8 Vegan Happy Hour Beer Pairings
Who said that you can’t have a vegan happy hour? Most beers are accidentally vegan, not to mention delicious and refreshing, so there’s no issue there. However, depending on the restaurant, it can be difficult to find vegan happy hour food options. With that in mind, we’ve created a vegan happy hour menu with veganized versions of our favorites, plus some terrific beer recommendations from our friend John Schlimm, author of The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour. If you’re not in the mood for beer, try our wine recommendations.
1. Alehouse Agave and Chipotle Mixed Nuts
Suggested Beer Pairing: Pilsner, Vienna Lager, or Amber Lager
In this delectable appetizer, sweet agave nectar and spicy chipotle powder get these nuts seasoned and ready for some serious fun with a few rounds of a moderately hoppy pilsner, a toasty Vienna lager, or a good old-fashioned amber lager.
2. Tomato and Hot Pepper Salsa
Suggested Beer Pairing: Pale Lager, American Wheat Ale, or Amber Lager
In this zesty party starter, basic, everyday tomato salsa gets a flavor boost from jalapeños, chili peppers, Sriracha, cilantro, oregano, and toasted cumin seeds. Check out the chili beer salsa or the black bean and corn salsa for additional variations on this classic happy hour treat.
3. Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Suggested Beer Pairing: German Hefeweizen, Saison, or Dunkelweizen
This vegan twist on a classic happy hour food dish is everything that you ever needed. With delicious flavor and consistency, this choice is sure to be a touchdown. Check out the video for the play-by-play on how to score with this superb vegan happy hour food.
4. Baked and Breaded Avocado Bites
Suggested Beer Pairing: Amber Lager, Irish Red Ale, or Rauchbier
These vegan avocado bites are baked instead of fried, making them a healthier option for avocado lovers everywhere! They’re a creamy and delicious addition to your vegan happy hour that will have everyone raving.
5. Eggplant and Portobello Pasta
Suggested Beer Pairing: Vienna Lager, Golden Ale, or American Wheat Ale
Moving on from the appetizers, we have an enticing vegan happy hour main course. Enhance your standard pasta by adding sautéed eggplant and portobellos to your penne pasta and pairing it with a slightly toasty Vienna lager, a mellow golden ale, or a classic American wheat ale. Try this recipe with homemade vegan walnut ‘parmesan’ cheese or homemade vegan almond ‘parmesan’ cheese.
6. Ultimate Sriracha Veggie Burger
Suggested Beer Pairing: German Hefeweizen, Sour Beer, or Chili Beer
If you need to convince a meat-eater that veggie burgers can be drool-worthy, this is the perfect recipe. Anyone who tastes this burger will not be missing anything … except perhaps a few pleasantly burned taste buds.
7. Grilled Portobello Burgers
Suggested Beer Pairing: Belgian Ale, American Wheat Ale, or American or English Pale Ale
No burger can hold a candle to this vegan marinated version boasting a culinary treasure trove of ingredients. The only thing that could possibly make this burger better is partnering it with a Belgian ale, an American wheat ale, or an American or English pale ale.
8. Post-Dinner Bonus—Beach Party Punch!
Kick back and enjoy this punch, which takes the best that life has to offer and translates it into each lingering sip. Balance the rum, vodka, amaretto, and gin quartet with your go-to choice of a pale lager or else a fruit beer or Kölsch that you haven’t tried yet.
Looking for more vegan happy hour menu ideas? Check out the vegan friendly, The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour by John Schlimm or PETA’s collection of vegan recipes for more ideas!
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