Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas

Looking for romantic recipes? These Valentine’s Day dinner ideas are all vegetarian or vegan and make a great date night or vegan romantic dinner.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day dinner ideas, somehow “vegetarian” or “vegan” and “romantic” seem like polar opposites when it comes to recipes. Am I right? But romantic recipes don’t have to be just sirloins and seared scallops! Let’s bring the love back into plant based recipes, too. We’ve compiled a few of our romantic vegetarian and vegan Valentine’s Day dinner ideas for a cooking date. Every recipe below has some kind of romantic vibe. Of course: you don’t have to use these on Valentine’s Day either! Use any of our romantic recipes for a date with someone you love.

Heart Shaped Caramelized Onion Pizzas

First up in our list of Valentine’s Day dinner ideas: What’s more fun that heart-shaped foods? This pizza is mighty tasty, heart shaped or not, with silky caramelized onions, gooey cheese, and a bit of shaved Brussels sprouts. Check out our pizza dough video to learn how to make dough. You could also do any toppings on this heart shaped pizza: Homemade Margherita Pizza, Spicy Vegetarian Diavola Pizza, and Our Best Vegan Pizza come to mind.

(Vegetarian, Vegan)

Cacio e Pepe

For some reason, pasta is mega romantic, right? This Italian cheese and pepper spaghetti couldn’t be simpler; the recipe is from our friend Ashley Rodriguez’s book Date Night In. Alex and I ate a killer cacio e pepe last time we were in Rome, and we had one of the best one’s of our life in NYC. It’s a truly simple recipe that’s elegant in its simplicity.

(Vegetarian)

Triple Cherry Cheesecake

This dessert could not be more romantic or perfect for Valentine’s Day. Our crustless triple cherry cheesecake is ultra creamy, made with Greek yogurt and baked slowly to perfection. It’s got a healthy spin but tastes decadent!

Creamy Vegan Pasta Marinara

Here’s the vegan version of a romantic pasta: our Creamy Pasta Marinara. It has an ultra flavorful sauce of garlic, shallots, capers, and a bit of cashew cream. Perfect for a romantic vegan dinner, serve it with a side salad.

(Vegetarian, Vegan)

Vegan Pot Pie with Savory Sage Crust

Call us crazy, but isn’t an elegant pot pie is the coziest, most romantic sounding of Valentine’s Day dinner ideas? Our Vegan Pot Pie has become one of our top fan favorite recipes, and for good reason. The flaky crust is scented with sage, and the inside is pure creamy, savory goodness with sweet potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and white beans. If you’re looking for a vegan romantic dinner, this is it.

(Vegetarian, Vegan)

Roasted Tomato White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

For some reason, gooey white cheddar mac and cheese is like a huge bear hug! It’s cozy and comforting in a way that’s indescribable. Add these tangy red roasted tomatoes, and it’s outfitted as one of our Valentine’s Day dinner ideas! It’s on the rich side, so serve with a refreshing green salad.

(Vegetarian, Gluten Free with GF noodles)

Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese

This spaghetti squash mac and cheese is a delicious, cozy vegetarian main dish that substitutes spaghetti squash for noodles! With a glass of white wine, it’s cozy and elegant at the same time. And it’s naturally gluten free, too!

(Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

Parmesan Black Truffle Risotto

One of our more elegant Valentine’s Day dinner ideas is this Parmesan black truffle risotto! A seemingly gourmet dish, this Parmesan truffle risotto recipe is pretty simple to put together, and the black truffle flavor sends it out of this world. If you can’t find the canned black truffles we’ve included here, garnish with a bit of white or black truffle oil.  There’s a splash of white wine in the risotto, and you can drink the rest of the bottle as you cook!

(Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

15 Minute Gnocchi with Romesco Sauce

These potato pasta pillows, gnocchi, are the perfect romantic comfort food. Here we’ve paired them with a 5 minute Romesco sauce for a vegan romantic dinner that can be made in no time! For vegan, omit the feta cheese garnish: the sauce is so flavorful, it’s not needed!

(Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

Can we do one more pasta recipe? This pasta puttanesca recipe is simple and oh so delicious, starring olives, garlic, and red pepper flakes for tangy burst of flavor.

(Vegetarian, Vegan & Gluten-Free options)

Cherry Goat Cheese Bites

Something about cherries is romantic, right? These sauteed cherries with fluffy goat cheese and a bit of sage are a delicious starter to pair with the above Valentine’s Day dinner ideas.

(Vegetarian)

Heart Beet Hummus

What’s more Valentine’s Day appropriate than hot pink hummus? Adding a roasted beet to hummus makes it stunning to look at—and it’s tasty too. You don’t have to cut your veggies to be heart shaped of course: but why not?

(Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Chocolate Cherry Dessert Bites

Here’s one of our favorite Valentine’s Day dinner ideas starring that classic combination: cherries and chocolate! These cherry chocolate dessert bites are so, so delicious and made with clean ingredients. They’re naturally vegan and gluten free, so all eaters can enjoy the goodness.

(Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Tart Cherry Chocolate Galette

Cherry and chocolate again, because why not? Hot off the presses, this rustic chocolate cherry tart is simple to whip up and tastes incredible. The star is our flaky rye pie crust, which our friend’s 7-year-old recently told us was “spectacular” after she tried a piece.

(Vegetarian)

Amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

There’s something so romantic about chocolate, right? This chocolate cake is truly amazing: and it’s naturally dairy free and gluten free as a side bonus! It’s super fudgy and would be perfect with a bit of whipped cream to top. Perfect to end one of the Valentine’s Day dinner ideas above!

(Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Easy Bananas Foster Recipe

Probably at the top of many Valentine’s Day dinner ideas lists is this one: bananas foster! If you like playing with fire, this one’s for you. Our recipe is easy with instructions on how to flambé and get that dramatic flame! And tastes truly incredible.

(Vegetarian, Vegan Option, Gluten Free)

Fudgy Vegan Brownie Recipe

And last in our list of Valentine’s Day dinner ideas: fudgy vegan brownies! There’s nothing more romantic than a chocolate dessert, and this would be the perfect finale to a delicious romantic vegan dinner.

(Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free)

Listen

Listen to our love-themed Valentine’s podcast.

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About the Authors

Sonja Overhiser

Cookbook Author and writer

Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.

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Alex Overhiser

Cookbook Author and photographer

Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.

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