Hey! We’re Vegan Recipes Guide (And We’re So Glad You’re Here)
Our Purpose
It was a rainy Sunday afternoon in Portland when Emma stood in her kitchen, staring at a wilted bunch of kale and wondering why plant based cooking felt so complicated. She’d just spent two hours making a “quick” vegan dinner that her partner politely pushed around the plate. That’s when it hit her: vegan cooking shouldn’t require a culinary degree or a pantry full of ingredients you can’t pronounce.
That moment of frustration became our mission. We started Vegan Recipes Guide because we know exactly what it feels like to want to eat plant-based but feel overwhelmed by complicated recipes, expensive specialty ingredients, and meals that just don’t taste… good. We’ve been there. We’ve burned the tofu, over-blended the cashew cream, and definitely cried over failed aquafaba meringue (multiple times, actually).
Here’s the thing: going vegan or adding more plant based meals to your life shouldn’t feel like a punishment. It should feel like discovering a whole new world of flavors, textures, and honestly? Some pretty amazing food. That’s why we’re here.
Our Mission
Every single day, our team of five is in our kitchens testing recipes until they actually work for real people. Emma’s developing meal prep guides that survive a chaotic weeknight. Chris is timing everything to make sure “15 minutes” really means 15 minutes (not 45 when you account for chopping). Sophia’s making sure even the simplest recipes look gorgeous enough for your Instagram feed. Daniel’s fact checking nutrition claims and hunting down actual science, not diet culture nonsense. And Olivia’s calling out the myths that keep people from trying plant based eating in the first place.
We do this for you. For the person who wants to eat more plants but doesn’t know where to start. For the family trying to make one vegan meal work for everyone. For the budget conscious student who thinks vegan food is expensive. For anyone who’s ever felt lost in the produce section.
Because over 250,000 readers trust us with their meal planning every month, and that responsibility? It keeps us honest, keeps us testing, and keeps us up at night making sure we’re actually helping.
Our Vision
Picture this: You open your fridge on a Wednesday night, exhausted from work, and you’re genuinely excited about the plant-based dinner you’re about to make in 20 minutes. Your grocery budget feels manageable. Your kids (or partner, or roommate) actually ask for seconds. You feel good about what you’re eating without feeling restricted or deprived.
We’re working toward a world where plant based cooking isn’t a trend or a sacrifice it’s just Tuesday night in your actual kitchen. Where “vegan recipe” doesn’t automatically mean “complicated” or “expensive” or “tastes like cardboard.” Where anyone can cook delicious plant based meals without needing fifteen different plant milks or a degree in nutrition.
And honestly? We’re getting there. One recipe, one real person’s success story, one “I can’t believe this is vegan!” comment at a time.
Our Core Values
Real Food for Real Life: If Emma’s recipe takes longer than 30 minutes, it better be worth it and we’ll tell you that upfront. We test everything with real life constraints: tired weeknights, picky eaters, limited kitchen equipment. When Chris says “15 minutes,” he’s included the chopping time because we’re not trying to trick you.
Budget-Conscious Always: We’ll never gatekeep good food behind expensive ingredients. Can’t find nutritional yeast at your local store? We’ll give you alternatives. Cashews too pricey? Here’s what works instead. Our team shops at regular grocery stores (Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Safeway) because that’s real life.
Science Over Trends: Daniel vets every nutrition claim we make. No “detox” nonsense, no magic superfoods, no fear mongering. Just honest, research backed information about plant based nutrition. When we don’t know something, we say so and then we find out.
Beautiful But Achievable: Yes, Sophia’s food photography is gorgeous. But here’s what matters more: she styles with ingredients you already have and lighting that exists in normal kitchens. No smoke machines or forty seven props. If it looks good in the photo, you can make it look good on your plate.
Myth-Busting With Kindness: Olivia tackles the “but where do you get your protein?” questions and the “plants have feelings too” comments with facts and empathy, not judgment. We remember being confused about this stuff too. Everyone’s learning, including us.
