10 Best Vegan Valentine’s Day Gifts for 2019
10 Best Vegan Valentine’s Day Gifts for 2019
Valentine’s Day is only a couple of weeks away. That means it’s time to start shopping for the best vegan Valentine’s Day gift for that special vegan someone. Whether shopping for your significant other, galentine, bff, or yourself, remember to spread the Valentine’s Day love to animals as well and ditch silk, leather, wool, dairy, and other items made with animal products or tested on animals.
Need gift ideas? Our list of the 10 best vegan Valentine’s Day gifts will take the stress out of Valentine’s Day shopping.
Vegan Chocolates
Let’s start with the traditional Valentine’s Day gift that everyone loves — chocolates! While you can’t just run to any store to purchase a box of vegan chocolates (unless you’re lucky enough to live in New York, Portland, or elsewhere with vegan chocolate shops), you can order delicious vegan chocolates online.
While in New York last year attending the Main Street Vegan Academy for my certification as a Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator (VLCE), Victoria Moran took us to Lagusta’s Luscious, an amazing all-vegan chocolate shop in the East Village. Not only were their vegan chocolates absolutely delicious, but they are also made with 100% fair trade and organic chocolate and are packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled paper boxes and packing materials. A win for animals and the environment!
Their special Valentine’s Chocolates are now available and include Blood Orange Chocolate Hearts, Intense Anatomical Heart BonBons, and a large Chocolate Skull filled with an assortment of seasonal bonbons. I haven’t tried their Valentin’s Day chocolates, but what I have tried is amazing! And, their Salted Galapagos Turtles are what dreams are made of! Also try their Peanut Caramel Bar or Turtle Bar filled with nuts, nougat, and caramel — not your average candy bar!
Vegan Essentials, an online retailer of all things vegan, also has a large assortment of vegan chocolates for Valentine’s Day including heart-shaped chocolates and the traditional heart-shaped boxes.
Vegan Message T-Shirts
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My husband and I purchased these shirts last year at Indy VegFest. My Herbivore shirt is from Harmless Threads who was also at the Fort Wayne Veg’n Brew Fest last year. They have a large selection of vegan clothing, pins, hats, mugs, and more.
My husband’s shirt is from Goods and Evil. Their selection of T’s include something for every vegan sci-fi nerd, classic video game lover, punk, or metal head.
Another favorite for vegan message shirts, tanks, stickers, and buttons is Compassion Co.
Vegan Cookbook & Dinner
Does your valentine love to cook? There are a lot of great cookbooks available with everything from vegan meal prepping and comfort foods to fast meals or gourmet meals and desserts.
My favorites?
- Salud Vegan Mexican Cookbook by Eddie Garza
- Vegan Meal Prep by fellow VLCE, J.L. Fields
- Main Street Vegan Academy Cookbook by Victoria Moran and J.L. Fields with recipes from other fellow VLCEs
- The Taco Cleanse by Wes Allison & others
- Thug Kitchen 100: Fast as F*ck
- America’s Test Kitchen’s Vegan for Everybody
- The Blossom Cookbook by Ronen Seri & Pamela Elizabeth
But don’t stop and just the cookbook. Pick 2-3 recipes from the cookbook to make, light a few vegan candles, open a bottle of vegan wine (see below) and treat your loved one to a special vegan dinner.
Vegan Wine
Wine lovers will appreciate a bottle of vegan-friendly wine. That’s right, not all wines are vegan. Some wines (beers and alcohol too) can be processed using animal products including egg whites, isinglass, or gelatin or may contain honey. Luckily, Barnivore has your back. Their lists of which wines are vegan-friendly or not so vegan-friendly will help you select the perfect bottle of vegan wine.
Some popular wines according to vegan.com and Peta include:
- Charles Shaw (reds only)
- Frey Vineyards
- The Vegan Vine
- Yellowtail (reds only)
- Cooper’s Hawk (red, white, & rosé varieties)
Vegan Vacation
Take a weekend trip or a trip of a lifetime. Vegvisits is similar to Airbnb but allows you to book vacation rentals at vegan households. There are houses, kitchens, and private rooms available worldwide to help you plan the perfect animal-friendly vacation or weekend trip.
