Meet Jessica Hylton, the creator of Jessica in the Kitchen, where simple and delicious vegan recipes meet warm writing and beautiful photography. Check out our conversation to learn more about how Jessica turns everyday ingredients into extraordinary vegan dishes!
I’ve been a fan of Jessica in the Kitchen for years, always drawn to her beautifully shot images that boldly showcase gorgeous, lush food with warm writing and simple, delicious, and approachable recipes. Jessica’s site is fun to get lost in and shows all the possibilities that vegan food has to offer. I’m so excited to share more about her here and give you a behind-the-scenes peek at what inspires her!
Jessica started cooking at age 15 and has since channeled her passion into an exceptional vegan food blog, cultivating a thriving community for cooks of all skill levels. Her knack for creating recipes that strike a perfect balance between wholesome and indulgent is what keeps me coming back, hungry for what she’ll share next. With a recipe archive of more than 600 recipes, and easy step-by-step instructions, Jessica’s site offers something for everyone. From travel guides to personal posts and cooking tips, Jessica in the Kitchen shows how expansive and exciting vegan cooking can be.
What I admire most is Jessica’s approach to cooking: “I turn on music, remix, try new things, and generally have a great time,” she says, highlighting the creative freedom that keeps her kitchen lively. This resonates so well with me because I think the act of cooking should be just as fun as eating and sharing food with others. This form of connection is simple yet profound, and Jessica has achieved this beautifully in all of her recipes.
Whether it’s in her global dishes like Crispy Teriyaki Tofu, Aloo Gobi, and Jamaican recipes, her super precise and doable vegan desserts featuring Red Velvet Cupcakes, Vegan Tiramisu, and Classic Donuts, (omg) Jessica delivers. Jump into her YouTube channel for even more, and check out her Instagram to get to know her even better.
Her tagline, “Pulled from the earth. Hot from the oven. Straight from the heart,” gracefully captures the essence of her cooking philosophy. Cooking with Jessica feels like stepping into a friend’s kitchen—a place where simple, delicious meals are prepared with care and creativity. From decadent dinners to helpful how-tos, exploring Jessica’s recipes is an invitation to create something amazing.
Read on to discover what Jessica would serve at her dream party, the best dishes she’s ever made, and what kitchen gadget she can’t live without. If you find yourself inspired by our conversation, subscribe to Jessica’s newsletter for a lovely way to stay connected and receive a free ebook with weeknight vegan dinners.
Let’s dive into the Q&A!
When did you start cooking? What aspect of cooking has kept you interested?
I started cooking around the age of 15! Oh great question, probably the fact that you can make the same dish 1,000 ways depending on the mood you’re in, the ingredients you have, and the comfort level you have with the dish itself/in the kitchen. It keeps it interesting and keeps things new. But you can also make things the exact same way, which can satisfy a specific craving or comfort point!
Jessica’s Recipe Development Process
How do you approach recipe development and what inspires your creative ideas? Could you also share any challenges you face in this process?
The truth is the process looks different not than it did years ago. I’m at the point now where I can guess what a recipe should be, then test it out from there, vs in the past taking a lot more rounds to get a recipe just right. The recipes are always tested, just that they end up being “perfect” the first or second time around more often now!
A lot of dishes have similar cooking/baking methods, and from there, it’s just about customisation. Doing a lot of research on food science helps a lot so you know the chemistry behind which ingredients will react to what, and being knowledgeable on spices helps a lot too. In terms of inspiration, everything from travel to documentaries to requests from my readers. Sometimes it’s wanting to recreate a specific dish we had at a restaurant or a flavour profile.
In terms of challenges, trying to make something vegan taste identical to a non-vegan thing (like vegan butter for example), certainly takes far more time and precision. At that point it’s a matter of consistency, lots of testing and pushing through. Sometimes you do end up with a lot of a product and no matter how good something is, you don’t want it anymore after a point, ha!
How would you describe your cooking style?
My baking style is incredibly precise, but my cooking style is a lot more laid back. In fact, when I make my own recipes in the kitchen I usually don’t use any measuring cups or anything. That’s also because I can eyeball a teaspoon or tablespoon after 18 years (whoa) of cooking, and I’m so familiar with my recipes that I can take a more laid-back approach.
I turn on music, remix, try new things, and generally have a great time. For example, I just re-made my vegan frittata. It’s a mix of cooking and baking so I precisely added in the baking powder, sea salt, and nutritional yeast, but “let the ingredients guide me” for the rest of the dish. I had leftover bell peppers so threw them in but didn’t change too much because I love the recipe at its core!
Signature Vegan Dishes By Jessica
Could you describe the best dish you’ve ever made?
Oh, that’s difficult! Two dishes stand out to me – I had the 24-hour cooked House Black Daal from Dishoom in London and it almost made me cry. I made my One-Pot Red Lentil Curry based on it, and it was pure authenticity, flavour, and ambience – everything an eating-out experience should have!
Another favourite was a three-course meal at Peloton Super Shop in Indonesia. The vegan Arancini as well as the carbonara made my day. I’ve since recreated the arancini but not yet the carbonara!
Do you have any culinary heroes?
My mom and my grandma 🙂
If you could cook with anyone in the kitchen, who would it be?
To be honest I already have! I LOVE cooking with my husband (he cooks as much as I do!) and I’ve cooked and baked with my mom more recently too and it was everything, I felt like a little girl again!
If you could host a dream party, who would be there and what would the menu look like?
Dream party would definitely be an outdoor under-the-stars kind of setup with a full vegan Italian menu! I love Italian food and I’ve explored it SO much more since being vegan. Maybe Italian with a Jamaican twist?! Would just love my family and friends to be there!
I would definitely make my vegan tiramisu, my risotto (based on a risotto we had on our honeymoon in Paris) and some arrabbiata sauce to put on everything!
What’s one ingredient and kitchen gadget you can’t live without?
My air fryer! Haha. I use it far too much. But if it wasn’t my air fryer, a wooden spatula. I don’t know, it just hits different stirring with a wooden spatula?! You can use it to “chop” up tofu or veg meat in a pan into a crumble, stir and swirl anything, scrape fond off the bottom of stainless steel pans. Plus once you care for it it lasts SO long!
Thanks, Jessica, for sharing more about yourself—it’s been wonderful getting to know you better! If you’re already a fan, I hope you’ve enjoyed this deeper look. If you’re just discovering Jessica, enjoy diving into her beautiful site!
Hungry For More? Check Out These Interviews With Vegan Bloggers, Chefs, And Artists!
- Gastroplant: Love vegan ramen? Thomas has you covered!
- My Goodness Kitchen: I love Amanda’s recipes and interviewing her was a blast.
- Curious about sustainability? Ashlee has amazing guidance and tips!
- The First Mess: Laura makes the best vegan comfort food.
- Chef Alexander Gershberg: Learn all about vegan umami from this talented chef.
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