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    Home » Vegetables

    Published: Dec 14, 2022 · Modified: Mar 21, 2023 by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    33 Vegetarian Chinese New Year Recipes

    Sharing food makes everyone happy! :)

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    Unfortunately, there aren't many vegan dishes in typical Chinese cuisine. However, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy Chinese food if you're plant-based! Try these Vegan and Vegetarian Chinese New Year recipes for a delicious 2023 Reunion Dinner!

    Someone using chopsticks to pick up a pan fried tofu
    Jump to:
    • 🥟 Savoury Snacks
    • 🍜 Soup & Noodles
    • 🍞 Bao Buns
    • 🥦 Vegetables
    • 🧈 Tofu
    • 🍰 Desserts
    • 🍵 Drinks

    Chinese New Year cooking- well cooking for any party really- can be a bit stressful, so here's a CNY meal planning guide showing how 1 person can prepare the meal stress free. (Recipe suggestions are, unfortunately, not all vegan.)

    Note: If these 30+ vegan and vegetarian dishes are not enough, here's a link to more delicious Vegan Asian recipes to grace your festive table! Or, if you want a different cuisine, try these vegetarian Indian recipes or these vegetarian South East Asian dishes.

    🥟 Savoury Snacks

    Sometimes, Chinese New Year snacks can feel like sweetness overload, what with sweet glutinous rice balls, walnut cookies, Koi Fish Agar Agar...

    If you are more of a savoury person- like me!- try these recipes instead!

    Scallion Pancakes

    Crispy and flaky pan fried scallion pancakes on parchment paper.

    To make this street snack vegan, substitute the lard for regular vegetable oil (tried-and-tested FYI) or just vegan lard instead.

    P.S. If you don't have enough spring onions, here are some substitutes!

    Taiwanese green onion pancake recipe (Cong you bing)
    Taiwanese green onion pancake (Cong you bing), also known as Chinese scallion pancake, is a delicious savoury street snack that is easy to batch make and freeze.
    Click here for the spring onion savory pancake recipe.
    Crispy and flaky pan fried scallion pancakes on parchment paper.

    Singaporean Chinese Curry Puffs

    A hand holding a half-bitten mini curry puff.

    The main ingredients of the filling are potato and onion, but you can also add carrots and peas to bulk it up.

    Tip: remember that you need cold water to get a crisp dough!

    Vegan Epok Epok/ Karipap/ Curry Puff
    Another non-traditional favourite of the South East Asian Chinese, curry puffs are easy to batch make (can be frozen) and taste good both hot and at room temperature. Even better, the filling can be easily switched up so there's endless variety with this 1 recipe!
    Check out the South East Asian snack here!
    Vegan potato curry puff fried to a crisp golden brown on a plate.

    Braised Nuts

    A close-up of Chinese braised peanuts

    These soft peanuts are often stewed in soy sauce and sesame oil then served at Chinese restaurants as an appetiser.

    Note: For more Asian Nut recipes, such as these crunchy yet melt-in-your-mouth Chinese New Year peanut cookies, click here.

    Pressure Cooker Chinese braised peanuts (Keto) (Vegan)
    This braised peanut recipe is not just vegan, it's keto too! The trademark of a well-done plate of Chinese peanuts is that it must be soft, which can take many hours to achieve on the stove- cut the time in half by using a pressure cooker!
    Check out this recipe
    A close-up of Chinese braised peanuts

    Spring Rolls

    This is a super easy vegetarian Chinese starter. We used to make this weekly in my house!

    Tip: if served not fried, this is a very healthy Chinese food recipe!

    You will need

    • spring roll wrappers (can be substituted with filo pastry if baking/ deep-frying)
    • If using spring roll wrappers, remember to cover the opened packet with a damp cloth to keep them from hardening (whilst you are wrapping. After wrapping, extras must be put in the fridge or frozen)
    • A mix of Napa cabbage, carrots, mung bean vermicelli (soaked in hot water till soft), fresh Shiitake mushrooms (for umami, if replacing with dried ones, they need to be soaked in hot water for a few hours to soften) and green onions
      • Add bean sprouts if you want more crunch
    • Seasoning: soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce/ mushroom sauce, vegetarian chicken bouillon and salt

    How to Make

    1. Shred or julinenne the vegetables/ mushrooms till they are all in thin slices whilst soaking the bean thread noodles.
    2. Stir-fry the shredded ingredients then add the seasoning, to taste
    3. Once cooked, allow the filling to cool slightly.
    4. Wrap the spring rolls in the wrappers- you will need to dab a bit of water to seal them well, so that they don't burst when frying.
    5. Deep fry till golden brown and crispy (or air-fry/ bake)

    Dumplings

    Vegetable dumplings are a popular side dish. This recipe uses mainly Napa cabbage and Shiitake mushrooms, but you can also vary it up with firm tofu and even water chestnuts for crunch!

