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25 Greek Vegan and Fasting Recipes
Nistisima cooking, which happens to be the oldest and best-developed vegan tradition in Europe.
Nistisima, the cooking of the Orthodox fasts, is the oldest and best-developed vegan tradition in Europe. It has had centuries to get good.
Vegetables in olive oil and tomato: green beans, okra, courgettes, aubergine. Artichokes with peas and dill. Rice with spinach or with leeks. Pulses as salads and fritters. Dolmades stuffed with rice and herbs.
The sweets are fasting food as well: spoon sweets of quince, sour cherry and bitter orange, the olive oil cookies, the spice cake for Saint Fanourios.
Every recipe on Kalliopi's Kitchen carries the dish's Greek name and a pronunciation, its region where that is meaningful, ingredient quantities in both metric and imperial, and an honest note on what commonly goes wrong. Nutrition figures are calculated estimates and are labelled as such.
1. Melomakarona
Μελομακάρονα · meh-lo-mah-KAH-ro-nah
Every Greek household bakes these at Christmas and every household argues about them: how much orange, brandy or no brandy, soft all the way through or a little bite left in the middle. They have no butter and no eggs, and they are better on day three than on day one, so make them ahead.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not knead. Fold the dough until it just holds together and stop. Kneaded dough makes tough cookies that will not absorb syrup.
Make Melomakarona2. Dolmades
Ντολμάδες · dol-MAH-des
An hour of rolling and no way round it, which is why Greek families do it together at a table, talking. These are the rice and herb ones, served cold, called yialantzi. The word means liar, because they pass themselves off as the meat version. They belong on a meze table and keep for days.
Yiayia’s tip: Under-fill rather than over-fill. A teaspoon per leaf. The rice triples in volume and an over-filled dolma splits along the seam every time.
Make Dolmades3. Rhodes Chickpea and Tomato Fritters
Pitaroudia · Πιταρούδια · pee-tah-ROO-thee-ah
A Rhodes fritter that hardly leaves Rhodes. Ask for one on the mainland and expect a blank look. The chickpeas are crushed, not pureed, so the texture is coarse and nutty where falafel is smooth, with grated tomato, onion and plenty of mint. Cumin goes in too, because the Anatolian coast is close.
Yiayia’s tip: Never use tinned chickpeas. They are already cooked and far too wet. The dish depends on raw soaked chickpeas cooking through during the fry.
Make Rhodes Chickpea and Tomato Fritters4. Cypriot Black-Eyed Bean Salad with Chard
Louvi · Λούβι · LOO-vee
Fasting-day food in Cyprus, and nobody at the table feels deprived. Black-eyed beans are simmered with chard or spinach, given olive oil and lemon while still warm, then left to cool. It is a Lenten staple, vegan as it stands. Serve it as a full plate with bread and olives, not as a side.
Yiayia’s tip: No soaking needed. Black-eyed beans are thin-skinned enough to cook from fully dry in under an hour, unlike most other dried pulses.
Make Cypriot Black-Eyed Bean Salad with Chard5. Cypriot Grape Must and Almond Candy
Soutzoukos · Σουτζιούκος · soo-JOO-kos
Almonds or walnuts are threaded on a string and dunked over and over in grape must cooked thick, each dip adding a layer until the coat is firm and chewy. Cyprus makes it in autumn, when there are fresh grapes. It has no refined sugar. The work is slow, not hard.
Yiayia’s tip: Reduce shop-bought grape juice first. Simmering it down by about a third before you start concentrates the flavour closer to genuine fresh must.
Make Cypriot Grape Must and Almond Candy6. Cyprus Delights, Rose and Mastic
Loukoumia · Λουκούμια · loo-KOO-mee-ah
Cyprus's own Turkish delight, flavoured with rose water and mastic, and the town of Geroskipou near Paphos has protected status for its style. It is patient work, not difficult work: a syrup, a cornflour paste, a long slow cook, then cubes rolled in icing sugar.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not stop cooking early. The long, slow cook is what sets the texture. A mixture that looks done at twenty minutes is not done.
