Eating Like the ‘Gilmore Girls’ as a Vegan
It’s autumn, which means you’re binge-watching Gilmore Girls or you know someone who is. The comedy-drama television series follows the small-town lives of Lorelai, a bubbly single mother, and her ambitious teenage daughter, Rory. When I recently binge-watched the show, I realized how much these two love to indulge, which got me thinking: How can I do that?
Spoiler alert: If you haven’t watched the show, Lorelai and Rory primarily eat junk food—think a plate of Pop-Tarts for breakfast or fries for a meal at Luke’s Diner. If you’re gonna eat junk (hopefully sparingly!), check out my guide on how to indulge like a Gilmore girl but vegan.
Gilmore Girls Pregame
According to Rory’s best friend, Lane, French fries are a “gateway food” that leads to “harder things” like pizza, movie theater popcorn, and deep-fried candy. Have you ever heard truer words? Therefore, the perfect Gilmore Girls pregame food has to be fries, which luckily for us, happen to be vegan!
Gilmore Girls Food, but Make It Vegan
6. Frozen Pizza
Some of us are more like Richard and Emily than Sookie—we can’t cook. A frozen pizza literally can save the day, like when Rory found one in Richard and Emily’s fridge (“how in the world did that get there?”—Emily) and taught them how to make it.
If you want to whip up something, try one of these vegan frozen pizzas. (I’m personally torn between Daiya and Pizza Oggi.)
5. Monte Cristo
OK. To be fair, Lorelai and Rory never eat this. But they love that it’s an option at Luke’s Diner, enough so that they protested when he took it off the menu. I’ve never had one, so I did some research and found out that a Monte Cristo is a batter-dipped, deep-fried sandwich. Tempted? Check out this Vegan Monte Cristo recipe.
4. Cheeseburger Smoothie
I would like a cheeseburger, with a side of cheeseburger, and see if they can make me a cheeseburger smoothie. —Lorelai Gilmore
You’ve probably made a vegan cheeseburger, but have you tried a cheese-stuffed burger? This Vegan Cheese-Stuffed Burger is a fun recipe that’s really easy to make.
If you have made it this far and are seriously interested in trying a vegan cheeseburger smoothie, please make the recipe above, blend it in a blender, and let me know what you think!
3. Pudding
Oh, I love pudding. I worship it. I have a bowl up on the mantel at home with the Virgin Mary, a glass of wine, and a dollar bill next to it.—Lorelai Gilmore
So relatable, am I right? If this is you, I’ve got two recipes to show you (dollar bills not included).
- Vegan S’mores Pudding: Nothing screams autumn more than s’mores on a cool, crisp night. But since you can’t binge-watch the show while you make s’mores around a campfire, this Vegan S’mores Pudding will have to do instead.
- Super-easy vegan Chocolate Avocado Pudding: Lorelai loves quick and easy, so I threw this in here. Check out how to make vegan pudding with four ingredients in two minutes:
2. Macaroni and Cheese
Rory loves macaroni and cheese when she can’t sleep at 3 a.m., so she cooks noodles with Kraft Singles.
Dairy industry issues aside, Rory’s method sounds like a nightmare. Here’s a really easy way to make Vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese in the middle of the night.
1. Cherry Pie (if It’s Wednesday)
Cherry Danish for breakfast and cherry pie for dinner? What is it about Wednesdays and cherries with these girls??? And having a set menu on Wednesdays in general? —Luke Danes
You could either make this easy vegan cherry pie recipe or pick up an “accidentally vegan” frozen pie at a grocery store like Marie Callender’s Cherry Crunch Pie.
Accidentally Vegan Snacks
It’s not a Gilmore girl night without chips, candy, or any other snack they lay their eyes on. Do you know that all these popular snacks are accidentally vegan?
You can indulge like a Gilmore girl without exploiting animals for food. Grab your remote, your vegan indulgence, and a cozy blanket—Stars Hollow awaits!