Meet Our Expert Team (The Humans Behind the Screen)
Emma Green Editor in Chief + Recipe Developer (And Chief Taste-Tester)
Portland, Oregon | [email protected]
Emma’s been the heart of Vegan Recipes Guide since that frustrating kale incident back in 2019. She spent five years working in restaurant kitchens before going plant based in 2018 and promptly forgetting everything she knew about making food taste good. Those first six months were rough. Really rough.
But that struggle taught her something valuable: most people don’t need fancy techniques or rare ingredients. They need recipes that work on a Tuesday night when you’re tired and the kids are melting down and you’ve got exactly seventeen minutes before everyone loses it.
Emma holds a culinary arts degree from Le Cordon Bleu Portland (2012) and completed plant-based nutrition certification through eCornell (2020). She’s developed over 800 recipes for our site, and yes, she’s personally tested every single one. Sometimes multiple times. (Ask her about the 12 attempts it took to get our vegan mac and cheese right.)
She lives in Portland with her partner Sam, their cat Basil, and an embarrassingly large collection of cast iron pans. On weekends, you’ll find her at the Portland Farmers Market or trying to convince Sam that they don’t need another blender.
Emma personally reviews every recipe submission and reader question that comes to [email protected] usually with coffee in hand and probably some recipe testing going on in the background.
Olivia Parker Health Reviewer + Myth vs Fact Articles (Plus Recovering Diet Culture Survivor)
Seattle, Washington | [email protected]
Olivia came to plant based eating through her family’s health struggles her dad’s heart disease diagnosis in 2015 sent her down a research rabbit hole that completely changed how she thought about food. But here’s the thing: the more she learned, the more confused she got because everyone was saying something different.
She has a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Washington (2016) and spent four years working in pediatric nutrition counseling before joining our team. She’s also a certified plant based nutrition specialist (2019) and contributes nutrition reviews to several peer reviewed publications.
What makes Olivia special? She remembers being overwhelmed by conflicting nutrition advice. She’s passionate about translating actual scientific research into information you can actually use without the fear-mongering or diet culture garbage that’s everywhere online.
She’s helped over 5,000 families transition to more plant-based eating through her counseling work, and she brings all that real world experience to every article she writes. When she’s not fact checking nutrition claims, she’s usually explaining to her two kids (ages 7 and 9) why vegetables are not, in fact, punishment food.
Olivia personally responds to health related questions at [email protected] within 48 hours though she can’t provide individual medical advice, she’ll point you toward evidence based resources that can help.
Chris Turner Short-Form Video Creator (And Speed-Cooking Enthusiast)
Denver, Colorado | [email protected]
Chris accidentally became vegan in 2017 when he realized his “I’ll start eating healthier next week” routine had lasted three years. As a busy video producer working 60-hour weeks, he needed meals that were genuinely quick not “quick for a food blogger with a prepped kitchen and professional lighting” quick.
He brings ten years of video production experience and a healthy skepticism about recipe timing to our team. If a recipe says “15 minutes,” Chris will time it with a stopwatch, account for washing produce and hunting for that jar of tahini in the back of the fridge, and tell us the real timeline. He’s probably saved thousands of people from dinner-time meltdowns with his honest recipe videos.
Chris has created over 1,500 short form recipe videos across TikTok (420K followers), YouTube Shorts (280K subscribers), and Instagram Reels (195K followers). His “15-Minute Friday” series has been viewed over 50 million times because plot twist the recipes actually take 15 minutes.
He’s also incredibly passionate about budget-friendly cooking. His monthly grocery hauls showing $40 weeks of vegan meals are some of our most watched content, and he never recommends ingredients he wouldn’t buy himself.
Chris reads every comment on his videos and responds to as many as humanly possible. For video-specific questions or collaboration inquiries, reach him at [email protected].
Sophia Miller – Food Stylist + Photographer + Pinterest Content (And Former Dessert Skeptic)
Los Angeles, California | [email protected]
Sophia thought going vegan meant giving up her favorite thing in the world: really good desserts. After one too many sad, crumbly vegan brownies in 2018, she decided to figure this out herself. Plot twist: vegan desserts can be incredible you just need to understand the science behind them.
