Raw Vegan Kitchen Essentials!

Hey all!

I've been asked many times what my favorite raw vegan kitchen equipment is so I'm going to list it all out for you here:

1) Kitchen Shears! My favorite must-have kitchen item is a good pair of kitchen shears! I use these every single day to cut and prepare my salads. They're so handy! I have the KitchenAid brand which is about $8 on Amazon. Such a cheap and highly useful item in my kitchen! 

2) Veggie Spiralizer! There are a lot of good veggie noodle makers out there but my personal favorite and the one I use nearly every day is a the brand: Zoodle Slicer. It's currently $9.99 on Amazon and well worth the price! This little hand spiralizer is so simple to use and easy to clean up if I'm just noodling up a couple zucchinis or cucumbers. I have a few larger spiralizers but I find this little one the most convenient and practical for small, daily prep for myself. 

 3) A Food Processor! Another kitchen item that is a bit underrated is a food processor. At times I use my food processor far more often than my blender--depending on what I'm wanting to make. I really love the food processor for smoothie bowls and banana ice cream as it sort of "whips" the bananas and gives it a fluffier, more creamy consistency. YUM. The food processor is also great for things like raw crackers, taco "meat" and other foods I like to make that have a bit more body and texture than foods blended in a blender. There are a lot of great food processors out there but my personal favorite brands are Cuisinart and Hamilton Beach. There are many options within these two brands but I find moderately priced processors ($40-$60) are sufficient for my purposes. I also use a 10 cup food processor which makes the perfect portion sizes for 1-3 people. :)

4) A Blender! Of course a blender is a great tool to have in every kitchen--whether you're raw vegan or not. I love my blender mostly for smoothies, but they're also great for soups, nut cheeses, dressings, sauces, etc. Some great options for blenders are Vitamix, Blendtec, and the brand I'm currently using and traveling with--Nutribullet! All these options are superb quality, but the reason I'm using a Nutribullet blender right now is because I wanted to try out a much more affordable option (compared to Vitamix and Blendtec). The Nutribullet blender is only $110, making it one of the cheapest and best high speed blenders I've ever tried! I definitely recommend this option if affordability is a top concern for you right now. 

5) A Dehydrator! Last but not least of all, is a good dehydrator! There are lots of dehydrators out there to choose from but I am a big fan of Excalibur Dehydrators. I have two of their dehydrators actually. 

This one: https://excaliburdehydrator.com/products/excalibur-5-tray-no-timer-solid-door-black?variant=34500212359318 It is a basic model, no timer or flashy features. It's a 5 tray which I find is perfectly sufficient for personal use. If you are an individual or feeding just a few more people than yourself I'd say this is a great option! 

The other one I have is this model: https://excaliburdehydrator.com/products/excalibur-9-tray-26hr-timer-solid-door-black?variant=31219609337988 I purchased this one for work purposes (making lots and lots of banana cinnamon rolls, pizzas, crackers, etc.) This dehydrator has 9 trays and is better suited for making larger quantities of food. This model also has a built in timer which is really convenient for when I don't plan on being around all day (or night). It's super handy to put the timer on and go to bed without having to wake up in the middle of the night to turn it off. 

There are 5 tray models as well with built in timers if that's a feature you want without needing the big 9 tray model. 

6) Nonstick Baking Sheets! I use these nonstick sheets for dehydrated items (like my raw wraps!) 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082P2VMXS/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_GRMATHD8SPG3DZZRAPA8 

Well--that's all! Those 6 tools are my personal favorites for preparing delicious raw vegan food! I travel with all these things in my small 24 foot RV with ease and I'm able to make all my favorite dishes everywhere I go! 

Hope this helps! 

~Olivia