Going vegan can be one of the most exciting and empowering decisions of your life. Many people feel exhilarated knowing their choices are directly making a difference and no longer contributing to suffering and death while also helping the environment and their own health. This excitement can also shift to worry, as you may no longer be eating a lot of the foods you used to lean on as staples.
Going vegan takes a bit of planning and learning new ways to cook and prepare food. But it can be a really easy and enjoyable process. It’s always best to start with some of your favorite foods or old staples and learn how to make vegan fare, like vegan pancakes, pizza, spaghetti, etc. It’s also a good idea to pick a few recipes that sound good for every meal and snacks. Learn how to make those so that you have new exciting staples that you know are terrific and could eat regularly. We’ve compiled a list of easy recipes for every meal including snacks to help inspire you and help you feel confident in your new diet. Going vegan is exciting and learning new ways to cook and prep food can make it even more exciting as you get to discover new foods and ways to enjoy them.
Vegan Recipes for Beginners for Every Meal
Breakfast
Breakfast can be an elaborate meal or a quick and easy on the go option, so we included a variety of recipes for every schedule. This meal can also be as simple as making a large, filling smoothie or simply a platter of your favorite fruit.
Recipe: Nourishing Coconut Milk Oatmeal
Where to Find it: Pick Up Limes
Why We Love It: Oatmeal is such a great staple food as it’s filling, warm and comforting and full of beneficial nutrients. This recipe is absolutely delicious and so easy to make and uses a variety of healthy foods (including steel cut oats rather than rolled oats) to make oatmeal as well as suggestions on how to make beautiful and delicious oatmeal bowls that look just as delicious as they taste.
Recipe: Chickpea Omelette
Where to Find it: The Hidden Veggies
Why We Love It: Savory breakfasts can be hard to find when vegan, especially if you can’t have soy or are looking for less processed options. Luckily, this omelette is absolutely delicious. It has only a handful of ingredients that come together rather quickly for a delicious omelette minus the eggs! We highly recommend adding in peppers, onions and spinach for a nutritious breakfast and if you have any, vegan coconut bacon bits.
Recipe: Bean, Potato and Veggie Vegan Breakfast Hash
Where to Find it: Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen
Why We Love It: This veggie hash is so delicious and full of whole, plant based foods. It has easy to find ingredients and while it takes a little longer to prepare, it’s perfect for a lazy Saturday morning or even for a breakfast for dinner kind of meal. We love swapping in different beans and spices to keep it interesting.
Recipe: Avocado Toast
Where to Find it: Delicious Table
Why We Love It: Yes avocado toast is trendy, but for good reason. While it’s really as simple as mashing avocado and spreading it onto toast with sea salt and pepper, we like a little more flavor sometimes. This recipe adds in delicious tomatoes, micro greens and hemp seeds for extra flavor, texture and nutrient density. It’s an incredibly easy and quick yet delicious way to start your day.
Recipe: Basic Chia Seed Pudding
Where to Find it: Eating Bird Food
Why We Love It: This recipe is super simple and can be made overnight so you don’t have to do much in the morning! It’s filled with omega 3’s, fiber and healthy fats and is so great as a staple to have on hand when you’re running low on supplies or time. It’s delicious topped with fresh fruit and even nut butter for an extra filling dose of protein.
Recipe: Rawnola
Where to Find it: Feel The Lean
Why We Love It: This recipe is super cheap and easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time to make throwing breakfast together no big deal. We love just how simple yet healthy this recipe is. It can easily be modified adding in your favorite dried fruits, nuts or seeds or even superfoods like cacao nibs. This is great served atop fresh fruit, a smoothie bowl or yogurt.
Snacks
Having good snack options available at all times can be the difference between feeling great or feeling hungry and reaching for options you don’t feel good about. Prepping healthy snacks ahead of time is a great idea even if you have vegan chips, pretzels or other foods available. Snacks can also be incredibly simple such as cut up veggies and guacamole, fresh fruit and smoothies, or your favorite nuts.
Recipe: Easy 4 Ingredient Hummus
Where to Find it: Clean Eating Kitchen
Why We Love It: Who doesn’t love a good dip for all the veggies they enjoy? This hummus is so simple, easy to make and is a far cheaper option than buying it. This recipe is a great staple to make at the beginning of the week and use as a dip, on sandwiches and in wraps as a high protein, high fiber filler. We love adding in different veggies like roasted peppers or carrots and using different spices to keep it interesting and delicious.
