Skip to Content

30 Easy Plant-Based Recipes

Many people eat plant-based meals for all sorts of reasons, perhaps because they’re vegan or they’re looking to lose weight, or simply because they want to cut down their meat consumption.

Plant-Based Recipes

Many people think eating a plant-based diet is hard, so they never try, but it’s actually considerably easy to do with the help of the internet. You don’t need to spend significant amounts of money on recipe books.

Here we’ve put together 30 of the best plant-based recipes, all super simple to make and absolutely delicious.

So whether you’re looking for vegan recipes, plant-based diet recipes, or just wanting to try something different, you’re in the right place.

1. Easiest Vegetable Stir-Fry

Stir-Frys are one of the simplest meals you can make. You can easily pick anything from your fridge and mix it with some noodles, although if you’re planning on eating, plant-based noodles aren’t going to be on the ingredient list.

As you can imagine from the name, this recipe is 95% made up of vegetables with a few other important elements for the sauce.

For this colorful recipe, you will need olive oil, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, sugar snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, baby corn, water chestnuts, green onions, sesame seeds, and most importantly.

The secret ingredients for the sauce are soy sauce, garlic cloves, brown sugar, sesame oil, vegetable broth (if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian, you can swap for chicken broth), and cornstarch.

2. Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl

Buddha Bowls are so in with the vegan community and are expanding to other food communities, especially through TikTok.

We love this sweet potato chickpea buddha bowl as it’s so healthy and the best plant-based recipe for when you’re trying to lose weight, only 474 calories per serving, perfect to have for lunch or dinner.

It’s packed full of amazing plant-based ingredients, ready to have flavors bursting off your taste buds.

The most important part of any recipe is often the sauce, and it’s nothing different for this recipe, so to make the secret element (the sauce), you will need tahini, maple syrup, lemon, and hot water.

3. Veggie Burger

Looking for plant-based dinner recipes? Here we have a fantastic recipe that is much more substantial than the rest of our list.

Often burgers are considered unhealthy and high in calories, but this veggie burger is packed full of delicious, healthy vegetables, and surprisingly only 188 calories per serving without bread, toppings, and cheese.

If you don’t have black beans, you can instead try cannellini beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas.

The recipe can also be made vegan if you remove the eggs and use flaxseeds as an alternative ingredient.

The secret to this recipe is so great is the smoked paprika, and chilli powder give it that slight kick.

4. Crispy Falafel

Who doesn’t love a homemade falafel? For vegans and veggies across the world, falafels are a firm favorite, and what’s even better about these is that they’re perfect for coeliacs, too, being gluten-free.

Whether you’re searching for the ideal plant-based meal ideas or want something as an appetizer, falafels are the way forward.

Chickpeas are the essential element of any falafel recipe, so it’s important you get it right.

You need to make sure the chickpeas you use are dry. You don’t want canned ones which are kept in liquid.

One of our top tips with this recipe is to bake your falafels, don’t fry them.

Baking also helps them to be considerably healthier as you aren’t using oil, which can be high in calories.

5. Salad Sandwich

Looking for plant-based lunch ideas? Why not try this simple salad sandwich?

It’s so quick to make and perfect to bring to the office, and even better, it’s only 224 calories.

For the sandwich filling, you will need whole grain bread, or you can use a different type if you prefer, tomato, cucumber, red onion, carrot, lettuce, or baby spinach and cheese.

But to really add some flavor to this sandwich recipe, you’ll need mayonnaise, herbs, lemon juice, and salt and pepper for the herb mayo.

6. Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

Turned vegan and missing your monthly steak night? Why not try a cauliflower steak instead, you can have it with your usual sides, and it’s just as good as the real thing.

Plant-based recipes for beginners are easy to come across, and this is the perfect example.

Simple but worth making and only takes a total of 40 minutes to prep and cook.

The ingredients for this recipe are short and sweet, needing only cauliflower, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and most essentially, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

7. Stuffed Acorn Squash

Not only is this absolutely scrumptious, but it’s also really pretty and the perfect picturesque dish for your Instagram story or feed.

While this recipe does require a few steps, it’s not difficult to do, so if you’re new to the plant-based world, this could be a great first-time recipe.

It is vegetarian but can be made vegan or dairy-free.

The recipe list includes acorn squash, olive oil, sea salt, quinoa, water, cranberries, raw pepitas, green onion, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, parmesan cheese ( a great addition for some extra flavor), and goats cheese or you can use feta as a substitute.

8. Mushroom Lentil Loaf

Whole food plant-based recipes don’t often include ‘meat loaf’ recipes, but we think this mushroom lentil loaf is glorious and shouldn’t be missed off the list, especially being vegan and gluten-free.

To make this recipe, you will need brown lentils, vegetable broth, carrots, yellow onion, crimini mushrooms, garlic cloves, green bell pepper, whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, flour, walnuts, sunflower seeds, tomato paste, vegan Worcestershire, oregano, thyme, parsley, and ground chia seeds.

