Vegan Dating Without the Bull

The Short Version: Vegan dating expert Karine Lang founded FindVegLove, a service that brings together vegan and vegetarian singles in the U.S. and Canada. She told us about her work and how vegans can find happiness and companionship through dating.

Four years into being vegan, I’ve worked with a number of animal rights groups in cities throughout the South. Of all the vegans and activists I’ve come across, I can name exactly two single vegan men: my brother and my old boss.

At times, my vegan dating pool seems practically nonexistent.

Every committed relationship I’ve had has been with a non-vegan; I’ve never dated a fellow vegan. Those relationships brought different degrees of frustration about my beliefs, my diet, and veganism in general.

I recall one relationship that was a few months in and starting to get serious. One night, out on a walk, he asked why I was vegan. We’d talked about it already; my veganism was no secret to him, and I believed I’d explained my reasons well enough. His question took me by surprise.

I gave him my standard explanation: at 19 years old, I went vegan after seeing an online video that followed a typical dairy cow’s life from birth all the way to slaughter. Going vegan altered what I ate and the products I purchased, but above all, it altered the way I looked at the world.

Karine specializes in dating for vegans and vegetarians.

His response? “But I was thinking, what if we’re at a restaurant with no other options? It’s not very convenient.”

Rather than appreciating one of the most important choices I’ve ever made, my boyfriend appeared to be waiting for me to give up veganism. We broke up not long after.

Vegan dating is complicated, particularly when you want a partner who’s vegan or veg. Karine Lang, a coach and expert in vegan dating, helps clients find their veg matches. She spoke with us about FindVegLove, her service, and about why vegetarians and vegans can find dating hard.

“Vegans are a very small percentage of the population, but it’s growing every day,” Karine said. “And that really narrows things. Just the two of you being vegan doesn’t ensure you’ll be a great match. There has to be compatibility elsewhere, too.”

Food, Ethics, and Romance

Plenty of vegans see their veganism as bigger than what’s on their plate. Living vegan brings other shifts, too, like the cosmetics, household goods, and clothes you buy. It reaches into many corners of life that non-vegans may not know about.

Early on, just finding a restaurant where everyone can eat can be tricky. Vegans also tend to get questioned about their beliefs early in dating, and the response isn’t always understanding.

Vegans frequently end up unpacking and debunking a date’s stereotypes or misconceptions on a first date. Believe me, it’s no fun.

When that happens over and over, dating gets draining. Finding someone who respects your choices shouldn’t be difficult, yet for vegans it often is.

Be curious about how your date approaches food.

Vegan dating calls for understanding and patience. Food is more than fuel; it’s bound up with tradition, cultural identity, symbolism, and social ties. Vegans and non-vegans alike bring their own food beliefs and sensitivities to the table, and disagreements can inflame them.

Vegans and non-vegans can work through their differences and build relationships that are wonderful and fulfilling. I’ve been in a few! Still, lots of vegans want long-term partners who get where they’re coming from and empathize with it.

Dating a fellow vegan can spare you the needless judgment, criticism, and emotional labor of defending your beliefs again and again that dating a non-vegan might involve. Most estimates place the U.S. vegan population at a little over 1.5 million.

So if you want a vegan partner, you’re already fishing in a pool of under 1% of the country’s population, which can feel like looking for one particular needle in a haystack. Karine started FindVegLove for exactly that reason: to help vegans find one another and build fulfilling relationships.

FindVegLove Brings Plant-Based Singles Together

By 2008, Karine was living in California and had been vegan for years. “I had a bunch of vegan friends who were always saying they couldn’t find any vegan men,” she recalled. “And I thought to myself– they have to be out here. I mean, this is California, there’s so many!”

Back then, she ran a vegan event planning company that organized product launches, trade shows, and vegan weddings. It dawned on her that her skills as an event planner could be a huge help to her single friends.

“I decided to help my friends out and host a speed dating event just for vegans and vegetarians,” Karine said. “The very first one was in Berkeley, and then I found out a few years later that a couple met there, got married,  and had kids. When I discovered the first event’s success, I knew what to do.”

Events held in person are a great way to meet both friends and dates.

Karine grew the idea, adding events throughout California. After moving back home to Canada, she kept hosting them, and the business spread across the country. “It was a huge undertaking,” she told us. “I just saw a need, and I was the only one at the time doing events just for vegans and vegetarians.”

Her vegan speed dating events drew crowds and sparked genuine connections. According to Karine, attendees built friendships, romances, and professional ties, and formed tight-knit communities of vegetarians and vegans.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic locked the world down, Karine saw that she needed a new approach to keep serving vegan singles. Before shifting her focus to coaching, Karine served vegetarian and vegan singles as both a matchmaker and a coach.

“My true passion is coaching because I know that’s what works with people ready to find relationships on their own,” Karine said. “It’s just so powerful and works better in the long run, because you’re giving them the skills they need to do it on their own.”

Dating Help From Vegans, for Vegans

FindVegLove has a lot to offer vegan singles, whether they want a pro’s hands-on help or simply some extra resources. Karine runs group programs and one-on-one coaching that can make a real difference in clients’ love lives.

Built just for veg daters, Vegan Cupid’s Corner is a program that runs online. Every coaching client gets personalized, hands-on attention from Karine, who gets to know each person and their individual background.

The program goes beyond vegan dating tips. Karine helps clients look back on their dating history and map out a plan for what’s next, and her coaching style looks after their social and emotional health.

Whatever someone eats, stay open to a connection.

Karine creates a personalized Veg Love Plan for every client. She also provides resources on all things dating, from communication skills and red flags to expectations and rules.

Thanks to Karine’s experience in event planning and matchmaking, Vegan Cupid’s Corner also includes chances to meet and connect with other veg singles online.

For vegans, dating fellow vegans makes love life simpler in many respects. It isn’t a cure-all, though.

“It’s about being open-minded and realizing you can meet someone who is also vegetarian or vegan in everyday life,” Karine said. “But it’s never about changing someone. But it is possible that when someone meets you and you expose them to veganism, you never know what might happen.”