Mouth-Watering Vegan Recipes For Fourth Of July

Independence Day celebrations are usually associated with fireworks, parades, and backyard barbecues, with classic July 4 meals including hamburgers, hot dogs, and potato salad.

Usually, the words "vegan" or "plant based" are considered to be incompatible with these foods. However, making delicious vegan versions of the three barbecue classics is super easy with the recipes below.

These mouth watering recipes are perfect for the estimated 10 million Americans, who are vegan or vegetarian, and the 116 million adults, who sometimes prefer plant-based foods.

Vegan sausage: Ela Vegan's vegan sausage recipe is easy-to-follow, smoky, and tastes much better than store bought hot dogs. Using a few pantry items and spices you most likely have on hand, these delicious sausages can be made in an hour. Pair them with hot dog buns slathered with non-dairy mayo and top them with ketchup, mustard, relish, or even grilled onions.

Plant-based black bean burger: America consumes approximately 375 million burgers on July 4 alone. This means as many as 312,500 cows are sacrificed for consumption. Help reduce this number by making Minimalist Baker's easy veggie burgers. These burgers are ready in 30 minutes, can be made gluten free, and are freezer friendly. Best of all, they do not use any animal products, so there's zero guilt when cooking them.

Vegan potato salad: Here is a sweet twist on the traditional potato salad. Sweet Potato Soul's southern sweet potato salad requires only eight ingredients and a bit of chopping, boiling, and mixing. It is perfect for a quick, low-effort vegan recipe. Best of all, the sugary, tangy, and creamy taste will make it hard to believe the salad is non-dairy and plant-based.

Esquite: Enjoy this Latin street food without any animal products by using Dora's Table's vegan Mexican street corn recipe. In half an hour, the esquite can be ready for the fireworks. The toppings are entirely customizable and can be spicy or simple depending on preferences. To make this super authentic, add her vegan queso cotija as well.

These recipes are proof that July 4 does not have to be synonymous with eating animal products. Give these plant based meals a try and start a new tradition this year!