Vegan Baked Potato Toppings: 13 Surprisingly Delicious Plant-based Choices 

Is this the year you go Vegan? Have you been thinking about it for a while, or experimenting with vegetarianism?

There are many new documentaries about the benefits of a plant-based diet.

The potential reasons are vast:

I moved to a mostly vegetarian diet a few years ago, and seeing these films has inspired me to give a Vegan diet a try.

Here’s why:

The average American diet is full of meat and dairy, but there is an entire world of vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts that is waiting for us if we’re willing to give them a chance.

Today:

We’ll show you some vegan baked potato toppings that you’re sure to love.

If you’re struggling to get past the traditional sour cream and chives, you’re in for a treat.

We’ll help you with ideas for what to put on your baked potato that’s Vegan, healthy, and delicious.

You’ll learn how to make things creamy and cheesy, which is what you want, but the baked potato toppings will be Vegan and made entirely from plant-based ingredients!

Come with me:

I’ll show you what I’ve learned!

Baked Potato Vegan Toppings: 13 Ideas So Delicious You’ll Never Miss a Thing

Let’s get started on the Vegan baked potato toppers and see what looks good to you!

1. Vegan Cheese

This Vegan cheese will blow your mind. It’s made with unexpected ingredients such as carrots and potatoes along with nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, and spices.

It looks just like queso but is much lower in fat and calories.

This cheese would be among my favorite baked potato Vegan toppings because I can’t imagine anything better together than potatoes and cheese.

To top off the potato:

I’d add some broccoli blanched in vegetable stock, for a bright green punch of color.

Here’s a wonderful recipe from the Simple Vegan Blog, and they have so much more for you to try out and enjoy.

2. Salsa Verde and Pico De Gallo

Everyone knows and loves red salsa, but don’t miss out on the salsa verde!

Try making this yourself if you can find fresh tomatillos. If you’re lucky enough to have a Mexican market in your town, you’ll find all these ingredients easily.

This recipe uses roasted tomatillos, jalapenos, and white onion along with cilantro, garlic, and lime juice.

You can always buy prepared salsa verde, but if you can get the ingredients, try making it from scratch.

Pico de Gallo is made with chopped tomatoes, white onion, serrano peppers, and cilantro.

I’d serve this with the Vegan sour cream or cheese sauce for a fresh and creamy combo that can’t be beaten.

This blog post from Simply Recipes shows you three methods for making salsa verde.

3. Pepper Medley Including Pepperoncini

Want fresh and spicy baked potato Vegan toppings?

Consider a colorful and sweet bell pepper medley salad.

I’d add pickled pepperoncini for some extra kick. You might want to try a quick pickle of some round cherry peppers too. If you can find these already pickled in jars, that’s another option.

I like the contrast between the fresh peppers and pickled peppers and think you will too.

4. Vegan Sour Cream

Who knew that there are so many delicious alternatives to your dairy favorites?

Sour cream and chives are the classic accompaniment to your baked spud, so let’s make it Vegan!

You’ll use cashew cream along with apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, plus a dash of dijon mustard to make this dairy-free substitute.

Perfect for anyone who’s lactose intolerant too.

5. Vegan Bacon

Once upon a time, in a kitchen far, far away, a mad scientist figured out how to make Vegan bacon using rice paper, olive oil, and nutritional yeast.

It’s flavored with tamari, liquid smoke, and maple syrup and looks delicious too.

Vegan bacon, along with the sour cream above, would make great Vegan baked potato toppers. Just add some scallions or fresh herbs and dig in!

6. Garlic – Prepared Many Ways

Garlic is very healthy and good for you, and luckily it’s also delicious.

There are many ways to use it that you might not have considered. Any of these preparations would make excellent baked potato Vegan toppings.

Fried Garlic Chips

We all love chips, and these little beauties will add crunch and punch to your spud.

You may become addicted and want to add these to everything you cook; they’re that good!

I use olive oil to fry them, and pink Himalayan salt to dress them. Don’t blame me if you become obsessed with them.

Re-use the garlic oil for other dishes.

Here’s a how-to video:

Creamy Garlic Sauce

I use an immersion blender to make mine since it’s much cleaner and easier than a regular blender.

Or try a simple creamy garlic sauce made with cashews.

Mashed Garlic With Olive Oil and Salt

Get ready for a surprise!

If you’ve never had raw garlic, you’ll be thrilled with how spicy and flavorful it is.

It’s not for the faint of heart, though, and you’ll have garlic breath afterward, but worth it!

7. Onions Prepared Many Ways

I use onions in literally everything I cook.

OK, almost everything, but you get the idea.

They’re so versatile and lend so much flavor. Whether you’re using green onions, yellow, red, or white, or unusual varieties like Vidalia, they’ll make any dish better.

French’s Onions

Usually, I wouldn’t recommend something out of a can, but these are the exception.

You’re probably familiar with these crunchy treats from the holiday green bean casserole, but they’re fantastic at any time of the year.

Pickled Onions

Love salt and vinegar potato chips? Adding pickled onions as Vegan baked potato toppers give you the same flavors, and they’re easy to make.

