Close your eyes, take a bite of this tropical granola, and it’s like you’re halfway to a beach somewhere. Made with toasted oats, golden cashews and/or macadamia nuts, coconut flakes, and sweet chunks of dried papaya and pineapple, this tropical granola recipe makes sunshine in a jar.  Sprinkle it over some plain yogurt with honey, […]

Friends! The fluffiest, most satisfying, Nutella lover’s dream dessert is here: vegan ice cream made with chocolate and hazelnuts. It’s creamy, dreamy, oh-so delicious, and kind of perfect! Especially when craving a sweet treat on a warm summer day.

Just 6 ingredients required for this (dare we say) MASTERPIECE. It’s going to be on repeat in our ice cream maker all season long. Grab your cones. Let’s make Nutella ice cream!

Vegan Nutella Ice Cream from Minimalist Baker →

This Shallot Vinaigrette makes even the most basic pile of mixed greens out of the box taste wonderful. A liberal drizzle of this salad dressing feels like you’re sitting down at a nice restaurant, and it couldn’t be simpler to make!  Our New Go-To Salad Dressing I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I’m […]

This Sesame Tofu is deliciously savory and has all the trappings of another takeout favorite,  Sesame Chicken! The tofu is crusted in sesame seeds and pan-fried until crispy and golden, then tossed in a classic sweet sesame sauce!  Our Perfected Sauce The key to a great sesame sauce, whether for sesame tofu or sesame chicken, […]

These red bean zongzi are sticky rice dumplings full of molten glutinous rice dotted with tender red (adzuki) beans! Serve with a little maple syrup or honey for a truly special dessert or snack, especially around the Dragon Boat Festival!  Using Whole Red Beans for a Different Texture  With the Dragon Boat Festival coming up, […]

Stir-fried Spinach is a popular choice of leafy green side when it comes to Chinese home cooking. It’s nutrient-dense and cooks quickly. Here’s how we do it!  The Benefits of Cooked Spinach  So much of spinach these days is consumed raw in salads, but when you stir-fry it, it’s much easier for your body to […]

These Gluten Free Scallion Pancakes are a marvel: chewy, crispy, scallion-packed and absurdly fast to whip up. Instead of using gluten-free flour, which produces a dense, dry pancake, we make them with layers of Vietnamese rice paper—to gloriously chewy and crispy effect!  The Best solution for a chewy, flaky, gluten-free scallion pancake Making Chinese food […]

One of my most exasperating traits — or, perhaps one that makes me ideally suited for this space I invented, coincidentally, to suit my collection of traits — is that I have a terrific amount of random ingredient preparation ideas in the overflowing file cabinet of my brain that will spill into conversations the second I hear the triggering keyword.

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These Chive Egg Pockets are everything a breakfast should be: crispy, golden, and impossibly satisfying. They’re the kind of comforting handheld meal you’d find sizzling on a griddle at a bustling Chinese street market—sweet, garlicky chives and rich egg tucked inside crispy, chewy dough. One bite and you’re somewhere else entirely. The Breakfast That Lives […]

Imagine a wrapper so thin it’s almost translucent, yet strong and chewy enough to cradle a mountain of savory filling — that’s the magic of fresh moo shu pancakes, or chūnbǐng (春饼). They are as easy as combining all-purpose flour, salt, and boiling water. We’ll show you the simple rolling technique to get perfectly paper-thin […]

Introducing weeknight-friendly fattoush salad! This EASY, 1-bowl, 20-minute version is our inspired take on the classic Levantine dish. Think fresh, crunchy veggies tossed in a bright pomegranate dressing with herby mint leaves, crispy pita chips, and pomegranate arils (major YUM)!

It’s a refreshing side to pair with other Mediterranean- and Middle Eastern-inspired recipes, or toss in some chickpeas to make it a light meal on its own.

