes require you to take as much moisture out of your tofu as possible, which will give it a meatier texture, allow it to absorb more flavors, and even help it crisp up better. However, manually pressing your tofu with a towel and heavy objects can be a time-consuming and messy process.
Since you’ll be working with tofu so often, why not invest in a tofu press? Coming from brands like Tofuture, it can accommodate tofu blocks of various sizes—and it’ll actually press your tofu for you, so you can leave it be while you prep the rest of your ingredients or go about your day. A 15 to 20-minute press, for example, is great if you want to make vegan chocolate mousse, while an overnight press can more effectively prep your tofu for recipes that require more seasoning (like vegan kebabs).
Ready to start cooking with your new gadgets?
Head over to our vegan archives to find your next favorite recipe.
