Beyond Tofu: Four Tasty, Vegan Alternatives to Soy

It’s really easy to fall into the soy trap when you’re eating vegan. There are soy substitutes for everything: meat, milk, ice cream, even cheese! Before you know it, there’s a little bit (or a lot!) of soy in every meal. While small amounts of soy probably aren’t a problem, a diet too rich in soy products is linked to a long list of health concerns. Soy farming is also responsible for deforestation in large areas of the Amazon.

Luckily, vegans don’t have to rely on soy as a dietary staple! There are lots of delicious, soy-free options to fill your plate.

Seitan

You can replace the tofu in a lot of recipes with an equal amount of seitan. Rather than a bean curd, seitan is a dough made from vital wheat gluten and seasoning. It’s delicious in soups, salads, stir fries, and even in sandwiches! Seitan has a chewier texture than tofu, which means it doesn’t need pressing or freezing before you cook with it!

It can be a little pricey to purchase seitan at the store, but it’s actually really easy to make at home. All you need is a box of vital wheat gluten, which most grocery stores stock in the flour aisle. Here’s a basic recipe for home made seitan. Once you get the hang of making it, you can mix up the spices to suit all sorts of different dishes! For a little seitan inspiration, check out Vegan Dad’s Seitan Roast with Wild Rice and Chestnut Stuffing.

Beans

Tofu or tempeh are often at the center of vegan cooking, but beans can totally fill in as protein superstars! Whether you’re looking for a tasty sandwich filling, dip, or a little more protein for your meal, beans are pretty much ideal. Combine your beans with a whole grain or some nuts, and you’ve got a whole protein that’s just as nutritious as any meat you could put on your plate!

If you want to keep it simple, beans and rice or quinoa make a quick, delicious, filling meal. You can go more elaborate, too, and make a bean “meat” loaf, like the recipes in Jennifer McCann’s Magical Loaf Studio! The Loaf Studio is a great meal-planning tool, and the results are always stellar. Just plug in items you have on hand for each of the categories, and you’re ready to make a super-tasty main dish with no soy in sight!

Next: How to make creamy vegan ice cream and cheese without soy

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Read more: Eating for Health, Food, dairy, food, health, milk, soy, tofu, vegan

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Marcia M.

5:09AM PDT on Oct 19, 2011

Thanks

send a green star

Madhumathy S.

5:20AM PDT on Oct 11, 2011

Like Adrian says, it is getting more difficult to eat healthy. It is hazardous to be a non-vegetarian or a vegan (like me). Choices are getting more limited.

Sonny H.

11:45AM PDT on Sep 14, 2011

Thanks!

Jennifer C.

1:25AM PDT on Aug 11, 2011

Excellent article. Thanks for sharing.

colleen p.

7:28AM PDT on Aug 8, 2011

what if someone is allergic to these things?

Aoife O.

3:37PM PDT on Jun 16, 2011

Thanks =)

adriana j.

5:29PM PDT on Apr 7, 2011

I didn't know soy was so scary... eating well becomes trickier and trickier!

Jenny S.

6:14AM PDT on Apr 5, 2011

There are always alternatives to soy... they might just be harder to find or make. Soy is the "easy way"; doesn't mean it's better.

Jo A.

8:44PM PDT on Mar 23, 2011

Thanks for these great ideas. will start exploring. have been trying to perfect non-dairy ice cream formula.

Jen D.

12:46AM PST on Feb 3, 2011

“Imagine drugs that are known, by years of scientific documentation, to be both carcinogenic and to also cause DNA and chromosome damage being prescribed and administered through the food supply to populations of many countries around the world without the knowledge or consent of the individuals consuming these foods … with no way to track dosage, individual reactions, or harmful side-effects … and without any concern for some people’s increased vulnerability to these drugs, such as cancer patients. It sounds crazy, but that is exactly what is happening around the world when Soy is added to our food supply. Soy contains the scientifically documented carcinogenic and DNA damaging and chromosome damaging natural chemicals genistein and daidzein.” - True Health, the magazine of Carotec Inc., Naples, Florida. May/June 2004.
“(Soyfoods) are not nutrients. They are drugs.”