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    Home / Recipes / Small Bites

    Vegan Calamari

    Published: Nov 3, 2023 · Modified: Mar 22, 2024 by Kathy Carmichael · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    This crispy vegan calamari is made from hearts of palm and served with a spicy vegan tartar sauce. This vegan calamari recipe is so easy and tastes sinfully delicious!

    vegan calamari on a plate with a bowl of spicy vegan tartar sauce, lemon wedges, parsley and sweet red and yellow peppers.

    Vegan calamari is way better than any calamari I ate before transitioning to a plant-based diet. Although, I think calamari is rubbery and disgusting! However, I love hearts of palm and crunchy air-fried foods. So, this vegan calamari recipe tastes like something other than rubbery calamari. Instead, it tastes like heaven.

    Jump to:
    • What are Hearts of Palm?
    • Cutting Calamari Rings
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Recipe Ingredient Substitutions
    • Preparing Vegan Calamari
    • Cooking Options
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Tips
    • Other Great Air Fryer Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    My husband, who jumped on the vegan bandwagon after marrying me and being a meat eater all his life, is my best and worst critic. But, when he says he loves a recipe, it generally means it's a keeper. And vegan calamari is one of his new favorites.

    What are Hearts of Palm?

    Hearts of palm tubes on a cutting board

    Hearts of palm are cut from the core of a handful of palm tree species native to South and Central America. After harvesting, they are cut into cylinders or sliced into rings and packed in water or brine. They look like smooth, thick white asparagus spears and are often said to taste like artichokes.

    The delicate flavor of hearts of palm makes them a popular choice for salads, but they can also be braised, fried, or boiled.

    If you are worried about the environmental issues concerning harvesting hearts of palm, look for jars and cans with a sustainable label. Multi-stemmed palms regenerate every two to three years, making them more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

    Cutting Calamari Rings

    ½ inch pieces of hearts of palm cut on a cutting board
    • First, cut the tubes into ½-inch pieces. Looking closely, you can see a circular shape inside each piece.
    • Now, gently remove the center of each piece by using your finger or a small knife without breaking the outer portion or ring.
    Hearts of palm were cut and formed into rings on a cutting board.
    • I use the center pieces I removed for vegan lobster rolls, vegan tuna pasta salad, or hearts of palm crab cakes to avoid wasting food.

    Recipe Ingredients

    Vegan calamari ingredients: hearts of palm, lemon, dulse, and old bay seasoning in bowls on the counter.
    • Hearts of Palm: I used jarred hearts of palm because they are larger than canned options. I also chose a sustainable brand.
    • Lemon: I always use fresh lemon juice because it has a fresher flavor than bottled.
    • Dulse: Dulse is a seaweed—a large category of edible saltwater plants and algae that includes species such as nori and kelp. Like all edible seaweed, dulse provides a wealth of fiber and protein and is rich in vitamins, trace minerals, healthy fatty acids, and antioxidants.
    • Old Bay Seasoning: This spice blend originated in Baltimore, Maryland, over 75 years ago and is made with celery salt, red and black pepper, and paprika.

    Recipe Ingredient Substitutions

    • Canned artichokes or asparagus are often used as substitutes for the hearts of palm.
    • You can use bottled lemon juice when fresh lemon juice isn't available.
    • Nori, seaweed, wakame flakes, or dried kelp are often used as dulse alternatives.
    • Try cajun seasoning or another creole seasoning to replace Old Bay Seasoning.
    Marinated vegan calamari in a glass container on the counter.
    • Combine the hearts of palm calamari rings, lemon juice, dulse, and Old Bay Seasoning in a refrigerator-safe container.
    • For the best results, marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. As a general rule, I recommend marinating overnight.

    Preparing Vegan Calamari

    Marinated hearts of palm, breadcrumb mixture, plant milk mixture, and an air fryer pan on the counter
    • Combine plant milk, dijon mustard, and flour in a blender until smooth.
    • Transfer the plant milk mixture into a bowl.
    • Combine bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, and nutritional yeast in a second bowl.
    • Dip each piece of vegan calamari into the plant milk mixture, then dip into the breadcrumb mixture.
    Dipping vegan calamari in a breadcrumb mixture.

    Cooking Options

    I love my air fryer, so I opted to air fry the vegan calamari. However, baking is also an option.

    I breaded vegan calamari on an air fry pan.

    Air Frying

    • Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
    • Place vegan calamari rings in a single layer on the air fry pan.
    • If cooking in batches, prepare a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 325 to keep the cooked calamari warm while preparing the remaining batches.
    • Cook for 7 minutes until crispy.

    Oven

    • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
    • Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
    • Place a single layer of breaded vegan calamari on the baking sheet.
    • Bake for 15 minutes, turning the pieces over halfway through cooking.

    Serving Suggestions

    Vegan calamari on a plate with spicy tartar sauce, lemon wedges, sweet red and yellow marinated peppers, and parsley.

    I served this vegan calamari recipe with vegan tartar sauce and 2 teaspoons of Sriracha for spiciness. But I also like to serve mustard dipping sauce as another option.

    I also serve it with lemon wedges and sweet jarred red and yellow marinated peppers. Sometimes, I even add some pickled red onions.

    My kids like vegan calamari dipped in ketchup or vegan ranch.

    Every time I make this hearts of palm vegan calamari recipe, I always wish I had doubled the recipe because my hungry crew makes them disappear before halftime.