She studied food photography at the New York Institute of Photography (2017) and spent three years as a food stylist for restaurants and magazines before going freelance and specializing in plant based content. But her real education came from about 200 failed attempts at vegan meringue and learning to work with aquafaba, coconut cream, and all the weird wonderful things that replace eggs in baking.
Sophia creates all the food photography and styling for Vegan Recipes Guide, develops our entire dessert and baking section, and manages our Pinterest strategy (1.2M monthly views). Her work has been featured in VegNews, Plant Based News, and about a thousand Instagram food accounts (with credit… most of the time).
She’s also navigated multiple food sensitivities herself gluten intolerance and refined sugar issues which means she tests every dessert recipe in both standard and alternative versions. When she says a recipe is “actually good” gluten free, she means it.
Sophia loves connecting with fellow food photographers and dessert enthusiasts. Reach her at [email protected] for styling questions, photography collabs, or to share your baking wins (and fails she loves those too).
Daniel Brooks – Nutrition Writer + Scientific Sources (And Protein Question Answer-er)
Austin, Texas | [email protected]
Daniel was that guy at the gym in 2016 who didn’t think you could build muscle on plants. Then he tried it for a month as a challenge, gained strength, felt better, and had to completely re examine everything he thought he knew about nutrition. Turns out, a lot of what we’re told about protein and plant based diets is… not exactly accurate.
He holds a Master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences from UT Austin (2014) and worked as a research assistant in the university’s nutrition lab for three years studying plant protein bioavailability. He’s published research in peer-reviewed journals (including a 2019 study on protein synthesis and plant-based diets) and regularly attends nutrition science conferences to stay current.
Daniel writes all our nutrition focused content, fact checks health claims, and translates scientific studies into actual useful information. He’s personally responded to over 10,000 “but where do you get your protein?” questions with kindness and actual data because he remembers being confused about this too.
His “Myth vs Science” series breaks down common plant based nutrition concerns with citations, nuance, and zero judgment. He also maintains our scientific advisory relationships with registered dietitians and nutrition researchers who review our content.
Daniel genuinely loves nutrition questions the more specific, the better. Email him at [email protected] with your questions about plant-based nutrition, protein, supplements, or whether nutritional yeast is actually nutritious (spoiler: yes).
How We Actually Do This Work
Here’s what happens behind the scenes at Vegan Recipes Guide:
Recipe Development: Emma develops initial recipe concepts based on reader requests, seasonal ingredients, and gaps in our content. Then comes the testing. And testing. And more testing. Every recipe goes through at least five rounds before we publish it different skill levels, different equipment, different kitchens. We test with:
- Basic equipment (no food processor? No problem)
- Common grocery store ingredients (no Whole Foods only shopping lists)
- Real time constraints (Chris times everything)
- Dietary modifications (Sophia tests gluten free/sugar free versions)
- Family feedback (both kids and adults)
Content Creation: Chris films short form videos in his actual home kitchen no ring lights, no pristine countertops, just real cooking. Sophia styles and photographs each recipe, creating both aspirational and achievable content. Her “before styling” vs “after styling” photos show you exactly what she did to make it look good.
Nutrition Review: Daniel reviews every recipe for nutrition accuracy, checks all health claims against current research, and fact-checks any nutrition information. If we make a claim, we can back it up with sources. If we’re not sure about something, we say so.
Myth-Busting: Olivia researches and writes our health-focused articles, reviewing scientific literature, consulting with registered dietitians, and addressing the most common questions and concerns about plant-based eating. She reads approximately 30-40 research papers weekly to stay current.
Quality Control: Emma reviews everything before it goes live. Every recipe, every article, every video. She’s caught countless mistakes (shout out to the time we almost published a recipe that called for “1 tablespoon” of cayenne instead of “¼ teaspoon” that would’ve been… spicy).
Community Feedback: We read every comment, email, and message. Seriously. Reader feedback has improved hundreds of our recipes and inspired countless new ones. When multiple people say “could you make this nut free?” or “this needs more garlic,” we listen.
Why Trust Us? (Fair Question!)
