There's a lot to love about vegan dishes, especially the taste

Health, animal welfare, sustainability and climate protection - there are any number of good reasons to switch to a purely plant-based diet or at least temporarily change your eating habits. For the flexitarians among us in particular, January offers a great opportunity to find new inspiration in the kitchen. And what better way to do so than in a strong community with creative exchanges?

Veganuary – how it all began

Veganuary is a portmanteau of vegan and January. The initiative kicked off in 2014 in the United Kingdom, and in 2020, it took place in Germany for the first time. In those three years alone, this month-long challenge has evolved from a niche topic for the nutrition-conscious to a phenomenon with tremendous influence... and it’s growing worldwide.

Whether in the catering trade, food manufacturing, delivery services or retail, Veganuary has become a month packed with culinary innovations and, above all, inspiration. The range of vegan foods has expanded to over 1,000 products in recent years and of course includes Kikkoman Soy Sauce, as it always has done!

Vegan right from the start

Wheat, water, salt and soybeans - that's all that goes into our classic soy sauce. It is still made according to a centuries-old traditional recipe with these four natural ingredients and nothing else. No animal products are used, nor in the gluten-free, reduced-salt or organic versions. If you fancy something a bit more special, our KIKKOMAN Ponzu Sauce Lemon and our KIKKOMAN Poke Sauce made for the popular bowl trend are also completely vegan. We create flavour from 100% plant power! Only our Teriyaki BBQ Sauce with Honey is - logically - not vegan.

Perfect for plant-based cuisine

It goes without saying that if the four ingredients are purely plant-based, soy sauce is perfect for vegan dishes. From marinating and seasoning to adding a final flourish on the plate, soy sauce is simply ingenious and wonderfully simple to use. A big plus: umami. The fifth basic taste, which provides a heartier, more intense flavour experience, adds extra intensity to all dishes. So you won't miss a thing - even if you abstain from animal-based flavourings!

And all prejudices are gone!

With the right ideas in the kitchen, you can prove on the plate that vegan food needn't be boring or lack flavour. As always: creative cooking brings the best results! You can rustle up a great vegan Bolognese in next to no time with a few tomatoes, lentils and a liberal dash of Kikkoman Soy Sauce, for example. Or blend a handful of cashews, some water and soy sauce to make a great plant-based cream for a variety of uses. So easy, and so delicious!

As vegan as you want

There's no need to completely revamp your favourite cuisine. If you've ever considered cooking more vegan dishes, then Veganuary is the perfect time to get started. In our Kikkoman community on social media, you'll not only find inspiration for your menus but also interesting background information and plenty of motivation to tweak your eating habits. After all, things always taste better in good company. And if you don't want to give up animal products permanently, that's fine, too. But we're pretty sure that one or two of your favourite vegan dishes will sneak into your recipe collection for good.