So, you’re dating a vegan. You never saw that coming, did you? And now, where are you supposed to take her? How will you cook for her? Before you hit the panic buttons, relax and breathe. Hey, you’re dating a vegan. Excellent! You know what that means? It means that the woman/man you like or love is compassionate and most likely loves animals. How can you go wrong with that? 😉 We need more compassion in this world anyway.
Where do people take their dates? The most common answers are: restaurants, bars, outdoors activities (i.e. including a picnic), movies, beach (if there’s one nearby), hiking, let’s get our dogs together to meet 😉 and what have you 😉
Restaurants
I’ll start with restaurants. I already covered this topic extensively in one of my previous articles about food, romance, and veggie love.
If you like more ideas on dating vegans, please feel free to check out that article too, and leave a comment if you like it or have any other suggestions. They are always welcome.
Basically, there are many vegan restaurants in big cities. And even if you prefer non-vegan restaurants, that’s ok too. Every restaurant now offers plant-based options, and in many non-vegan meals some items can be either removed or replaced with a vegan ingredient. No problem at all. Just a piece of advice, do not offer a salad to a vegan. Like I mentioned in my previous article, salads are not our only food staple. If that were so, I would be a walking skeleton by now. So no, no salad, unless it’s a side dish. 😉
I love eating. Vegans love good food, and believe me, vegan food is so incredibly good. Tell you what, impress your date and order a vegan meal. And then impress yourself when you realize how delicious it actually is 😉
Bars and Outdoors
Bars, well, that’s easy. Most snacks are practically vegan, like salted peanuts, salt chips, cashews, etc. However, some snacks are made with milk products and should be avoided. But plain nuts are ok. 
So, you’re the outdoors type and you want to go on a long, romantic hike, and that includes a break after all that walking, preferably near a lake or a ravine, or some other romantic place with a view. But what goes in the picnic basket?
Many grocery stores now offer vegan hams, salamis, burgers, and sausages, and I have read articles about vegan butcher shops that have now opened in some big cities – I believe, only in Dublin, Toronto, London, Berlin, and some places in the US, but there could be a few more. Those vegan butcher shops are attracting many customers, so I´m pretty sure that they are expanding.
If you’re handy in the kitchen, you can try your hand at a vegan potato salad, there are many recipes available online I like Alison’s recipe. I have made it before and it was really good!
Or if you don’t want to mess things up, make a nice easy salad to go with the sandwiches. Don’t worry, you won’t offend us if the salad comes with a hearty meal 😉
Peanut butter and banana sandwiches, simple and good, work as well. Some chips brands are vegan (see my tips in this previous post)
If you want to bring coffee, you can add soy milk and cane sugar (or stevia) if your date likes it sweet. I’m not crazy about stevia, but a lot of people like it.
Waiter, My Wine Smells a Little Fishy …?
There are also vegan wines. Oh God, really? Did you know that? What on Earth is non-vegan wine then? Well, there is the small matter of animal ingredients that are used for the wine fining process. They could be casein (milk protein), gelatin (comes from animal bones) or isinglass (fish bladder protein). Some vegans are strict about not drinking any wine that is made in that way, and others just drink any wine. Some vineyards now produce wines that come without the fishy ingredient.
It’s baffling that such ingredients are used for wine ( and beer), but here’s a tip. When you get traditionally brewn beer, like the Belgian and German ones that have been made for centuries, you won’t find any of that weird stuff in there. I am not sure which ones use it and which ones don’t, but if you need to know about a certain brand, let me know. I can find out.
The Relaxed Kind of Dates
Movie night? That’s pretty simple, you won’t need any tips from me there 😉 I’m not here to tell you what to do on your date, I only talk about food 😉
Let’s get the dogs together. Yes, that’s easy and fun! Just let the little critters do all the bonding for you. They’ll race around, and play, and sniff each other’s butts – not that you should imitate their behavior, but it certainly helps to make your date laugh 😉 I only hope that your dog is not as jealous as my dog Greta, she doesn’t like to share her mommy. Right now, she is not happy with me having a boyfriend, but she’ll get over it. She was really good when we both took her for a walk.
So, there you go. Just relax and enjoy, and stop worrying so much. Stop the vegan versus non-vegan debates. Enjoy each other and learn from each other, and definitely try some vegan food if your date makes or brings it. You’ll love it!
Great article! I’m not vegan but I have a sister-in-law who is and when she comes for a visit I am on pins and needles knowing what to fix for dinner or where to take her out to eat! Your article has given me some great ideas. Thank you!
