• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Vegan Atlas

  • Home
  • Easy Vegan Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Breads and savory baked goods
    • Casseroles & Skillets
    • Desserts & Sweets
    • Gluten-Free
    • Holiday Roundups
    • Jewish Vegan Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Pasta & Noodles
    • Pizza
    • Recipe Roundups
    • Salads & Sides
    • Sandwiches & Wraps
    • Sauces & Dressings
    • Soups & Stews
    • Stir-Fries
    • Tofu & Tempeh
    • Tortilla Dishes
    • Veganize This!
  • Good Food Guides
  • Tips & Trends
  • About
  • Nava’s Books
  • Contact

All Things Sweet and Bittersweet: Q & A with Hannah Kaminsky

November 25, 2019Updated August 20, 2022 By Nava Atlas Leave a Comment

Welcome to a Q & A with Hannah Kaminsky, food photographer extraordinaire who’s also a terrific vegan cookbook author. I’m really going to be dating myself here when I admit that I’m old enough to be Hannah Kaminsky’s mom. That’s a fact, because I have a daughter who was born the same year. 

Hannah Kaminsky's Ultra-Moist Amazing Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake

Hannah Kaminsky’s Ultra-Moist Amazing Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake

And while I do worry about Hannah to the extent that any Jewish Mother would about an honorary daughter, I don’t see our friendship or our working relationship as maternalistic.

It’s the camaraderie of two colleagues who’ve worked together long enough to joke that we can get into one another’s brains. So I hope you’ll enjoy this interview with Hannah Kaminsky that was conducted on the occasion of the publication of her book, Sweet Vegan Treats (Skyhorse Publishing, 2019).

And here, I thought I was a precocious cookbook author, having published my first book, Vegetariana, when I was in my late twenties. But I have nothing on Hannah, whose first book came out while she was still in her teens, and who, by the age that I was getting started as a bumbling and naïve author, had already written half a dozen.

Hannah has been creating delectable recipes and the gorgeous photos that accompany them, both in her books and on the web (at BittersweetBlog) since she was in high school. Most of her books focus on sweets, with the exception of Real Food, Really Fast.

Vegan Black Bottom Blondies

Vegan Black-Bottom Blondies from Sweet Vegan Treats

I honestly don’t remember how I first connected with Hannah, or exactly how long ago it, though I recall the first time we met “IRL” at the amazing vegan eatery Beyond Sushi in NYC. That may have marked the time when she started doing food photography for me, first for my former website, VegKitchen, some of which ended up in my recent books. She subsequently photographed Plant Power in its entirety, and, most recently, Plant-Powered Protein.

When I talk about Hannah, I tend to gush just like any proud mom (insert wink emoji here!), so I’ll let her speak for herself in the Q & A that follows. I’ll just put in one last word: do you have a budding vegan dessert chef among your family members or friends, or are you one yourself?

Sweet Vegan Treats is a perfect gift for the upcoming holiday season. In addition to the delectable recipes, there’s an entire section on essential techniques for those who want to master some of the finer points of vegan baking.

Vegan pumpkin pecan pie by Hannah Kaminsky

Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Pie from Sweet Vegan Treats

You started in the vegan blogging and publishing space at a very tender age. How did you get started on the vegan path itself, and how did it occur to a teenager to create a blog and publish a book?

It all happened quite naturally, which is to say, almost by accident. I went vegan when I entered high school and suddenly found myself with several vegetarian friends. The concept was still relatively new to me, but I wanted to be one of the cool kids, of course, so I instantly adopted the diet.

After about a month of eating nothing but mac and cheese, I had to sit myself down and do some research about why this mattered, what the point was, and the ethics behind it all. When I discovered how much cruelty was still inherent in the egg and dairy industry, I decided then and there to go vegan instead. Even back then, I saw so many alternatives out there, it just made no sense to keep buying in to such cruelty.

The blog began as a craft blog, hosting my knitting, crochet, and beading adventures. As I grew more comfortable experimenting in the kitchen and in veganism, I started to see baking as an art in itself and included some of those trials too. Before I knew it, food took over the blog, and new crafts appear a few rare times every year.

My first book came about because I befriended a fledgling publisher. She literally offered me the deal, no strings attached, and I still can’t believe that stroke of luck. It began my entire career as I know it.

You were, as mentioned, still in your teens when you embarked on what is now your career. But as someone still living at home, how did your family react and how did you navigate any pushback to adopting a vegan diet when it wasn’t as common as it has become?

My parents, though omnivorous, have always been incredibly supportive of my path. Their only concerns in the early days were that I was properly nourished and capable of feeding myself, since they weren’t about to start cooking a wholly separate meal.

