Plant-based food is no longer an afterthought, and the fine-dining world proves it. In New York, diners are still vying for reservations at Eleven Madison Park, the three-Michelin-star restaurant that went fully plant-based in 2020 and hasn’t looked back. In the UK, Plates London recently made history as the country’s first vegan restaurant to earn a Michelin star.
Today, the Michelin Guide features 20 vegan restaurants worldwide with some form of distinction. Even non-vegan establishments are proudly showcasing plant-based offerings. London’s Pied à Terre, for example, serves dedicated two- and three-course vegan tasting menus, along with a full-length plant-based tasting experience.
Ye Fan | Eleven Madison Park
Still, let’s be honest, Michelin dining isn’t accessible for most of us, at least not regularly. These experiences come with a hefty price tag. At Eleven Madison Park, for instance, the nine-course tasting menu will set you back nearly $400.
But what if you could bring that level of culinary artistry into your own kitchen? As it turns out, creating Michelin-inspired, plant-based meals at home might not be as out of reach as it seems.
How to make Michelin-level food from scratch
Most of us are unlikely to reach Michelin-star cooking talent. Chefs train for years to earn such an honor, and even then, it’s no easy feat. However, there are tips from Michelin chefs we can all incorporate into our home cooking.
Brad Farmerie, a New York-based Michelin-starred chef with more than three decades of experience, recommends using olive oil generously. He told Core Catering: “Olive oil isn’t just for dressings. Fry with it for a more complex flavor, drizzle it on top of a finished dish before serving, or even throw it on top of your cocktail. It adds richness and depth to truly any dish.”
Plates London
Sujan Sarkar, who runs Michelin-starred restaurant Indienne in Chicago, advises leading with your taste buds, especially when cooking with spices. He told the Michelin Guide: “Use your taste buds as a guide, and don’t rely solely on measurements, as the potency of spices can vary.”
Daniel Humm, the chef behind Eleven Madison Park’s impressive plant-based menu, recommends cooking with the seasons. “When choosing your ingredients, really be thoughtful about seasonality,” he told The Washington Post. “That’s a privilege if you get access to seasonal ingredients.”
Another tip? Stay diverse. “As a home cook, I think it’s important to take inspiration from other cuisines—Lebanese, Israeli, Moroccan, Japanese,” Humm added. “Get a few of those cookbooks. As soon as you get into it, you won’t be able to stop because you realize how delicious it is and how good you feel on top of it.”
8 Michelin-inspired vegan recipes
To help you upgrade your home cooking to (almost) Michelin level, below we’ve gathered some of our favorite accessible plant-based recipes that incorporate fine-dining techniques and staple ingredients. From sous vide cauliflower to faux gras, be prepared to wow your loved ones.
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The First Mess
1 Grilled Cabbage and Fennel With Maple Mustard Cream
At DAR in Switzerland, Chef Zineb “Zizi” Hattab has turned humble cabbage into a standout dish: the Legendary Charred Cabbage With Harissa and Mojo Vinaigrette. It’s a celebration of just how flavorful and versatile this simple vegetable can be. If you can’t make it to Zurich to experience DAR—recipient of both a Michelin Green Star and a Bib Gourmand—this grilled cabbage with fennel and maple mustard cream from The First Mess recipe blog offers a delicious way to elevate cabbage at home.
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Teri-Ann Carty
2 Creamy Vegan Black Truffle Gnocchi
Eleven Madison Park, the world’s only vegan restaurant with three Michelin stars, is fully embracing black truffle season. The prized ingredient, known for its rich, earthy flavor, features not only on the restaurant’s tasting menus but also in its latest cookbook, Eleven Madison Park: The Plant-Based Chapter. This recipe from Teri-Ann Carty shows you how to bring that same luxurious flavor home with a creamy, truffle-infused gnocchi dish worthy of a Michelin kitchen.
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Una Rose Vegan
3 Vegan Caviar
Caviar is a staple on many Michelin-starred menus. It’s an enduring symbol of luxury and refinement, often paired with dishes like beef tartare or oysters. Traditionally made from salt-cured sturgeon roe, caviar has long been associated with fine dining. But this recipe from Una Rose Vegan offers a creative plant-based twist, showing you how to make an equally elegant vegan caviar using ingredients like nori and chia seeds.
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Justine Snacks
4 Lion’s Mane Mushroom Steaks With Balsamic Pan Sauce
Plates London, the first vegan restaurant in the UK to earn a Michelin star, crafts a creative, seasonal menu using high-quality plant-based ingredients, including the versatile lion’s mane mushroom. At the restaurant, it’s caramelized and paired with English asparagus, burnt eggplant, olives, and pickled cucumber. In this flavorful recipe from Justine Snacks, the same meaty mushroom is transformed into a satisfying steak, served with a rich balsamic pan sauce.
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The Intrepid Eater
5 “Crab” Linguine With Hericium
Lion’s mane belongs to the Hericium family of fungi, a favorite among fine-dining and Michelin-starred chefs for its meaty texture and impressive versatility. But it’s not the only standout in the group. At Ark, a Green Michelin Star restaurant in Denmark, coral tooth fungus—another Hericium variety—is paired with arugula and mascarpone to wow diners. At home, you can explore the full potential of this unique mushroom family by trying a flavorful, plant-based seafood linguine inspired by this recipe from The Intrepid Eater.
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Bosh!
6 Faux Gras
Foie gras has long been a symbol of luxury in fine dining. It was once a favorite of Michelin-starred chef Alexis Gauthier, but the French delicacy—made from the fatty liver of force-fed ducks or geese—eventually became a source of regret for the chef. “Looking back, I am horrified to think that I was dishing out over forty pounds of this vile product every week,” Gauthier wrote in a letter shared by Animal Equality. Today, he serves faux gras, a rich, flavorful alternative made from ingredients like lentils, mushrooms, and walnuts. You can try a similar version at home with this delicious recipe from BOSH!.
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Mint and Rosemary
7 Sous Vide Cauliflower
Sous vide is a favorite technique among many Michelin-starred chefs, and while it may sound complex, it’s actually quite simple. The term means “under vacuum” in French and refers to cooking food sealed in a bag at a precise, low temperature in a water bath. While it can be time-consuming, the process is straightforward and incredibly effective. Though traditionally used for meats, sous vide works beautifully with plant-based ingredients too, as this cauliflower recipe from Mint and Rosemary deliciously demonstrates.
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Bianca Zapatka
8 Vegan Scallops
One of the most famous Michelin-starred champions of scallops is Gordon Ramsay, who often pan-fries or sears them before pairing with bright, flavorful ingredients like apple salad or butternut squash. But you can capture the same tender texture and rich flavor using a single plant-based ingredient: mushrooms. In this recipe, Bianca Zapatka transforms king oyster mushroom stems into vegan scallops. They’re pure vegan seafood perfection when marinated and served with a mouthwatering lemon garlic butter.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