You could use ground flax if you don’t have any ground chia seeds.

The mushrooms are an important element in the recipe. They give it that ‘meaty’ texture that vegan recipes sometimes miss.

9. Vegan Pizza

Just because you’re eating whole food plant-based recipes doesn’t mean you have to miss out on having pizza.

The best thing about the recipe is that it’s ideal for the whole family, including kids, and only takes 40 minutes, so it is a quick and easy dinner idea.

You can use an already made pizza crust or choose to make your own homemade crust or gluten-free crust.

The other elements of this recipe include red bell pepper, green bell pepper, orange bell pepper, red onion, button mushrooms, basil, oregano, garlic powder (always an essential), sea salt, tomato sauce, granulated sugar, vegan parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes (another important aspect)

10. Vegetarian Chili

We love this recipe as it includes many basic ingredients you can find in most homes.

This vegetarian recipe requires extra-virgin olive oil, red onion, red bell pepper, carrots, celery, salt, garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, tomatoes, black beans, vegetable broth, bay leaf, cilantro, sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar or lime juice), and to garnish, cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.

All these ingredients combined create a beautiful smoky flavor that any veggie or non-veggie will thoroughly enjoy.

11. Chickpea Crab Cakes

Want something that tastes similar to if you were eating crab, but something that is vegan?

Then this vegan recipe is the one for you.

All you need for this recipe is chickpeas, parsley, dill pickle brine, dill pickle, lemon juice, vegan mayonnaise, all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, kosher salt, old bay seasoning, vegetable oil, and white bread or a hamburger bun.

Wfpb recipes don’t need to be boring, and this recipe shows exactly that.

As you take your first bite, you’ll be addicted and likely want the same dish for your dinner for the next week.

12. Easy Hummus

The great thing about hummus is that it’s so simple to make and so delicious to have.

Plus, you can quite literally use it as a dip for anything, carrots, cucumber, peppers, bread, or you can even incorporate it into a meal.

Don’t get us wrong, store-bought hummus is still super tasty, but we personally believe this easy hummus recipe is so much better.

Love smooth hummus? We’ve got a pro tip for you. It’s all about the order in which you add the ingredients into the food processor.

Chickpeas are the secret to making hummus. Without them, you haven’t got hummus.

So to make this, you’ll need chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic clove, extra-virgin olive oil, ground cumin, salt, water, and to serve paprika or sumac.

13. Vegan Ramen

If you love Japanese food but are vegan, it can be hard to find easy plant-based recipes for ramen.

Don’t fret. We’ve got your back with this enjoyable dish, and we think it’s one the whole family will love.

This recipe only takes 10 minutes to prep and a further swift 15 minutes to cook, making it the ideal quick lunch or dinner meal.

You’ll need garlic cloves, ginger, white miso paste, tahini, shiitake mushrooms, vegan stock, soy sauce, tofu, cornflour, either vegetable or sunflower oil, ramen or rice noodles, pak choi, spring onions, beansprouts, carrot and to serve sesame oil, sriracha, coriander, peanuts, and nori.

14. Vegan Mac and Cheese

Want a vegan dish that’s cheesy, saucy, creamy, and utterly delicious? You’re certainly in the right place. Mac and cheese is almost entirely a firm favorite for everyone, but for vegans, it’s not often you can find a decent recipe, that was until now.

Here’s the fun part, there’s no cheese at all, not even vegan cheese, which can sometimes not be that great or incredibly hard to find.

The vegan sauce is made up of vegan butter, all-purpose flour, unsweetened coconut milk (you can use soy milk as an alternative), vegetable stock, Dijon mustard, nutritional year, onion powder, and garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.

Keep in mind that while this dish is one of our easy plant-based recipes, it’s not the healthiest, with each serving being 683 calories.

15. Ranch Kale Salad

Looking for whole food plant-based recipes? This ranch kale salad is extremely easy to make and quite possibly one of the healthiest, whole-food dishes you can have.

You might be surprised to find that these actually taste like chips, more specifically cool ranch Doritos, almost allowing you to forget you’re eating veg.

The secret to making this salad so tasty is the seasoning, including the garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, sea salt, and black pepper.

16. Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant

We love this recipe, a mixture of flavors on a tender eggplant half, filled with a beautiful couscous stuffing.

This delightful recipe is made of eggplants, kosher salt, virgin olive oil, allspice, coriander, paprika, ground cinnamon, couscous, chickpeas, tomato, and onion, green onion, parsley, and tahini sauce.

This dish is perfect for a warm summer’s day when you want to feel like you’re soaking up the Mediterranean sun.

17. Vegan Meatballs

Meatballs are an all-time favorite for adults and children but being vegan can make you feel like you can’t have dishes like these, but with this recipe, it is possible to experience meatballs once again.