    Note: don't forget the dipping sauce, such as this Toyomansi Soy Sauce!

    🍜 Soup & Noodles

    A noodle dish is a must on the Chinese New Year table.

    Just remember not to cut the noodles or you'll achieve the reverse effect! (And annoy all the Asian elders.)

    Note: For other Chinese Long-Life Noodle dishes (such as stir-fried vermicelli, mostly non-vegan), check out this link.

    Spicy Sauce Noodles

    Chinese noodles in lao gan ma sauce on a blue plate

    Note: if you don't have bok choy, you can use replace with Chinese cabbage, green beans or bell peppers.

    Chinese Noodles in Spicy Lao Gan Ma Sauce
    If you like Chinese food, you've probably heard of Lao Gan Ma sauce, which regularly makes the news. It's great as a standalone dipping sauce or in stir-fries, such as these spicy noodles!
    Check out this recipe
    Chinese noodles in lao gan ma sauce on a blue plate

    Vegetable Chow Mein

    If you prefer to work with everyday Chinese sauces (instead of having to specially buy Lao Gan Ma) try this Vegetarian Tofu Noodle, which only requires mirin, light and dark soy sauce.

    Hot & Sour Soup

    This Sour Soup Recipe (酸辣汤 (Suān là tāng)) is easy and delicious. Best of all, this vegan recipe is done in 30 minutes!

    🍞 Bao Buns

    Who can say no to fluffy baos? (They're delicious served with soy milk!)

    The trend in Chinese communities is to make baos that resemble the zodiac of the year, so for 2023 it should be Rabbit mantou buns!

    Vegan Stuffed Baos

    5 toasted buns with vegan fillings on a blue plate
    Toasted Chinese Bao Buns with Vegan Filling
    Chinese Bao Buns are usually stuffed with pork (think "kong bak bao") but why should vegans miss out? Try this delicious Wowitsveggie recipe for CNY 2023!
    Click here for the vegan bun recipe.
    5 toasted buns with vegan fillings on a blue plate

    Spiral Mantous

    6 green & white mantou buns on a serving board.

    Note: these can be made weeks before CNY, frozen and steamed from frozen for Reunion Dinner. Much less hassle! (And all your relatives will be super impressed that you made them from scratch!)

    Vegan Pandan Spiral Mantou Bao
    Easy directions showing you how to create spirals in your mantou buns- substitute with different food colourings to get different coloured mantous!
    Check out the pandan bread recipe here.
    A few steamed spiral mantou buns on a serving board.

    Green Tea Buns

    2 green matcha buns with a Chinese tea pot.
    Easy Matcha Mantou Bun (Vegan)
    Many mantou recipes call for milk but this one doesn't, keeping it vegan. With detailed instructions on how to steam without a bamboo steamer, as well as a 1-rise dough, this vegan mantou is a must! Use golden (pumpkin maybe?) or red (beetroot?) food colouring to create lucky colour foods for Chinese New Year, such as these 12 Golden CNY recipes.
    Check out the vegan mantou recipe here.
    1 matcha green tea bun before being steamed.

    🥦 Vegetables

    There's more to vegetarian Chinese dishes than just stir-fried leafy greens!

    Orange Cauliflower

    Orange Cauliflower
    Cauliflower isn't the easiest of vegetables to cook- done incorrectly, it can taste pretty blah- if you're not familiar with cooking it, check out this almost 5-star orange cauliflower recipe!
    Check out this recipe

    Lo Han Jai

    Also known as Buddha's Delight, this is 1 of the best vegetarian Chinese food recipes cooked during the Spring Festival. Delicious with just a bowl of white rice!

    Note: it requires a lot of specialty ingredients that you'll need to hit up the local Chinese grocery to find, such as bamboo shoots, dried beancurd and black fungus. You can also add wheat gluten, although it's not specified in this recipe.

    Sichuan Eggplant

    Vegan Sichuan Eggplant
    Eggplant is 1 of my favourite Sichuan dishes, but it's often cooked with pork. Try this 5-starred vegan version if you're trying to reduce your carbon footprint!
    Check out this recipe
    A bowl of Sichuan Eggplant & White Rice

    🧈 Tofu

    Tofu is 1 of the most common vegan and vegetarian ingredients as it takes on flavours very easily and is protein packed.