Make Cyprus Delights, Rose and Mastic7. Spanakorizo
Σπανακόρυζο · spah-nah-KOH-ree-zoh
Spinach and rice cooked in one pot until the rice has taken on the green. It is one of the ladera dishes, where the olive oil becomes part of the sauce, and among the quickest. Keep it wetter than a pilaf, loose enough for a spoon. Dill and lemon go in at the end.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not underestimate the spinach quantity. It reduces to roughly a quarter of its raw volume once wilted. What looks like too much going in is exactly right.
Make Spanakorizo8. Leek and Rice
Prasorizo · Πρασόρυζο · prah-SOH-ree-zoh
A winter pot, for the season when leeks are best. They soften over a low heat in a good deal of olive oil until sweet and almost jammy, then simmer with rice into something halfway between risotto and soup. Same method as spanakorizo, but paler and sweeter. Lemon goes in off the heat.
Yiayia’s tip: Wash sliced, not whole. Slicing the leeks before washing exposes the grit trapped between the layers, which a quick rinse of a whole leek can miss entirely.
Make Leek and Rice9. Chickpea Fritters
Revithokeftedes · Ρεβιθοκεφτέδες · reh-vee-thoh-kef-TEH-thes
A keftes rebuilt around chickpeas, with onion, herbs and cumin, and no mere stand-in for the meat one. They belong most to the Cyclades, where chickpeas are an old staple crop, and to Lent on the mainland. Chickpeas hold more water than people expect, so the mixture must be dry. Chill the patties before frying.
Yiayia’s tip: Cook dried chickpeas until very soft. Well beyond salad tenderness. A proper long simmer softens them enough to mash easily without extra binders.
Make Chickpea Fritters10. Eggless Spice Cake for Saint Fanourios
Fanouropita · Φανουρόπιτα · fah-noo-ROH-pee-tah
Baked for Saint Fanourios, whose feast is the 27th of August, by people hoping to find something lost. Custom sets the number of ingredients, most often seven or nine, and has the cake given away in pieces. It has no eggs or dairy, so anyone fasting can share it. Dense, like a tea loaf.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not overwork the batter. There are no eggs here to give structure, so folding gently rather than beating hard keeps the crumb tender rather than tough.
Make Eggless Spice Cake for Saint Fanourios11. Green Beans in Tomato and Olive Oil
Fasolakia lathera · Φασολάκια λαδερά · fah-soh-LAH-kyah lah-theh-RAH
Green beans, with potato and onion, cooked far past the point where other cuisines stop, on purpose. A bean cooked ladera, in olive oil and tomato, is meant to be soft all the way through, never crisp. Finish it uncovered so the sauce thickens. Summer food, often a light main with bread and feta.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not skimp on the olive oil. It becomes part of the sauce itself over the long simmer. A ladera dish made with too little oil is a noticeably thinner, less satisfying dish.
Make Green Beans in Tomato and Olive Oil12. Lentils and Rice
Fakorizo · Φακόρυζο · fah-KOH-ree-zoh
Lentil soup with rice cooked into the same pot, which makes it thick enough to eat like a pilaf. It is cheap store-cupboard food that saw Greek families through the fasts and the lean years. The step people skip is the last one: vinegar and olive oil, heated and poured over just before serving.
Yiayia’s tip: Add the lentils first, then the rice. Lentils need considerably longer to cook. Staggering the two lets them finish tender together.
Make Lentils and Rice13. Potato Salad
Patatosalata · Πατατοσαλάτα · pah-tah-toh-sah-LAH-tah
There is no mayonnaise in a Greek potato salad. Olive oil and red wine vinegar go on while the potatoes are warm, when they take the dressing in instead of wearing it on the outside. Red onion, capers and fresh herbs finish it. It travels better in the heat than a mayonnaise salad.
Yiayia’s tip: Boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled. This keeps them from absorbing extra water, which would otherwise dilute the finished salad's flavour.
Make Potato Salad14. White Bean Salad
Fasolia salata · Φασόλια σαλάτα · fah-SOH-lyah sah-LAH-tah
A relative of fasolada, the bean soup: white beans cooked tender, dressed warm with vinegar, olive oil, parsley and plenty of red onion, and eaten warm or at room temperature. During Lent it is a main course, not a side. It sits for hours without harm, having no dairy or mayonnaise.
