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    40 deliciously doable easy vegan recipes

    Published: Feb 5, 2020 · Modified: Jun 21, 2021 by Cadry Nelson
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my Privacy Policy for more details.

    Text overlay: 40 easy vegan recipes. Chickpea salad sandwich on plate.

    40 easy vegan recipes – a round-up of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. User-friendly and satisfying for people who are new to the plant-based lifestyle.

    Hand holding chickpea tacos with taco holders.

    In many ways, veganism affects every facet of a person’s life.

    From the food you buy, to the clothes you wear, to the products you use to wash your hair…

    It even affects where you choose to go or avoid on vacation (i.e. you won’t be seeing me at Seaworld – ever).

    But for most of us, it starts in the kitchen.

    Over the years, people have confided to me that they’d like to go vegan, but they don’t know where to start food-wise.

    So I put together this list of 40 easy vegan recipes. It’s a round-up of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

    The dishes are user-friendly and satisfying for people who are dipping a toe in the veg lifestyle.

    Breakfast

    Breakfast is one of my top 3 favorite meals of the day. (Don’t make me choose.)

    With easy vegan recipes for breakfast burritos, roasted potatoes, and cozy chickpea scrambles, there are so many reasons to look forward to getting up.

    Potato hash in blue bowl on table.

    Breakfast potatoes (You can also make these in the air fryer!)

    Oven roasted breakfast potatoes with onions and peppers are cozy enough for weekends but hands-off enough for Mondays. They’re easy to make in the oven or air fryer.

    Chickpea scramble on plate with hashbrowns.

    Chickpea scramble & hash browns

    A chickpea scramble offers a hearty start to the day. It’s protein dense, inexpensive, and quick to prepare. Serve with hash browns. 

    Tofu scramble on plate with pineapple. Plate with toast & hot sauce nearby.

    Tofu scramble recipe with kale & avocado

    Tofu scramble is packed with peppers, onions, garlic, and kale. Finish this savory breakfast with toast and a splash of hot sauce.

    Slabs of eggy tofu laying on plate with toast and berries.

    Eggy tofu & toast

    Vegan eggs are incredibly easy to make. Plus, they’re gluten-free and ready in 5 minutes flat!

    Creamy polenta in bowl with spoon, coffee, and creamer.

    Easy breakfast polenta

    Dotted with sun-dried tomatoes, creamy polenta is good for easing into the day. It’s ready in just 10 minutes!

    Overhead picture of vegan avocado toast with sriracha tofu and nutritional yeast flakes.

    Avocado toast with baked tofu

    This simple toast recipe is topped with avocado, baked tofu, and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast flakes. 

    Vegan breakfast sandwich on plate made with rosemary olive oil bagel, non-dairy cream cheese, eggy tofu, and Gardein breakfast patty.

    Breakfast sandwich

    This breakfast sandwich with thinly sliced eggy tofu, non-dairy cheese, and veggie sausage is wonderfully filling & perfectly portable.

    Tortilla wedges on plate with peanut butter & bananas.

    Toasted tortillas with peanut butter & banana

    Peanut butter & banana on tortillas makes for a super easy breakfast or snack. It’s a hit with adults & kids alike!

    Bowl of frozen cherries, kale leaf, non-dairy milk, and smoothie in glass.

    Very cherry smoothie

    This smoothie is positively packed with cherry flavor. Add a leaf of kale or collards for an extra boost of nutrients.

    Blueberry banana smoothie with glass straw. Chia seeds and spinach in background.

    Blueberry banana smoothie

    This blueberry banana smoothie is made with just five ingredients: blueberries, bananas, spinach, chia seeds, and cashew milk. 

    Lunch

    Lunch is when many of us are short on time. We need to grab and go or find things that are quick to pack into insulated bags.

    Whether you have access to a stove or not, here are a variety of easy vegan recipes for midday.

    Vegan quesadillas stuffed with potatoes, sauerkraut, and non-dairy cheese on plate with yogurt sauce.

    Pierogi-style vegan quesadilla

    This quesadilla is stuffed with all of the pierogi flavors you crave. Potatoes with onions, melty non-dairy cheese, and tangy sauerkraut is encased in a tortilla and served with yogurt ranch dip. 