    Chinese people have been making tofu for centuries so we have a LOT of tofu recipes! (I've kept it to just 3 here as many vegans complain about tofu overload.)

    Stir Fry Tofu

    Broccoli and tofu stir fry (Vegan) (Gluten-free)
    Most Chinese takeout vegetable stir-fries use oyster sauce, but this Chinese takeout recreation recipe cleverly uses nutritional yeast instead to get the umami whilst still keeping the dish vegan! (Remember that not all nutritional yeast is created equal so google for reviews before buying!)
    Check out this recipe
    Broccoli and tofu stir fry with rice in a pan

    Vegan Orange "Chicken"

    Close-up of tofu in a vegan orange sauce on rice
    Look at that red sauce! Guaranteed to make any superstitious Chinese elders happy!
    Vegan Orange Tofu
    As if a vegan dish wasn't healthy enough, this post kindly shows you how to pan fry tofu with minimal oil. P.S. The red sauce, like these golden recipes, is a lucky colour for Chinese New Year!
    Click here for the vegan tofu recipe.
    Close-up of tofu in a vegan orange sauce on rice

    5-spice Tofu

    Someone using chopsticks to pick up a pan fried tofu

    The next time you make this crispy tofu, try using homemade Chinese 5-spice powder mix. It's much more fragrant than shop-bought and makes a ton of difference in the flavor!

    Stir fry tofu using prune juice
    This is the 1st time I've seen a Chinese recipe combining prune juice and 5-spice powder! Give this very unusual 5-star recipe by Veggie Desserts a try and let me know what you think! For other 5-spice recipes, click this link!
    Click here for the fried tofu recipe.
    Someone using chopsticks to pick up a pan fried tofu

    Vegan Tofu

    If you like your food bold and flavorful, you'll love this Kung Pao Tofu, with its numbing Sichuan peppercorns!

    Note: if you really, really can't get Chinese black vinegar, try Balsamic Vinegar or 1 of these Chinkiang vinegar substitutes.

    🍰 Desserts

    Chinese New Year is all about symbolism.

    The foods we eat represent a better year ahead, and dessert recipes are a must as they represent a sweet year ahead! For more symbolic (sadly not vegan) Chinese New Year foods, try these 12 Golden CNY recipes.

    Note: for more Chinese New Year dessert recipes for 2023, or if you're looking just for Chinese cookies, click here.

    Hup Toh Soh

    Chinese Walnut Cookies (Hup Toh Soh)
    Also known as He Tao Su, these classic vegetarian cookies are easy to make at home, using store cupboard ingredients, and can be made vegan as well (info below). Crispy, crumbly and fragrant, they go well with coffee or milk tea!
    Check out this recipe
    Chinese Walnut Cookies with Chinese New Year red packets

    Agar Agar

    2 koi fish jellies- 1 big 1 small- on a white plate.
    Easy koi fish jelly for an abundant Chinese New Year
    Make it vegan by substituting with a plant-based milk (No need to water the milk down with water, unlike with evaporated milk in the recipe)
    Check out this recipe
    Close-up of 2 CNY koi fish jelly

    Peanut Cookies

    Chinese peanut cookies on a plate with its ingredients peanuts, peanut oil, flour, sugar and egg
    Inspired by the "How to cook the Perfect..." column in The Guardian (UK newspaper), I baked over 2000 cookies before coming up with this ultimate Chinese peanut cookie recipe. Typically eaten over Chinese New Year, but there's no reason why you can't have it on regular days as well 🙂
    Traditional Chinese New Year Peanut Cookies (Vegan)
    A recipe that was derived after baking around 2000 cookies - someone once ordered over 20 bottles of it at a go!
    Check out this recipe
    12 types of Chinese peanut cookies made from 12 different recipes on a plate

    Yuzu Jelly

    Yuzu konnyaku jelly
    This yuzu konnyaku jelly is the No.1 Recipe on my site! The detailed explanation makes it easy for you to customise it to other flavours if you can't get yuzu!
    Check out this recipe
    3 pieces of flowers shaped yuzu tea konnyaku jelly

    CNY Cake

    A Chinese New Year table with Nian Gao in the centre
    Traditional Chinese New Year Cake (Nian Gao)
    Nian Gao is a must at the Chinese New Year table as it's a homonym for a better year ("Gao", which is cake in Chinese, sounds like high- so technically I guess you could serve any cake!) Substitute the sweeteners in the recipe for vegan sugar and we're good to go! I love Instant Pot recipes for CNY because they keep the stove hobs free to cook other things!
    Check out this recipe
    A Chinese New Year table with Nian Gao in the centre