    Recipe FAQs

    What is vegan calamari made of?

    Vegan calamari is often made with oyster mushrooms, but hearts of palm is used in this vegan calamari recipe.

    What do hearts of palm taste like?

    Hearts of palm have a very mild flavor, similar to white asparagus or artichoke hearts. Their texture is solid and crunchy but delicate and easy to bite through.

    Is it healthy to eat hearts of palm?

    Hearts of palm is a highly nutritious vegetable with plenty of fiber for a few calories. In addition, hearts of palm is an excellent source of iron, zinc, and magnesium and contains reasonable amounts of B vitamins and potassium.

    Tips

    • Use your pinky finger to remove the centers of the hearts of palm so as not to break through the outer circle.
    • Reserve the centers pieces for another recipe. Or, serve chopped up on a salad.
    • I prefer marinating overnight for the best flavor.
    • Look for the word "sustainable" on the jar/can of hearts of palm.
    • Blending the milk mixture is much easier than whisking together for the best texture.
    • When lemons are in season, buy them in bulk and juice them. Then, freeze them in ice cube trays to have lemon juice all year long for cooking.
    • To make your own oil-free bread crumbs, toast pieces of Dave's Bread and crumble them in a food processor.
    • Use gluten-free bread crumbs for a gluten-free option.
    • Choose oyster mushrooms, instead of hearts of palm, as another option.

    Try this vegan calamari recipe for your next football game or weeknight meal. You will love this crunchy treat!

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    If you love vegan calamari, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan Calamari

    Kathy Carmichael
    This crispy vegan calamari is made from hearts of palm and served with a spicy vegan tartar sauce. This vegan calamari recipe is so easy and tastes sinfully delicious!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 7 minutes mins
    Course Small Bites, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 187 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 14.5 ounce jars hearts of palm
    • 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
    • ½ lemon, juiced
    • 2 Tablespoons Dulse

    Plant Milk Mixture

    • 1 ½ cups Unflavored, unsweetened oat milk or plant milk of choice
    • 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
    • 2 Tablespoons Oat flour or flour of choice

    Breading Mixture

    • 2 cups bread crumbs choose gluten-free bread crumbs for a gluten free option
    • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
    • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
    • 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

    Vegan Tartar Sauce

    • 1 recipe vegan tartar sauce
    • 2 teaspoons Sriracha

    Optional Ingredients

    • 1 leomn cut into wedges
    • 1 cup sweet red and yellow pickled peppers
    • ¼ cup pickled red onions
    • ¼ cup parsley, chopped

    Instructions
     

    Hearts of Palm Calamari

    • Remove the hearts of palm tubes from the jar/can of brine.
    • Rinse and dry each tube.
    • Cut each tube into ½ inch pieces.
    • Using your finger, or a small knife, gently remove each center piece of each ½-inch cut section.
    • Reserve the center pieces for another recipe.
    • Place rings into a refrigerator safe container,
    • juice ½ of a lemon on top of the vegan calamari pieces.
    • Add the dulse and Old Bay Seasoning.
    • Place a top on the contaienr and gently shake to combine the ingredients.
    • Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.

    Plant Milk Mixture

    • Combine all the ingredients in a blender.
    • Blend until smooth.
    • Transfer the mixture into a bowl.

    Breading Mixture

    • Combine bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, and seasonings to a bowl.
    • Stir to combine.

    Preparing the Vegan Calamari

    • Dip each piece of marianted hearts of palm into the plant-milk mixture, then into the breading mixture.
    • Continue until all the pieces are breaded.

    Air Frying

    • Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
    • Place the breaded vegan calamari rings in a single layer on te air fryer pan.
    • If cooking in batches, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat .
    • Preheat an oven to 325 degrees to keep the vegan calamari warm while cooking the remaining batches.
    • Cook for 7 minutes.

    Baking

    • Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
    • Prepare a baking hseet with parchemnt paper or a silcone baking mat.
    • Place a single layer of breaded vegan calamari rings on the baking sheet.
    • Bake for 15 minjutes, flipping the pieces over half way trhough cooking.

    Spicy Vegan Tartar Sauce

    • Stir 2 teaspoons of Sriracha into 1 recipe of vegan tartar sauce.
    • Refrigerate until ready to use.

    Video

    Notes

    • Use your pinky finger to remove the centers of the hearts of palm, so as not to break through the outer circle.
    • Reserve the centers pieces for another recipe. Or, serve chopped up on a salad.
    • I prefer marinating overnight for the best flavor.
    • Look for the word "sustainable" on the jar/can of hearts of palm.
    • Blending the milk mixture is much easier than whisking together for the best texture.
    • When lemons are in season, buy them in bulk and juice them. Freeze them in ice cube trays to have lemon juice all year long for cooking.
    • To make your own oil-free bread crumbs, toast pieces of Dave's Bread and crumble them in a food processor.
    • Use gluten-free bread crumbs for a gluten-free option.
    • Choose oyster mushrooms, instead of hearts of palm, as another option.
    • To avoid wasting food, I use the center pieces I removed for vegan lobster rolls, vegan tuna pasta salad, or hearts of palm crab cakes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 187kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 8gFat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 335mgPotassium: 179mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 265IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 113mgIron: 4mg
    Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Kathy Carmichael

    Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

    www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/

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