33 Easy Vegan Meals for Everyone to Enjoy

(Pulling this one out of the archives for my Super Frugal Grocery Challenge, since most of these recipes are super cheap!)

Even after all these years, vegan food still gets a bad rap. People think it's bland, weird, complicated, or boring— despite the cornucopia of amazing vegan meals that anyone can make. Forget the tofurky, the expensive meat substitutes and the mysterious veggie "cheez"… instead, dive into the world of vegetables, legumes, and delicious sauces.

Zach and I do eat meat and animal products, but we try to buy them from humane sources, which gets expensive very quickly. Vegan meals, on the other hand, are incredibly cheap. When we're nomming on a roasted veggie stir-fry with tofu and homemade black bean sauce, neither of us misses the meat.

There are many reasons to eat vegan meals on a regular basis, but one of the biggest ones is reducing your environmental impact. In fact, eating vegan is one of the best ways to save energy because of the huge carbon footprint of (industrial) animal production. Plus it's good for anyone to eat more plants.

If you're interested in trying vegan food but don't know where to begin, consider this a grab bag of ideas. I've tried to group these from least to most complicated, although all of these are fairly basic recipes. I encourage you to try out some delicious vegan food today!

1. Apple slices or a banana with peanut butter.

2. Toast topped with a) peanut butter and fruit, b) smashed avocado with lime and chili powder, c) hummus and sliced or jarred red peppers, or d) any cool combination you like.

3. Chips and salsa, guacamole, and/or refried beans.

4. Hummus with raw veggies and/or pita chips.

5. Oatmeal made with almond milk.

6. Granola with almond- or soy milk.

7. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

8. Salad topped with a vinaigrette or other vegan dressing, with nuts and/or seeds.

9. Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Quinoa. I was really obsessed with this recipe for a while... so creamy and delicious!

10. Coconut chia pudding. Mix a large handful of chia seeds into a couple cups of canned coconut milk, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, add maple syrup or sugar and some fruit and enjoy the unique texture.

11. Hummus quesadillas. Spread hummus, roasted red peppers, olives, artichoke hearts, fresh greens such as arugula, etc. on a tortilla and fry it like a regular quesadilla in a pan.

12. Pancakes. 

13. A smoothie. Pour a cup of nondairy milk or canned coconut milk into a blender. Add a handful of spinach or kale and blend until it’s smooth. Then toss in a banana and any of these add-ins, preferably frozen: 1) berries, 2) pineapple and/or mango, or 3) peanut butter (not frozen) and apple slices. After blending, pour into a bowl and top with nuts or seeds of any kind and shredded coconut.

14. Rice and beans. Cook some rice in one pot. In another pot, heat up some canned beans with generous seasonings of chili powder, cumin, garlic, and/or black pepper (or just a taco seasoning mix). Top the rice with the beans, garnish with chopped green onions or slices of avocado, and enjoy this meal that is a staple for millions of people around the world. 

15. Refried bean and avocado burrito. Put refried beans and smashed avocado on a tortilla. Add hot sauce, lime juice, and any other toppings such as cilantro or chopped peppers.

16. Tofu stir-fry. There are a few tricks to bringing up the best in tofu. If you’re just getting started, here are some tips. 

17. Noodles with homemade pesto. (Blend up any green with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and optional pine nuts or walnuts until smooth.) Or try this recipe.

18. Veggie chili. 

19. Baked beans.

20. Rice or noodles with peanut sauce. Peanut sauce has a million variations (here’s one), but if you’re just getting started, try mixing a cup of plain peanut butter with a few tablespoons of lime juice or rice vinegar, a couple hearty glugs of soy sauce, a bit of sugar or maple syrup, some garlic and/or ginger powder if you have any, a bit of water, and some chili flakes if you like spiciness. Mix them together, taste, and then figure out if you want it to be saltier (add soy sauce), sweeter (sugar), spicier (pepper flakes), or just have more “pop” to it (lime juice or vinegar). Peanut sauce goes well with rice, noodles, and any veggie, whether cooked or raw. 

21. Miso soup. You can find miso paste in a tub or plastic package in the refrigerated section under “Asian food.”

22. Baked sweet potato. Poke holes in a sweet potato and microwave it for 5-8 minutes, then (carefully!) pull it out, let it cool a minute, then slice a slit along the top. Use a fork to mash up the potato inside its skin with some salt and pepper, then top it with one of the following: a) Canned black beans, taco seasoning, and cilantro, or b) canned chickpeas with a squeeze of lemon, some parsley, and roasted red peppers. Heat up in the microwave again or crisp it up in the oven. 

23. Lentil soup. So many variations! Oh She Glows has my favorite. 

24. Salad with tahini dressing. 

25. Pasta with cashew sauce. 

26. Kale, black bean and avocado burrito bowl. 

27. Lentil dal. Again, endless variations, but this is a simple start. 

28. Vegan bowl. This is a recipe template: 1. Cooked grains such as quinoa, millet, spelt, teff, rice, barley, or day-old pitas. 2. Vegetables, whether cooked or raw. 3. Some sort of protein, usually nuts and seeds or a smear of hummus or peanut butter. 4. A delicious sauce to tie everything together. Try Sunshine Salad Dressing. 

29. Butternut squash linguine. 

30. Vegan fajitas. Sautee strips of onion and bell pepper in a pan until they're soft, then serve them on a tortilla with some beans and avocado. 

31. African peanut soup. 

32. Black bean soup. 

33. Thai red curry. 

Do you have any favorite simple vegan meals I should try out? Let me know!

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