Yiayia’s tip: Salt only once the beans are tender. Salting the cooking water early toughens the skins of any dried pulse.
Make White Bean Salad15. Okra in Tomato and Olive Oil
Bamies latheres · Μπάμιες λαδερές · BAH-myes lah-theh-RES
Okra frightens cooks because it can turn slimy. The traditional answer is a short soak in vinegar before the pods go near the pot. After that it is an ordinary ladera dish, simmered slowly in tomato and plenty of olive oil until the oil becomes the sauce. Shake the pan, do not stir.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not cut into the pods when trimming. Only trim the woody stem end. Exposing the interior releases the sticky substance that causes sliminess.
Make Okra in Tomato and Olive Oil16. Chunky Aubergine and Tomato Stew
Melitzanes yahni · Μελιτζάνες γιαχνί · meh-leed-ZAH-nes yah-NEE
The word yahni names a method, not a dish: onion and garlic softened, then tomato, simmered until thick. Greek cooks put several vegetables through it. With aubergine in chunks it is the weeknight answer to melitzanes imam, with no splitting and stuffing. It keeps a couple of days and wants bread and feta.
Yiayia’s tip: Colour the aubergine before saucing. A brief fry builds real depth of flavour before the long simmer, rather than adding raw aubergine directly to the sauce.
Make Chunky Aubergine and Tomato Stew17. Vegan Olive Oil Cookies
Ladokouloura · Λαδοκούλουρα · lah-thoh-KOO-loo-rah
Cookies made for Lent, when butter and eggs are both off the table. Olive oil does all the work of the fat and gives a crumbly, slightly dense cookie with a faint fruitiness that butter does not have. They were vegan long before anybody called it that.
Yiayia’s tip: Use a mild olive oil. A strong, peppery extra virgin can fight with the orange rather than sitting in the background as intended.
Make Vegan Olive Oil Cookies18. Courgette in Tomato Sauce
Kolokithakia yiahni · Κολοκυθάκια γιαχνί · koh-loh-kee-THAH-kyah yah-NEE
The onion and tomato braise Greeks give to green beans and aubergine, applied to courgette. Courgette cooks much faster than either, so few ladera dishes are ready sooner, and few are easier to overcook: check early and often. It is eaten warm or cooled, with feta and bread.
Yiayia’s tip: Cut thick, not thin. Thin slices disintegrate too quickly in the sauce. Thick chunks hold their shape through the simmer.
Make Courgette in Tomato Sauce19. Artichokes with Peas
Anginares me araka · Αγκινάρες με αρακά · an-gee-NAH-res meh ah-rah-KAH
Artichokes and peas peak at the same point in spring, and cook together in olive oil with dill, spring onion and lemon. It has the flavours of lamb and artichoke fricassee with the meat left out, and stands as a vegan main course. The oil becomes the sauce, so use a good one.
Yiayia’s tip: Give the artichokes a head start. They need considerably longer than fresh peas to cook through. Add the peas only once the artichokes are nearly tender.
Make Artichokes with Peas20. Lentil Salad
Fakes salata · Φακές σαλάτα · fah-KES sah-LAH-tah
The lentils of fakes soup, taken the other way: served cold with olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley and plenty of red onion. Dress them while still warm, because warm lentils take the dressing in and cold ones leave it on top. It lasts for hours at room temperature, which makes it picnic food.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not overcook the lentils. A salad wants distinct lentils that hold their shape, not a mushy puree. Check from 25 minutes onwards.
Make Lentil Salad21. Chickpea Salad
Revithosalata · Ρεβιθοσαλάτα · reh-vee-thoh-sah-LAH-tah
Chickpeas taste of very little on their own, so this cold salad lives on its dressing: olive oil, lemon, parsley and red onion, and plenty of salt and pepper. It needs no oven, unlike the slow-baked revithada. It keeps and travels well, and with good bread it makes a light main course.
Yiayia’s tip: Good tinned chickpeas are a genuine shortcut. Well rinsed and drained, they turn this into a very fast dish without much loss of quality.