Recipe: No Bake Brownie Energy Bites
Where to Find it: Jessica in the Kitchen
Why We Love It: These energy bites store well and are easy to make. Plus they’re nutrient dense and delicious, feeling more like a dessert than a healthy snack. They’re filled with Omega 3’s, antioxidants, Vitamin E and fiber, making them a win win win! Try swapping in different nuts to make new variations and perhaps using raw cacao powder in place of cocoa for a nutrient boost.
Recipe: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Trail Mix
Where to Find it: The Healthy Maven
Why We Love It: Trail mix is a super simple snack to make and often way cheaper to make at home than to buy in the store, sometimes even being a quarter of the price! This trail mix is filled with nuts and seeds while also adding in antioxidant-rich strawberries and dark chocolate, making it taste extremely indulgent while still be so healthy.
Recipe: Simple Garlic Roasted Chickpeas
Where to Find it: Beautiful Eats and Things
Why We Love It: This snack is salty, crunchy, a hint of fatty and filling, making it the ultimate healthy snack to reach for when you want an option other than raw veggies or chips. These chickpeas are easy to make. They can be great salad toppers in addition to being a great grab and go snack.
Recipe: Oven-Baked Oil-Free Fries With Avo Tahini Dip
Where to Find it: Sprouting Zen
Why We Love It: Having a good fry recipe is essential for any diet and this oil-free version is absolutely delicious. We love eating these fries by themselves but highly recommend trying out the dip if you have time to make it as it’s insanely delicious and filling.
Salads
While salads are pretty easy to veganize, we’ve included a few of our favorites too so you can try something new. Usually just keeping some vinegars, nut butters, dressings, greens and vegetables on hand is enough to make a delicious salad happen but if you aren’t sure how to throw them together, try these ones for some delicious inspiration.
Recipe: The Best Shredded Kale Salad
Where to Find it: Oh She Glows
Why We Love It: It seems you can’t go vegan without having at least one solid recipe using kale. This recipe may appear incredibly simple, but it’s absolutely amazing tasting with a complex range of flavors and textures. Not only is it easy and delicious, but incredibly healthy containing fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and protein. We suggest swapping out different nuts in place of the pecans such as walnuts or hemp seeds and using different dried fruit such as chopped dates for new and delicious ways to enjoy it.
Recipe: Vegan Caesar Salad with Chickpea Croutons
Where to Find it: Nora Cooks
Why We Love it:
Sometimes having classic recipes in vegan form can make all the difference in being satisfied or feeling discouraged with your new diet and lifestyle. This is a delicious and healthy recipe and while it has a few elements, it’s very easy to make. If you don’t have the time, you could always substitute store-bought vegan parmesan or caesar dressing to cut down on prep work.
Recipe: Creamy Asian Coleslaw
Where to Find it: Detoxinista
Why We Love It: This recipe is so simple and extremely affordable. This makes it a great salad option when you’re pressed for time or ingredients. It’s flavorful and delicious and really easy to modify depending on your preferences or what you have on hand. You could substitute in tahini or peanut butter in place of the almond butter and throw in whatever additional shredded veggies such as carrots, beets or zucchini for a little extra flavor and texture.
Smoothies
Smoothies are a great go-to food for a quick, nutrient dense energy burst or just as an option to keep you full and satisfied without having to sit down to eat.
Recipe: Glowing Green Smoothie
Where to Find It: Solluna
Why We Love It: The notorious green smoothie that everyone talks about or drinks, can seem unappealing or just not so good if it’s not made well. Luckily, this recipe is absolutely delicious and incredibly healthy. It comes together quickly and is a great way to start the day or a nice afternoon snack to hold you over without bogging you down like most typical snacks.
Recipe: Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie
Where to Find It: Medical Medium
Why We Love It: This recipe has become quite popular with a huge following and we totally understand why. It’s filled with nutrient dense ingredients such as wild blueberries, spirulina, barley grass juice power and cilantro while also containing fruit to balance it out and still taste delicious. This is a great recipe to start the day and can easily be modified by leaving out one or two elements if you don’t have them such and will still taste delicious.
Recipe: Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Shake
Where to Find it: Hip Fit Foodie
Why We Love It: While protein isn’t a concern for most people eating a wide variety of whole plant foods, sometimes there may be a need or desire for extra. And that’s where having a good protein shake recipe comes in handy. This recipe is simple to make. It can easily be changed by adding in cocoa powder, berries or switching up the nut butters used in it.
