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Home » Gluten-Free » Vegan Zucchini Avocado Grilled Cheese

Vegan Zucchini Avocado Grilled Cheese

By Stacey Homemaker on September 3, 2020 21 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.
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Loaded with thinly sliced zucchini, fresh spinach, juicy tomatoes, vegan provolone cheese, creamy avocado, and a flavorful pesto spread, this delicious vegan grilled cheese sandwich is pressed until golden and crispy and ready to eat in 15 minutes!

A vegan grilled cheese sandwich cut in half and stacked on top of each other with a white plate behind it on a rustic background.

This is the ultimate vegan grilled cheese sandwich! The combination of savory pesto, melted vegan provolone cheese, zucchini, tomatoes, fresh spinach, and creamy avocado pressed between two slices of crispy Ezekiel bread is so delicious! This meal is easy to make and assemble in just about 15 minutes, it's a great option for a quick and satisfying lunch or dinner. 

How Do You Melt Vegan Cheese Slices? 

Just like you melt dairy-based cheese slices, you have to heat the vegan cheese to melt it. The easiest way is to use a sandwich press so the heat comes from the top and bottom, but you could also toast the sandwich in a covered pan. By covering the pan, the heat is trapped and it will help to melt the cheese. 

How To Make It - Step by Step Instructions

First, use a hand mandolin to thinly slice long thin pieces of zucchini to use as the sandwich "meat." Next, lay two pieces of bread on a plate. Spread pesto sauce on one piece of bread. On the other piece, stack one slice of vegan cheese, a couple of slices of zucchini, tomato slices, avocado, and a handful of fresh spinach. Top with one more piece of cheese, put the second piece of bread on top, and use your palm to lightly press it down.

Use a misto to spray a very light coat of avocado oil on the outside of both slices of bread. This will help the bread to get crispy and develop grill marks while it's pressing. 

A pressed grilled cheese with dark grill marks on top of a piece of parchment paper with a white plate behind it on a rustic background.

Lastly, press the vegan grilled cheese sandwich in a press for a few minutes until it's golden and crispy or you could heat it in a pan over medium heat until the cheese melts. If you cook it in a pan, cover it to keep the heat in (to melt the cheese), and use a spatula to press the top of the sandwich down every few minutes. After a few minutes, flip the sandwich and let the other side cook for 2-3 minutes.

What is the Best Vegan Cheese to Use? 

I've tried a lot of vegan cheese brands over the years. Any of the following brands of vegan cheese will make an excellent grilled cheese! They all taste delicious, they melt well, and the texture is spot on.

  • Violife Smoked Provolone Slices
  • Violife Mature Cheddar Slices 
  • Follow Your Heart Pepper Jack Slices
  • Follow Your Heart Smoked Gouda Slices
  • Chao Creamy Original Slices

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve the vegan avocado grilled cheese with a side of fruit, kale chips, or Hippeas, but it's especially delicious to dip it into a bowl of creamy roasted red pepper tomato soup. It's a classic comfort food combo! Any of the following recipes would make a great vegan side dish to go with the sandwich for lunch or dinner. 

  • Sesame Ginger Coleslaw
  • Lemon Tahini Courgette Salad
  • Wheat Berry Salad
  • Quinoa Spinach Salad

How to Store & Reheat It

If you want to save half of the vegan grilled cheese sandwich for another meal, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. When you're ready to eat it, it's best to reheat it in a sandwich press or in a pan on the stove. However, I wouldn't freeze it because the fresh ingredients won't defrost well. 

