51 Vegetarian Sandwiches That Belong in Every Lunch Rotation
Did someone say meaty? It wasn’t us. ’Cause we’re over here fawning over our favorite vegetarian sandwiches, and comparing them to meat hardly does them justice. We have summery open-face numbers topped with juicy tomatoes and crave-worthy fried mushroom and artichoke sandwiches that’ll bring comfort to any chilly night. Many of our favorite vegetarian sandwiches easily go vegan (heck, some of them are vegan to begin with). So no, we don’t need the deli ham or the grilled slab of meat. We have hearty lentil burgers, squeaky Halloumi cheese wraps, and more recipes that are keeping us busy piling the goods between two slices of bread, no loss of flavor in sight.
Head this way for more of our best vegetarian recipes →
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Pearl Jones1/51Fried Artichoke Sandwich
Step one: Grab a jar of marinated artichokes. Step two: Drain, then batter and fry those puppies. Step three: Pile onto buns with tangy pickles, crunchy cabbage slaw, and an herby jalapeño ranch for one of the greatest vegetarian sandwiches of your life.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne2/51Toasted Tomato-Paneer Sandwiches
The beautifully spiced sauce for these sandwiches is ready to pull double duty if you want it to. Once you’ve enjoyed your sandwich, use the leftovers to make stuffed roasted peppers.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Christopher Barsch3/51Vegetarian Muffulettas With Pickled Iceberg
These pickled iceberg leaves are a good reminder that meat isn’t always required to make a sandwich substantial and packed with flavor.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton4/51Black-Eyed Pea Burgers With Creamy Barbecue Sauce and Chowchow
These creamy black-eyed pea patties are flavored with mushroom, miso, tamari, and Scotch bonnet chiles. They’re finished off with a sweet-and-tangy barbecue sauce and a spoonful of chowchow.
Photo & Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin5/51Mayo-Free Egg Salad
This egg salad gets its creaminess from barely cooked through yolks and mashed canned white beans. Mix in capers, herbs, and squeeze of lemon juice, then pile it onto your favorite sandwich bread.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton6/51Vegan Mushroom Cheesesteaks
The best vegan cheesesteak in Philadelphia is made by chef Ari Miller at his pop-up, Frizwit. Here's how to make a similar one at home.
Photo by Kyla Zanardi.7/51Seared Falafel Burgers
These shortcut Egyptian-inspired falafel patties are made with frozen edamame and peas instead of the traditional fava beans. Sear them to get the surface crunchy, and pair them with buttery brioche burger buns.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton8/51Chickpea Salad Sandwich With Creamy Carrot-Radish Slaw
Our vegetarian play on the classic chicken salad swaps in creamy, protein-packed chickpeas. Using canned beans makes this delicious sandwich an easy lunch option.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Stylist by Erika Joyce9/51Salad Salad Sandwich
Any salad can become a sandwich when you slap it between two slices of bread. Opting for a simple kale number dials in on the wholesomeness of it all.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton10/51Bombay Masala Chile Cheese Toasties
Melty, cheesy, crunchy, spicy: These potato sandwiches, a street food favorite in India, check all the boxes. The bright green chutney is made with a tart Granny Smith apple and plenty of cilantro and mint.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog11/51Butternut Squash Sandwich With Cheddar Cheese and Pickled Red Onion
Stuff roasted butternut squash, rich white cheddar, tangy pickled red onions, and zesty Dijonnaise into bread rolls for a sandwich that tastes like autumn.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li12/51Breakfast Sandwiches With Charred Red Onions and Cheddar
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Liza Jernow14/51Chickpea-Mushroom Veggie Burgers
These 10-ingredient gluten-free homemade veggie burgers are crisped up like a smash burger in the oven. Bonus: You can stash the patties in the freezer and cook them from frozen.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Styling by Ali Nardi17/51Grilled Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwiches with Green Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
It's hard to improve on grilled cheese with tomato soup—but that's exactly what we've done here. There’s red heirloom tomatoes and smoked mozzarella on the sandwich, while the soup gets green heirlooms and is served chilled. The mix of flavors, textures, and colors makes for a truly special rendition of the classic.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks18/51Tempeh "Bacon," Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich
Photo by Marcus Nilsson19/51Fresh Herb Falafel
Tuck these fried, jalapeño-spiced balls into warm pita pockets with a cabbage salad and an herby tahini sauce for a falafel sandwich you won’t soon forget.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell21/51Chakalaka and Cheddar Braaibroodjies (Grilled Cheese Sandwiches)
The liberal spoonful of chakalaka (spicy vegetable relish) is the key to this stellar sandwich. If you don’t have a jar of it in your fridge yet, though, you can use any type of relish or chutney.