At their behest, I saw a nutritionist, and much to my great fortune, got a job working in a largely vegan café where I learned the basics of proper cooking.

Hannah Kaminsky cookbooks

I know you’re an excellent cook of savory fare, but you’ve gotten to be especially known for your work in the area of vegan sweets and baking. What drew you to this particular specialty?

I simply love the whimsy of it all. People tend to be more willing to try new things or take more risks when it comes to dessert, since it’s a bonus, a non-essential, but a treat to begin with. Plus, I’ve always had such a huge sweet tooth, and there weren’t many options other when I first went vegan. I had to DIY or go without.

As I’ve always said, I’m an ethical vegan, but moreover, a flavor vegan first; if it doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t matter! I wouldn’t sacrifice taste for anything.

What do you find is the biggest misconception about vegan baking and sweets creation, and what have you done to remedy it?

I suppose the biggest misconception is that vegan treats won’t taste as good as their conventional counterparts, and it’s just so silly we need to address it in this day and age! It’s all about quality ingredients, what you’re putting in rather than what you’re taking out.

Besides that, I never learned to bake before going vegan, so I didn’t grow up with the idea that eggs or butter were essentials. My recipes don’t use “replacers” because there’s nothing they lack.

Tasting is believing. I’m trying to spread awareness through positive experiences with really amazing desserts, either firsthand through my own baking, or farther afield through my recipes. I can’t be out there making cupcakes for everyone, but anyone with an internet connection can hope on my blog and have the tools they need to do it themselves.

Thai-Style Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Thai-Style Zucchini Ribbon Salad from Real Food, Really Fast

 The triumvirate of veganism is health, environment, and animal welfare. Which area fuels your dedication, and why?

As I mentioned above, I’m all in for the animals. The beneficial impacts on my personal well-being and the environment overall are just cherries on top.

Do you have a special favorite of all the books you’ve produced, and what is the count at this point?

Well, I hate picking favorites, but I do have a certain penchant for ice cream, so Vegan a la Mode is high on the list … That said, I’m currently hard at work on book #7, which might unseat that current contender. Big hint there, but no specifics yet. Aiming for a summer or early fall 2020 release, so stay tuned!

. . . . . . . . .

Sweet Vegan Treats by Hannah Kaminsky

Sweet Vegan Treatsis available wherever books are sold

More about Hannah Kaminsky: Hannah has developed an international following for her delicious recipes and mouthwatering food photography at the award-winning blog BitterSweet. She is the author of Vegan Desserts, Vegan à la Mode, Easy as Vegan Pie, Real Food, Really Fast, and her latest, Sweet Vegan Treats. Passionate about big flavors and simple techniques, she works in the San Francisco bay area, developing recipes and photographing food from morning to night. Visit Hannah on the web at BittersweetBlog.com.

Filed Under: Tips & Trends

About Nava Atlas

Nava Atlas is the author of many vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including Vegetariana, Plant-Powered Protein, 5-Ingredient Vegan, Wild About Greens, Vegan Holiday Kitchen, and many more. A longtime dedicated vegan, find out more about her on this site's About page.

Previous Post: « Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Next Post: Roasted Acorn Squash with Quinoa Stuffing »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Primary Sidebar

More results...

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
Appetizers & Snacks
Beverages
Breads and savory baked goods
Breakfast & Brunch
Casseroles & Skillets
Desserts & Sweets
Easy Vegan Recipes
Gluten-Free
Good Food Guides
Jewish Vegan Recipes
Main Dishes
Nava's Books
Pasta & Noodles
Pizza
Recipe Roundups
Salads & Sides
Sandwiches & Wraps
Sauces & Dressings
Soups & Stews
Stir-Fries
Tips & Trends
Tofu & Tempeh
Tortilla Dishes
Travel & Dining
Uncategorized
Vegan Holiday Roundups
Veganize This!
  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • rss
  • youtube

Vegan Recipes & Tips Delivered to you weekly!

Recent Posts

Vegan Gluten free and dairy free desserts

35 vegan gluten-free dairy-free desserts & treats

Judaism and Veganism

Judaism and Veganism: A Match Made in Heaven—and in the Torah

Vegan Spanish Vegetable Stew

Spanish Vegetable Stew (Menestra de Verduras)

Tatsoi salad with daikon, bok choy, and orange

Tatsoi Salad with Bok Choy, Daikon, & Oranges

Baked Stuffed spaghetti squash

Baked Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

vegan asparagus recipes roundup

39+ Delectable Vegan Asparagus Recipes

Copyright © 2023 The Vegan Atlas · Privacy Policy · WordPress · Log in