Substitutions & FAQ

  • Cheese Substitutions: Instead of using vegan cheese, you could use a few dollops of roasted red pepper hummus or vegan chive cream cheese (I use Kite Hill).
  • Pesto Substitutions: I used store-bought pesto (from Sprouts) to save time, but you could make homemade vegan pesto if you want to or skip it and use another spread. Vegan chipotle mayo, pistachio kale sauce, vegan ranch, or creamy garlic aioli can be used as a spread instead of pesto. 
  • What brand of vegan cheese should I use? You can use any type of vegan cheese that you like, but I recommend Violife, Follow Your Heart, or Chao slices because they taste delicious and they melt well. 
  • What bread should I use? Any vegan bread (see my favorite brands, here) can be used, but I usually use Ezekiel bread because that's what I keep on hand to make my favorite high-protein avocado toast that we eat for breakfast a lot. 
  • Vegetable Options: If you want to add more veggies to the sandwich, roasted mushrooms, fire-roasted red peppers, sliced red onions, artichoke hearts, cucumber slices, thinly sliced red cabbage, or carrot sticks would be tasty additions. 
  • Gluten-Free? To make this sandwich gluten-free, you need to use gluten-free vegan bread. Most vegan cheeses are gluten-free, but check the package ingredients just to be sure. 

Success Tips

  • The easiest way to slice zucchini into thin slices is to use a hand mandolin. If you don't have one, you can slice the zucchini into coins by hand with a sharp knife. 
  • Use a misto to spray a light layer of avocado oil on the top and bottom of the sandwich. When you press or heat the sandwich in a pan, the oil will help the bread to develop a crispy golden crust. 
  • Pressing the vegan grilled cheese in a press is the easiest way to get those beautiful grilled marks. If you don't have a press, you can heat the grilled cheese sandwich in a pan.
  • Use one of the vegan cheese brands that I recommended earlier in the post, or use a vegan cheese that you've tasted before so you know that you like the flavor and are sure that it melts well. Some vegan cheeses can have a weird aftertaste or they don't melt very well. 
  • Put one piece of vegan cheese beneath the veggies and one above, so when the cheese melts it melts into the veggies and holds it all together. 

A sandwich cut in half and stacked on top of each other on top of a piece of parchment paper next to a white plate and half an avocado.

Want More Vegan Pesto Recipes?

Vegan Pesto Pasta Casserole

Pesto Spinach Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes

Pesto Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Green Pea Pesto Lentils 

Want more easy vegan recipes? First, read this Step-by-Step Guide to Veganism and then join our vegan Facebook community below!

I could eat this avocado zucchini grilled cheese sandwich every day! My favorite grilled cheese sammie ever!

Vegan Zucchini Avocado Grilled Cheese

Loaded with thinly sliced zucchini, fresh spinach, juicy tomatoes, vegan provolone cheese, creamy avocado, and a flavorful pesto spread, this delicious vegan grilled cheese sandwich is pressed until golden and crispy and ready to eat in 15 minutes!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1 sandwich
Calories: 591kcal
Author: Stacey Eckert

Equipment

  • Sandwich Press or Medium-Sized Pan

Ingredients

  • 2 slices Ezekiel bread (Use gluten-free bread if necessary)
  • 1 tbsp pesto
  • 2 slices vegan provolone cheese
  • 1 small zucchini (sliced into thin layers or coins)
  • 1 small roma tomato
  • ½ ripe avocado (sliced or mashed)
  • 1 cup fresh spinach
  • 1 tsp avocado oil
  • ⅛ tsp garlic powder

Instructions

  • Use a hand mandolin to slice the zucchini into long thin pieces to use as the sandwich “meat”. 
  • Lay two pieces of bread on a plate. Spread pesto on one piece of bread. On top of the second piece, stack one slice of vegan provolone, thinly sliced zucchini, sliced tomatoes, avocado, spinach, and the second piece of provolone.
  • Put the other piece of bread on top of the sandwich and press down lightly. Spray a light layer of avocado oil on the top and bottom of the sandwich and sprinkle a little bit of garlic powder on both sides.
  • Press the sandwich in a press for 3-5 minutes or until both sides are golden and crispy and the cheese has melted. Or you can put the sandwich in a covered pan over medium heat, using a spatula to press the top of the sandwich down every few minutes. After a few minutes, flip the sandwich and let it cook for 2-3 more minutes.
  • Let the sandwich cool for 1-2 minutes and then slice it in half before serving.