Look, the internet is full of recipe blogs and plant-based advice. Why should you trust us specifically?
We’ve Actually Done This: Our team isn’t just writing about plant-based cooking from a theoretical standpoint. Emma’s developed over 800 recipes. Chris has filmed more than 1,500 cooking videos. Sophia has styled and photographed thousands of dishes. Daniel has a master’s degree in nutritional sciences and published research. Olivia has counseled over 5,000 families on plant-based nutrition. This is what we do, every day.
We Test Everything: When we publish a recipe, we’ve already made it at least five times. We’ve tried it with different brands of tofu, various vegetable sizes, multiple stove temperatures. We’ve had multiple people with different skill levels make it. If something doesn’t work, we fix it before you see it.
We Use Science, Not Trends: Daniel vets every nutrition claim. We cite our sources. We update our content when new research emerges. We’ve corrected our own past articles when better information became available. We’re not here to sell you on the latest superfood trend we’re here to give you accurate, evidence based information.
We’re Transparent About Mistakes: Remember that cauliflower pizza crust that went viral in 2020? We’ve updated that recipe three times based on reader feedback and our own retesting. We admit when we get things wrong and fix them promptly. Every recipe has a “last updated” date so you know you’re getting our current best version.
Our Community Speaks For Us:
- “Finally, a vegan recipe that my non-vegan husband asked me to make again!” Sarah M.
- “I’ve been plant based for 10 years and still learned something new from your protein article.” Marcus T.
- “The only food blog where ’30 minutes’ actually means 30 minutes.” Jennifer K.
- “My kids ate the vegetables. THEY ATE THE VEGETABLES.” David R.
- “I went from ‘I could never give up cheese’ to making vegan cheese at home thanks to your recipes.” Lisa P.
We’re also featured in:
- VegNews (2022, 2023, 2024)
- Plant Based News
- The Kitchn’s “Best Vegan Food Blogs”
- Pinterest’s “Top Plant-Based Creators” (2023)
- YouTube’s “Creator on the Rise” (Chris, 2022)
Our Community (That’s You!)
Here’s what makes us different: we don’t just create content for you—we create it with you. Your comments, emails, questions, and feedback shape everything we do.
You’ve asked for more budget-friendly recipes, so Chris created our “$5 Dinners” series. You wanted more make ahead options, so Emma developed our meal prep guides. You needed help explaining plant based nutrition to skeptical family members, so Olivia wrote our “Nutrition Myths” series. You requested more desserts that work for food sensitivities, so Sophia basically lives in her kitchen testing gluten free and sugar free variations now.
Some of our best content came directly from reader requests:
- The “Vegan Thanksgiving Guide” (requested by 47 stressed readers in November 2021)
- Our “Tofu Press Alternatives” article (because not everyone wants another kitchen gadget)
- The “High Protein Breakfast” series (request from our athlete community)
- “Vegan on a Tight Budget” month-long series (inspired by college students in our comments)
Over 250,000 people read Vegan Recipes Guide every month. Our recipes have been made more than 2 million times (that we know of). Our videos have been viewed over 80 million times across platforms. But numbers don’t tell the real story.
The real story is in your comments: the mom who got her picky toddler to eat chickpeas, the college student who made their first meal from scratch, the person who thought they could never go vegan but is now two years in, the couple who bonded over cooking our recipes together during quarantine.
You inspire us. You challenge us. You keep us honest. And we’re genuinely grateful you’re here.
Our Promise to You
We’ll Always Test Our Recipes: No recipe goes live until we’ve tested it thoroughly. If we publish it, we’re confident you can make it successfully.
We’ll Keep It Real: No sponsored content disguised as honest reviews. We mark all partnerships clearly. We only recommend products we actually use and genuinely like.
We’ll Update When Needed: Research changes. Techniques improve. We find better ways to do things. When we update content, we’ll note what changed and when.
We’ll Admit Mistakes: If we get something wrong, we’ll correct it publicly and update the content. We’re human. We mess up. When we do, we own it.
