Vegan St. Patrick’s Day

By KD Angle-Traegner / Last Update: February 2020

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St. Patrick’s Day — named after Saint Patrick — is celebrated on March 17th. Observed for more than 1,000 years, the Irish view it as a religious holiday to celebrate the saint’s sacred feast day and the anniversary of Patrick the Saint in the fifth century.

Although not a legal holiday anywhere in the United States, celebrations including prominent displays of the color green, feasting, copious consumption of alcoholic beverages and cocktails, and parades are had throughout the country.

Luckily for vegans, creating a fun-filled vegan version of the holiday has never been easier. Need help planning the perfect menu? Would you like some vegan cocktails?

I’ve got you covered.

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Homemade Food Coloring (All Natural + Vegan)

Because everything is green.

A jar of green food coloring sitting on an outstretched palm with a white background.

How to Make Green Food Coloring

Green is the official color for St. Patrick’s Day.

Stores pack their shelves with green hats, glasses, beads, cups, and t-shirts. Bars serve up mugs of green beer and other green-hued cocktails. Grocery stores serve up green frosted cookies, cakes, and cupcakes with impossibly cute green sprinkles on top.

Green, green, everywhere you look.

Generally speaking, food and drinks get their green color from artificial green food colors like FD&C Green No. 3 or Fast Green FCF.

It’s safe to say; I’m not a fan of artificial food colors.

These toxic chemicals masquerading as food, artificial food colors are possible through the wonder of chemistry and the industry of oil drilling. Studies have shown various adverse health effects from ingesting them. And, did you know that artificial food colors undergo animal testing to ensure their safety as a food additive? It’s true.

Relatedly, animal testing sucks and can yield dangerous results when physicians treat patients using medicine based on the results of these studies.

Every time a holiday approaches, the artificial colors go on sale. Magazines, blogs, and videos feature impossibly cute and creative treats made with a variety of unnatural colors achieved through the magic of artificial colors.

There’s a better way; make bright, vivid colors at home.

Look at those colors! Yellow, red, purple, blue, and, yes, green. Easy to make, these colors come from everyday ingredients found in your fridge or pantry. Trust me; it’s not complicated or expensive.

Click here for the full step-by-step homemade food coloring tutorial.

Vegan St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

Cravable vegan recipes perfect for the holiday.

Two glasses of vegan mint shamrock shakes sitting on a table.

Vegan Mint Matcha Shamrock Shake / Photo: Minimalist Baker

Breakfasts, Shakes & Smoothies

Vegan St. Patrick's Day Guide | Your Daily Vegan

Vegan Shepard’s Pie / Photo: Simply Quinoa

Main Dishes

Two bowls of rosemary thyme mashed potatoes sitting on a light green tablecloth.

Rustic Rosemary Thyme Mashed Potatoes / Photo: Strength & Sunshine 

Side Dishes

Vegan St. Patrick's Day Guide | Your Daily Vegan

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Cream Frosting / Photo: Wallflower Kitchen

Desserts

Drinks & Cocktails

Does your favorite drink or cocktail contain more than just alcohol?

Can Vegans Drink Beer, Wine, or Spirits?

If you’re unfamiliar with vegan foods, it might surprise you to learn about animal ingredients hiding in your favorite beer or wine. Some beer and wine go through a clarifying process that uses animal products such as isinglass (fish bladders), egg whites, or gelatin. And because alcohol is commonly exempt from labeling requirements that other food products have, these ingredients are rarely listed on the packaging.

Luckily, there’s an easy-to-use website for that. Without a doubt, Barnivore is the go-to website to check the vegan status of most beer and wines.

Thankfully, you can find vegan-friendly beer, wine, and liquor at almost any store.

Here are a few popular brands that are suitable for vegan imbibers.

Vegan St. Patrick's Day Beers & Stouts
  • Barney Flat's Oatmeal Stout
  • Harvest Moon Paddy’s Irish Stout
  • Harvest Moon An Irish
  • George Killian’s Irish Red
  • Michelob Irish
  • Rogue Irish Lager
  • Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout

Find more options by visiting vegan beer on Barnivore.

Whiskey
  • Black Velvet Whiskey
  • Jim Beam Whiskey
  • Jameson Irish Whiskey

Find more brands by visiting vegan-friendly shiskey brands on Barnivore.

Make Your Own Vegan St. Patrick's Day Cocktail

A plea to all vegan imbibers: Go, have fun. Meet up with friends. Dance with people and have a good time. When you are ready to leave, don’t drink and drive. Plan ahead. Get a designated driver, call a cab, get an uber or lyft, call a friend, or call your mom. All it takes is one accident to change lives. It’s not worth it. Drink Responsibly.

Vegan St. Patrick's Day Recipes / Your Daily Vegan

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I am committed to providing accurate information to the vegan community. Meticulously researched, the vegan topic explored in this guide contains the information available at the time of publishing.

I don't just say it; I source it too.

Reviews and updates happen when new material becomes available.

Please contact me if you find incorrect data.

Article Photos

Guide Photos: Adobe Stock
Recipe photos via recipe authors; used in accordance with recipe authors published permission and terms of use.

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