Thank you, Karen 🙂 In my other articles you’ll also find plenty of tips. I’m glad this helps 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
Wow, Christine I never knew that there were so many vegan choices out there. Not to mention that they have a vegan wine which caught me by surprise. Thank you for the wonderful and informative article.
Hello, yes, incredible, isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Cool! Love the post a lot! nice images, good ideas or rather a fresh idea! Looking forward for more interesting posts to come!
Do check out my website here about 6 Simple Passive Income Ideas, my first post!
Hope you like it!
Hello, thank you for stopping by! I checked out your website, great tips. Thanks for sharing that 🙂
One of my best friends here in Germany is Vegan and we always cook together and eat together, I am not Vegan myself but to tell you the truth it is amazing to eat Vegan food without meat to have balance life and healthy one. Gladly, I love cooking and I know many recipes that are perfect for vegan people so for me life is good with my Vegan friend! Thank you for this amazing post! I loved it
Hello Mohammad, thanks for stopping by! I’m happy you are enjoying some vegan food 🙂
Very interesting read. And very interesting tips. My niece is vegan. I will get her to have a look at your website, I am sure she will love it too.
Hi Renee, thank you for spreading the word 🙂
This is a wonderful article that busts the myth that being vegan can cause you to be house bound! I am vegetarian and periodically vegan. I try to be vegan most of the time actually and have found when eating out, it is so much easier to get a vegan option. Ok there might be more vegetarian options, but I have never gone hungry and the meal available is usually delicious.
I love that the article takes the view point of going on a date with a vegan, as I found it is actually other people that stress about it, far more than me. When I go to other people houses, they worry and buy unnecessary alternative milks etc, when I would be quite happy with a black coffee or water.
I was in the supermarket the other day in the ‘vegetarian, vegan, and free from aisle’ and over heard a lady who was shopping for a dinner guest. ‘What on earth am I going to feed them?’ she was saying. then proceeded to leave the aisle with a full basket!
I think people forget that Vegan is plant based and doesn’t need processed alternatives, just some good food from nature!
Hi Sara, thank you for commenting 🙂 And I can totally relate to what you write. It is true that non-vegans actually stress way more about what to feed us, lol, when in fact it is not that hard, just some plant-based food. I never thought of it, but I think you’re right, people tend to forget that vegan is plant-based and instead they imagine some strange conconctions that may come from Pofessor Snape’s dark dungeon, lol. Perhaps I should write an article about that too 😉 You’ve just given me an idea 🙂 Sometimes we overthink things too much, right?
Have a great day!
Christine, I loved this site. I am not a vegan but I have eaten more vegan, plant-based foods for health reason and improve my existing co-morbidities. I also find that eating “whole” foods is so much better for the body. It is enjoyable to see a site that provides so many options for people dating – whether they are vegan or not. I am glad I am not in the dating realm anymore but I can understand there can be pressure on both sides if the options are limited, especially for vegans.
I take it you have had personal experience dating non-vegans? Has that always been positive or has there ever been a negative side? This site should definitely answer a lot more questions to answers about what can occur when dating a person who lives a vegan lifestyle and how those who live non-vegan lifestyles can certain make attempt to try delicious food like vegan sausages, as an example. And yes, besides SALADS there are tons of recipes, places to try and even coordinating a monthly potluck with vegan and non-vegan dishes might be something worth doing together.
Hey, maybe you could even write about it in the future? Great site, great tips and great way to create less stress for the daters out there, vegan or not! ~Shalei~
Thank you very much for your comment 🙂
Yes, I’ve had some good and bad experiences dating non-vegans. My boyfriend loves meat but he is open to trying vegan meals, which is wonderful. But perhaps I should look into my past experiences, and write a post about that. Good idea!
This post is great. I have dated a vegan woman once or twice, and they are indeed very selective about what goes in their food. The part about “do not offer a salad to a vegan” made me laugh and almost fall out of my chair. I personally like to eat less meat and more vegetables so getting offered just a salad already makes my stomach growl. I know from personal experience that eating just salads will not satisfy my hunger. I know that vegans will require more hardy meals than just a salad.
Thanks for all the interesting talking points that I can now bring up and not be seen as just an ignoramus when it comes to veganism. I can impress my vegan date with sound knowledge, instead of being at a total loss on the subject.
Hello, thank you for your comment. I’m so glad this post has given you some tips. And now you know about the salads, lol 😉
Thank you for writing those tips. I’m a vegetarian (not vegan), so it might not that hard if my partner is a vegan. There are more restrictions for vegan and your article here will be handy when the time come. Any specific tips for travelling abroad if your partner is a vegan? Thank you in advance for your answer
When travelling abroad, just ask the waiter to remove or replace certain items of the menu 🙂 that should help 😉