23 Black Vegan Chefs Redefining Plant-Based Food and Community

We drool over the culinary creations of these vegan chefs 365 days of the year, and we think their work should be celebrated and savored every month and every day. We’re rolling out the red carpet for these mega-talented foodies. We’ve been devoted to the cookbooks, restaurants, and recipe blogs from these 23 Black culinary artists for years, and we’ll continue to consume their delicious content for as long as they keep making it. Follow them, bookmark them, print out their recipes and advice, and join us as we present this list of iconic Black vegan chefs who are mainstreaming veganism and changing the world.

23 Black vegan chefs redefining food and community

Listed in no particular order, these are the Black vegan chefs changing veganism and community for the better. 

Bryant Terry

1 Bryant Terry

When you win a James Beard Award, you know you’ve made it as a chef. We’re in awe of Terry’s accolades—he’s a food justice advocate, a former Chef-in-Residence at San Francisco’s Museum of African Diaspora, the author of several best-selling cookbooks, and the founder of 4 Color Books, an imprint creating visually stunning books with BIPOC chefs and writers.  

Kevin Dynia

2Chrissy Tracey

Tracey made history after becoming the first vegan chef to host videos for Bon Appétit just five years ago. Since then, Tracey has authored her first cookbook, Forage & Feast, which offers tips on sustainable foraging and delicious, plant-based recipes to make with nature’s bounty. Founder of Eat With Chrissy—which offers private catering, cooking classes, pop-ups, and consultations—Tracey has also been recognized for providing plant-based meals to low-income families. More recently, Tracey was named to The Explorer Club’s 50 People Changing the World list. 

Shenarri Freeman

3 Shenarri ‘Greens’ Freeman

Two-time James Beard nominated chef, Freeman (often called by her nickname Greens) is known for her work at the esteemed New York soul food restaurant Cadence. She then went on to lead West Hollywood’s Ubuntu, where she served up plant-based dishes made with West African-inspired ingredients. Aside from working on a few projects in Ghana, Freeman is currently taking a break from the culinary world to rest and recuperate—but keep an eye on her social for updates on her upcoming work and her new wine drop, coming soon.

@sophiabellacucci | Instagram

4 Haley Duren

Duren is just 27 years old, but she was recently named as Freeman’s successor, as the new executive chef at Cadence. “I have had the absolute honor to craft the entire menu into my own vision and breathe a new life into the restaurant with my skills and heart,” Duren recently posted on Instagram. According to the young chef, the new menu will celebrate her New Mexico roots. “So, so honored,” she added.

Tracye McQuirter

5 Tracye McQuirter

When it comes to optimum nutrition, we put our faith in McQuirter. She earned a Masters in Public Health from NYU and has over 30 glorious years of plant-based experience under her belt. She directed the first federally funded, community-based vegan nutrition program; co-created the first vegan-themed website specifically for Black Americans; helped more than 15,000 Black women go vegan; launched the first Black American vegan starter guide; wrote two vegan how-to/recipe books; and previously served as a nutrition advisor for Black Women’s Health Imperative. We’ve steadily been cooking our way through her first cookbook, Ageless Vegan, which includes 100 healthy plant-based recipes. 

RELATED: 38 Black-Owned Vegan Bakeries and Restaurants Serving Up Next-Level Vegan Eats

Babette Davis

6 Babette Davis

If Davis, best known as Chef Babette, is any indication of what a healthy vegan diet can do, we’re baffled why the world hasn’t switched over yet. At age 73, she still looks like a fitness model—and she can probably lift heavier and run faster than most people half her age. Her nourishing food philosophy incorporates both raw and comfort food elements to provide accessible, plant-based options to those who need it most. Those in the Los Angeles area can experience the healing and soul-warming powers of her cooking by visiting her restaurant, Stuff I Eat. 