    Creamy cashew dressing being poured onto kale salad.

    Kale salad with roasted chickpeas

    This massaged kale salad is topped with crispy roasted chickpeas and a generous drizzle of cashew dressing.

    Bowl of tofu salad on table by celery stalk.

    Curried tofu salad

    Curried tofu salad comes together in just 10 minutes. It’s filled with raisins, shredded carrot, and nutty pistachios for crunch. Serve it on its own, in a sandwich, or wrap. 

    Vegan tuna salad sandwich on plate with pink napkin.

    Vegan tuna salad

    Swap out tuna for chickpeas in this mouthwatering fishless sandwich. An easy & satisfying lunch that takes only minutes to make!

    Red lentil soup with curry powder in bowl, and chopped cilantro on top.

    Curry lentil soup

    Even when your pantry is bare, you probably have all the ingredients you need for this flavorful curry lentil soup. Ready in 25 to 30 minutes!

    Close-up tofu salad sandwich on plate with pickle on top.

    Vegan egg salad sandwiches

    Eggless sandwiches are a great meal-on-the-go option. They are ready in just 5 minutes. Perfect for a packed lunch!

    Hands holding double hummus wrap sliced in half.

    Double hummus wraps

    These double hummus wraps are loaded with chickpea & black bean hummus, pickled turnips, rice, and greens. It’s a handheld, flavor-packed lunch you’re going to love! 

    Close-up vegan taco salad with dollop of guacamole.

    Spicy black bean taco salad

    A salad so delicious, you can eat the dishes! This baked tortilla bowl is filled with spicy black beans, guacamole, and salad greens.

    Vegan refried beans covered in non-dairy cheese in blue bowl. Chips and salsa in background.

    Refried beans

    Refried beans are a cozy & satiating side dish alongside rice. They’re a tasty burrito filling. Or eat them on their own with chips as a dip! 

    Hand holding bagel sandwich with hummus & vegetables.

    Bagel sandwich with hummus & vegetables

    This easy bagel sandwich is ready in no time. Just toast a bagel. Then top it with a slathering of homemade hummus and fresh, crunchy sliced vegetables.

    Large black bowl with peanut butter noodles on white table.

    Cold peanut noodle salad

    Cold peanut noodle salad is popping with the flavors of peanut butter, tamari, and brown rice vinegar. With plenty of crisp, cool vegetables & a handful of nuts, you get a complete meal in one bowl.

    Chili cheese tots on platter.

    Chili cheese tater tots

    Satisfy the kid in you with chili cheese tater tots. So messy & delicious, it ticks all the pleasure sensors! 

    Israeli couscous salad with cucumber, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and basil in bowl with green napkin.

    Israeli couscous salad with olives & artichokes

    Israeli couscous salad is loaded with flavor from artichokes, olives, basil, and garlic. It works as a side dish with baked tofu or roasted chickpeas. But it can also stand alone as a hot or cold lunch. 

    Hand holding vegan chili dog covered with three bean chili, non-dairy cheese, and pickles.

    Chili dog

    This filling chili dog is loaded with three bean chili, non-dairy cheese, pickles, and mustard for good measure. Serve it on a pretzel bun. 

    Hands holding vegan BBQ sandwich.

    BBQ sandwich with Soy Curls & cole slaw

    This flavorful vegan BBQ sandwich is filled with saucy shredded Soy Curls that have been cooked in an air fryer or skillet. It is then topped with a mound of cool & crunchy cole slaw.

    Overhead picture of air fryer bagel pizzas on plate + bagels & marinara.

    Air fryer bagel pizzas

    This recipe is so simple, you could get the kids involved with it. Everyone can add their own toppings to these personal pizzas. Lunch is ready to go in 10 minutes!

    Dinner

    The family comes together again at dinnertime to break bread after a long day. It’s a meal that sometimes requires meeting a variety of different palates.

    With tacos, bowls, and noodles for swirling, you’re sure to find some easy vegan recipes that anyone would enjoy.

    Sweet potato stew with rice in large mug by soup pot.

