20 Best Vegan Cast Iron Skillet Recipes | Perfect Vegan Camping Food (2024)

FAQs

How do you season a cast iron pan vegan? ›

Using a clean cloth, spread vegetable oil (canola or avocado are fine, avoid olive oil) over the entire surface of the skillet, including the handle and bottom. A thin layer is sufficient, the skillet shouldn't be dripping! Place the skillet upside down in the oven again and “bake” at 350 degrees F for about an hour.

According to the Food and Nutrition Board, vegans require nearly twice as much iron as meat eaters because of this lower absorption. A little extra from a cast iron pan—especially when it's used to cook foods that aren't especially acidic—is not likely to hurt us.

For higher temp cooking, place your cast iron directly on top of the coals. For low/medium heat, elevate your cast iron 3-6” above the coals. And for baking, position coals both underneath and directly on top of your cast iron set while it's in the dutch oven configuration.

What happens if you cook with an unseasoned cast iron pan? Nothing will happen to the pan. The food may stick a bit, but that won't stop the process of cooking. Proceed just as if you are using a regular stainless steel pan or even a regular thin steel or aluminum pan.

What oils can I use to season cast iron? All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.

The best oil to season your cast iron, according to Ross, is Crisco. It's not only versatile and easy to find, but it's also food safe. You need to reseason your cast iron only occasionally—the pans actually get better with age when cared for properly—but you should still apply a fine layer of oil after every use.

Your body needs adequate iron to produce healthy red blood cells, which transport oxygen throughout your body. When iron levels drop too low and red blood cell production is low, it leads to anemia, which triggers symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, pale skin, low body temperature, and headaches, among others.

What can you cook in a cast iron skillet and not cook it? ›

Is There Anything You Shouldn't Cook in Your Cast-Iron Skillet? Experts Weigh In. While there's nothing that's technically off limits, the pros say you should be careful with acidic foods, like tomato or wine sauce, which can corrode the seasoning if left in the pan for too long.

Eggs fall into the category of sticky foods that are not ideal for cast iron skillets that haven't built up their seasoning yet. While cast iron can become non-stick with sufficient use over time, a newer skillet will almost certainly cause your eggs to stick to its porous surface.

Can I use soap to wash cast iron? Contrary to popular belief, you can use a small amount of soap to clean cast iron cookware! Large amounts of soap can strip the seasoning off your pan, but you can easily re-season your pan as needed.

While it will take some experimentation, based on the recipe, swapping oil for nut butter, coconut milk, applesauce, pumpkin, yogurt or a combo of these will produce greater results. Like with these Vegan Baked Chocolate Chip Donuts that use both yogurt and applesauce for a wonderful light and fluffy texture.

Season Your Skillet As You Cook

Using your pan to cook foods with a lot of oil or fat — like frying chicken or cooking bacon — is really good for it. It helps build and preserve its seasoned coating naturally.

Preheat your oven to 350º.

Lard has a smoke point of about 375º so it's important to keep the oven temperature below this. A little smoking is fine – in fact, this tells you the seasoning is working. But prolonged excessive heat will cause your lard to burn. If that happens, you'll have to reseason the pan.