19 High-Calorie Vegan Foods For Healthy Weight Gain: Tips & Vegan Grocery List For Weight Gain

In this blog post, we will be covering all the high calories of vegan foods to make your perfect vegan grocery list for weight gain. 

Gaining weight is a process to ensure that you make progress toward your ideal weight goals. It is important to implement certain foods into your diet.

How do vegans bulk up fast?

Vegans can bulk up fast in a number of different ways such as consumer products such as vegan protein powders and vegan protein bars. Vegans can also bulk up by consuming a high-calorie diet and including some really good and healthy fatty acid-rich foods in their diets such as quality peanut butter and avocados.

 Lastly, vegans can of course bulk up by implementing some of the foods mentioned into their diet and working out in the gym to build muscle.

Below we have 19 high-calorie vegan foods for healthy weight gain

BEST VEGAN GROCEREY LIST FOR WEIGHT GAIN

1. Nuts and Nut Butters

According to data from the USDA, the calorie and fat content on average:

Peanut butter calories per 100 grams = 588 calories and 49 grams of fat 

Almond butter calories per 100 grams = 614 calories  and 56 grams of fat

Almonds calories per 100 grams = 576 calories and 51 grams of fat

Peanuts calories per 100 grams = 567 calories 

Nut butters and nuts are high in calories and high in fats which is why adding them to your diet can really help you to gain weight. Consuming nuts on a daily basis will have many benefits, it is also high in protein which is great for building muscle (this includes glutes)  if you are working out. 

You can have nuts and nut butters in a variety of ways

• Nuts and almonds dry to just snack on 
• Nut butters as a topping on toast, pancakes, crackers, etc; (ensure you choose nut butters with clean ingredients, not the generic sweet high sugar ones)

The Justin’s classic peanut butter is tried, tasted and has positive reviews. It has only 2 ingredients; palm oil and peanuts which is good and is high in calories (630 calories per 100 grams = 6 table spoons). 

You can buy this Justin's classic peanut butter on amazon and they also have a Justin's classic almond butter which is really good to. 

2. Avocado 

According to data from the USDA, the calorie and fat content on average:

Avocado calories per 100 grams (half an avocado) = 167 calories and 12 grams of fat.

Avocados are high in fats and calories which is why they are a great choice to eat when trying to put on weight.

3. Quinoa 

Quinoa isn’t the highest in calories or fat but is incredibly high in protein which can play a vital role in gaining weight and muscle. 

Quinoa is available in grocery stores however compared to other grains like rice it can be expensive. With quinoa, it is better to purchase a larger bag online to save money.

The alternative to purchasing online would be looking in your local grocery stores and comparing prices.

Quinoa calories per 100 grams = 120 calories and 2 grams of fat

4. Tahini 

Tahini can be brought in most stores quite easily.

According to the USDA tahini calorie content is as follows:
Tahini calories per 100 grams= 595 calories and 53 grams of fat

5. Olive Oil

Olive oil rich in healthy fats and high in calories so it is obvious that this would be great to add to your diet when looking to gain weight.

Olive oil can be used in multiple ways and is easily brought in stores. An easy way to incorporate olive oil into your diet would add it to recipes such as hummus, tahini, and salad dressing. 

6. Dried Fruit 

Consuming dried fruits can be a great food source to gain weight. Dried fruits have a high in sugar content and have a higher calorie content compared to fresh fruits. Dried fruits can be consumed as a snack or incorporated into recipes such as granola and protein bars.

According to the USDA research the average calorie content in dried fruits:

Dried fruit calories per 100 grams = 359 calories per 100 grams

7. Legumes

Legumes are not high in fat or particularly high in calories however they are a great source of protein. This can be great for those looking to gain weight because protein plays a big role in muscle growth. 

According to the USDA, the calorie intake is as follows: 

Legumes calories per 100 grams = 116 calories (lentils example)

8. Smoothies

Making smoothies can be a absolutely great way to increase your calorie intake because you can add so many high calorie ingredients into one smoothie: 

• Protein powder 

• Avocado 

• Hemp seeds 

• Spirulina 

• Nut butters  

Of course smoothies vary, we do not have an exact amount of fat per 100 ml however the sky is really your limit because you are able to adjust the recipe to match your dietary needs.

9. Rice

According to the USDA, the calorie intake is as follows: 

Rice calories per 100 grams = 130 calories and 0.28 grams in fat

10.  Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which your body needs to consume.

Chia seeds are high in protein and healthy fatty acids which make them a great choice to add to your diet when looking for a high calorie vegan food. Chia seeds are great in: 

• Smoothies 
• Chia puddings 
• Baking recipes (often used as an egg replacer in vegan baking recipes)

According to the USDA, the calorie content of chia seeds is: 

Chia seeds calories per 100 grams is 486 calories and 8.4 gram of fat.

Click Here For - 2023 Best Vegan Pantry Staples: Healthy Vegan Essential That You Need In Your Vegan Household !

11. Hemp Seeds

Hemp seeds are similar to chia seeds but contain almost double the protein which we’ve mentioned before, protein plays a crucial role when adding muscle. 

An effective way to gain weight or to achieve the desired ‘bulk physic’, you have to build muscle. For those mixing workouts to their weight gain journey, hemp seeds are a perfect addition.

