Traditionally, Oktoberfest is celebrated during the last week of September through the first weekend in October. And although beer is center stage, food is a big part of the fun too! Here are a few ideas for veganizing Oktoberfest for your friends and family.

Have a vegan beer tasting! PETA has an exhaustive list of vegan beers, including lots of familiar brand names. You may want to try Sprecher Brewing Company, which makes traditional (vegan) European beers and actually sells a beer called Oktoberfest (pictured above). Of course, organic is always best. Some of my favorite beers are Samuel Smith Organic Ale and Lager and Pinkus beers from Merchant du Vin. Not exactly traditional Oktoberfest beers, but they’re really good!

For your menu, start with Field Roast Sausages (the smoked apple ones are my fav) and sauerkraut. Pickled foods like sauerkraut are an important part of the superhero diet, so dig in! But if you want to be super healthy, the best kind of sauerkraut has nothing in it but cabbage and salt. This variety lives in the refrigerated section of the store and is very pure.

Other traditional dishes that you can easily veganize include knodel (potato or bread dumplings), kasspatzn (cheese noodles – does anyone have a vegan recipe for this?), and reiberdatschi (potato pancakes). You can also get creative and veganize other traditional dishes.

Are there any vegan Oktoberfest events happening near you? Share them in the comments below, and tell me how you plan to celebrate!