Are you wondering what to make with a bulb of fennel? This collection of vegan fennel recipes will inspire you with delicious ways to use this unique vegetable.
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Fennel is an underrated vegetable. It has an incredibly unique anise taste and if you haven't tried it before we heartily encourage you to try it!
We've seen countless people asking "What can I make with fennel?" after they've received bulbs in their vegetable box. This post is here to give you answers!
From salads to slaws, easy pasta and rice dishes and roasted vegetable sides, there are some delicious ways to eat and enjoy fennel!
Come and discover some new recipes to try in this collection of refreshing vegan fennel recipes...
Main dishes with fennel
Fennel, also known as Florence fennel or bulb fennel, is a popular ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine.
You'll find fennel goes great with Italian inspired dishes like pasta, pizza and risotto. But it's also a great ingredient to add to cosy meals like soup and stew.
Simple Fennel Pasta
Butternut squash wild rice salad with cranberries and fennel
This colourful salad combines a base of wild rice with roasted butternut squash, fresh fennel and cranberries to make a flavourful and nutritious meal.
Roasted Fennel and Potato Soup
Fennel goes great with potatoes and makes a wonderfully creamy soup. Try this fennel soup with just 7 simple ingredients.
Spinach and Fennel Fettuccine with Roasted Tomatoes
Fennel also pairs beautifully with tomatoes. This spinach and fennel pasta uses roasted tomatoes to bring out their natural sweetness.
Vegan Italian Wedding Soup
Fennel is called finocchio in Italy, where it is a popular ingredient in traditional cooking. This recipe uses cannellini bean meatballs, spinach, fennel, and orzo to make cozy vegan Italian wedding soup.
Caramelised Fennel Risotto with Herby Garlic Cashews
Vegan Caramelized Onion and Fennel Pizza
This delicious vegan pizza is topped with fennel, caramelized onions, herbed mushrooms and vegan cashew cheese. YUM!
Summer Dal with Fennel, Coconut + Dill
This lentil dal with fennel is designed for the summer - with refreshing ingredients to cool you down on a hot day.
Fennel side dishes
Both raw and roasted or grilled fennel makes a refreshing addition to salads and side dishes. When serving fennel raw in salads or slaws, it's particularly nice finely sliced or cut with a mandoline.
Salads and sides can be a great way to experiment with using different combinations of seasonal veggies and fruits! Be sure to use our guide to What Goes Well With Fennel to inspire you.
Potato Fennel Gratin
For a delicious fennel side dish, try this potato fennel gratin. It's garnished with breadcrumbs for a delicious crispy topping.
Blood Orange and Fennel Salad
Blood orange and fennel is a classic combination! This recipe combines them with olives, radish and walnut to make a delicious seasonal salad.
Beet and Fennel Salad with Citrus Dressing
Another recipe that uses the combination of citrus and fennel to its advantage is this roasted beet and fennel salad. Fresh herbs and pistachios take it to the next level!
Grilled Fennel with Tahini Dressing
This quick fennel side dish is simple to make. Enjoy the delicate flavour of grilled fennel with a yummy tahini dressing.
Roasted Fennel With Tomatoes
Another easy side dish is this roasted fennel pomodoro. Tender and juicy tomatoes mingle with the sweet licorice tang of roasted fennel.
Super Cleansing Slaw with Rosemary Dressing
This fresh and invigorating recipe uses cabbage, fennel, apple and celery to make a delicious slaw. Easy to customise with other seasonal veg!
More ideas for fennel
Still looking for more vegan fennel recipes or ideas? Here are some more ways we love to cook with fennel, and main dishes that go great with fennel sides:
- For wild fennel, or if you have lots of leftover fronds, try our Wild Fennel Pasta with Vegan Chorizo.
- To go with an orange and fennel salad, try our Vegan Tofu Souvlaki Skewers for a delcious Meditterranean inspired meal.
- For a main to go with fennel based slaw, make our deliciously crispy Breaded Tofu.
- For more tips and inspiration read our Fennel Flavour Pairing Guide.
Fennel FAQs
Fennel can be bought year round, but peak season in the UK is from late June to September. In the US, peak fennel time is in the colder months from winter through early spring, but this varies across the country.
Fennel is a Mediterranean vegetable with a refreshing aniseed flavour. It can be eaten raw or cooked. The strong licorice flavour becomes milder when it’s cooked. It can be an acquired taste, but we love it!
Choose fresh-looking (not dried out), heavy and firm bulbs. The fronds should be green and not yellowing. Younger and smaller bulbs are often more tender and less stringy.
All of the fennel bulb is edible.
In some older bulbs the stalks or the outer layer can be a bit too tough and stringy to be pleasant, so you may like to remove this depending on the bulb you have.
The bulb also has a conical core which can get tough. If you want to remove this, cut the bulb into quarters and then slice out the core.
The green, feathery tops can be used raw as a refreshing garnish.
We hope you enjoyed this collection of fennel recipes! Be sure to check out guides to what else is in season now.
Tell us your favourite vegan fennel recipes and share your ideas in the comments below.
Loved our recipe? Have a question we can answer? We'd love to hear from you! Sophie and Paul 💚