The hardest part of eating vegan is not the cooking, it is the Tuesday night when nothing sounds good and the fridge is full of vegetables with no plan attached. These vegan recipes are built for exactly that. There are twenty-six of them here, covering breakfast through dessert, and none of them are a sad bowl of steamed something. Creamy mushroom risotto with no dairy at all. Buffalo cauliflower tacos. Queso made from potatoes and cashews that fools people. A chocolate cake so good that guests have to be told afterward. A few come together in ten minutes flat, a few are worth a slow Sunday, and plenty of them happen to be gluten free without trying. Scroll through, pick three for the week, and keep the list handy for the next time somebody asks what you are going to eat.
Best Vegan Recipes
1. 10 Minute Creamy Vegan Bean and Aubergine Casserole
Aubergine gets chopped into quarter-inch cubes, which is small enough that it cooks through in a few minutes rather than the usual twenty, and sautéed in a little olive oil until it starts to turn golden. Cannellini beans and chickpeas go in with chili powder and a teaspoon and a half of smoked paprika, stirred so everything gets coated. Then tomato paste, a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes and a tablespoon of tahini, simmered five to seven minutes. The tahini is what makes it creamy without any dairy. Serves four in ten minutes.
Get the full tutorial at Healthy Green Kitchen.
2. Rainbow Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Nothing gets cooked. Each rice paper wrapper dips in warm water for about ten seconds, no longer, then goes straight onto a dry plate or board to finish softening while it is filled. Red pepper, yellow pepper, carrot and cucumber all get julienned, with green onion sliced thin and red cabbage chopped fine. The peanut sauce is whisked together in one bowl: a quarter cup of peanut butter, a quarter cup of sesame oil, lime juice, rice vinegar and garlic powder. Ten rolls in about twenty minutes.
Get the full tutorial at The Nutritionist Reviews.
3. 5-Ingredient Vegan Almond Cookies
Five ingredients and one bowl. Two cups of blanched almond flour, six tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of baking powder get mixed, then four tablespoons of water go in and the mixing continues until a dough forms. Each ball gets flattened slightly on a parchment-lined tray and pressed in the center with a thumb to make a well, which is where the fruit jam goes. No mixer, no creaming step and no chilling, so there is nothing here that a first-time baker can get wrong. The jam flavor is entirely up to whoever is baking.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
4. Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Soy milk gets a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar stirred in and sits to curdle while everything else is measured, which is what replaces buttermilk. Applesauce stands in for the eggs. The step that throws people is the last one: a full cup of boiling water goes into the finished batter, and it will look alarmingly runny, which is correct and is what makes the crumb so moist. Two 8 or 9-inch pans, 350 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes. The frosting uses vegan baking sticks, not the tub.
Get the full tutorial at Nora Cooks.
5. Creamy Mushroom Risotto
A small-batch risotto scaled for two: 100g of thinly sliced button mushrooms and 100g of risotto rice, with 500ml of vegetable stock added one ladle at a time over roughly thirty minutes, each addition absorbed before the next one goes in. Two optional extras are worth taking. Half a tablespoon of white wine vinegar stirred in with the rice does the job white wine usually does, and four tablespoons of nutritional yeast at the end bring the savory edge that would normally come from parmesan. It is naturally gluten free, and more hot water can go in if the rice needs it.
Get the full tutorial at Wallflower Kitchen.
6. Vegan Burrito Samosas with Guacamole + Cashew Dip
The filling is Mexican rice: arborio cooked and stirred into onion, garlic and red bell pepper with smoked paprika, chili and cumin, then black beans, corn and shredded vegan cheese folded in once it has cooled. Large tortillas get cut into quarters and each quarter folds into a cone, sealed with a paste made from three tablespoons of flour and five tablespoons of water. Fill each one with only one to two tablespoons so it closes properly. Brushed with almond milk and oil, baked rather than fried. Makes 24.
Get the full tutorial at Bianca Zapatka.
7. Vegan Buddha Bowl
A cup of rinsed quinoa simmers in two cups of water for about fifteen minutes, then sits covered off the heat for ten more so it absorbs the last of the liquid and does not go gluey. A cup and a half of chickpeas get tossed with oil, smoked paprika, chili powder, turmeric, oregano and salt and roast at 425 for fifteen to twenty minutes until crisp. The red pepper sauce needs a blender rather than a food processor to go properly smooth. Assemble with mixed greens, avocado and sesame seeds. Serves two.
Get the full tutorial at Well and Full.
8. Vegan Thai Coconut Soup
Onion cooks two to three minutes, then garlic and a one-inch cube of ginger for another minute. The key step is next: one to two tablespoons of Thai red curry paste with curry powder and turmeric go in dry for about thirty seconds, just until aromatic, because blooming them in the oil is what gives the broth its depth. Then four cups of vegetable broth, a cup of full-fat canned coconut milk, soy sauce, two tablespoons of coconut sugar and lime juice, simmered ten minutes. Rice noodles cook separately and go in at the end.
Get the full tutorial at Choosing Chia.
