Heat up a First Date with Vegan Food: #1 Cook Together

By Tess Challis
Author of Food Love: Nourishing Yourself, Your Family, and the Planet


So, you’re feeling hopeful about someone new, and looking for ways to spice up your first date? Sweet! As a long-time vegan, I can tell you that we veg*ns (vegans and vegetarians) are pretty much food-obsessed. Incorporating food into just about anything makes it more fun and memorable—and when it’s a first date, food can be a great way to enjoy a shared activity, flirt, and learn something new about the person you’re getting to know.Enter this blog series: ten ways to get creative and make your first date a little more flavorful and frisky with vegan food!

#1: Cook Together

This one’s pretty simple—I’m not reinventing the wheel here. However, there are a few ways to make your first time really special. (Hey, I meant your first time cooking together—sheesh!)

First of all, this isn’t necessarily a date idea for someone you haven’t met in person yet. It’s more of an “I met you at Veg Speed Date and we have mutual friends and my cousin vouches for you and I feel comfortable having you in my kitchen” kind of thing.

If that’s all good, and you feel safe being at this newbie’s house (or vice-versa), then your next step is to have a plan and be prepared. This, of course, means to decide what you’re making and bring groceries (as well as any necessary cooking tools). I recommend dishes that are light, easy to prepare, fun, and flavorful.

You can peek through a vegan cookbook or online recipes, but there are some recipes on my blog that are just about perfect for a first date. For starters, you could make some Rawcho Cheese Dip or Indian Cauliflower Poppers. Three great entrée options are the Peanutty Drunken Noodles, Asian Sesame Rainbow Bowl, or Thai Red Curry Noodles. For dessert, you could make some almost-raw Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake if you want a challenge, or Ultra Light Berry Cobbler if you’re feeling too distracted by your date’s cuteness and just want something super easy.

vegan first date cooking together
Check back for 9 more entries upcoming in this blog series on heating up your vegan first date!Tess Challis is a vegan chef, wellness coach, and five-time cookbook author and can be found on tesschallis.com. She’s a big fan of Veg Speed Date as well, and hopes to host an event soon!