Recipe: Chocolate Date Smoothie
Where to Find it: The Kitchn
Why We Love It: Having a good chocolate smoothie recipe is essential for those times you have a chocolate craving or simply want something sweet and rich but still healthy. This recipe is whole foods based and healthy while being oh so sweet and chocolatey. If you want to make this a go to recipe, throw in a few handfuls of spinach for extra nutrition.
Recipe: Vegan Keto Green Smoothie
Where to Find it: Keto Diet Rule
Why We Love It: It’s always nice to have a low sugar smoothie option and this recipe is delicious and simple. It uses avocado and lemon for flavor and is easy to add items to like berries for a low sugar sweet option. We recommend using at least 1/4 or more of an avocado in the smoothie to make it filling.
Bowls and Meals
Vegan meals can be incredibly simple or elaborate featuring mostly whole foods or a range of alternatives to make an item like a vegan pepperoni pizza. We’ve included easy, mainly whole foods based options that come together quickly and give you lots of room for modifying. Basing your meals on mostly whole foods will make you feel great and save you lots of time and money.
Recipe: Roasted Broccoli Chickpea Quinoa Bowl
Where to Find It: Always Nourished
Why We Love It: This is an incredibly satisfying and delicious meal filled with protein, carbs and fat as well as a wide array of nutrients. Having a go-to bowl recipe makes mealtime easier and it comes together rather quickly. Swapping in different beans and vegetables make this recipe a great basic formula for an easy dinner bowl. You can always omit the dressing if you’re pressed for time and use a store-bought vinaigrette or simply a drizzle of nut butter.
Recipe: Fresh Summer Tomato Basil Pasta
Where to Find It: It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
Why We Love It:
Pasta is a staple for most people regardless of diet, so having an easy pasta recipe is a must! This recipe is easy to make and relatively cheap while also coming together quickly, making it perfect for any vegan wondering how to enjoy pasta. We suggest adding crumbled nut cheese atop this to make it extra filling or cooking up some vegan sausage and throwing that on top for extra protein and flavor.
Recipe: Taco Rice Bowls
Where to Find it: Delightful Adventures
Why We Love It:
This is a great filling and nutrient dense bowl for any taco lover. It’s a great make ahead meal and can be served to family and friends for a delicious crowd pleasing option. Serve with vegan sour cream or pepper jack shreds for a comforting addition to the meal.
Recipe: Loaded Avocado & Hummus Veggie Sandwich
Where to Find it: Pick Up Limes
Why We Love It: We love a good sandwich for lunch or summer nights when turning on the oven is not an option. This sandwich is filling and so healthy, making it a really great staple meal. Serve it alongside some potato chips and pickles for a classic sandwich experience.
Having a good chocolate smoothie recipe is essential for those times you have a chocolate craving or simply want something sweet and rich but still healthy. This recipe is whole foods based and healthy while being oh so sweet and chocolatey. If you want to make this a go to recipe, throw in a few handfuls of spinach for extra nutrition.
Recipe: Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
Where to Find it: The Endless Meal
Why We Love It: Curries are such delicious and comforting meals. They can be made ahead and enjoyed warm or cold since they are so flavorful. This recipe is primarily whole foods and is easy to make. We recommend adding in some garlic and serving it along with basmati rice for a filling and tasty meal.
Recipe: Fully Loaded Baked Potatoes
Where to Find it: Ellen Fisher’s YouTube
Why We Love It: This whole foods based recipe is super easy to make and quite filling. It’s a good recipe where you can make the parts ahead of time to make it come together quickly. If you want it to be a little more traditional baked potato, get some vegan cheddar shreds to throw atop while it’s still hot.
Desserts
Everyone has a sweet tooth at least every now and again, so we wanted to share a few easy recipes for when a sweet craving hits. If you want to keep it simple, remember that it always helps to have dates on hand for a quick sweet pick me up and some delicious dark chocolate!
Recipe: Vegan Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Where to Find It: Detoxinista
Why We Love It: These cookies are grain free and gluten free and are really simple to make! We love that they’re free of refined sugar and have only a handful of healthy ingredients. So it’s not big deal if you end up eating a few, or the whole batch!
Recipe: Simple Vegan Brownies
Where to Find It: Minimalist Baker
Why We Love It: Brownies are one of the ultimate childhood classic comfort foods and it can be hard when a craving strikes to deny it. Luckily, this recipe is vegan and easy to make and tastes pretty much exactly like the classic.
Recipe: 3 Ingredient Chocolate Mousse
Where to Find it: The Colorful Kitchen
Why We Love It: This recipe is great to have on hand whenever you want a dip for fruit or want to make a parfait. Simply layering this with berries and granola can make a great dessert or breakfast option.