9. Easy Vegan Chickpea Curry With Potatoes
Onion sautés two to three minutes, then small-cut potatoes go in for another three, and the red curry paste and curry powder cook for a minute before any liquid arrives. A cup of full-fat coconut milk and half a cup of vegetable broth go in with the carrot, a cup and a half of cooked chickpeas and a cup of frozen peas, and the whole thing simmers about twenty minutes until the potatoes give. Rice cooks alongside. Cashews and fresh cilantro go on at the table. Three servings in thirty minutes.
Get the full tutorial at Vegan Heaven.
10. Easy Vegan Sushi
Two cups of sushi rice get rinsed in a fine mesh colander under cold water first, then cooked either on the rice setting of an Instant Pot at low pressure for twelve minutes with a natural release, or on the stove for twenty minutes covered on low. The seasoning is a quarter cup of rice vinegar, two tablespoons of sugar or maple syrup and a teaspoon of salt stirred through the hot rice, which then cools under a damp cloth so it does not dry out. Tofu, avocado, cucumber and carrot go in as thin strips. Serves four.
Get the full tutorial at Vegan Heaven.
11. Baked Sweet Potato With Garam Masala Chickpeas
Whole sweet potatoes baked until the natural sugars caramelize and the juices ooze out at the edges, then split and piled high. The photograph shows them topped with garam masala chickpeas, chopped tomato and fresh coriander. The post writes the dish up as gluten free, dairy free and vegan, and suggests baking a whole bag of sweet potatoes at once and keeping them in the fridge for a quick lunch or a snack through the week. It says any kind of beans work, served with a large side salad and hummus. Simple enough to be a habit rather than a recipe.
Get the full tutorial at Nadia's Healthy Kitchen.
12. Healthy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
The sauce is cauliflower. Two and a half cups of florets go into a pot with onion and garlic, then half a cup of vegetable broth, covered until the cauliflower is soft all the way through, about five more minutes. It blends with non-dairy milk, vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast and the juice of half a lemon until completely smooth, and the lemon is what keeps it from tasting like creamed vegetables. Eight ounces of fettuccine cooks ten to twelve minutes to al dente. Thirty minutes total, four servings.
Get the full tutorial at My Darling Vegan.
13. Vegan Spicy Glazed Popcorn Broccoli
Vegan buttermilk comes first: a cup of non-dairy milk whisked with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of hot sauce, left a few minutes to thicken. The coating is the clever part. Flour, panko, cornstarch, baking soda, garlic powder and salt get two tablespoons of that buttermilk worked in by hand until the mixture makes wet crumbles that press together but still crumble. Each floret dips in the buttermilk, then gets pressed into the crumbles to coat, and bakes at 375 before being tossed in a chili paste and agave glaze.
Get the full tutorial at Rabbit and Wolves.
14. Vegan Bolognese
Six sun-dried tomatoes get softened in a ladle of the boiling pasta water for five to ten minutes, then pounded in a pestle and mortar with a handful of walnuts and chopped basil into a rough pesto. That is the umami backbone. Onion, carrot and celery fry down first, garlic goes in last so it does not burn, and then cooked puy lentils, twelve halved cherry tomatoes, tomato sauce, a tablespoon of balsamic and grated nutmeg. Serves two to three over 200g of wholemeal spaghetti, in about thirty-five minutes.
Get the full tutorial at Lazy Cat Kitchen.
15. Quick Harissa Lentils with Roast Squash and Tahini Dressing
The squash is the only slow part. Butternut gets cubed, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, spread on a tray and roasted at 220C, 200C in a fan oven, for forty to fifty minutes until crisp and golden at the edges. Everything else is quick: onion fried about ten minutes until soft and browning, then garlic, cumin seeds, smoked paprika and a tablespoon of harissa stirred a few minutes until fragrant. A can of pre-cooked green lentils goes in with green olives and red wine vinegar. Tahini dressing and toasted pine nuts finish it.
Get the full tutorial at Rebel Recipes.
16. BBQ Couscous Bowl
Two thirds of a cup of water gets seasoned before it boils, with a quarter teaspoon of curry powder, salt and lime juice, then comes off the heat entirely and half a cup of couscous goes in under a lid for a minute or two. That is the whole cooking method. Broccoli florets soften under a lid in half a teaspoon of oil, six slices of tofu get cut into triangles and pan-fried about five minutes a side in curry-spiced oil, and vegan BBQ sauce goes over the top. Two servings in thirty minutes.
Get the full tutorial at Elephantastic Vegan.
17. Cauliflower Cheese Sauce Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Four sweet potatoes get pierced with a fork and roasted at 180C for about forty-five minutes until fork-tender. Meanwhile half a head of cauliflower boils fifteen to twenty minutes, then goes into a blender with half a cup of nutritional yeast, broth, garlic, cayenne, chopped chili, a tablespoon of white miso, lemon juice and tahini, blended until completely smooth. The miso is what makes it read as cheese. Three quarters of a cup of diced tempeh crisps in balsamic and apple cider vinegar. Kale, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and pecans finish it. Serves four.
