Welcome the Lunar New 12 months With These 15 Umami-Wealthy Asian Impressed Recipes

February 17 marks the primary day of the Lunar New 12 months in 2026, kicking off a number of days of festivities, feasting, and fireworks. Celebrated by a number of nationalities throughout East and Southeast Asia, the particular traditions vary from tradition to tradition, however for a lot of, it is a time to honor and have fun household and usher in a brand new spring.

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For Chinese language and Vietnamese celebrations, the vacation additionally corresponds with a zodiac image—2026 marks the 12 months of the Horse in each cultures. In alignment with getting along with household, meals performs a central position within the festivities throughout international locations.

What’s Lunar New 12 months?

Lunar New 12 months is a three-to-15-day celebration (relying on the nation) that corresponds to the lunar calendar. Every year, the start of the vacation is set by the rise of the primary new moon and concludes with the rise of the total moon. 

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In China, it’s known as the Spring Pageant; in Vietnam, they name it Tết; and in Korea, it’s Seollal. All acknowledge the approaching of a brand new spring season and revolve round household gatherings, meals, and time-honored traditions equivalent to gifting small quantities of cash, honoring ancestors, and lantern festivals. Along with the first-day feast, meals can also be used as a present and image of fine fortune.

What are conventional Lunar New 12 months meals?

Meals traditions fluctuate from tradition to tradition, although there may be some commonality amongst these dishes. Candied fruits and nuts, glutinous rice dishes, and complete fish could have completely different names throughout international locations, however you’ll discover some iteration of all of those irrespective of the place or with whom you have fun. Whereas recreating an entire, plant-based fish could also be difficult, many conventional Lunar New 12 months dishes can simply be loved as a vegan.

Tips on how to have fun Lunar New 12 months with vegan meals

Serena Poon, a star chef, nutritionist, longevity wellness skilled, and founding father of Serena Loves, is passionate a few plant-forward method to weight loss plan. So when the Lunar New 12 months rolls round, she enjoys experimenting with new methods to embrace custom with none animal merchandise. Umami-rich elements like seaweed, mung bean noodles, vegetable broth, lotus root, and mushrooms are a few of her favorites. “In my expertise, the essence of a conventional recipe may be fantastically preserved with considerate vegan swaps,” she tells VegNews.

“In honor of custom and the deep cultural significance of our elements, I typically flip to mushrooms, seaweed, and each lotus root and seeds,” Poon says. These elements don’t simply function meat options or sources of umami; additionally they embody symbolic meanings of longevity, prosperity, and vitality.”

Poon isn’t alone. The nutritionist says that extra folks than ever are “feeling empowered” to make Lunar New 12 months menus their very own. In spite of everything, all around the world, dietary developments are constantly altering and evolving. “Individualizing a Lunar New 12 months menu can imply various things for various households,” she explains. “Some could lean right into a plant-based meal, others could create scrumptious dumplings with a gluten-free wrapper, and a few could take a lower-sodium method.”

Poon recommends beginning with conventional meals after which merely including in vegan elements. “For these cherished longevity noodles, I like to recommend choosing mung bean or candy potato noodles, which aren’t solely simple to seek out but in addition have extra well being advantages,” she says. “Dumplings and spring rolls, annual favorites for the New 12 months, can simply be tailored to scrumptious vegan variations.”

15 vegan Lunar New 12 months meals

Bakeroise

1 Vegan Longevity Noodles

Historically made utilizing egg noodles, longevity noodles are a central a part of Lunar New 12 months celebrations. A logo for good luck, the noodles additionally symbolize a protracted life, and as such, shouldn’t be reduce. This recipe swaps out the egg noodles for dried wheat noodles and packs on the veg for a plant-based tackle this celebratory dish.
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The Plant Based mostly Wok

2 Vegan Mushroom Potstickers

Dumplings are one other must-have dish for Lunar New 12 months celebrations. Their selection is infinite—candy, savory, steamed, pan-fried—and you may stuff and put together them any method you want. These shiitake mushroom potstickers (a sort of dumpling) are crisp on the skin, juicy on the within, and bursting with umami. Make a big batch and freeze a number of (raw) to final you your complete week.
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The Korean Vegan

3 Korean Rice Cake Soup

As religious followers of The Korean Vegan, we flip to Joanne Molinaro for recipes that honor the Lunar New 12 months in accordance with Korean customs. Tteokguk, or rice cake soup, is a comforting dish and new yr custom. The rice truffles symbolize purity and blessings to return.
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4 Almond Cookies 

