Traditional Greek cuisine consists mainly of Vegetarian and Vegan recipes. From luscious salads to healthy oily stews, hearty homemade pies and so much more.
All cooked in a homely manner that fills your belly and keeps you going through the day. These foods are what make our everyday meals, and are also, to begin with, one of the reasons why the Greek diet is considered very healthy.
I picked my top 10 favorite Greek Vegan recipes to share with you, and hopefully broaden your everyday meal options.
You can see all of our Greek Vegan Recipes here🠪
1. Greek Yemista - Stuffed Vegetables With Rice
In a Vegan diet, the lack of dairy and animal protein may sometimes leave you with a growling stomach. Rice can make up for this, giving you a very satisfying and energy-boosting meal. These Rice Stuffed Veggies aka Yemista, are an absolute must in this case. They're slowly baked in the oven, stuffed with a fresh vegetable, mint, & rice filling, and potatoes on the sides. Yummy...
About 1,5 grams of protein per 100 grams of Gemista. Or 10 grams per portion.
Full Recipe Here⮕
2. Traditional Greek Stuffed Vine Leaves
And if you are up for some rice-stuffed vegetables, you can give it a go and try stuffing some vine leaves for a change. These Vine Leaves are preserved in brine and are ready to be cooked. As for the filling, it's made with rice, pine nuts, and dill. Very delicious indeed. All are slowly cooked and served with a fresh lemon sauce.
About 7 grams of protein per 100 grams of Stuffed Vine Leaves.
Full Recipe Here
Beans, lentils, and peas contain about 20 grams of protein per cooked cup. And when you remove meat from your diet, well then you definitely need a good alternative source of protein.
This RI is based on an average human, just to give you a general idea. The numbers differ depending on age, gender, and body weight.
3. Greek Butter Beans - Gigantes Plaki
One of my all-time favorite dishes. Butter beans or "Gigantes" as we call them in Greece. To me, these are tastier than any other type of bean.
About 7,2 grams of protein per 100 grams of Butterbeans.
Full Recipe Here
4. Ancient Greek Lentil Soup
A very healthy and nutritious Lentil Soup. This recipe is pretty basic and easy to make, that goes way back in time. Lentils are also packed with iron, which makes this dish a very nutritious one by all means.
About 7 grams of protein per 100 grams of Lentils.
These Green Beans are full of sweet flavor and freshness. Slowly stewed in a fresh tomato sauce, along with some potatoes. A favorite Greek weekday lunch.
About 1,8 grams of protein for every 100 grams of Green beans.
Full Recipe Here
6. Traditional Greek Stewed Green Peas
If you like peas as I do, then you will definitely love this recipe. And well, even if you aren't really fond of them then you may wanna give this recipe a go. The fresh tomato, along with the carrots give an extra sweetness to peas, that makes them more flavorful than ever. They taste so much better than steamed peas do. Trust me!
About 5 grams of protein for every 100 grams of Green Peas.
Full Recipe Here
7. Spanakopita" Greek Spinach Pie With Homemade Phyllo
Spanakopita is a well-known and well-loved Greek food. But it gets even better when you make it from scratch. Spinach is a real superfood, that's full of flavor, especially when combined with fresh herbs, olive oil, and a very crispy, homemade phyllo pastry. Not to mention you'll know exactly what the pastry is made of...
About 10 grams of protein per 100 grams of "Spanakopita"
Full Recipe Here
8. Greek Spanakorizo (Spinach Rice)
Spinach and rice are two very good friends. They combine so well together and make this dish a super energy booster. While dill and freshly squeezed lemon make it also very flavorful.
About 4 grams of protein per 100 grams of "Spanakorizo"
Full Recipe Here
And Because being a Vegan will definitely have you missing some of the greasy foods you used to love, I added these 2 favorite Greek dishes to this list as well.
9. Vegan Eggplant Gyros
One of the all-time- favorite Greek dishes "Gyros" comes in the form of eggplants in this recipe. Eggplants are a very flavorful meat substitute. Wrapped up in warm pita bread along with juicy tomatoes and crispy cucumber.
Little known fact: Greek cuisine is very "plant forward" by nature and many traditional dishes have been vegan for centuries. Indeed, the original Mediterranean diet studied in Crete was made up of these classic Greek meals that put the focus on fresh vegetables, legumes, and lots of olive oil.
It is a vegetarian diet that excludes meat, dairy and eggs but NOT Honey, Fish Eggs, Clams and Cephalopods. Typically, Greek people will fast 40 days before Easter so almost everyone in Greece will understand what you're asking them if you look for something “nistisimo”.
Other important vocabulary include kreas (meat), hirino (pork), kotopoulo (chicken) and psari (fish). Vegetarians may also like to memorise the phrase prosferete fa*gito ya hortofa*gus (do you offer vegetarian food)!
I highly recommend having a mixture of grains, protein, and vegetables — it provides a great balance not only with flavor/bulk but also texture. Grains and legumes help keep the meal filling while the vegetables bring everything together.
Greek yogurt is an animal-derived food. While it's perfectly acceptable on a vegetarian diet, dairy is definitely not part of a vegan diet. Luckily, there are dairy-free alternatives to Greek yogurt, including store-bought and homemade varieties like almond milk yogurt, cashew yogurt, and coconut yogurt.
Crete is a vegetarian's paradise. There are a number of healthy and very nutritious traditional dishes to choose from, including Cretan wild greens, gemista (peppers or tomatoes stuffed with a rice mixture and baked) and dolmadakia gialatzi (boiled vine leaves stuffed with rice, parsley and spices).
In all Greek restaurants it is almost mandatory to find vegetarian options. So, for lunch, you should be able to find at least one vegetarian dish, say, green beans or stuffed tomatoes (with rice). There are also plenty of vegan appetizers, like fried zucchini, eggplant, green peppers, etc.
Yassou means hello; it is a very casual greeting and is more commonly used among friends. You'll likely hear the more formal version, yassas, during your travels.
There are plenty of vegan Mediterranean recipes. People on the Greek island of Crete are traditionally vegans half of the year, because they don't eat any meat or dairy on religious holidays and there are a lot of religious holidays! On those days, they will eat veggies, beans, nuts, seeds, bread, and fruit.
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