Get the full tutorial at Plants for Later.
18. Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
Half a head of cauliflower gets cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed with olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, pepper and a quarter cup of buffalo sauce, then roasted at 425 for twenty minutes with a flip halfway. The remaining half cup of sauce gets heated separately in the last five minutes and tossed through the hot cauliflower after it comes out, which keeps the sauce bright instead of baked dull. Eight tortillas get loaded with chopped romaine, diced avocado and the cauliflower, then vegan ranch and cilantro. Twenty-five minutes.
Get the full tutorial at This Savory Vegan.
19. Vegan Chia Seed Pancakes
Dry ingredients go in one bowl: a cup and a half of flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, sea salt and three tablespoons of chia seeds, whisked with a fork to break up the flour clumps and spread the seeds evenly. Wet goes in another: a cup and a half of unsweetened almond milk, three tablespoons of maple syrup, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and vanilla. Combined, the batter should stay a bit lumpy, and it needs to rest five to ten minutes while the pan heats. Twenty minutes, three servings.
Get the full tutorial at Running on Real Food.
20. 5 Ingredient Vegan Crème Brûlée
No water bath, no eggs and no tempering. A hundred and twenty millilitres of full fat coconut milk goes into a small saucepan with two teaspoons of cornflour mixed in first so it does not lump, then half a tablespoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of vanilla paste, cooked over medium heat until it starts to bubble and thicken. It pours into a single ramekin and chills one to two hours. A teaspoon of sugar on top gets caramelized with a blow torch, or under a very hot grill if there is no torch in the drawer.
Get the full tutorial at Nadia's Healthy Kitchen.
21. Vegan Sesame Tofu Dumplings
The tofu gets pressed under paper towels and something heavy for at least fifteen minutes, longer if there is time, and how dry it gets decides how well the filling holds. It crumbles straight into a hot wok with sesame oil and chopped garlic, smashed fine with a wooden spoon, and stir-fries three to four minutes until it firms and starts to brown. Then soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and agave go in and cook until fully absorbed, another minute or two. Sesame seeds and three chopped green onions last. Steam or fry the dumplings.
Get the full tutorial at Rabbit and Wolves.
22. Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
Onion sautes in half a cup of water instead of oil, then potatoes, carrots, half a cup of raw cashews and three cups of water go in and simmer twenty minutes until everything is soft. The cashews are doing the cream’s job. That mixture blends with nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, paprika, turmeric, chili flakes and one cup of unsweetened almond milk, then goes back in the pot with the other three cups. One detail worth keeping: cut an inch and a half to two inches off the bottom of the broccoli stem because it is tough and fibrous, then dice the rest rather than throwing it out. Eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at Stacey Homemaker.
23. Best Vegan Queso Blanco
Everything goes in a blender at once: a cup of boiled cubed potatoes, three quarters of a cup of raw cashews, four cloves of garlic, a can of diced green chilies with the juice, pickled jalapeños plus a tablespoon of their brine, a cup of vegetable broth, a cup of full-fat canned coconut milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, cumin, tapioca starch and a dash of turmeric for color. Blend until completely smooth, then warm it in a saucepan over medium-low while stirring constantly if the blender did not heat it. Fifteen minutes, eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at 40 Aprons.
24. Vegan Panang Curry With Tofu
Onion, garlic and two cups of chopped carrot cook six to seven minutes until fragrant and starting to soften, then zucchini and thinly sliced red pepper go in. A quarter cup of tomato paste with curry powder, turmeric and sea salt cooks a few minutes more before any liquid arrives, which deepens the whole thing. A cup and a half of broth and a can of light coconut milk simmer about twenty minutes until the carrots give and the sauce thickens. Maple syrup, a third of a cup of natural peanut butter, cilantro and 350g of cubed tofu go in last.
Get the full tutorial at Running on Real Food.
25. Vegan Pasta Bake
Cauliflower florets boil in salted water about fifteen minutes until fork-tender, then get blended with a cup and a half to two cups of vegetable broth, garlic, a third of a cup of canned coconut milk, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian herbs and red pepper flakes until smooth. Twelve ounces of mushrooms fry five minutes in a skillet, then five ounces of spinach wilt in for another minute. Everything tosses with seventeen ounces of cooked pasta in a 13×9 dish, vegan cheese sauce goes on top, and it bakes at 400 for twenty minutes. Serves six.
Get the full tutorial at Elavegan.
26. Tomato & Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Risotto
The vegetables roast first: cherry tomatoes, two red peppers and a courgette chopped into small chunks, oiled, salted and roasted at 180C for thirty minutes. Meanwhile 225g of arborio gets stirred with a tablespoon of balsamic for about thirty seconds to coat, then 250g of passata and 250ml of stock go in half a cup at a time, alternating between the two and waiting for each addition to be absorbed. At the twenty minute mark the sun-dried tomatoes and the roasted vegetables fold in for a final five. Serves four, naturally gluten free.
Get the full tutorial at Wallflower Kitchen.