Easy Fattoush Salad (1 Bowl!) from Minimalist Baker →

Use this granola recipe as a blueprint for countless batches of homemade granola at a fraction of the price of store-bought. It’s insanely easy to do (just 10 minutes of actual effort required), lower in sugar, and so much more affordable!  Some Things Are a No-Brainer to Make Yourself Believe it or not, there are […]

This black truffle rice is an example of a “ban fan” (拌饭) or mixed rice dish. It makes everyday white rice delicious and elevated, and gives your meal a little extra oomph!  Black Truffle is Trending in Chinese Restaurants Black Truffle has quickly become a regular fixture on Chinese restaurant menus. I’ve seen it used […]

I’ve been pining for a springy way to combine leeks and lentils in an unfussy, one-pot, weeknight-friendly meal but would get stuck on one thing: how annoying leeks are — and I say this from a place of adoration! I think leeks are one of the most stunning vegetables, an ombre of chromatic ringlets from buttery yellow to pea green and back to a pale shade of lima. They look exactly like spring (even though it’s climatically July outside but will be March again next week), and taste even better: Oniony but not harsh and silky, wonderful, and a little sweet when braised. They should be everywhere, but first we need to address the fact that if you go to the store or market for a bundle of leeks right now, you have no idea how much leek you’re getting.

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Friends, welcome to a land where you can float on strawberry dream clouds all day long. This chia pudding is next-level but still ultra simple (5 ingredients!). Just blend strawberries into your favorite milk, sweeten to taste, add chia seeds, and chilllllll.

The result is a heavenly, fiber-rich snack or breakfast that tastes just like strawberries and cream but more sophisticated — mmmmmm. Let us show you how it’s done!

Strawberries & Cream Chia Pudding from Minimalist Baker →

Stir-fried pressed tofu with peppers and black beans is an extremely simple and delicious Chinese dish. It happens to be vegan, but also protein-packed and flavorful!  A Restaurant-Inspired Recipe I had this dish at a vegetarian restaurant in Shenzhen. It was super tasty, but I still made a couple small adjustments to my own version. […]

Forget canned biscuits. This monkey bread is made with fluffy milk bread dough—real ingredients, perfectly sweet, and the only version you need! What Is Monkey Bread? Monkey bread is a sweet, pull-apart bread made from small pieces of dough rolled in butter, sugar, and cinnamon, then baked together in a bundt pan. The result is […]

Inspired by a recent trip to China, this recipe for Chinese eggs with soy bean sauce is a quick, easy midweek dinner that’s savory and super tasty!  Eggs for Dinner Eggs are a great, relatively low-cost source of protein that Chinese families often turn to for last-minute meals. Because they cook so quickly, you can […]

If you love our Sweet Potato Chickpea Tacos, get ready for another FAVE! Meet: the Vegan Sweet Potato Chickpea TACO SALAD! It’s got fresh kale + romaine, crunchy tortilla chips, smoky roasted chickpeas + sweet potatoes, and a creamy jalapeño dressing. 

The result? BIG flavor, lots of textures, and ready in just 30 minutes (hello, weeknight ease with weekend flavor)! Let’s make this satisfying, flavorful, plant-based dinner!

A little multi-tasking and some speedy knife skills are the tricks to keeping this a 30-minute meal!

Vegan Sweet Potato Chickpea Taco Salad from Minimalist Baker →

Move over, Ranch, there’s a new creamy dressing in town that’s stealing our hearts! This cheesy jalapeño cashew dressing is our new go-to for salads, wraps, and dipping veggies. It’s savory and creamy and has a subtly spicy kick!

Bonus? It comes together in just 5 minutes with 9 simple ingredients. Grab your blender. Let’s do this!

Ingredients to Make Cashew Dressing

• Cashews – this versatile nut creates a rich, creamy base that’s naturally oil-free and neutral in flavor, allowing the other flavors to shine!

Cheesy Jalapeño Cashew Dressing from Minimalist Baker →