Fall in the mountains is something else. The air gets crisp, the mountains turn golden thanks to all the larches, the trails get quieter, and the food you’re craving changes almost overnight. Suddenly the salads and smoothie bowls that felt perfect in July start sounding less appealing, and your brain starts asking for something warm and hearty, something that makes the whole kitchen smell good while it’s cooking. That’s fall food. That’s what this post is about.
Did you know that vegan comfort food in fall is incredibly easy to pull off, because fall produce is basically built for it? Sweet potatoes, squash, root vegetables, lentils, beans, mushrooms, warming spices. Everything that makes a dish feel cozy and satisfying is either in season or sitting in your kitchen already.
Here are some of our favorite ways to eat well when the temperature drops.
Soup, always soup
Fall is soup season and we are not apologetic about how often we make it. Our creamy white bean tomato soup is probably the one we come back to most, because it’s rich and filling and comes together in about thirty minutes. But a simple sweet potato and coconut soup is up there too, with ginger and turmeric and a swirl of vegan yogurt on top. Or a red beet soup that looks almost too pretty to eat and tastes even better cold the next day.
The thing about soup in fall is that you can make a huge batch on Sunday and eat it all week. It gets better as it sits. And there’s nothing better after a cold hike than coming home to a pot of something delicious already in the fridge.
Pasta with ragu
There’s a reason pasta is a comfort food across basically every culture. Our lentil ragu is the best way to eat pasta in the fall. Brown or green lentils slow-cooked with crushed tomatoes, onion, carrot, celery, herbs, and a dash of something sweet to balance the acidity. Toss it with your pasta of choice, finish with nutritional yeast and fresh basil and a handful of lightly toasted sunflower seeds, and you have a meal that tastes like it took way more effort than it actually did.
It’s also one of the best things you can make ahead and reheat. The flavors deepen overnight and it’s honestly even better on day two.
Curry
A big pot of Thai curry on a cold evening is hard to beat. Sweet potatoes roasted separately so they caramelize slightly, tofu crisped in the oven, vegetables sauteed until just tender, all brought together with coconut cream, Thai curry paste, and a broth. Serve it over rice with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of cashew cream if you have some on hand.
Curry is such an easy meal that works with whatever vegetables you have around. Bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, green beans, snap peas, and so on… The coconut base is forgiving and the curry paste does most of the flavor work, so it’s hard to go wrong.
Roasted vegetable bowls
When you don’t know what to make, roast things. Sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, whatever’s in the fridge. Toss everything in olive oil, spread it on a tray, put it in a hot oven, and walk away. Serve it over brown rice or quinoa with crispy tofu, a drizzle of soy sauce, some toasted seeds, and spring onions. Our whole grain rice and baked tofu bowl is basically this exact formula, and it’s one of the most nutritious things we eat on a regular basis.
Roasted vegetables also make the apartment smell incredible, which is a bonus that should not be underestimated when the windows are closed and you’re spending more time indoors.
Baked goods, obviously
Fall is baking season. The oven is on, the apartment needs warming up, and pumpkin spice is not a joke, it’s a legitimate flavor that deserves to be taken seriously. Our pumpkin bread is one of the best things we make all year. Dense, moist, warmly spiced, with chocolate chips and crushed walnuts. Banana bread is also peak fall energy, especially with a thick slice warm from the oven and a cup of tea.
Baking in fall feels productive in a way that’s hard to explain. You end up with something delicious, the kitchen smells incredible, and you have snacks for the week. It’s a very good use of a Sunday afternoon.
A note on warming spices
Cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, ginger, cumin, smoked paprika. These are fall spices and they belong in everything right now. Not just sweet things. Turmeric and ginger in soup, cumin and smoked paprika in lentil dishes, cardamom in cashew cream or oatmeal or anything where you want a warm floral note that makes people ask what’s in it.
If your spice collection needs refreshing, fall is the time to do it. A good spice cabinet makes the difference between food that’s fine and food that’s super exciting, and that matters even more in fall when you’re cooking warming, satisfying things that need a bit of depth.
Fall vegan cooking can be easy, affordable, and satisfying. Lean into the season, use what you have lying around, make big batches of things that reheat well, and bake something on the weekends. That’s really all there is to it.