From Taco Bell to Panda Express, Turn These 11 Restaurant Classics Vegan at Home

Most of us love to dine out. In fact, research suggests that, on average, Americans eat at restaurants around three times a month, while the average Brit will head out to eat more than once a week. 

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It makes perfect sense. Dining at a restaurant is a fun, social experience, and it doesn’t require heading to the kitchen to tackle the dishes afterward. But we’re here to argue that while we love to eat at restaurants (and we have all the dining-out guides to prove it), sometimes, cooking your favorite restaurant meals at home can be just as fun and rewarding. And it’s often cheaper, too. 

Find 11 of our favorite plant-based copycat recipes below, from Cinnabon’s Cinnamon Rolls to Wendy’s Chocolate Frosties to IHOP pancakes.

What are the benefits of cooking a copycat recipe from home?

Let’s start with the most obvious benefit of cooking your favorite foods from home: the money you could save. Per Forbes, just ordering delivery from a restaurant is five times more expensive than cooking from scratch (and that’s without all the drink orders that come with dining in). This figure is based on findings from 2018, and, due to inflation, restaurant prices have jumped considerably since then.

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But saving money is just one benefit of cooking from scratch. When you make a copycat recipe from home, you can easily adapt the recipe and ensure it aligns with your dietary needs and preferences. As the recipes below demonstrate, you can enjoy dairy-free Panera-style mac and cheese, for example, and meat-free fast food-style chicken sandwiches.

On top of this, cooking from home also tends to be healthier than eating out. In 2017, for example, one study from the University of Washington School of Public Health suggested that people who eat at home more regularly are more likely to have a healthier diet.

“By cooking more often at home, you have a better diet at no significant cost increase, while if you go out more, you have a less healthy diet at a higher cost,” said Adam Drewnowski, director of the University of Washington’s Center for Public Health Nutrition, in a statement.

11 vegan copycat recipes

Thanks to these copycat recipes, we can cook all of our favorite restaurant meals at home using 100 percent plant-based ingredients. From cinnamon rolls to shakes to burgers, there’s something for everyone, regardless of what you’re craving.

Brian Watson

1 Vegan Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

In this recipe from the Vegan Fast Food cookbook, you’ll learn how to make gooey, pillowy cinnamon rolls, just like the ones from Cinnabon. Complete with soft, velvety frosting,  they’re just as rich and comforting when they’re freshly baked from home.
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Brian Watson

2 Vegan Copycat Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken

The clue is in the name, but Panda Express’ Kung Pao Chicken is not meat-free. However, you can get all the same delicious flavor using plant-based chicken at home, just like this recipe from the Vegan Fast Food cookbook demonstrates.
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Micah Siva

3 Vegan Copycat Starbucks Chickpea Protein Bites

When lunchtime hits, it’s tempting to head down to Starbucks. But with this recipe from Nosh With Micah, you can make your own copycat version of the chain’s former menu item, chickpea protein bites, from home. It’s healthy and nutritious, and will definitely save your wallet from splashing out on that grande oat latte.
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Danielle Keith

4 Creamy Vegan Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese

This creamy cashew-based version of Panera’s mac and cheese from HealthyGirl Kitchen is arguably even better than the original, and it’s totally dairy-free. For extra veg, add in onions or mushrooms or serve alongside steamed broccoli.
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Brian Watson

5Vegan Copycat Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty

Wendy’s is yet to bring out a vegan Frosty, but the good news is it’s easy to make a thick, dairy-free, chocolatey shake from home. Follow this recipe from the Vegan Fast Food cookbook to create a DIY Frosty that is arguably way tastier than the fast-food classic.
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Brian Watson

6 Vegan Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza

Another hit from the Vegan Fast Food cookbook: Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza. Simply swap out the beef for a vegan version and combine it with ingredients like beans, red sauce, and taco seasoning in crunchy fried tortillas for the perfect comfort meal.
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Danielle Keith

7 Vegan Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup is naturally vegetarian, but due to the cheese, it’s still not plant-based. With this recipe from HealthyGirl Kitchen, however, you can make a delicious dairy-free copycat with ingredients like nutritional yeast, cashews, turmeric, and plant milk.
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Hannah Sunderani

8 Vegan Copycat Crunchwrap Supreme With Gooey Cashew Queso

Crunchwraps are one of Taco Bell’s most popular menu items, but the dish is actually very easy to make from home. In this recipe from Two Spoons, for example, ingredients like cashew queso, plant-based ground beef, chopped tomatoes, and avocados are combined to make a tasty, flavor-packed DIY version.
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Brian Watson

9 Vegan Copycat Whataburger Buffalo Ranch Chicken Strip Sandwich

Many chains have a chicken sandwich on the menu, but it’s harder to find a plant-based version of the fast-food classic. Luckily, the Vegan Fast Food cookbook has created a tasty meat-free version of Whataburger’s Buffalo Ranch Chicken Strip sandwich with vegan chicken. It’s tender, juicy, and guaranteed to satisfy your fast-food cravings.
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Brian Watson

10 Vegan Copycat IHOP New York Cheesecake Pancakes

Whip up your own stack of IHOP-inspired New York cheesecake pancakes with this recipe from the Vegan Fast Food cookbook. They’re fluffy, sweet, and indulgent—the perfect brunchtime treat.
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Brian Watson

11 Vegan Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl

The Vegan Fast Food cookbook has also given us this flavor-packed plant-based version of Chipotle’s chicken burrito bowl. The vegan chicken is tasty, but it’s the cilantro-lime rice and seasoned beans that make this version a standout.
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