Pinky Cole Hayes

7 Aisha “Pinky” Cole Hayes

Cole Hayes has done far more for the vegan community than creating mind-blowing burgers that beckon hour-long lines and a nation-wide craving. She’s made vegan food accessible within a neighborhood that was once devoid of plant-based options. Slutty Vegan’s flagship store in the West End of Atlanta has sparked a conversation and a movement—not only can vegan food be comforting and familiar, but it can also be affordable. When Cole Hayes isn’t focusing on her multiple locations throughout Georgia, Alabama, New York, and Texas, she’s donating funds to help local college students, formerly incarcerated youth, and families during times of hardship.  

Charity Morgan

8 Charity Morgan

Remember the buzz about 15 Tennessee Titans going vegan? Thank Chef Morgan for that. The Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef decided to go vegan with her husband—former Titan linebacker Derrick Morgan—and the two moved mountains to entice his then-teammates to eat more plant-based fare. While not all of the players went completely vegan, at least fifteen opted-in to her meal plan—which meant the meals they ate during practice were 100-percent animal-free. Since her husband retired in 2019, she is no longer catering for the team, but Chef Morgan is still committed to helping others incorporate more vegan options into their diets and menus. In her 2024 Max special, Morgan helped a local Tennessee pub add plant-based dishes to its menu, ultimately winning over the establishment’s skeptical chef while showcasing how delicious vegan food can be.  

 

@TheConciergeKitchen | Instagram

9Supreme Dow

Throughout his career, celebrity chef Dow has prepared plant-based gourmet dishes for the rich and famous, but he’s also committed to tackling food insecurity in Los Angeles. In 2022, he launched the 10K Meals Across LA initiative through his own nonprofit The Harvest Academy, and handed out thousands of gourmet meals to unhoused people over the course of 10 weeks. He didn’t stop there—he kept the initiative going, even working with NBA Star Kyrie Irving to host a series of vegan barbecues in Skid Row in Downtown LA the following year. He was also hired temporarily as managing chef of The Midnight Mission, a local homeless shelter, where he implemented nourishing vegan meals. Today, Dow continues providing plant-based food to unhoused Angelenos and veterans.

Compton Vegan

10 Lemel Durrah

The city of Compton, located in South Central Los Angeles, is recognized as a food desert due to its lack of fresh, healthy food options. But Chef Durrah, the visionary behind Compton Vegan, is committed to making a difference in the city. Via his food truck, he is helping to make plant-based food accessible while also demonstrating just how tasty plants can really be. “Bringing vegan food to the city of Compton means the world to me—it’s literally why I exist,” Durrah told VegNews in 2020. Beyond Compton, Durrah provides his signature vegan eats to California State University, Dominguez Hills. Lucky for us, the on-campus eatery is open to the public.

@sweetpotatosoul | Instagram

11 Jenné Claiborne

Don’t recognize the name? Claiborne is better known by her pseudonym—Sweet Potato Soul. We love her relatable and charming YouTube videos, blog posts, and Instagram captions. Her recipes are crave-worthy and accessible with an abundance of sweet potatoes thrown in. Claiborne combines special occasion comfort foods with a plant-based perspective to put life in balance. From timeless sweet potato pie to nourishing fifteen-minute meals, her recipes offer something for everyone. We’ve made our way through her first cookbook and we can’t wait to begin cooking our way through her upcoming title, Sweet Potato Soul Vegan Vibes.

Makini Howell

12 Makini Howell

Howell has been recognized by The New York Times as one of the leading chefs reshaping America’s food landscape. The distinguished chef helmed cult-favorite restaurant Plum Bistro in Seattle, WA since 2009. And while Plum recently closed its doors for good at the start of 2025, Howell isn’t slowing down. Up next for Howell is Simple Goodness—her latest cookbook—and the launch of Makini’s, the chef’s very own tofu company.

Kim-Julie Hansen

13 & 14 Brenda and Aaron Beener

New Yorkers from all five boroughs can’t get enough of this family-run vegan restaurant in the East Village. Run by mother-son-duo Brenda and Aaron Beener, the Seasoned Vegan Real Quick’s organic menu showcases soul food from a variety of cuisines, because in their minds, soul food means different foods to different people. With this in mind, you’ll definitely want to give everything on the menu a try. Between the BBQ Bayou On a Bun sandwich and the bites of burdock root crawfish, the only trouble you’ll have is deciding where to begin. 

