Virtual Vegans: Finding a Plant-based Community Through YouTube

As the only vegan in my family and of my peers, I have sometimes felt isolated. One helpful resource has been vegan youtubers. I love watching their videos and feeling connected to other vegans. However, I also know many non-vegans who enjoy these videos for the plant-based meal inspo or to learn more about a vegan lifestyle.

 I have compiled a list of plant-based youtubers--some of whom solely focus on food and others for whom being vegan is one of many topics discussed on their channel. Beyond these differences, the youtubers range in age, race, ethnic background, etc. Not to mention, they are plant-based for a variety of reasons. The vegan experience is diverse!

• Plant-based princess: Ri (pronounced (R-ee) focuses on “conscious lifestyle content,” as she often says. She cooks delicious vegan meals for herself, husband Tavis, and two young daughters. Some classics on her channel are pancakes with potatoes and tofu scramble, veggie burgers, and sushi.
• Cheap Lazy Vegan: The name says it all. Rose’s channel emphasizes ease and affordability. She even has videos showing how to live vegan for $3 a day. Her mukbangs are my favorite as most mukbangs are not vegan friendly.
• Wear I Live: Jenny’s channel highlights her NYC lifestyle. She studied fashion and loves low-impact clothing/thrifting, as well as plant-based meals. I love her ‘What I Eat In A Day’ videos. Her breakfasts look delicious, often including iced-coffee or a smoothie and JustEgg on some kind of toast concoction.
• The Happy Pear: Dave and Steve (vegan twins) were traveling the world separately and, within a week of each other, each went vegan. Since then, they have worked to make a happier, healthier world and as they say, the goal is to “make healthy eating attractive and sexy!” Each week is a different recipe for the viewer and all look delicious.
• Tabitha Brown: You may have heard of Tabitha. Her sparkling personality has made her a vegan sensation! She has a motherly warmth and her recipes are so yummy, especially her carrot bacon and vegan fish sticks.
• Ellen Fisher: Ellen is a mom of four living plant-based in Hawaii. She raises all of her kids vegan and eats primarily whole plant foods (rather than meat substitutes). This includes A LOT of coconut, mango, papayas, etc. straight from her backyard! Smoothies and salads are common as well. Ellen is well known in the world of vegan youtube but her sister (Hannah Mckneely) has a vegan channel, too.
• Rachel Ama: Rachel has incredible vegan recipes that often highlight her Caribbean and African heritages as well as food reviews and natural beauty tips. She is currently pregnant! As such, her recent videos have focused on vegan pregnancy eating.

 I hope you’ll take the time to explore some of these channels. At the very least, you’ll get a few new meal ideas or you might just find yourself some new vegan mentors :)

Ella Rosenblatt is a college intern for FFAC. She is a student at Pitzer College studying environmental analysis and has been a dedicated vegan for over 7 years.