Opinion Best plant-based lamb recipes & vegan meat alternatives in Australia

Craving a classic ‘lamb’ dish? Here’s how to recreate all the meaty flavours and textures you love, using 100% plant-based products & ingredients.

There are many reasons Aussies are collectively eating less lamb these days – environmental reasons, health reasons, and ethical reasons, just to name a few – as well as the very important fact that lambs are simply that adorable. 

So what does this mean for those of us home cooks who still enjoy the taste of lamb, but would prefer to leave actual lambs out of the equation, and free to keep frolicking in the fields?

Well, all it means is swapping any lamb meat in your recipes for a plant-based alternative that has a meaty texture instead, like home-made seitan, marinated mushrooms, jackfruit, or a store-bought vegan meat option.

Keep an eye out for this convenient (and super convincing!) plant-based lamb in the freezer section of your local supermarket:

• Birds Eye Plant-based Greek Lamb-style Strips (Coles, Woolworths)

These mock lamb strips are ridiculously succulent and juicy, and absolutely nail that indescribable lamb-like flavour. 

In fact, it’s quite possible the only reason there aren’t more vegan lamb products on the market is because everyone knows that Birds Eye’s offering can’t be beaten. It’s the kind of thing you sink your teeth into, roll your eyes at how mouthwatering it is … then immediately reach for the packet just to double check it’s actually vegan. 

You can use Birds Eye’s plant-based lamb strips in just about any way you’d usually use actual lamb – seasoned and grilled in souvlakis and shawarma wraps, for example – or simmered until soft and tender in a veggie-packed Moroccan tagine.

There are also plenty of lamb-inspired vegan recipes out there that use vegetables and other plant-based ingredients to recreate that hearty flavour and melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Here are some of our favourite vegan ‘lamb’ dishes for you to try making at home:

Vegan Seitan Rack of Lamb

This meat-free rack of lamb is a true show-stopper. Everything – from its slightly rosy colour, subtle marbling of ‘fat’, and faux bones made out of parsnips – is utterly convincing, and a testament to what seitan can do!

Vegan Greek-style Roast Lamb (Kleftiko)

Another seitan-based recipe, this time prepared with a more traditional, Grecian twist, including marinating the ‘meat’ in garlic and lemon juice. This one’s best served with a side of fresh salad, hot pita bread … and seconds.  

Tofu-based Vegan Rack of Lamb

A great one to remember for Easter, Christmas, or just about any feast where you want a traditionally ‘meaty’ centrepiece that’s guaranteed to impress. This one happens to be gluten-free, too!

Vegan Jackfruit Lamb Tagine 

Beautifully tender when slow-cooked, jackfruit is the perfect texture for imitating soft morsels of lamb in a saucy, spiced tagine. Don’t skimp on the dried fruit – the scattered pops of mild sweetness really make this recipe sing. 

And there you have it: Lots of lovely lamb-inspired flavours and textures, without the actual lamb! Let us know if you try out Birds Eye’s plant-based lamb strips or any of these recipes – we’d love to find out if you enjoy them as much as we do!

There are loads of other handy meat alternatives available in Aussie stores and online, too! See our recommendations for tasty plant-based chicken, beef, pork, seafood, turkey, duck, and deli meats.