Vegan Ceviche

The secret ingredient in this vegan ceviche? Hearts of palm! It’s the tangy, citrusy, super fresh, seafood-free appetizer you need in your life this summer.

This Christmas, we decided to go an untraditional route and cook a Cuban-inspired 5 course meal for the whole family. We chose ceviche as an appetizer, which is not actually traditionally Cuban (it’s actually Peruvian!), but we wanted something light and fresh before heavy main dishes.

We found a few great regular ceviche recipes made with shrimp, but we couldn’t find a vegan recipe that we really loved. So we made our own!

It’s not totally traditional (see: strawberries), but boy is it GOOD.

Hearts of palm are the perfect sub for shrimp. They have great texture and a relatively neutral taste (similar to artichokes) that takes on the flavor of the marinade. We also used them in these amazing vegan crab cakes!

Even better, this vegan ceviche comes together in about 15 minutes! You can enjoy it right away, or let it sit for an hour to soak up all of that delicious flavor.

Either way, it’s best served simply with salty tortilla strips, or honestly, straight from the bowl. It’s a great appetizer, side dish, light lunch, or whatever else you want it to be!

Bring a batch to your next summer bbq; even your non-vegan friends will go back for seconds.

Ingredients

Traditional Peruvian ceviche is made with a few simple ingredients, including fresh, raw fish, citrus juice, and a few other seasonings like salt, chili, cilantro and onion.

Our vegan version is more vegetable-heavy with the addition of several fresh produce items. Plus, instead of fish, we use hearts of palm, which are a great vegan option!

• Red onion: make sure to finely dice your red onion so you don’t have any huge chunks. If you’re sensitive to raw onion, rinse the diced onion in boiling water for 10-15 seconds before adding to the ceviche.
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumber: peeled or unpeeled, seeds or no seeds; depends on your preference!
• Bell pepper: yellow or orange
• Avocado: the riper, the better!
• Strawberries: optional, but we love the added sweetness and pop of color. You could also use mango or peaches.
• Hearts of palm: you can find hearts of palm in the canned vegetable section. Slice into rounds. If you don’t like them, you could also use white beans.
• Fresh Cilantro
• Jalapeño
• Salt
• Lime juice: freshly squeezed, ALWAYS!
• Olive oil

Instructions

Good news: this vegan ceviche couldn’t be any easier to prepare!

Chop up all of your produce (the closer in size, the better), add to a large bowl, add your seasonings and toss well.

If you’re short on time, you can eat it right away. If you have extra time, we suggest letting it marinade in the fridge for an hour before enjoying.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Serve with…

Tortilla chips. Extra salty, locally-made tortilla chips are my favorite (they’re usually the best tasting), but any will do.

Alternatively, you can serve this ceviche as a side salad to a grilled protein like these Tofu Kebabs. It’s so light, fresh, tangy and flavorful. It’s even great just on its own!

More vegan appetizers you’ll love

• Vegan Crab Cakes with Tartar Sauce
• Homemade Hummus 4 Ways
• Vegan Cheese Ball
• Strawberry Peach Bruschetta
• Polenta Fries with Marinara

If you make this vegan ceviche recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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