French cuisine, valued worldwide and protected by UNESCO, often features meat, particularly in its main dishes. Below, you’ll find our list of typical French dishes that contain no meat (and some without dairy), along with vegetarian or even vegan alternatives to famous French dishes.
Let’s kick off this special list of top French vegetarian (or vegan) dishes with an infographic showcasing the various meals:
Tartiflette without bacon chunks
This dish is a great classic of French cuisine that comes straight from Savoy. Sometimes referred to as “tartiflette de reblochon de Savoie”, the tartiflette is a potato gratin, bacon chunks and onions with the famous reblochon, a Savoyard PDO cheese.
For the vegetarian version, just substitute the bacon with tofu sausages. Don’t worry, the new recipe is just as tasty as the original version. Enjoy the recipe below!
(In French) http://www.ptitecuisinedepauline.com/2016/12/tartiflette-vegetarienne.html
Vegetarian Bourguignon
Beef bourguignon is a traditional French dish cooked with pieces of beef simmered in red wine with root vegetables such as carrots, green beans and mushrooms. This is a typical Burgundian dish, given that Burgundy is a region renowned for its cattle breeding and red wines.
Here is an original recipe for the vegetarian variation of this dish where the flagship ingredient, beef, is replaced by carrots. Yes, you read that right!
(In French) https://faismoicroquer.com/bourguignon-veggie/
Vegetarian Parmentier with Lentils
Parmentier or hachis Parmentier (a sort of cottage pie) is made with mashed potatoes and ground beef. It is made in two layers: the first is that of the minced meat, the second being mashed potatoes and cheese most of the time.
However, for a vegetarian recipe, the layer of minced meat can easily be replaced by a layer of vegetables, in this case, lentils. To guide you, here is a vegetarian Parmentier recipe made with ingredients such as blond lentils to get as close as possible to the Parmentier texture-wise, as well as to the contrast between “meat” and mashed potato.
(In French) http://enaliacuisine.com/parmentier-vegetalien-lentilles/
Sauerkraut Pie
Sauerkraut is a flagship dish of Alsatian cuisine. It is also made into pies in that region. If, in its traditional version, there are bacon chunks, ham, eggs and butter.
In the vegetarian/vegan version, the sauerkraut pie is made of ingredients like tofu, plant milk or starch soup.
(In French) https://francevegetalienne.fr/blog/2020/1/24/tarte-la-choucroute-vgtalien-vegan
Aligot
This French dish is originally from Aubrac and is very popular in Aveyron as well. It is made with potatoes, fresh tome, a closed and unsalted curd cheese made from cow’s milk and the whole preparation is flavored with garlic.
(In French) https://aveyron.com/saveurs/recettes-et-specialites/aligot
Rolled omelet with fine herbs
This is a quick recipe that only requires a few ingredients such as eggs, herbs and butter. For a soft and less expensive omelet, we suggest the following recipe, where it is possible to reduce the number of eggs by replacing them with milk.
(In French) https://chefsimon.com/gourmets/chef-simon/recettes/omelette-roulee-aux-fines-herbes
Leek gratin
It’s a staple for dishes that keep you warm in winter. It is made with leeks dipped in a bechamel sauce and baked in the oven with cheese.
(In French) https://francevegetalienne.fr/blog/2019/1/24/gratin-de-poireaux-vgtalien-vegan
Gratin dauphinois
Gratin dauphinois originates from the Dauphiné region and is made with potatoes, milk, crème fraîche, garlic and, nutmeg for extra flavor, is grilled in the oven.
For vegans, instead of ordinary crème fraîche, the following recipe offers vegetable crème fraîche or soy cream.
(In French) https://francevegetalienne.fr/blog/2015/8/26/gratin-dauphinois-vgtalien-vegan
Feta, Pesto and Asparagus Flammekuche
Flammekueche is originally an Alsatian and Lorraine specialty. It is a tart made from thick bread dough covered with crème fraîche, caramelized onions and bacon chunks.
In this revisited vegetarian version, we find feta, a curd Greek cheese, asparagus and pesto.
(In French) https://petite-cuilliere-et-charentaise.blogspot.com/2014/06/flammekueche-feta-pesto-et-asperges.html
La Socca: typical Côte d’Azur
This culinary specialty is originally from the city of Nice, however, it is also very popular in Menton city. It is a large and thin tart made with flour, chickpeas and olive oil sprinkled with pepper.
(In French) http://cuisinemicheline.com/la-socca-recette-nicoise/
Snail- style Oyster Mushrooms (from the butler Sébastien Kerdinal)
This pretty original recipe, translates the typical French snail dish into a vegetarian version by replacing the snails with oyster mushrooms, once cooked, these mushrooms have a texture similar to a snail’s texture.
Vegan cassoulet
Originally from Languedoc-Roussillon, cassoulet is made with white beans, duck legs and pork in its traditional version.
For a vegan recipe, replace the meat and sausages with smoked tofu and plant-based sausages like the Viennese sausages from taifun, the ones used in the recipe here:
(In French) http://rosecitron.fr/2017/02/23/cassoulet-vegetalien/
Vegetarian pot-au-feu
If in its traditional version, the pot-au-feu is cooked with beef in a vegetable broth (carrots, turnips and leeks), the vegetarian recipe works without beef, replacing it with plain or smoked tofu.
(In French) https://cocotte-et-biscotte.fr/pot-au-feu-vegetarien/
Vegetarian blanquette
Here is a recipe for veal blanquette without the veal of course, which has been replaced by mushrooms cooked in crème fraîche with vegetables and seitan.
(In French) https://youcookcuisine.com/recette/blanquette-vegetarienne/
I aim to share my tips and recommendations for the beautiful country of France. My goal is to help you plan your next adventure, whether it’s a weekend getaway or a once-in-a-lifetime trip. From finding the best hotels and restaurants, to discovering unique activities and sights, I’ve got you covered!