Photo by David Loftus24/51Pressed Broccoli Rabe and Mozzarella Sandwiches
These sandwiches are a vegetarian cross between a New Orleans–style muffuletta (hey olive salad!) and a Philadelphia-style pork and broccoli rabe sandwich. Oh, and they’re also very budget friendly.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich27/51Pulled Mushroom Tacos With Salsa Guille
Sure, we love these crispy shredded mushrooms on tortillas, but they’d taste equally delicious on a telera bread, torta-style. Or try them on a bun, topped with slaw for a pulled pork sandwich vibe. Either way, don’t sleep on the creamy peanut butter and serrano salsa.
Photo by Tara Donne, food and prop styling by Ali Nardi28/51Classic Tomato Toast with Mayonnaise and Chives
Photo by Gentl & Hyers29/51Egg Salad Tartines With Mixed Herbs
To put this open-face sandwich in the express lane, skip the homemade mayo and instead doctor up your favorite brand with a splash of vinegar and a dash of hot sauce.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell32/51Deviled Egg Salad Spread
This isn’t regular egg salad, it’s cool egg salad. (Really it’s just egg salad with the telltale flavor of deviled eggs.) And it makes for an extremely delicious egg salad sandwich when slathered on sourdough or plain white bread.
Photo by Alex Lau36/51Charred Caprese Sandwich
How do you improve on a classic Italian Caprese? Grill your tomatoes—and then spill them over charred baguette.
Photo by Ted Cavanaugh37/51Grilled Sweet Onion and Butter Sandwich
To make this a vegan sandwich, swap out the butter for your favorite dairy free alternative. Just make sure the butter is a soft, spreadable consistency before slathering on the bread.
Photo by Tara Donne, food and prop styling by Ali Nardi38/51Green Tomato Toast with Ricotta Salata and Lemon
Photo by Andrew Purcell, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Rhoda Boone40/51BBQ Eggplant Sandwiches With Provolone and Mushrooms
Photo by Zach DeSart41/51Tomato-Feta Open-Face Sandwich
This simple sandwich's flavor is amped-up with a hit of fresh oregano. It’s imperative that you use the best tomatoes you can find and really good feta.
Photo by Tara Donne, food and prop styling by Ali Nardi43/51Panzanella Tomato Toast with Crispy Capers and Basil Leaves
Hugh Forte44/51Mushroom and Brown Rice Veggie Burger
Slide this burger onto an English muffin with lots of arugula, a swipe of hummus, and a few creamy slices of avocado.
Photo by Tara Donne, food and prop styling by Ali Nardi46/51Maple-Roasted Tomato Toast with Goat Cheese and Mint
Jennifer May50/51Grilled Artisan Cheddar & Fig Jam Sandwich
With so few ingredients, each one should be extraordinary. Follow this advice at home and you'll see how a humble grilled cheese sandwich can turn heads. Make these on a panini press (or in a ridged grill pan weighted on top with a skillet).
Photo by Marcus Nilsson51/51Grilled Cheese with Onion Jam, Taleggio, and Escarole
With savory-sweet onion jam (or use deeply caramelized onions), oozy Taleggio cheese, and lightly bitter greens, this is easily one of the best vegetarian sandwiches we’ve ever tried.