Any variety of onions and any type of vinegar will work so you can experiment to find what you like best.

It’s fast too, only about 15 minutes before you can tuck in!

Vidalia Onions, Red Onions, and Shallots

Any time you can find seasonal Vidalia onions, buy them.

They’re so sweet and mild; you could eat one like an apple.

I’d chop these coarsely, mix with some Vegan butter, top with pink Himalayan salt, and get to it!

Red onions or shallots would be excellent sauteed in Vegan butter and dressed the same way on top of your potato.

8. Sun-dried Tomatoes

What to put on baked potatoes for a Vegan option?

How about some sun-dried tomatoes?

I first tried these in the ’80s, packed in oil, and looking like a science experiment. They have a lovely sweet and spicy character.

I like them finely chopped served with the oil, mixed with parsley and dressed with pink Himalayan salt.

They’re a perfect flavor combo with the baked potato.

9. Vegan Pesto

Pesto is traditionally made from basil, parmesan cheese, and ground pine nuts.

Here’s a Vegan twist on an old favorite using nutritional yeast instead of parmesan.

Once you get the hang of making this, you can try some fun substitutions. You can make it with parsley, arugula, or give mixed herbs a try.

You can also try using different nuts.

Last time I shopped for pine nuts, their prices had skyrocketed, so I used walnuts instead. You could try almonds, cashews, walnuts, or a mix.

Here’s a fantastic method and recipe from The Minimalist Baker.

10. Pickled Salad/Vegetables

Ready for your pickling primer?

Any vegetables can be pickled, and if I’d known how easy it is, I’d have started much sooner!

It’s up to you which vegetables you want with your spud, but I like hot and bell peppers in various colors.

I’d include cauliflower, and I’d experiment with green beans, pearl onions, and okra.

You can always do a taste test to see what you find compatible from a flavor perspective, but even if you just used peppers, you’d get yellow, orange, green, and red.

11. Vinaigrette and Chopped Salad

If you’ve never made your own vinaigrette, after you try it, you’ll be forever changed and will never go back to bottled dressing.

We all know oil and water don’t mix.

Well, oil and vinegar don’t mix either, you need an emulsifying agent, in this case, dijon mustard.

Recommended ratios are three parts oil to one part vinegar, but I prefer more vinegar along with about one teaspoon of dijon. I use the best balsamic vinegar and olive oil I can find.

I’d make a chopped salad of napa cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, and kalamata olives dressed in the vinaigrette and served atop the potato.

Go generous on the dressing, or serve some on the side for additional potato dipping.

12. Crushed Tortilla Chips

We all love a good guilty pleasure once in a while! We’re so healthy with our Vegan diets and all that veg, so it’s OK to indulge occasionally!

You can crumble up white, yellow, or blue corn chips to give your potato some crunch, or go naughty and use Doritos or even Fritos.

I’d pair any of these with the Vegan queso cheese, and add some pickled jalapeno rounds for a real treat.

Want to make your potato into a full-fledged meal?

Read on!

13. Beans: an Excellent Way to Get Your Protein.

Chickpea Curry

Chickpea curry is a delicious Vegan option that will be great over your baked potato.

Chili Beans

I have a confession to make. I love chili beans from the can.

I’m so ashamed, but they’d be awesome atop your baked potato (or even some quick canned potatoes) with some Vegan sour cream and nutritional yeast sprinkled on top.

This is my idea of carb heaven.

Vegan Baked Potato Toppings: Additional Pairing Ideas

Now it’s time to get your greens: Get your greens! Add Scallions, Chives, Cilantro, Parsley, or Herbs of your choice.

There’s nothing like fresh vegetables and herbs to brighten up any dish.

I have a little herb garden right outside my back door for ultimate freshness.

I grow parsley, scallions, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, dill, sage, and basil. I use little kitchen shears to clip just what I need, and like magic, the plant keeps growing.

The Final Finish: Nuts and Seeds

It’s essential to get your plant-based protein, and nuts and seeds are a great place to get them.

Toasting will bring out the natural flavors in nuts and seeds like pepitas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and tiny powerhouses flax seeds.

Sprinkle any of these atop your potato as a nutritious and crunchy final Vegan baked potato topper!

If you’re looking for great combos to take your meal further, check out our list of tasty side dishes for baked potatoes.

In summary…

Who knew there was so much to learn about what to put on baked potatoes to make them Vegan, healthy, and delicious?

We’re so used to meat and dairy, and I get it!

However:

There are great baked potato Vegan toppings and substitutions that taste amazing but are more nutritious, and much lower in fat and calories than the real thing.

Learning how to make Vegan butter, cashew cream, and understanding nutritional yeast means you can make all kinds of new plant-based creamy, cheesy, and buttery additions to any dish.

Nothing changes:

Are you a rice cake eater and want to spice things up? Check out our list of rice cake toppings and enjoy!

Now is a great time to try this out, find the best vegan baked potato toppings and see how easy it is to make these changes.

What have you got to lose other than a few pounds?