News Veganuary 2026: New year, same you — just with more plants 🌿

Tired of New Year’s resolutions? Get 2026 off to an exciting, food-filled start with Veganuary instead — a supportive challenge to help you explore tasty, veg-packed recipes and discover how satisfying plant-based eating can be!

If the phrase “new year, new you” makes you want to roll your eyes into another dimension at this point, trust me: You’re in excellent company. Who decided we needed to schedule a full personality reboot every 1st of January anyway? There’s something vaguely exhausting about it all — especially when the you from December 31st is already perfectly lovely, thanks!

All that said… there is something exciting about the spark of possibility that January ushers in, and it can be a great prompt to try something new. If you’re looking for a shift that feels less like a complete factory reset and more like following your curiosity towards something actually enjoyable, sustainable, and fulfilling, Veganuary could be the perfect way to kick off 2026 🥳🌿

Unlike other start-of-the-year challenges, Veganuary invites you to stay exactly who you are — indulgences, habits, favourite meals and all — and simply explore how plant-based eating might fit into your life for a month. Literally just for the fun of it, and to see how it goes! 

There’s no pressure to be perfect, no dramatic life overhaul, and no personality transplant required. Just a whole month of getting to explore some seriously mouth-watering plant-based food… and giving yourself the perfect excuse to stock up on snacks and book a bunch of dinners out. Sounds like a pretty solid way to start the year if you ask us 😉

What exactly is Veganuary 2026?

Veganuary is an annual, feel-good foodie challenge that supports people all around the world to try being vegan for the month of January — and maybe longer if you end up loving it as much as most people do!

Millions have already taken part, and every year that number keeps climbing as more people discover how fun, flavourful, and surprisingly invigorating plant-based eating can be. 

One of the best things about Veganuary is how guided and supportive the whole experience feels, especially if you’ve wanted to try going vegan for a while but have felt a bit daunted or unsure where to begin.

By serving up friendly, bite-sized bits of daily support, the lovely team at Veganuary makes the whole month feel easy, inspiring, and delicious! You’re in safe hands here: They’ll walk you through everything step-by-step, keeping you well-supplied with tasty plant-based meal ideas and answering all your questions along the way.

When you sign up, you’ll receive a whole bundle of beginner-friendly resources:

📖 A celebrity e-cookbook packed with vegan meal ideas

 💪 A plant-protein cookbook

💌 31 coaching emails to guide you day-by-day

🍔 7 delicious plant-based meal plans

💡 A full calendar of recipes, nutrition advice, practical tips, and encouragement

And the entire thing is free! (A welcome relief after all the expenses of the festive season 😅)

Trying vegan isn’t about changing who you are, it’s about being more authentically you

One of the biggest misconceptions about veganism is that you need to morph into a completely different sort of person to try it — someone impossibly virtuous, endlessly disciplined, and thrilled by the idea of living off salads and green smoothies. In reality, most people who go vegan are (surprise surprise) totally normal: People who love indulging in delicious food, care about animals, want to tread a little lighter on the planet, and wouldn’t mind looking after their health a bit better, too.

Veganuary is simply a way to put all those existing values on your plate without feeling like you’ve had to overhaul your entire life. And as soon as you get started, you’ll realise it’s not about discipline or restriction at all! From pizza to pasta dishes, burgers to nachos, ice cream, chocolate, and literally everything in between, all your old favourite comfort meals and treats are still on the menu — just made with plant-based ingredients that are kinder, healthier, more sustainable, and every bit as satisfying. (And when salads do make an appearance, they’re actually good ones with hearty ingredients and addictive dressings 👀)

You’ll still be the same you, just nourishing your body with more plants, building your confidence in the kitchen, and discovering a whole new world of exciting recipes and flavours along the way.

Turn January into a month of feasts with friends! 🥰

Veganuary is absolutely doable solo (and you’ll have plenty of support from the online community regardless), but like most food-related things, it becomes approximately 74% more fun when you rope in some of your favourite humans to do it with you. 

Friends, family, housemates, or that one co-worker who’s always up for sharing snacks  — you never know who might be keen to join you on some shared food adventures in January, so it never hurts to ask! Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling:

🌿 A cooking date where you veganise your all-time favourite recipe

Pick one of your go-to comfort meals and reimagine it plant-based. You can find an easy vegan version of everything online these days! Whether it’s a hearty lasagne, double-choc brownies, or a beloved family recipe, half the fun is comparing the final result to the original… and then realising it’s just as good (if not better).

🍝 Plan a wholesome vegan potluck based around a specific cuisine

Pick a theme – Middle Eastern, Italian night, Mexican feast, Asian-inspired banquet – and ask every guest to bring one dish they’re excited about. You’ll end up with a generous spread that all somehow harmonises perfectly, and a bunch of new recipes that everyone aggressively demands in the group chat afterwards.

🧺 Throw a low-key plant-based picnic in the park

Spread out a blanket in the sunshine and cover as much surface area as possible with easy plant-based treats. It’s a brilliant excuse to taste-test vegan desserts from Coles and Woolies, grab a few chips and dips, or whip up a few picnic-friendly recipes of your own. A vegan cheese platter with all the antipasto classics looks fancy but is secretly very easy to put together, and never fails to steal the show!

🍴 Treat yourself to a vegan meal out each week

January is blissfully quiet after the festive stampede, making it the perfect time to explore some new spots. Most cities now have a brilliant spread of vegan options at cafés, restaurants, and even fast food chains. Check out some of our favourites in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide, and get those (entirely-justified) brunch and dinner dates pencilled in! 

🌱 Add a little flavour to your workplace

Reckon you know some people at work who might be keen to get in on the action? Veganuary has plenty of resources to support teams taking part, too: Think plant-based potlucks in the lunch room, a group walk down to that nearby vegan-friendly cafe, or a shared Slack channel full of recipe swaps and drool-worthy food photos. Sad desk lunches don’t stand a chance in 2026!

Thinking of giving Veganuary a go?

If you’re even a little bit curious about what it might be like to go vegan, signing up is the best way to get a taste of what it’s all about. Veganuary sends everything straight to your inbox, so you can easily dip your toes (and your fork) into the realm of plant-based eating as much or as little as you like throughout the month, with all the work done for you and no endless Googling required. 

Join Veganuary today to step into the new year feeling nourished, supported, and entirely yourself — just with more flavour, creativity, and plants on your plate!

Everyone is invited to Veganuary, so come as you are! Whether you’re completely new to plant-based eating or have already been eating vegan for years, it’s a great way to get out of a cooking rut, connect with fellow caring foodies, and feel more inspired going into the new year ❤️

Header image: © Veganuary