Traveling to France can never be complete without sampling the country’s famed cuisine. There’s nothing like the sumptuousness of the ever-so flavorful and famously elegant French food. However, a lot of these French dishes often call for butter, dairy-based cheese, and meat.

Fortunately, there are ways to make some of our French favorites plant-based and equally scrumptious, not to mention a lot better for the body.

If you’re looking forward to going on a vegan culinary cruise some time soon, here are some veganized versions of some French dishes that are bound to hype you up for your trip (and maybe give you some menu ideas)!

Hors d’Oeuvres
Chicken liver paté or foie gras is a classic appetizer, but trading in the liver part for mushrooms and walnut-based or carrots and cashew-based paté makes for a tastier starter that will leave your palate excited for the treats to come!

Soups
It’s not a complete French meal if there’s no hearty bowl of soup. The classic French Onion Soup is traditionally topped with lots of cheese and buttery toast. Using soy-based butter and sunflower-based cheese on whole grain bread will make for an equally-filling and much better serving of soup.

Salad
Whether it’s part of your starters or your main meal, a hefty serving of salad is the easiest to spice up the vegan way. Veganizing favorites such as Niçoise by swapping tuna for beans or chickpeas makes the salad more satisfying and fresher on the taste buds. They’re also great complements to the salad’s notable olive flavor.

Mains
Lovely vegan-friendly quiches and cassoulets are a great idea. For lighter fare, quiches made with tofu, tomatoes, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms and spinach, and baked in a (vegan) flaky crust are assuredly divine.

For heavier, more savory menu items, cassoulets made with white beans sautéed in garlic and smoky portobello mushrooms, and vegan bourguignon made with a combination of mushrooms and tofu are sure to satisfy.

Dessert
French desserts such as fruit tarts and mille feuille are the perfect way to end the meal, and they’re fabulously easy to veganize, too.

You can simply opt for vegan butter when making the crust or use vegan-certified extra virgin olive oil instead of butter for a richer taste.

For vegan mille feuille, using plant-based milk for the custard makes for a pleasantly creamy and cruelty-free dessert.

These are just some of the options you have when it comes to making your favorite French dishes wonderfully vegan. Even better? Go on one of our culinary cruises across France, and you can request some of these dishes for your tour’s personalized menu.

vegan culinary cruise

If you’re curious about our other vegan tour offerings, check out our other European vegan cruises and start planning your dream cruise today.