    Champagne Jelly

    Bite sized lychee jellies with champagne, many still in their silicone moulds.
    Silicone ice trays, or silicone baking moulds, make great containers to set jelly in, as they're heat-resistant and it's easy to pop the jellies out after!
    Lychee Jellies with Champagne
    Konnyaku jellies are high in fibre so make these delicious jellies to help prevent yourself from overeating. The floral flavour of the lychees go superbly with the champagne too!
    Check out this recipe
    Champagne lychee konnyaku jellies on a serving board and in an ice mold.

    Papaya Tong Sui

    For more Papaya sweet recipes, click here.

    Vegan Papaya and Snow Fungus Soup
    Skip the honey and use vegan sugar instead to make this traditional Chinese dessert vegan. Chinese desserts are quite light and perfect for people who aren't fond of heavy, buttery flavours!
    Check out this recipe
    Close-up of a traditional Chinese dessert, Papaya and snow fungus soup

    Osmanthus Flower Jelly

    3 osmanthus jellies in brown sugar syrup on a white plate.
    Osmanthus Flower Jelly
    Osmanthus desserts were popular even in the Chinese Royal Palace so if you haven't tried it yet, make this to see what you're missing out on! (They're believed to be good for the skin FYI)
    Check out this recipe
    3 osmanthus jellies with wolf berries on a white plate.

    Red Bean Soup

    Close-up of someone scooping red bean soup out of a bowl
    Instant Pot Red Bean Soup
    Use vegan sugar, and this instant pot red bean soup will make your life so much easier cooking for Chinese New Year!
    Check out this recipe
    Close-up of someone scooping red bean soup out of a bowl

    🍵 Drinks

    These days, most Chinese families stock up on soft drinks for Chinese New Year. Why not make these homemade Chinese drinks for healthier yet easy and tasty alternatives?

    Dried Longan Tea

    A cup of Chinese longan red date tea on a white plate with ingredients around it.
    Ginger, jujubes and longan tea
    Way back before fizzy drinks became commonplace, my family used to prepare huge batches of this longan tea for guests during Chinese New Year. It's yummy and nourishing but make sure you don't drink too much as longan is very heaty!
    Check out this recipe
    Someone holding a cup of longan jujube tea with other TCM ingredients in the background.

    Gui Hua Cha

    A cup of golden osmanthus tea made using dried gui hua flowers in a tea strainer
    Osmanthus Flower Tea (Golden Gui Hua Cha)
    Osmanthus is believed by the Chinese to be nourishing and good for one's skin. Gui Hua Cha is a great beautifying drink to serve to counter the effects of all the unhealthy Chinese New Year snacks!
    Check out this recipe
    A cup of golden osmanthus tea made using dried gui hua flowers in a tea strainer

    Suan Mei Cha

    A cup of Chinese suanmei tang drink with preserved plums and hawthorns around it
    I find sprinkling some dried golden osmanthus tea on suanmeitang helps to make the dark brown drink more attractive

    The Lunar New Year is the season for overeating, so some of this Chinese preserved plum tea would be great as it promotes digestion!

    Chinese Sour Plum Drink (Suanmeitang)
    An ancient Chinese drink drunk by royalty, this classic summer beverage remains popular even today thanks to its sweet-sour-salty-smokey taste! Reduced to its 3 most basic ingredients whilst keeping a great flavour so that everyone can make Chinese plum tea easily at home!
    Click here for the Chinese Plum Tea recipe.
    Overheat shot of a cup of Chinese Sour Plum Drink next to hawthorns and flowers.

    Plum Tea

    A top view of a glass of Asian plum tea
    Asian plum tea
    Chinese New Year goes hand in hand with overeating, so serving homemade plum tea helps everyone digest their food better!
    Check out this recipe
    A top view of a glass of Asian plum tea

    Da Mai Cha

    Roasted Barley Tea
    This fragrant and nutty drink is popular not just for its taste- it promotes sleep and is low-call too!
    Check out the Chinese Barley (Da Mai) Tea recipe.
    A glass of cold roasted barley tea.

    If you make any of these Chinese Vegetarian Recipes, don't forget to tag me on social media! (@greedygirlgourmet) If you've enjoyed them, would you like to subscribe to my Asian recipes newsletter?

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    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love cooking for friends and family. Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

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