Becoming a vegan comes with quite a few challenges that you may not expect and quite frankly can really throw you off the vegan train, one such problem for vegans are condiments. Now as a vegan, yes the simple issue of condiments on your meal might be something you never really considered before becoming a vegan, especially since you had your normal diet, you would just about put mayonnaise on just about anything, as a vegan however that is a big no-no. Do not fret however, I have a list of 13 vegan condiments that would go perfect with most meals and it goes well above vegan salad dressing and vegan dip mind you, there are a lot of choices out there that really cater to the vegan diet and I’m happy to share them with you.

1.Ketchup – Yes this simple tomato based condiment still falls under vegan condiments, I can hear a collective sigh of relief across the board. I’m well aware that a lot of people love, love, love ketchup and what’s not to love? It goes with just about any meal you can make and can also be used as an ingredient for recipes such as barbecue sauce. The beauty of this vegan dip if you will, you can easily purchase it in a store, ideally an organic bottle of ketchup, or if you have the time you can make it on your own as well.

2.Mustard – I know you love your mustard with that vegan hotdog, who doesn’t? And thankfully mustard falls under vegan condiments as well. A little Dijon goes a long way for me and quite frankly there is so much versatility in mustard that you can include it in a lot of recipes or just simply place it on the side.

3.Vegan mayonnaise – Regular mayonnaise as I mentioned is not part of the list for vegan condiments, I’m sure I don’t have to go into it any deeper. However there is a vegan option for this or a swap actually. From my knowledge vegan mayonnaise is made of soy milk, lemon juice and mustard, making it a viable vegan dip and could be part of any vegan salad dressing concoction you may think of.

Tahini sauce is one of the best sources of calcium and a good source of methionine, which aids in liver detoxification.

4.Soy sauce – This wonderful vegan dip, can be used in so many ways that I can’t even begin to account what would be great with this. Among the vegan condiments of the list, I think soy sauce can really be used in multiple levels of cooking, from being an ingredient, to being an add on after it is cooked, or even as a garnish. I love to have it as a side to some stir fried vegetables and make it into a little vegan dip in a small saucer, yummy!

5.Tahini sauce – This dense paste made of crushed sesame seeds definitely falls into our list of vegan condiments. As multi purposed as it can be, tahini can range from becoming a vegan salad dressing to the topping of fries, there is so much you can do with it that it really does deserve its place on the vegan condiments count down.

6.Hot sauce – There are a ton of people who like it hot, and who can blame them? To add spice to the vegan condiments list, hot sauce will not fail to make an appearance considering how much it can really boost up a vegan dip or even make that tempeh have a little more oomph. You can’t discount hot sauce to the list of vegan condiments, no sir, you definitely cannot.

7.Sriracha – This is a rather unique condiment in the vegan condiments list, however I thought to add it considering how useful it is to add into a number of recipes or even as a vegan dip. This wonderfully sweet and spicy condiment can really up the level of some food, however I cannot necessarily say it is a hot sauce but I can’t exactly say it isn’t. So in the end I opted to include it into the vegan condiments list.

8.Barbecue sauce – One of the easiest to make at home, you won’t even have to buy an organic store-made one, considering how many recipes of wonderful vegan barbecue sauce is available out there. This is one of the many vegan condiments that you can easily find a recipe for, quite frankly I have my own recipe tucked away in my personal cook book that works well with just about anything. I use it as a rub or a vegan dip when I serve some grilled vegetables or tempeh.

9.Horseradish – There is nothing more satisfying than having a nice vegan dip of horseradish on the side or adding it to a sandwich for an extra zing. There is a lot to be said about horseradish being part of the vegan condiments list, considering there is a lot you can do with it. You can even mix it in as part of your vegan salad dressing or add it to some vegan mayonnaise and watch as your sandwich just gets you to a whole new level of delicious.

10.Pickle relish – Well, I’ll admit not a lot of people like pickle relish but I honestly believe it deserves a spot in the vegan condiments countdown. The flexibility of pickle relish really drives its place among the other condiments considering you can really do a lot with it. As a garnish or as a topping, again it is great as an ingredient to a number of recipes as well, in fact I have one that must have it for a vegan salad dressing.

11.Salsa – The recipes for one of my favorite vegan condiments is pretty limitless, pretty much everyone has their own version of their favorite salsa and most of them are just delicious. I love having some salsa as a vegan dip on the side with other fresh vegetables, simple and yet so satisfying.

You can never go wrong with a perfectly homemade salsa dip!

12.Pico de gallo – While there are similarities to salsa and pico de gallo, the texture really separates the two and gives it a place in the vegan condiments list in my opinion. Pico de gallo, really works well as a vegan dip for a lot of foods and can be added as a topping for a lot of dishes. The taste really elevates a ton of recipes and meals thus giving a strong spot on the vegan condiments list in my humble opinion.

13.Peanut satay sauce – Admittedly this entry may be more of a personal bias for vegan condiments but I just can’t get enough of the stuff. It works really well with grilled foods and is just a wonderful add on to stir fried vegetables as well. I have even tried it as a vegan salad dressing and loved it, next up is to try it as a vegan dip but I can already tell I will love it.

As you can see there are quite a number of vegan condiments on my list, in fact I am sure there are a lot more but these are by far my favorites. I personally use them as a vegan dip or as part of, if not as a stand-alone vegan salad dressing, but for sure most of my cooking is complimented by these wonderful vegan condiments. I’m sure you have recipes that will benefit from these vegan condiments and I suggest making it a culinary adventure to find which would be the best for you. Happy eating and stay healthy!