According to the USDA, the calorie content of hemp seeds is: 

Hemp seeds calories per 100 grams = 600 calories and 50 grams of fat. 

12. Vegan Protein Powders

Okay, vegan protein powders can be so helpful when looking to gain weight! You can actually buy vegan protein powders that are complete meal replacers. Whilst I would not recommend relying on meal replacers, adding the quality powders to your e.g smoothies can be a great way to gain weight. 

It is known that when you heat certain nutrients,  the nutrient content can decrease which is why I prefer to consume some of my favourite nutrients in smoothies where there is no heat involved e.g vegan protein powders and hemp seeds.

There are loads of good vegan protein powders on the market, however some of them taste insanely strong.  I would personally recommend huel after trying a lot on the market, this came out on top for me.

Huel vegan protein powder is 400 calories per 100 grams.

• Contains probiotics which are great for your gut bacteria 
• Complete meal replacements (contains everything you need in a balanced meal even b12) 
• The flavour is actually NICE (after trying a lot of vegan proteins this is hands down the best in flavour, quite a similar flavour to oats plus the added flavour like e.g vanilla) 
• Comes in large quantities, the bags are BIG so good value for money.

13. Vegan Protein Bars

Vegan protein bars can be super dense with high protein ingredients such as oats and chia seeds. These ingredients are great for muscle growth and assisting you on a weight gain journey.

They can also have a high sugar content due to the use of dried fruits in them. Be sure to add protein bars with clean ingredients to your vegan grocery list for weight gain! 

14. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a great way to add weight because it is high in fatty acids. You can add a scoop to baking recipes or even cook with it.

 Coconut oil is also used as the base of many vegan alternative products such as vegan cheese. Incorporating some of these products into your diet can boost up your calories and fat intake. 

15. Homemade Granola

Making your own homemade granola can be an excellent step to take to gain weight. Similar to smoothies, you are in complete control of what you add to it. This freedom allows you to add a variety of high calories vegan foods and ingredients to your recipes.

Oats alone are a great source of protein which is good for muscle growth but you can really have fun with the recipes and add all sorts such as

• Hemps (high protein and healthy fats)

• Chia seeds (high protein and healthy fats)

• Dates (High calories)

• Nuts (high calories and fat)

The combination of multiple high protein, high calorie vegan foods is of course bound to be an effective recipe to help you gain weight. 

Below we have found a good basic homemade vegan granola recipe and you can of course add ingredients to make it more calorific.

16. Tofu

Firm tofu can be a great source of vegan protein which as we mentioned multiple times, protein plays a vital role in muscle gain. Putting on weight can be done in a variety of ways.

Consuming a decent amount of firm tofu can boost up your calorie intake and also provide you with a really good source of vegan protein. In addition you can pair it with some other high calories vegan foods such as avocado.

According to the USDA, the calorie content:

Calories per 100 gram of Tofu = 145 calories

17. Dates

Dates are a sneakily high calorie food that would surprise a lot of people.

In just one date, you can consume 20 calories. Realistically this is a snack where it is easy to get carried away with because of its lovely caramel-like texture and sweetness (medjool dates). 

Adding dates to your diet can have multiple health benefits as it is high in fiber but it can assist you on your weight gain journey. Dates are versatile:

• Eaten whole as a snack
• Added to baking recipes (makes brownie recipes more gooey) 
• In smoothies 
• In common recipes such as granola and protein bars

According to the USDA research, the calorie content: 

Calories per 100 grams Dates = 282 calories 

18. Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate comes with many different variations of sugar content and fat content due to the differences between specific chocolate brands. 

Consuming dark chocolate with clean ingredients can be beneficial to your weight gain journey because it contains fats and sugar. It is best to not consume in excess however it is an ingredient to incorporate in your diet.

You can add dark chocolate into your baking recipes or even your protein bars recipes.

You can also just purchase dark chocolate as a snack. Having dark chocolate in the fridge can also prevent you, in your times of temptation, from consuming a much more unhealthy alternative to satisfy your sweet cravings.

According to the USDA research dark chocolate calories:

Dark chocolate calories per 100 grams = 604 calories

19. Hummus

Hummus, similar to smoothies can be dense with healthy fats and high in protein because they are blended recipes. 

Hummus usually contains tahini (sesame seeds based), chickpeas (high in protein) and olive oil.

These ingredients make it a perfect for a healthy weight gain food, pairing hummus with another high-calorie vegan food would be very effective.

According to USDA calories per 100 grams hummus = hummus 177 calories 

How do vegans get their fat intake?  

Vegans can get their fat intake from multiple sources such as avocado which contain essential fatty acids and nuts which are also high in fat especially if consumed in the form of nut butters. 

Vegans have a variety of fat food sources available to them that not only contain high amounts of fat in grams but are also rich in other nutrients and vitamins such as fiber.

What is a good menu for gaining weight?

A good menu for gaining weight would consist of high protein nutrition foods with a good amount of healthy fats such as avocado, nuts and nut butters.

Gaining weight can vary from person to person as some may just want to gain some extra ‘fluff’ and others may want to bulk up by gaining muscle and increasing their calorie intake, either way, you want to ensure you do it in the healthiest way possible rather than resorting to unhealthy processed foods to gain weight.

There are many different foods to implement into your diet when trying to gain weight.

You have just the 19 best high calorie vegan foods that make up the perfect vegan grocery list for weight gain!