Veg Jaunts & Journeys & VegNews both offer all-vegan planned excursions. Take a trip with a group of other vegans to exciting destinations worldwide. They plan the entire itinerary including hotels, restaurants, and sightseeing so you don’t have to worry about anything! Upcoming tours with Veg Jaunts & Journeys include Barcelona & Madrid Spain, Paris, Italy, and Scotland. Upcoming trips with VegNews include Thailand and India.
Adopt a Farm Animal & Visit a Sanctuary
Give a gift that helps animals. Some farm animal rescues such as Farm Sanctuary in New York & California let you sponsor a farm animal with monthly, quarterly, or annual donations. They’ll get the money needed to help with food and care and your Valentine will get a sponsor certificate and colored photo of their sponsored animal plus other benefits depending on the animal sponsored. Private tours can also be scheduled during visitor season to visit your new friend.
Check with your local farm animal sanctuary to see if they offer similar programs.
Gift Cards for Vegan Dining
Gift cards to vegan-friendly restaurants are always a great gift idea! Pick up 1 or 2 from some of their favorite local restaurants. Or, plan a weekend trip to a nearby city (complete with a room rental from Vegvisits) and order gift cards online to some of the local vegan eateries. Need help finding vegan-friendly restaurants? Head over to Happy Cow for a list of vegan & vegan-friendly restaurants in almost any city. Happy Cow doesn’t list all options, so make sure you do a Google Search for “vegan restaurants in {name of city}” or ask in a local vegan Facebook group for that city. You’ll get some of the best suggestions from other vegans living there!
Reusable Shopping Bag
Save the planet by reducing the use of plastic bags while supporting animals with Mercy for Animal’s ‘Love’ Notions Tote or ‘Kind’ Notions Tote or both! Your purchase helps support Mercy for Animals’ lifesaving work. Both totes are made in the USA with 100% cotton and perfect for grocery shopping or to pack for your upcoming vegan vacation! Fill them with your Valentine’s favorite food items or your trip itinerary and a few vegan essentials such as cruelty-free lotions.
Beauty Box or Grooming Box
Vegan Cuts Beauty Boxes are easy ways to discover some great cruelty-free products. Buy a subscription and your Valentine will receive a delivery of 5 or more cruelty-free products each month.
Or, put together your own box or gift basket filled with cruelty-free beauty or grooming box items from The Fanciful Fox, another great store I had the pleasure of visiting while in New York. Their products can be ordered online and are made in their shop. They are all-vegan and all-natural without any nasty chemicals. I’m addicted to their lip balms and lip scrubs – the perfect remedy for dry, Winter-chapped lips. They have a great assortment of beauty and grooming items for men and women including:
- Bath Fizzies
- Soaps
- Lotions
- Lip Balms
- Face Scrubs
- Beard Oils
- Facial Moisturizers
- Body Wash
- After Shave
They even have products for babies and your furry friends as well as vegan candles for your romantic dinner!
Vegan Meats or Cheese
Another great gift idea for men or woman is a box of vegan meats or vegan cheeses from the Herbivorous Butcher. Buy your Valentine their Jerky Sampler or Meat and Cheese Sampler which includes a collection of vegan meats and cheeses including Hickory Bacon, Sriracha Brats, Vegan Chicken, Garlic Pepper Havarti Cheese, and Chive Cheddar Cheese. They also offer vegan Jerky of the month subscriptions. Or, buy some of their great deli meats and cheeses a la carte to put together your own box of favorites. They even have a Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two which includes their vegan Filet Mignon, Garlic Sausage, Havarti Reserva, Fondue Cheese, and dessert!
This year, choose one of these best gifts for Valentine’s Day for the special man or woman in your life to make it a day filled with love and compassion for the special person in your life as well as the planet and animals. Or use these gift ideas as inspiration to come up with some of your own ideas.
We’d love to hear from you. Share your Valentine’s Day gift ideas in the comments.
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