Vegan Hot Pot: Complete Guide

Vegan hot pot is more of an experience than a meal and more of an assembly than a recipe. Of course, there are a few elements to pull together and a random piece of kitchen equipment you might need to dust off. But with an extension cord and a dozen little dishes to serve sauces, you're on the path to a low-stress festive dinner with family and friends.

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A few years ago, our close friend, who happened to be from France, fell in love with a Cantonese woman visiting the states. That relationship added a unique layer of excitement to our friend group since she despised American food and would instead direct us to all the great local Chinese restaurants. This led us to the magical land of hotpot, a fine place to find oneself.

She shared with us hot pot etiquette, what to order, and how to host a hot pot party at home. Those tidbits I'll discuss in this post, so let's dive in!

Use this section to jump to areas of interest within the post:

Jump to:

• What you’ll need:
• Ingredients
• Broth
• Dipping Sauce
• Instructions
• Top tip
• FAQ
• Hot Pot Playlist: Check it out!
• Vegan Hot Pot

What you’ll need:

🍲 Pot to cook in

There are three cooking options for hosting a hot pot at home. You might want to buy an induction plate with a separate pot or an all-in-one with a heating element attached. Some pots also come with a partition, with is useful when making two broth flavors or assigning sides.

If you want to save money and real estate in the kitchen cupboard, you can use an Instant Pot or dutch oven on the stovetop.

You'll likely need an extension cord and a table that allows the hot pot to be within everyone's reach.

🍜 Strainer ladles

Used to fish for food, these tools of the trade are common in Asian markets or online. Since I was a pot specifically for the hot pot, I found that these strainers work great. Although if you're using the instant pot, you'll notice it's much deeper, and a strainer like this one might be more useful.

🥢 Chopsticks

You'll need enough for all guests to have their own set. You'll need a couple of extra spares to grab food from the pot to keep things clean.

🥣 Small bowls

Everyone gets their own bowl, plus you'll need a dozen small dishes to dole out sauces and extras.

Ingredients

A vegan hot pot has four main food categories beyond the broth and sauces: vegetables, mushrooms, noodles, and tofu (always firm). Have a few of each, and your meal is complete! In this section, I'll share grocery list suggestions.

Vegetables:

There are two types of vegetables when it comes to hot pot, those that absorb flavors and those that give flavor. For instance, tomatoes give flavor, while bok choy gets flavor.

Leafy greens - wintercress, spinach, bok choy, napa cabbage, Tong Hao.

Root vegetables (sliced) - potato, sweet potato, taro, pumpkin, lotus root, daikon.

Tomatoes - Roma, beefsteak, or heirloom.

Mushrooms:

Edible mushrooms absorb and add flavor. With nearly a half dozen varieties that work perfectly with this cooking method, it's a wonderful opportunity to try something new.

• Shiitake, stem removed
• Oyster, sliced
• White or brown beech
• Enoki
• Black fungus dried and then rehydrated

Firm tofu:

The night before, grab firm or extra-firm tofu and throw it in the freezer. Fetch it early in the morning and set it out to thaw. This can be done days ahead as well and stored in the refrigerator. Frozen tofu will result in a spongey tofu texture that's prepped to suck up the flavorful broth.

Slice the tofu into small rectangular or square blocks before serving. Tip: go 50/50 with spongey and smooth tofu! Depending on the number of guests, have at least one package per person.

You can also use fried tofu purchased from the store.

Noodles (and dumplings):

The noodles' main job is picking up the broth's flavor. There are many types of noodles, from vermicelli to udon. I pick handmade fresh noodles from the Asian market, it absorbs flavor and has a slurpable texture.

• Fresh handmade noodles (be sure to look at the ingredients to avoid eggs)
• Udon
• Ramen
• Vermicelli (a gluten-free option made with rice noodles)
• Sweet potato silk noodles (gluten-free)

This section also holds veggie dumplings, steamed or fried, stuffed buns, and Chinese scallion pancakes that also fit the bill.

Broth

Scour the internet, and you'll find that (Guo Di/锅底) hot pot broth varies on a spectrum as wide as the Grand Canyon. From light herbal to thick and spicy, there's a broth for everyone. You might notice packaged bladders of pre-made broth - I'm not a fan. They have a laundry list of preserved ingredients, mostly hard to pronounce, and never end up tasting as good as the homemade ones.

Since minimal cooking is involved in this meal, I recommend making the broth yourself.

I've added the ingredients of my go-to broth below, with full details inside the recipe card. Here are the broth ingredients:

Mild Soup Base - vegetable or mushroom stock, tomato, scallions, sliced ginger, garlic cloves, bay leaves, cilantro, white onion, star of anise, red chili peppers.

Dipping Sauce

The world within hot pot dipping sauces is limited only by your imagination or the outer limits of desire. There are nearly as many recipes out there as their eaters! Restaurants throw you into the driver's seat with a buffet-style sauce station.

Common ingredients include chopped scallions, minced garlic, sesame oil, peanut butter, and chili crisp. It will probably take a few trips, but you'll find what you like. It helps to remember that dipping sauce is a flavor addition and no pressure; it's optional.

I've singled out two here, as they represent popular sides of the sauce spectrum:

Barbara's Favorite Sauce - I usually will grab a bottle of coconut aminos over soy sauce. It's a bit sweeter, and soy sauce tends to cause a puffiness I like to avoid. I whip this sauce up often to slather over tofu, pour it into a pan of lo mein noodles, or rub on a head of cauliflower. It has coconut aminos, minced garlic, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and chili flakes.

Spicy Chili Sauce - for the heat enthusiasts at the table. This all-purpose sauce is poured over anything, making it perfect for a hot pot. It has garlic chili sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, scallions, and soy sauce.

I also like to put out store-bought condiments like chili crisp, sweet chili oil, and coconut aminos or plain soy sauce.

The exact recipe measurements are found in the recipe card below.

Instructions

Steps to a flawless, low-stress hot pot experience: cut everything up nicely – the tofu in square blocks, the greens into attractive bites. Pile everything on a large platter, ensure the hot pot is within everyone’s reach, and you’ve got the party playlist bumpin'. Your work is done!

1. Prepare the broth in a large pan on the stove. If using an Instant Pot, skip the stove.
2. Slice the vegetables, square the tofu, and set up the mushrooms by separating and chopping off their ends. If you're serving dumplings and/or scallion pancakes, prep those while the broth simmers.
3. Set up the sauce station by placing the ingredients in small bowls.
4. Arrange the table with the pot in the center, transfer the broth once the group is ready to dine, and turn the heating element on.

Tips:

🍲 Wait for the broth to boil - don't add any items until the pot is boiling. Turn the heating element to medium-high. It should be simmering, not violently boiling.

🍲 Don't overstuff the pot - this affects cook time and risks overflow, damaging the heating element.

🍲 Use good etiquette - use the shared chopsticks or tongs to add ingredients and the ladles to remove them. Keeping your personal utensils out of the pot is the only rule.

FAQ

Hot Pot Playlist: Check it out!

Looking for other recipes? Try these:

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