Nuts are among the foods most commonly associated with allergic reactions and food intolerances. For some people, just being exposed to nuts can mean serious and even life-threatening reactions. Other people may avoid nuts for other reasons such as trouble digesting them.
A strict nut-free diet means avoiding all tree nuts and seeds including almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, ginko nuts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, lichee nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts.
Note: Peanuts are not tree-nuts but legumes. However, some people with tree-nut allergies avoid peanuts because they may be cross-contaminated with other nuts during processing.
Note: Coconut is classified as a fruit and is not technically a nut. The Food and Drug Administration recognizes coconut as a tree nut even though most people allergic to tree nuts can safely eat coconut. You need to check with your personal medical provider to determine what is right and safe for you.
Eating nut-free also means you have to be careful with foods that may contain nuts including blended oils, nut butters and spreads, pesto, preserves, baked goods, chocolates, candies, granolas and breakfast cereals. For a vegan, it also means also being careful about non-dairy products including milks, yogurts, ice creams and cheeses, veggie burgers and sausages, and pasta sauces, just to name a few foods.
It may sound daunting but relax, because we have you covered with lots of recipes that are plant-based and nut-free. So before you go nuts about being nut-free, check out these 15 vegan and nut-free recipes.
1. Nut-Free Wild Garlic Pesto
Is there anything better slathered on a dairy-free pizza or tossed with noodles than pesto? The problem is that so many of them contain either nuts or dairy (or both). This Wild Garlic Pesto is simple, totally nut-free and so delicious!
2. Big Ol’ Texas Bowl With Nut-Free Nacho Cheese
This Big Ol’ Texas Bowl is probably not authentic Texan cuisine but it is really good, good for you and uses nacho cheese as a salad dressing! The nacho cheese is nut-free and the soaked sunflower seeds make a great creamy dressing like cashews do but at a fraction of the cost and great for those who can’t eat nuts.
3. Nut-Free, Oil-Free and Tofu-Free Cinnamon Coconut New York Style ‘Cheesecake’
Everyone loves the firm, dense, yet somehow fluffy texture you get in a New York style cheesecake. This Cinnamon Coconut New York Style Cheesecake is nut-free, oil-free, tofu-free, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and raw. There is no cashews, oil or tofu like you typically see in vegan cheesecakes/desserts so dig in!
4. Super Creamy Mac and Cheese (No Nuts, No Soy, No Problem!)
Who doesn’t like mac and cheese? This Super Creamy Mac and Cheese is a stovetop dish that doesn’t involve soy, commercial vegan cheese products, gluten or nuts. Everyone will love this dish that can feed…well, almost everyone.
5. Nut-Free Sesame Cheese
This is a simple Nut-Free Vegan Sesame Cheese made from sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, and agar agar. Un-hulled sesame seeds have a very nutty flavor, almost a little smoky. If you like sesame seeds then you’ll really like this cheese, and if you can’t eat nuts you’ll like it even more!
6. Zucchini Cannelloni
This Zucchini Cannelloni is a light version of cannelloni with zucchini tubes in place of wheat pasta, stuffed with vegetables and olives in rich tomatoes. You could even take it up a notch and top it with a creamy cheesy layer. It’s a nutritious and filling gluten-free alternative to pasta!
7. Paprika Cheese Without Nuts or Soy!
Nut and soy free vegan cheese – amazing! It slices and grates … all without the fat or allergy issues that so many other plant-based cheeses seem to have. This Paprika Cheese is so easy to make and is great for a cheese platter, on crackers in a toasted sandwich or anywhere where you would normally use sliced or grated cheese. Best of all it has no nuts or soy-based ingredients so it is a great option for so many vegans that have food allergies to these commonly used ingredients.
8. One-Bowl Quinoa and Date Sugar Brownies
Did you know you could make brownies with quinoa? You can – and it’s so easy! These One Bowl Quinoa and Date Sugar Brownies are sweetened with date sugar, which gives them a rich, toasty, and caramel-y taste. Yum!
9. Slow Roasted Tomato and Pepita Pesto
This Slow Roasted Tomato and Pepita Pesto highlights one of the many ways to use slow roasted tomatoes. This pesto takes fresh ingredients and turns them into a versatile sauce without nuts. You may even say it’s the ultimate condiment. Put it on everything! It’s perfect tossed with pasta and makes a great pizza sauce and sandwich spread.
10. Portobello Mushroom Burgers
Are you looking to spice up your grilling game? What better option than Portobello Mushroom Burgers to eat for dinner? Forget the bun and make a dish that’s gluten-free and all veggies! This is a great recipe to impress company – simple and very few ingredients that create a beautiful dish.
11. Green Energy Smoothie Bowl With Fresh Figs
Don’t be put off by a recipe with spirulina because you think it’s going to taste like algae. Take this Green Energy Smoothie Bowl with Fresh Figs, for example. When combined with the creamy sweetness of frozen banana ice cream and topped with fresh jelly black mission figs, your taste buds will dazzled by so much sweetness that the spirulina is a subtle afterthought.
12. No Bake Brownie Batter – Go Ahead, Lick That Spoon!
This double chocolate No-Bake Brownie Batter is incredibly indulgent. It’s got that deep, dark, decadent taste, the kind of taste that you expect to get when bite into a brownie. Of course, this not your regular brownie batter because it’s made with organic black beans and is free from dairy, nuts, gluten and refined sugar.
13. Vanilla Cappuccino Protein Pudding
This Vanilla Cappuccino Protein Pudding is such a delicious way to start the day. If you are a coffee or cappuccino person you will love this because it combines the yummy coffee flavor into a filling protein pudding. It’s like having dessert for breakfast and it is vegan and gluten-free!
14. Creamy Pumpkin Seed Alfredo With Kale and Sweet Peas
This Creamy Pumpkin Seed Alfredo is luscious, comforting and good for you all at the same time. The raw hulled pumpkin seeds used in the recipe are what gives it its richness, as they’re full of healthy fats, and are an excellent source of plant protein, iron, and zinc. Kale and sweet peas make it extra healthy and extra delicious.
15. Classic Breakfast Links
These Classic Breakfast Links have a firm texture and crispy outside just the way a good sausage should be. Vital wheat gluten adds a great chewy texture to the links. Enjoy these little links with pretty much anything. They have a light beany flavor and pair really well with a tofu scramble and some fresh fruit.
Eating nut-free doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor or delicious, creative meals. These recipes are proof of that. For even more recipes, check out our Weekly Plant-Based Meal Plan of Nut-Free Recipes.
Lead image source: Slow Roasted Tomato and Pepita Pesto