    African peanut stew

    This one pot meal includes chickpeas for an extra punch of protein. Make a big pot of stew on Sunday for easy meals throughout the week. 

    Gardein fishless filet tacos with avocado and cashew chipotle crema.

    Vegan fish tacos

    These fishless tacos with chipotle cashew crema will whisk you away to a beachside cabana. A satisfying lunch or dinner that is very easy to make!

    Black bean bowl with fried plantains and guacamole.

    Saucy black bean bowl with fried plantains

    This saucy black bean bowl with rice has a wonderful harmony of spicy, cool, sweet, and salty. Enjoy each flavor one by one, or give the bowl a good stir for a mixture of tastes in every bite. 

    Vegan pesto rice bowl with grilled artichoke heart, cherry tomatoes, and roasted chickpeas on napkin.

    Pesto rice

    Pesto rice is the perfect weeknight meal. It uses just 10 ingredients & takes about 8 minutes to make. Eat it on its own, as a side dish, or as a base for delicious pesto rice bowls with your favorite toppings! 

    Vegan burrito bowl with black beans, lentils, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, pico de gallo, and guacamole.

    Burrito bowl with lentils & black beans

    This burrito bowl is packed with flavor. With lentils, black beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo, there’s a tantalizing mix of tastes – bite after bite.

    Vegetable gyoza in broth with carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and kale.

    Soothing potsticker soup

    Potsticker soup is packed with onions, garlic, kale, and carrots. It’s a satisfying and warming soup for chilly days.

    This simple soup uses frozen potstickers, which means lunch or dinner is ready in no time.

    Overhead picture of baked tofu with lemon & rosemary, broccolini, and brown rice.

    Easy baked tofu recipe with lemon & rosemary

    This easy baked tofu recipe will make you wonder why you ever bought those prepared slices. It’s so low fuss to make it at home. 

    Close-up jacket potato with non-dairy butter, chives, and vegan cream cheese.

    Air fryer baked potato 

    Get ready for the best baked potato of your life! Cooking a Russet potato in the air fryer delivers a perfectly crisp peel and pillowy interior.

    The whole thing is ready to go in 35 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of your potato.

    Hand holding vegan chili dog pizza with mustard and pickles.

    Chili dog pizza

    Chili dog pizza is a weeknight-friendly dinner that combines the magic of coneys, pizza, and cornbread. By using a frozen pizza crust & leftover chili, dinner is ready in just 25 minutes!

    Bowls of pasta with eggplant parmesan slices.

    Dairy-free eggplant parmesan in the air fryer

    This dinner party-worthy dish comes together quickly in the air fryer. Eggplant slices are coated in panko, seasonings, and non-dairy parmesan. After getting crisp in the air fryer, marinara sauce & vegan mozzarella are added until warm & melty.

    Bowl of pappardelle with red wine mushrooms, and chives.

    Buttery garlic noodles with red wine mushrooms

    Buttered noodles are the epitome of “cozy.” Pappardelle is tossed with garlicky, non-dairy butter & topped with red wine infused mushrooms.

    Hands holding a crunchy hard shell taco wrapped in a soft tortilla.

    Double decker tacos

    Double decker tacos are an old fast food favorite. Now you can enjoy a plant-based version at home with two layers of beans, hard and soft shells, and veggies. 

    Overhead three bean chili in bowl, green onions, tortilla chips, and grated non-dairy cheese.

    Three bean chili

    Three bean chili with pinto, black, and Great Northern beans – the perfect warm-you-up dinner. It’s a one pot meal that’s ready in less than half an hour. 

    Black bean vegan taco pizza on cutting board.

    Black bean taco pizza

    Taco pizza is nostalgia on a plate. Taco chips rest on a bed of greens, tomatoes, and beans on a cornmeal crust.

    Content updated February 2020. Originally posted January 2017.

    Is this the year you're going vegan? Here are 25 deliciously doable recipes to get you started. | cadryskitchen.com

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. barbara

      January 10, 2017 at 1:56 pm

      yum..thank you can’t wait to try these recipes..

