30 Easy Meals for Vegan Beginners

Adopting a plant-based diet can (and should) be fun. It can also be delicious, rewarding, joyful, and, most importantly, simple. So, save the gourmet, multi-step culinary projects you’ve seen on TikTok or Pinterest for a few months down the road. For now, stick to the basics. All of these recipes are quick, easy to prepare, and require minimal, familiar ingredients. Plus, they’re delicious, so impress yourself and your family by whipping up any one of these easy vegan meals. 

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Easy vegan recipes and meals for beginners

These 30 vegan recipes are perfect for anyone starting their plant-based journey. 

Hannah Sunderani

1 Stuffed Black Bean Sweet Potatoes With Sour Cream and Guacamole

A loaded potato of any sort—sweet, russet, or purple—is a staple in any vegan arsenal. Ranging from super basic to gourmand, this recipe hits the sweet spot. It’s more than just canned beans and corn plopped onto a potato, but it’s simple enough to toss together on a hectic Tuesday night. If you’re short on time, purchase store-bought dairy-free sour cream (like Forager, Kite Hill, or Tofutti) instead of making your own.
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Sarah Nevins

2 Root Vegetable Bowls With Peanut Sauce

The more accustomed you get to eating vegan, the more you’ll realize it’s often the sauce that makes the meal. Truly, you can turn humble grains, greens, and beans into a $15 Buddha bowl by adding a quick homemade sauce. In this case, we do recommend making the sauce, as it’s so quick, and many store-bought options contain fish sauce. Plus, you get to control the spice level. 
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Andrea Soranidis

3 Two-Step Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad Sandwiches

Rely on the deli side. Of course, this quick chickpea mash is terrific between two slices of bread (try a bagel to switch it up), but it’s also excellent dolloped onto salads, stuffed in a pita, or wrapped in a tortilla. Sometimes, we’ll use it as a dip for raw carrots, toasty pita triangles, and celery. It only takes five minutes to make, but the possibilities are endless. 
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Jackie Sobon

4 3-Step Diner-Style Pancakes

Few things are more satisfying in the moment than sitting down to a stack of giant, fluffy pancakes and watching syrup cascade down the sides as you sit contentedly at your own kitchen table. One bite of these pancakes and you’ll realize nothing is missing. Add chocolate chips or blueberries if you want to get wild. 
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Shanika Graham-White

5Banana Oatmeal Porridge

Master the perfect bowl of oats once and for all with this minimal-ingredient vegan breakfast recipe. Infused with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of brown sugar, this banana-based bowl of oats is made for those who crave something sweet in the morning. Bonus: it’s far healthier and more filling than a muffin or a doughnut, and only takes a few extra minutes to prepare.
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Barb Musick

6 Easy French Bread Pizza

It’s pizza night, and all you need are six ingredients to make it happen. The key to a quality vegan pizza is your choice of non-dairy cheese (find some of our favorites here). Let your creativity (and the contents of your fridge) determine the rest. 
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Hannah Sunderani

7 Easy Tofu Egg Salad

Packed with protein and super versatile, this eggy tofu mix will surely make it into your weekly lunch rotation. Egg salad is one of those foods that you may not have enjoyed as an omnivore but will love as a vegan. 
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Luke Albert

8Roasted Lemony Broccoli Rigatoni 

There are nights when pasta with a blob of store-bought marinara will suffice, but given a few extra minutes, you can add some fiber and pizazz to your go-to pasta night. While this dish takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and just six ingredients, you could even pass it off as a romantic date night meal. 
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Danielle Brown

9 Vegan Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

When you go vegan, you don’t have to sacrifice any familiar favorites. There are store-bought alternatives for many products, but you can just as easily make your own. This thick, belly-warming broccoli cheddar soup satisfies just as completely as its Panera predecessor—especially when served in a bread bowl (yes, sourdough bread is vegan!).
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Spork Foods

10Pink Sushi Rolls With Ginger-Tamari Sauce

Vegan sushi encompasses so much more than cucumber and avocado rolls. This recipe isn’t the most complex iteration of plant-based sushi, but it can also be pared down as well. If you’re short on time, skip the pink rice step and just go with plain sushi rice. You can also opt to purchase a creamy store-bought sauce.
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Hannah Kaminsky

11Easy Two-Step Tofu Scramble With Mixed Veggies

If scrambled eggs were a breakfast staple for you, you can recreate the same flavors and textures with this easy, two-step tofu scramble recipe. Protein-rich tofu is combined with a medley of veggies for a nutritious morning scramble. Amp up the eggy flavor with a pinch of black salt. 
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Andrea Hannemann

12 Easy Vegan French Niçoise Salad

Traditional Niçoise salad is, of course, made with tuna and hard-boiled eggs, but this recipe proves that it’s easy to make a plant-based version of the iconic French dish without sacrificing flavor. It’s arguably even easier to make than the original, as you just need a can of chickpeas, some Italian dressing, and a mix of ingredients like red potatoes, baby kale, cherry tomatoes, and kalamata olives.
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Danielle Keith

13 Two-Step Oil-Free Vegan Kale Pesto Pasta

This is the ultimate lazy-day meal. It comes together in just 15 minutes, and all you need is your favorite pasta and a food processor for the pesto. Simply cook the pasta, then toss basil, kale, nutritional yeast, almonds, lemon, salt, and garlic into a food processor. Blend, mix everything, and dinner is done.
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VegNews