Food Network

15 Tamearra Dyson

Dyson made history when she appeared on the first-ever vegan episode of Beat Bobby Flay in 2022, where she also became the first vegan chef to beat Flay. But before she beat the legendary chef, Dyson built a dedicated fan base with Souley Vegan, a Bay Area restaurant slinging plant-based soul food. Named one of the top 10 soul food spots in the US by USA Today, Souley Vegan is making its way back to Oakland, its original home base, after a brief hiatus. 

Chef Cola

16 Chef Cola

Nicola Kagoro, popularly known as Chef Cola, is renowned for her work with the Akashinga women, an anti-poaching unit in Zimbabwe, where she established the Back to Black Roots Vegan Kitchen. But she’s also authored her own cookbook, African Vegan on a Budget, and hosted So Now I’m Vegan on NRTV. More recently, Chef Cola led a cooking demonstration at The Korea-Africa Youth Forum, appeared as a guest judge on the Cookmore Challenge, and hosts Dinner With Chef Cola—a monthly, six-course pop-up dinner experience.

Sweet Vegan Bakes

17 Cheryl Nelson

Chef-owner of Chicago’s Sweet Vegan Bakes, Nelson does more than just churn out animal-free cupcakes, pies, and savory fare at her bakery-café. The community-minded chef makes it a point to give back to her local community via back-to-school drives, coat donations, free holiday meals, and toys for kids. 

Dominick Thompson

18 Dominick Thompson

Thompson is both a chef and an activist and is committed to changing people’s minds about animals through their tastebuds. That’s why he recently released a new cookbook, titled Eat What Elephants Eat, which is packed with vegan recipes “for a strong body and a gentle spirit.” According to Thompson, the idea for the cookbook came to him while he was serving time in prison for drug offenses. Since his release, he’s been immersed in the cooking world. 

iOne Digital

19Charlise Rookwood

Rookwood is a chef, influencer, and former host of The Black Vegan Cooking Show. She regularly posts new and innovative recipes to her social media accounts, but you can also find her delicious creations in her upcoming cookbook, Vegan Soulicious, which is set for release in May 2025 and will showcase both African and Caribbean-style recipes.

@lexandra.ambroise | Instagram

20 Lloyd Rose

Lloyd Rose is the brains behind Plant Crazii, a recipe blog and social media account dedicated to delicious plant-based recipes. Like Rookwood, you can also find Rose’s creations in his cookbook, Island Vegan, which was released at the end of 2024. The book is dedicated to the flavors and ingredients of the Caribbean, from Jamaica to Haiti to the Dominican Republic. 

Omari McQueen

21 Omari McQueen

At just 16 years old, McQueen has built an impressive resume. The British chef got his start on YouTube, where, with the help of his family, McQueen taught thousands how to cook vegan. Since then, he’s hosted his own CBBC cooking show and podcast, authored two cookbooks, founded a company, and ran a pop-up restaurant. We can’t wait to see what else McQueen has in store. 

Angela Means

22 Angela Means

Let’s just get this out of the way … “Bye, Felicia!” This actress-turned-vegan-entrepreneur is the proud owner of The Jackfruit Cafe in Tahoka, TX. After servicing the Los Angeles area, the wellness-focused chef packed up her business and set up shop in the South, where she continues to satisfy legions with her plant-based soul food and recently launched vegan desserts.

Kamron Khan

23Sonia Steele

Steele, also known as Vegan Vicki, was crowned winner of the 2023 Vegan Women Summit’s Top Chef global competition held in New York City. Steele turned to veganism after being diagnosed with lung cancer, and has never looked back from the lifestyle. She has made it her mission to help more people give plant-based food a try. “When I first started […] vegan soul food was not a thing in Cleveland,” she told VegNews. “There were very few vegan places, but none made the type of food I grew up eating and cooking.”