We’ll Cite Our Sources: Especially for health and nutrition claims. If Daniel makes a nutrition statement, there’s research backing it up and we’ll link to it.
We’ll Respond To You: We read every email, comment, and message. We might not respond to every single one (there are only five of us), but we read them all and they inform our content decisions.
We’ll Keep Improving: We’re always learning, always testing, always trying to get better. Your feedback drives that improvement.
Let’s Stay Connected (We Actually Read Our Emails)
We’re real people and we genuinely want to hear from you. Here’s how to reach us:
General Questions & Feedback: [email protected] Emma checks this daily and routes messages to the right team member
Recipe Questions or Issues: [email protected] Emma personally responds within 48 hours
Health & Nutrition Questions: [email protected] or [email protected] They both love talking nutrition (just can’t provide individual medical advice)
Video Content & Quick Recipe Ideas: [email protected] Chris especially loves hearing about your time saving hacks
Food Photography & Dessert Questions: [email protected] She’s always happy to talk food styling, Pinterest strategy, or baking science
Social Media:
- Instagram: @veganrecipesguide (behind-the-scenes content, daily recipe ideas)
- TikTok: @veganrecipesguide (Chris’s quick recipe videos)
- YouTube: Vegan Recipes Guide (longer tutorials, meal prep guides)
- Pinterest: @veganrecipesguide (easily saveable recipes, meal planning boards)
- Facebook: Vegan Recipes Guide Community (our most active community for questions and support)
Newsletter: Sign up at veganrecipesguide.com/newsletter for weekly recipes, meal plans, and exclusive content. Emma writes every email personally no automated marketing nonsense. About 60,000 readers get our Sunday newsletter, and we promise to never spam you or sell your email address to anyone.
For Technical Support
Having trouble with your account or the website acting wonky? Our tech wizard Alex (who works behind the scenes but deserves recognition) personally handles every support email at [email protected]. He’s usually pretty quick (24-48 hours max for most issues), and yes, he actually enjoys solving these puzzles!
Common things Alex can help with:
- Password resets and login issues
- Newsletter subscription problems
- Recipe saving features not working
- Mobile site display issues
- Print formatting problems
- Any other technical gremlins
Careers
Want to join our beautifully chaotic team? We’re always looking for passionate people who get excited about plant based cooking, have strong skills in content creation, nutrition, or food media, and genuinely care about helping people eat more plants without making it complicated or expensive.
Right now we need: Social Media Manager (part time), Recipe Testers (contract basis), and we’re always open to hearing from talented content creators, registered dietitians, food photographers, and video editors.
What it’s like working with us: Flexible remote work, real creative freedom, a team that actually responds to your messages, and the satisfaction of knowing your work helps thousands of people every day. We’re small enough that your work matters, big enough that we can pay fairly.
Check out current opportunities or send your resume and what you’re passionate about to [email protected] and yes, we actually read every application (Emma personally reviews them all).
For Writers
Love writing about plant-based cooking, nutrition, or sustainable living? We’re always scouting for contributors who share our obsession with making plant-based eating accessible, can blend personal experience with solid research, aren’t afraid to share their kitchen disasters along with their successes, and write in a real, human voice (no corporate speak, please).
We look for:
- Original, well-researched content with credible sources
- Personal experience and authentic storytelling
- Clear, engaging writing that respects our readers’ intelligence
- Understanding of SEO without sacrificing readability
- Willingness to revise based on editorial feedback
We pay competitive rates for accepted contributions (yes, we pay writers!) and provide clear editorial feedback to help you grow. Our contributor family gets bylines, social media promotion, and often ongoing relationships if there’s a good fit.
Send your pitch to [email protected] with:
- 2-3 published writing samples (blog posts, articles, etc.)
- Brief description of what you want to write about and why you’re the person to write it
- Your relevant experience or credentials
Fair warning: we’re picky about quality, but we’re also incredibly supportive once you’re part of our team. Emma reviews every pitch personally and provides feedback even if we can’t use your idea right now.
Related Documents:
Questions about anything on this page? Email Emma at [email protected] she wrote most of it and can clarify anything that’s unclear.