Notes

  • The easiest way to slice zucchini into thin slices is to use a hand mandolin. If you don't have one, you can slice the zucchini into coins by hand with a sharp knife. 
  • Use one of the vegan cheese brands that I recommended earlier in the post, or use a vegan cheese that you've tasted before so you know that you like the flavor and are sure that it melts well. 
  • Put one piece of vegan cheese beneath the veggies and one above, so when the cheese melts it melts into the veggies and holds it all together. 
  • You can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Reheat the sandwich in a press or in a pan on the stove, but don't freeze it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 591kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 1322mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4349IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 372mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Please rate it and leave a comment below if you have any feedback! If you post a picture on Instagram, please tag @Stacey_Homemaker and use the hashtag #StaceyHomemaker so I can see your delicious creation!

*This recipe was originally posted on 5/28/15 but I updated it with better recipe instructions on 9/3/20. 

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Semi-Homemade Vegan Spanakopita »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tara

    October 06, 2019 at 10:22 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing flavor!! My husband and I devoured it! I added tomatoes too. I think the tomato is missing in the recipe, but has it in the picture. Thank you so much for the recipe, will be making again soon.

    Reply
    • Stacey Homemaker

      October 07, 2019 at 10:28 am

      I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed the sandwich, Tara! Thank you for the feedback, I just updated the recipe card with the tomato =) Have a great day!

      Reply
  2. Claudia

    July 29, 2019 at 6:24 pm

    5 stars
    OMG !!! What a delicious summer grilled cheese sandwich! Loved it!!! Hubby loves avocado so this was perfect!! Will definitely make again!

    Reply
    • Stacey Homemaker

      July 31, 2019 at 9:46 am

      Thanks, Claudia! I'm glad you both enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  3. Lory

    August 09, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    Can I use tofu instead of cheese ? This looks
    Sooo good that I want to try make it

    Reply
    • Stacey Homemaker

      August 09, 2017 at 10:53 pm

      Hello! Sure, I don't see why not. I love tofu, I think it would be delicious in this recipe!

      Reply
  4. Michelle

    May 29, 2015 at 7:40 pm

    I love my Misto Oil spray! This looks delish! Definitely saving this recipe!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 29, 2015 at 8:36 pm

      Thank you, Michelle!

      Reply
  5. Jessica

    May 29, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    O.M.G....this looks so delicious and has all my favorite things in it. I had to pin this and I WILL be making this sandwich!

    Reply
  6. Rita @ How Fantastic

    May 29, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    This is certainly a step up from the grilled cheese I had as a kid. Pinning!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 29, 2015 at 7:08 pm

      Me too, thank you!

      Reply
  7. Meg @ Green With Decor

    May 29, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    Wow, this looks awesome!! Love cheese and avocado! Pinned to make soon!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 29, 2015 at 7:09 pm

      I hope you like it! =)

      Reply
  8. Heather @ The Nerdy Fox

    May 29, 2015 at 5:18 pm

    You had me at avocado and sold me with zucchini. My favorites.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 29, 2015 at 7:09 pm

      Same here! Thanks!

      Reply
  9. Chelsea @chelseasmessyapron

    May 29, 2015 at 9:23 am

    What a fun way to jazz up a grilled cheese - these flavors sound divine!! I love anything with avocado and zucchini 🙂

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 29, 2015 at 11:16 am

      Thanks! Me too, I put avocado on everything! =)

      Reply
  10. Sandy Dumala

    May 28, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    5 stars
    This looks DELICIOUS!!! I can hardly wait to make it!!! Love ALL your recipes! Each one is better than the next!!! Such an attractive picture...u can practically taste it!!! Nice job!!!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 28, 2015 at 8:44 pm

      Thank you so much! I hope you like it as much as I do, it's one of my favorites!

      Reply
  11. Barbara

    May 28, 2015 at 5:41 pm

    I LOVE grilled cheese. These look absolutely delicious. Will try. Thank you!

    Reply

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