Vegan Calamari

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 is way better than any calamari I ate before transitioning to a plant-based diet. Although, to be honest, I think calamari is rubbery and disgusting! However, I love hearts of palm and crunchy air-fried foods. So, this vegan calamari recipe doesn't taste like 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

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 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 a more environmentally-friendly, sustainable option.

Cutting Calamari Rings

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 piece or ring.

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.

Recipe Ingredients

• Hearts of Palm: I used jarred hearts of palm because I think they are a bit 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 also rich in vitamins, trace minerals, healthy fatty acids, and antioxidants.
• Old Bay Seasoning: This spice blend originated in Baltimore, Maryland, more than 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.
• Use bottled lemon juice when fresh lemon juice isn't available.
• Nori, seaweed, wakame flakes, or dried kelp are often used as an alternative for dulse.
• Try cajun seasoning or another creole seasoning to replace Old Bay Seasoning.

Combine the hearts of palm calamari rings, lemon juice, dulse, and Old Bay Seasoning in a refrigerator-safe container.

For teh best results, marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. As a general rule, I recommend marinating overnight.

Preparing Vegan Calamari

• 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.

Cooking Options

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

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

I served this vegan calamari recipe with vegan tartar sauce with 2 teaspoons of Sriracha for a bit of 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 vegan calamari recipe, I always wish I had doubled the recipe because my hungry crew makes them disappear before halftime.

Recipe FAQs

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!

Other Great Air Fryer Recipes

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

📖 Recipe