Make Chickpea Salad22. Quince Spoon Sweet
Kydoni glyko · Κυδώνι γλυκό · kee-THOH-nee glee-KOH
Raw quince is hard, astringent and close to inedible. Long, slow cooking in syrup turns the pale flesh rose and then a deep amber-red, and that colour is how you know it is done. The season is short, in autumn. It is served to guests on a small dish with a glass of cold water.
Yiayia’s tip: Keep the peel and cores. They carry real natural pectin that helps the syrup set properly. Simmering them separately first extracts it before it goes into the main pot.
Make Quince Spoon Sweet23. Sour Cherry Spoon Sweet
Vyssino glyko · Βύσσινο γλυκό · VEE-see-noh glee-KOH
Two things come out of one jar. The whole cherries are a spoon sweet, brought out for guests on a small dish, and the syrup thinned with cold water becomes vissinada, the summer cordial. Pitting the fruit is the slow part. The syrup must stay loose enough to pour, because this is not a jam.
Yiayia’s tip: Use sour or morello cherries, not sweet ones. Their natural tartness is exactly what balances the sugar syrup. Sweet eating cherries give a one-note, cloying result.
Make Sour Cherry Spoon Sweet24. Bitter Orange Spoon Sweet
Nerantzaki glyko · Νεραντζάκι γλυκό · neh-rahn-DZAH-kee glee-KOH
A bitter Seville orange cannot be eaten fresh: far too sharp. Only the peel is used, candied slowly in sugar syrup until translucent, and it makes one of the most fragrant Greek spoon sweets. Older methods soak the peel for days. It is offered to guests as kydoni and vissino glyko are.
Yiayia’s tip: Do not skip the repeated boiling. This is what removes the peel's harsh bitterness while keeping its fragrant oils intact. Fewer boils leave it too bitter to enjoy.
Make Bitter Orange Spoon Sweet25. Candied Baby Aubergine Spoon Sweet
Melitzanaki glyko · Μελιτζανάκι γλυκό · meh-leed-zah-NAH-kee glee-KOH
Aubergine as a sweet surprises nearly everyone the first time. Whole baby aubergines are boiled until tender, each given one blanched almond, then candied for an hour or more in syrup scented with clove, until they are dark and glossy. The almond helps each one keep its shape. After boiling they are fragile.
Yiayia’s tip: Use only genuinely small baby aubergines. Larger ones have tougher flesh and more bitterness already developed, working against the sweetness this preserve depends on.
Make Candied Baby Aubergine Spoon Sweet
More Greek Vegan and Fasting Recipes
86 more, 111 in all.
Grape Must CookiesMoustokouloura ΜουστοκούλουραDesserts · 50m · serves 16
KollyvaKollyva ΚόλλυβαDesserts · 2h 15m · serves 20
Walnut and Grape Must CandySoutzouki ΣουτζούκιDesserts · 2h · serves 10
Patras Cinnamon and Clove LiqueurTentoura ΤεντούραDrinks · 45m · serves 20
Cypriot Lentils and Rice with OnionsMoutzentra ΜουτζέντραMain Courses · 1h 5m · serves 5
Baked Giant Beans in TomatoGigantes plaki Γίγαντες πλακίMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6
Smoky Aubergine DipMelitzanosalata ΜελιτζανοσαλάταDips and Sauces · 45m · serves 6
HortaHorta vrasta Χόρτα βραστάSide Dishes · 35m · serves 4
How to Make Greek Coffee in a BrikiEllinikos kafes Ελληνικός καφέςDrinks · 7m · serves 2
GemistaGemista ΓεμιστάMain Courses · 2h 10m · serves 6
FasoladaFasolada ΦασολάδαSoups · 1h 45m · serves 6
BriamBriam ΜπριάμMain Courses · 2h · serves 6
