Food plays a crucial role in any relationship.

One way or another, you end up eating a lot together, from post-coital breakfasts in bed to date-night dinners and meals with their friends.

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And while you generally date people who have relatively similar tastes as you, dating when you’re a vegan is a whole different ball game.

In the initial stages, admitting to living a plant-based life can feel awkward.


In fact, a third of people say that they wouldn’t date vegans.

I asked a couple of mates if they’d date vegans and both were quite emphatic about it.



‘Not a single chance,’ said one. ‘A vegetarian was bad enough.’

It’s a bit like saying you’re an evangelical Christian. People assume you’re going to try and make them see the soya-tinted light – and they don’t like it.

The thing about dating as a vegan is, however, that you’ve got to find someone who gets why you do it and who is (at least occasionally) willing to capitulate and eat vegan too.

Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of time eating alone.

In my experience, many guys who aren’t actually vegetarian or vegan believe that if they don’t eat meat at least twice a day, they’ll die of malnutrition.

Try persuading them to have a meat-free day, and they’ll look horrified like you just told them to perform some horrendous sex act on a horse.

Lisa, 30, is a selective vegan who tries to eat fully vegan as much as possible, and she says that dating has been difficult.

‘It sucks,’ she says.

‘On one recent date, I ate some pizza because I didn’t want to make a scene and the guy (third date) was like, “Aww, you ate it for me”.’

‘He actually said that if I’d turned out to be a committed vegan, that would have been a dealbreaker.’

After that, she decided not to tell guys about her dietary requirements for a while and just avoided eating meals with them.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

‘The guy was fine with me being mostly vegan because I think he just assumed that I’d eat dairy with him all the time.

‘That’s why I don’t tell people straight off because maybe they think it’s a bigger deal than it is, then I can turn around after a few dates and be like, “A-HA! You didn’t even notice!”.’

And that’s the thing – being vegan really doesn’t have to impact on other people…particularly right now when there are so many delicious vegan options around.

When I started seeing my boyfriend, I offered to cook him a meal and he said that he’d ‘never eaten a meat-free meal that wouldn’t have been improved by meat’.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

But since trying it, he’s been incredibly open to vegan food – eating everything from vegan cheese toasties to Ethiopian curries.



He’s even had a go at cooking it himself, which in fairness to him, was pretty delicious (fajitas in case you were wondering).

‘I probably didn’t really think I could date a vegan, if I’m honest,’ he says.

‘I had a very meat-based diet and I like eggs and cheese a lot. But equally, I wouldn’t not date someone because of their diet and I wouldn’t date someone who tried to force things on me.

How to make vegan dating easier It can be a little tricky to navigate, but it really doesn’t have to be. Don’t try and force your veganism on the other person. They’ll be more open to trying stuff without a daily lecture about methane production.

But do try and get them to watch films with you like Cowspiracy and Earthlings so they know why you’re doing it.

Offer to cook delicious vegan meals for them so they can see how easy it is to whip up home-cooked, healthy, cruelty-free, tasty food.

Take them to places like Cookies and Scream where chances are, they won’t realise the ridiculously delicious brownies and puddings are vegan. And once they’ve tucked in, tell them.

‘I’m really enjoying vegan food now and I’m open to trying as much as possible.’

That’s because veganism is good these days. There are endless options out there, partly thanks to the move towards wellness and plant-based nutrition, and partly because we have so many different ethnic cuisines on offer these days.

‘My partner became a vegan before Christmas and I was a little worried,’ Dilara tells Metro.co.uk

‘But I don’t think we’ve ever eaten so well! Vegan food is so yummy and it’s getting a lot easier now for vegans to eat out and find alternatives.’

And Dilara’s right.

There are vegan options in places like GBK, Pizza Express and Nandos (classic date spots, amirite?).

There are numerous plant-based cookbooks and Instagram accounts for cooking inspiration.

Whether it’s a dinner date out or a kitchen supper, there’s not really any excuse not to be able to cater for your vegan beau, or for providing a delicious meal for someone who’s willing to try.


You’ve just got to make the other person understand that your dietary requirements take priority unless they’re OK with you having to make do with a side salad and chips. That might mean you walking 10 minutes further to find food, or taking a little longer to think about what to cook. But there’s nothing wrong with a little mindful dining.

‘I have never had a problem dating as a vegan,’ says Holly, 28.

‘Dating seems to be nothing but going for drinks in London anyway. Once you get past that and into a slightly more serious relationship, I’ve always found guys more than happy to join me eating vegan food.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

‘A guy I’m seeing to at the moment has mentioned numerous time he’s really excited to cook vegan food for me, which is great because I don’t cook. It’s 2017, anyone has a problem dating a vegan should get a grip. It’s not like it’s CrossFit or something, FFS.’

So true.

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