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 11, 2017 at 12:48 pm

        You’re welcome, Barbara! I hope you enjoy them. 😀

        Reply
    2. Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe

      January 10, 2017 at 10:14 pm

      such great recipes and really helpful that your breakfast meals are mostly savoury – it is challenging to have regular savoury breakfasts for me but I don’t feel so ready for the day if I just have sweet

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 11, 2017 at 12:49 pm

        Thanks, Johanna! I feel the same way about sweet breakfasts. Things like pancakes are fun every once in a while, but I finish breakfast feeling like I didn’t really have anything substantive. I’m a savory breakfast person through and through.

        Reply
    3. Shell

      January 12, 2017 at 8:10 am

      This was a really fun round-up! I completely forgot about the plantain and black bean burritos. I have a plantain on my counter and I feel happy every time I look at it.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 12, 2017 at 1:44 pm

        Thanks, Shell! It’s been way too long since I’ve made plantains. Maybe it will be the next project for my air fryer! 😀

        Reply
    4. Hannah Teson

      January 12, 2017 at 10:25 am

      Such a great list! I’m a big fan of your Garlic butter noodles with red wine mushrooms 🙂

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 12, 2017 at 1:44 pm

        Thank you, Hannah! I’m so glad to hear that! 😀

        Reply
    5. Danielle

      January 17, 2017 at 3:09 am

      These look delish! I have a question. I’m having a baby soon so we are trying to prepare freezer meals ahead for when we get home from the hospital. Which of these recipes would freeze and reheat well?(and do you have any tips for doing that? ) Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 17, 2017 at 2:42 pm

        Congratulations on having a baby on the way, Danielle! Very exciting! That’s a great question about which of these meals are freezer friendly.

        Chili freezes very well. In addition to eating it on its own, you can also put it on tater tots & pizza, as I featured above. When I freeze chili, I like to put it into glass Pyrex containers. But if you’re afraid you’ll run out of freezer space, you could put room temperature chili into freezer bags and freeze them flat. That will be easier for stacking. I usually freeze the chili in portions of 2 or 3, but you could do it in whatever amounts you think you’ll be able to enjoy.

        On the same idea, the following soups freeze very well:
        Curried lentil soup – http://cadryskitchen.com/2015/04/15/curried-lentil-soup/
        Split pea – http://cadryskitchen.com/2013/10/27/three-favorite-vegan-soups-stick-ribs/

        When I freeze refried beans, I usually freeze the beans on their own in a Pyrex. However, you could also freeze the burritos individually and put them in freezer bags. The breakfast burritos would also freeze well, I think, without the guacamole.

        The beans that are on the boozy black bean & rice bowls, chickpea tacos, black bean burritos, and taco pizza also freeze fine in Pyrex. Then you can thaw & reuse.

        I love freezing rice in batches as well. I usually freeze in varying sizes of glass Pyrex containers. To reheat, pop it in the microwave, or thaw a bit and throw the rice into a pan or skillet for fried rice. You can also find frozen rice at Trader Joe’s if you run out! 😀

        Reply
        • Danielle

          January 17, 2017 at 2:47 pm

          Thank you for so much great advice! It will come in handy. We are excited about it all!

          Reply

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    Hi, I'm Cadry!

    I’m a longtime vegan. (14 years!) But I grew up eating a Standard American Diet. I know that all of us crave foods that are familiar, comforting, and delicious.

    That’s why it’s my passion to share mouthwatering plant-based recipes that taste like home.

    More about me →

    Spring recipes

    • Green salad with blood oranges & peanut dressing
    • Tangy peanut salad dressing (vegan)
    • Vegan eggs Benedict (for an amazing brunch!)
    • Vegan hollandaise sauce (dairy free & egg free)

    Salads

    • Easy tahini dressing for salads, bowls, or falafel (vegan)
    • Balsamic vinaigrette dressing (Just 5 ingredients!)
    • Vegan chef salad with seitan & avocado
    • Israeli couscous salad with olives & artichokes

    Easy weeknight meals

    • Air fryer baked potato in about 35 minutes
    • Buffalo chickpea sandwich with vegan blue cheese
    • Three bean chili: Warm up with a bowl
    • Vegan taco pizza with black beans: A taste of nostalgia
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