Yellow Split Pea PureeFava Santorinis Φάβα ΣαντορίνηςDips and Sauces · 1h · serves 6
Lentil Soup with VinegarFakes ΦακέςSoups · 1h 7m · serves 6
Cypriot Lenten Tahini Spiral BreadTahinopita ΤαχινόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 10m · serves 8
SkordaliaSkordalia ΣκορδαλιάDips and Sauces · 35m · serves 6
Epirus Cornbread with GreensBatzina ΜπατζίναBreads and Pies · 55m · serves 8
Dodecanese Orzo-Style Pasta with TomatoSitaraki ΣιταράκιMain Courses · 35m · serves 4
Cabbage and Carrot SaladLachanosalata ΛαχανοσαλάταSalads · 15m · serves 6
FrappeFrape ΦραπέDrinks · 5m · serves 1
Sesame Bread RingKoulouri Thessalonikis Κουλούρι ΘεσσαλονίκηςBreakfast Recipes · 2h · serves 8
Santorini Tomato FrittersNtomatokeftedes Santorinis Ντοματοκεφτέδες ΣαντορίνηςMeze and Appetisers · 40m · serves 6
Aubergine Baked with Onion and TomatoMelitzanes imam Μελιτζάνες ιμάμMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 4
Romaine and Spring Onion SaladMarouloasalata ΜαρουλοσαλάταSalads · 15m · serves 4
Iced EspressoFrendo espreso Φρέντο εσπρέσοDrinks · 5m · serves 1
Mountain TeaTsai tou vounou Τσάι του βουνούDrinks · 13m · serves 4
Olive Oil and Lemon SauceLadolemono ΛαδολέμονοDips and Sauces · 5m · serves 6
Basic Greek Tomato SauceSaltsa domatas Σάλτσα ντομάταςDips and Sauces · 40m · serves 6
Vegan Stuffed Aubergine with RiceMelitzanes gemistes Μελιτζάνες γεμιστέςMain Courses · 1h 40m · serves 6
Wild Greens PieHortopita ΧορτόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 25m · serves 8
Cretan Cracked Green OlivesElies tsakistes Kritis Ελιές τσακιστές ΚρήτηςDips and Sauces · 30m · serves 10
Simple Greek Sliced Tomato SaladNtomatosalata ΝτοματοσαλάταSalads · 10m · serves 4
Fresh Orange DrinkPortokalada ΠορτοκαλάδαDrinks · 10m · serves 4
LaganaLagana ΛαγάναBreads and Pies · 1h · serves 8
Fried Green PeppersPiperies tiganites Πιπεριές τηγανητέςSide Dishes · 22m · serves 4
Retsina Serving GuideRetsina ΡετσίναDrinks · 5m · serves 4
LimonadaLimonada ΛεμονάδαDrinks · 15m · serves 4
Orzo SoupSoupa kritharaki Σούπα κριθαράκιSoups · 40m · serves 4
Red Lentil SoupSoupa fakes kokkines Σούπα φακές κόκκινεςSoups · 40m · serves 4
Tsipouro Serving GuideTsipouro ΤσίπουροDrinks · 5m · serves 4
Ouzo Serving GuideOuzo ΟύζοDrinks · 5m · serves 4
Sage TeaTsai faskomilo Τσάι φασκόμηλοDrinks · 13m · serves 4
Simple Greek Cucumber and Tomato SaladAngourodomata ΑγγουροντομάταSalads · 10m · serves 4
Grated Carrot SaladKarotosalata ΚαροτοσαλάταSalads · 15m · serves 4
Peloponnese Dried Fig and Walnut BarsSykomaida ΣυκομαΐδαDesserts · 30m · serves 12
Aubergine-Wrapped Rice RollsDolmades me melitzana Ντολμάδες με μελιτζάναMain Courses · 1h 30m · serves 6
Charcoal-Smoked Aubergine DipMelitzanosalata kapnisti Μελιτζανοσαλάτα καπνιστήDips and Sauces · 45m · serves 6
Metaxa Serving GuideMetaxa ΜεταξάDrinks · 5m · serves 4
Mastiha Liqueur Serving GuideMastiha ΜαστίχαDrinks · 5m · serves 4
Olive BreadElioti (Eliopsomo) ΕλιόψωμοBreads and Pies · 1h 5m · serves 10
Kitro Liker Serving GuideKitro ΚίτροDrinks · 5m · serves 4
Bread-Based Garlic DipSkordalia me psomi Σκορδαλιά με ψωμίDips and Sauces · 20m · serves 6
Corfu Vegetable and Pasta SoupBourou bourou Μπουρού μπουρούSoups · 55m · serves 5
Pickled Rock Samphire SaladKritamo ΚρίταμοSalads · 30m · serves 10Get one proper Greek recipe a week
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