In Chinese language custom, almond cookies are mentioned to convey luck for the New 12 months. Not solely are these crispy cookies deliciously tasty, they’re additionally simple to make. They’re simply candy sufficient, and their crunchy texture makes them excellent for dunking into a powerful cup of tea. This specific recipe occurs to form them into lovely mice, however you possibly can at all times roll the dough right into a extra conventional (and fewer labor-intensive) round cookie form.
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Jeeca Uy

5 Vegan Sticky Candy Char Siu Tofu

Char siu is historically made with pork, however on this recipe, you’ll learn to get the identical deliciously meaty texture with none animal merchandise in any respect. That includes pan-fried extra-firm tofu coated in a wealthy mix of vegan hoisin, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine, Chinese language five-spice, and sriracha, it’s the right, wealthy mixture of candy and savory flavors. Plus, some households consider merely having char siu on the desk is an efficient omen for a yr stuffed with scrumptious meals.
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Celestial Peach

6 Taro Root Truffles 

Lo bak go is a savory, dense cake made with taro root or turnips. This dish is a typical vacation staple that represents shifting on up in life, whether or not professionally or personally. Conventional recipes name for dried shrimp and/or Chinese language sausage—each are changed on this recipe with meaty shiitake mushrooms. The way you take pleasure in them is as much as you—both go away them steamed or take an additional step to pan-fry for a crispy-edged end.
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Maggie Zhu

7 Vegan Chinese language Black Bean Sauce

This home made, versatile sauce, which is made with fermented black beans, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and fragrant spices, is right for including umami to fried rice, noodles, and stir-fried greens.
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The Woks of Life

8 Sticky Rice Mushroom Shumai

One take a look at this puckered dim sum has us drooling. This recipe layers on the textures and flavors with a mixture of sticky rice, shiitake mushrooms, and a fancy sauce to coat each single crevice. Not solely is shumai an explosion of flavors, however its cash bag form is one other tenet of Lunar New 12 months celebrations, because it’s consultant of wealth.
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Mary’s Check Kitchen

9 Candy Chinese language Rice Dumplings in Ginger Syrup 

These candy dumplings, or tong yuan, are made with glutinous rice flour. Regardless of its identify, this flour is definitely gluten-free, and it’s the identical used to make the outer chewy shells of mochi. The result’s a frivolously candy, toothsome dessert one can take pleasure in whereas viewing the vacation’s concluding occasion: the lantern pageant.
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Maggie Zhu

10 Vegan Bamboo Shoot and Mushroom-Stuffed Yuba Rolls

This traditional Chinese language dim sum dish options shredded greens, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots encased in smooth yuba sheets. End with a soy sauce glaze for an ideal mix of taste and texture.
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11 Vegan Pandan Buns With Candy Bean Filling

These pillowy smooth and aromatic buns, that are stuffed with a tasty candy black bean paste, are tremendous simple to make. You’ll be able to normally discover pandan, a candy and aromatic plant widespread in Asian delicacies, at an area Asian market.
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The Woks of Life

12 Braised Wheat Gluten With Mushrooms

You’ll should swing by your native Asian market to select up the primary ingredient for this chilly appetizer, and when you strive it, you’ll continuously crave it. Hong shao kao fu is made with dried wheat gluten, wooden ear mushrooms, dried lily flower, and peanuts, all soaked in a darkish, barely candy soy-based sauce. The dried wheat gluten is similar to tofu in that it acts like a sponge, absorbing no matter flavors you add to it. Bonus to the vegan nay-sayers: this dish has a ton of protein.
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Radiant Rachels

13 Vegan Candy Rice Cake 

Nian gao is pure and easy. This candy, dense dessert represents progress and progress, and better of all, it requires solely 4 elements and the result’s nothing in need of addictive. Don’t be stunned if you end up craving these candy squares as a substitute of cake within the subsequent coming weeks.
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Buddha’s Delight

14 Buddha’s Delight

Lo han jai—extra generally often called Buddha’s Delight within the US—is usually parred down in Chinese language American eating places. The normal vegan dish contains 18 elements to characterize the 18 Arhats or Chinese language saints. It’s additionally a go-to dish on the primary day of Lunar New 12 months celebrations, because it’s custom to take pleasure in an animal-free dish.
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China Sichuan Meals

15 Fortune Cake

The elements for fa gao are easy, however the result’s spectacular. This humble cake made out of all-purpose flour, water, brown sugar, and baking powder puffs up when steamed. Consultant of fine fortune and prosperity, these are served for each breakfast and dessert. 
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Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews in addition to a author and runner residing in Orange County, CA.