14 Maple-Glazed Cashew Tofu Stir-Fry

Put down the takeout menu. Seriously—this super-easy stir-fry is packed with flavor, comes together fast, and is way easier on your wallet. It’s a delicious mix of crispy tofu, fresh vegetables, and savory hoisin sauce. Serve it with noodles or rice, depending on what you’re craving.
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Jackie Sobon

15 Dill-Roasted Chickpea and Lemony Potato Buddha Bowls

If you’re stuck on lunch ideas, keep this one in your back pocket. It’s a sheet-pan dish that requires minimal prep but delivers a burst of flavor, as well as the balanced nutrition you need to power through the afternoon.
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Kylie Perrotti

16 Loaded Mushroom Tostadas With Pickled Onions

Make this for your family, partner, or friends, and be prepared for repeat requests, it’s that good. Luckily, it’s also incredibly simple to pull together: crispy tostadas piled high with umami-rich king oyster mushrooms, plus plenty of guacamole and refried beans.
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Francesca Bonadonna

17 Easy Vegan Poutine With Herby Gravy and Mozzarella

It doesn’t get easier—or more satisfying—than this vegan poutine. Start with your favorite frozen French fries, then layer them with a simple homemade gravy, plenty of melted dairy-free mozzarella, and a sprinkle of chopped thyme, salt, and pepper. We told you: easy peasy.
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Lauren Hartmann and Julie Grace

18 Crispy Southern Oven-Fried Tofu

If you love Southern-fried chicken, we challenge you not to adore this ultra-crispy oven-fried tofu. It’s tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and surprisingly simple to make. Just slather pressed tofu in a mix of hot sauce, agave, salt, cornstarch, chili, and crushed cornflakes, then bake until golden.
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Luke Albert

19 Vegan Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Another great vegan lunch idea: cheesy cauliflower soup. It’s warming, satisfying, and nourishing, and it comes together with just a handful of ingredients, including cauliflower, vegan cream cheese, and soy milk.
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Jackie Sobon

20 Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, this simple breakfast smoothie bowl is a must-try. It blends chocolate protein powder, peanut butter, maple syrup, and cacao powder, with a secret ingredient: frozen cauliflower. Don’t worry, you won’t taste it at all.
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Luke Albert

21 Six-Ingredient Eggplant Meatballs in Homemade Marinara

Yep, you really only need six ingredients to make these hearty meatballs, including eggplant, onion, and white bread. Paired with a rich marinara sauce, they make one of our favorite simple midweek meals.
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22 Vietnamese-Inspired Pho Noodle Salad With Tofu

Another reason to put down the takeout menu: this ultra-delicious, easy-to-make, Vietnamese-inspired pho noodle salad. It’s fresh, crispy, and packed with flavor. What’s not to love?
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Clare Winfield

23 Korean-Inspired Vegan BLT With Spicy Gochujang Mayonnaise

A BLT is one of those classic sandwiches that’s incredibly easy to veganize—just swap in your favorite vegan bacon, and you’re good to go. But this simple recipe takes things up a notch with the addition of spicy gochujang mayonnaise. Trust us: you’ll never want a plain BLT again.
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Hannah Kaminsky

24 Four-Ingredient Cashew Vanilla Ice Cream

Sure, there are plenty of store-bought vegan ice cream options to try (including nearly 20 flavors from Ben & Jerry’s), but making vanilla ice cream from scratch is surprisingly easy, too. This recipe shows you how to whip up a creamy, sweet dessert using just vanilla beans, cashews, water, and maple syrup.
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Ashley McLaughlin

25 Sesame Ginger Broccoli Noodles

If you’re looking for a quick, easy plant-based recipe that’s also packed with fiber, this dish is a great choice. Rice noodles and fresh broccoli are tossed with punchy ingredients like tahini and fresh ginger for a fast, flavor-forward meal.
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Amy Angelo

26 Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Vanilla Smoothie Bowl

A breakfast that tastes like dessert? Count us in. This smoothie bowl comes together in minutes and blends fresh and frozen fruits—like strawberries, raspberries, and banana—with creamy coconut milk and indulgent cacao nibs.
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27 Roasted Vegetable and Tofu Buddha Sheet Pan

A sheet pan is one of the easiest ways to make a quick, nutrient-dense plant-based meal. This recipe walks you through the process of roasting red cabbage with broccolini and smoked tofu. To serve, a dollop of hummus and a sprinkle of chili flakes bring everything together with plenty of flavor.
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Alison Bickel

28 Vegan Fried Rice Bowl With Baked Tofu

This is a dish you’ll make on repeat—trust us. It’s extra simple thanks to leftover rice, which is tossed with plenty of fresh vegetables, protein-rich tofu, and flavor-packed tamari, hoisin, and sriracha.
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29 Vegan Carrot Lox Toast With Herbed Cheese

If you used to love salmon, let us introduce you to an equally delicious, easy brunch dish: vegan carrot lox toast. The key is marinating the carrots in plenty of bold flavors—like liquid smoke and maple syrup—then pairing them with herby, velvety vegan cream cheese for maximum flavor.
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Lianna Tarantin

30 Rainbow Veggie Wraps With Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce

These rainbow veggie wraps are a crowd-pleaser for kids and adults alike. Served with a soy-ginger dipping sauce, they’re as colorful as they are delicious, packed with nutrient-dense ingredients like carrots, beets, avocado, and strawberries.
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