4 Tips to Make Your Catered Vegan Menu a Hit – Our Guide

Organising a catered event is already tricky enough as it is, and it can get even more challenging when you have to serve a vegan crowd. However, it’s not at all impossible to flawlessly pull off a vegan menu. The only difference between a vegan menu and a regular one is that you have to put a bit more thought into the planning process to ensure everything goes smoothly and your guests leave happy. 

In this article, we’ll give you a few tips to help you with the process. If you have an upcoming event where most (if not all) of the attendees are vegan, continue reading to learn how to make the affair a surefire hit. 

1. Have variety in your menu

Oftentimes, people make the mistake of associating vegan food with salads. While that’s definitely a good place to start, you need to look beyond just salads and serve a wide variety of menu items so that your guests are not just well-fed, but satisfied. 

Start with the staples. You need a good amount of starch, such as rice and noodles. You also want to be sure that there’s enough protein on the menu. Go for lentils, tofu, and seitan. These are all great meat-free sources of protein, especially seitan, as it has the most meat-like texture. It’s also good to have a selection of sauces and condiments available so that guests can adjust the taste of their food to their exact liking. Of course, to go for even greater variety, go nuts with the fruits and vegetables.  

2. Be generous with food quantities

Vegan or plant-based diets tend to be low on calories. That’s just the nature of most fruits and vegetables. If you’re not mindful of this, you might end up serving far less than what’s needed to satisfy your guests’ appetites. That’s a big no-no that you want to avoid entirely. 

Be sure that this doesn’t become a problem by being generous with food portions. Many vegan dishes can be whipped up with relatively low food costs, so you don’t have to worry about exceeding your budget. 

3. Tell your guests about your food

People like to know the story behind what they eat. They want to know how it was sourced and prepared, and this especially true with vegans. Let your guests know that the food you’ll be serving is indeed vegan, and make sure you tie in issues of sustainability and ethics, which are their two primary concerns. 

You can leave a note on their dining tables to describe your menu choices. Alternatively, you can include this information in a short speech if you intend to give one. There are many different ways you can go about doing this, and it’s well worth the effort to do so. 

4. Be careful of animal-derived products

It might sound obvious, but this is definitely one aspect you need to be very, very careful with. Many dishes might seem completely plant-based at first glance, but the opposite might be true upon closer inspection. 

Take bread, for example, which might seem like a harmless addition to your menu. However, some varieties will have dairy products like milk and butter in their recipe. You need to scrutinise every menu addition you’ll be making, and that means going into great detail and being certain that your food is 100 percent vegan. 

Conclusion 

Vegan diets are surprisingly accommodating and incredibly delicious if executed well, but they require a fair bit of thought on your part. Keep these tips in mind to guarantee that your catered vegan menu is a hit with all your guests. 

We are a professional catering company located in Sydney’s lower north shore and northern beaches. Get in touch with us today if you need our help. We’re more than happy to serve!