These meatballs are scrumptious, with a herby and garlic flavor, and only made from wholesome ingredients.

You can choose to have these on their own, or could instead have them with spaghetti.

To make this, you will need quinoa, black beans, water or avocado oil, garlic cloves, shallot, sea salt, oregano, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, and vegan parmesan cheese, tomato paste, fresh basil or parsley, and vegan Worcestershire sauce.

18. Vegan Mushroom Pot Pie

Got a cold winter’s evening? Why not have a pot pie. This vegan mushroom pot pie is delicious and so worth trying. Perfect for vegans or those with a soy allergy.

The secret to making this pie’s pastry golden, puffy and flaky is using whole wheat.

The other elements of this recipe include puff pastry, mushrooms, carrots, onions, celery, green peas, garlic, all-purpose flour, herbs, rosemary, thyme, or sage, whichever one you have, cashews, extra-virgin olive oil, parsley and salt, and black pepper.

19. Sesame Soba Noodles

Want a yum Asian side dish or a light main meal? These sesame soba noodles are perfect for that and offer great health benefits.

You can expect a nutty, earthy flavor as soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and wheat flour.

To add some extra taste to this recipe, the noodle sauce will need soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar, black pepper, and sesame seeds.

You can choose to have these noodles hot or cold. Either works perfectly.

20. Broccoli Stir-Fry

We couldn’t resist adding another stir-fry to this list of plant-based recipes as they’re so simple to bung together, plus they’re a great dish to have, healthy and completely yummy.

This recipe requires broccoli, garlic cloves, ginger, scallion, soy sauce, white rice, brown rice can be used as an alternative, cornstarch, red pepper flakes, sugar, sesame oil, and vegetable or peanut oil.

This recipe is both vegan and gluten-free, so perfect for most individuals to have.

If you want additional vegetables, you can add any of your likings.

21. Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower, in general, is delicious, whether you have it raw or steamed, but roasted cauliflower just tops it all, especially when seasoned. You can even pop it in an air fryer instead of an oven.

This recipe consists of ingredients including cauliflower, olive oil, unsalted butter, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and paprika, which is the best part and really helps with the flavor.

This recipe is more a side dish than a main meal but can be added to any meal you have cooked.

22. Chickpea Salad Sandwich

This chickpea salad sandwich is beautiful and quick (only 10 minutes!) and easy to make for your work pack lunch, and, let’s not forget, healthy.

You could even use this recipe for a family picnic or even a party where you have vegan or vegetarian guests.

This recipe needs chickpeas, celery, green onions, vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery seed, kosher salt, and black pepper, bread (of your choice), lettuce, and hummus if you wish.

23. Summer Radish Salad

Radish is a weird and wonderful vegetable with a pungent and peppery flavor, but in a salad, it works really well.

This radish salad is perfect for a summer picnic or BBQ, likely to be enjoyed by the whole family.

To make this salad, you will need radishes, salt, red onion, cucumber, extra-virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, white sugar, garlic clove, and dill.

This salad is not only delicious but, as you can expect, really healthy, with only 188 calories per serving.

24. Taco Salad

Love having a Mexican taco night but want something that is plant-based? We have a recipe that you’ll love.

This dish could be made either for lunch or dinner. Both work.

You will need flour tortillas, extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, chilli powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, lettuce, black beans, Mexican-style corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cilantro leaves, cheddar cheese, green onions, and if you wish to have meat, you can add lean ground turkey.

Salads can often be boring and make you wish you had something more substantial, but with this taco salad, you won’t be thinking that.

25. Vegetarian Moussaka

Love a traditional Greek moussaka? How about trying a vegetarian moussaka, just as tasty and full of flavors.

We guarantee that this dish will be loved by you, and you can do it as a family meal.

This dish requires eggplants, potatoes, zucchini, extra-virgin olive oil, all-purpose flour, salt, ground nutmeg, 2% milk, eggs, yellow onion, and garlic cloves, black lentils, tomatoes, broth or water, oregano, and cinnamon.

A tip when it comes to the eggplant is to salt it, no matter whether you’re frying or roasting it.

26. Lentil Soup

Soup is the best dish when the weather outside is cold or rainy, and this lentil soup is a great whole food plant-based dish with a fresh flavor.

What you need to put this soup dish together is extra-virgin olive oil, yellow or white onion, carrots, garlic cloves, ground cumin, curry powder, dried thyme, tomatoes, brown or green lentils, vegetable broth, water, salt, red pepper flakes, kale, lemon juice, and black pepper.

We love this soup as it’s so easy to put together and, at max, takes 55 minutes to prep and cook.

27. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

We couldn’t resist adding another soup to the list, especially as this one is vegetarian, gluten-free, and paleo.

Soup is ideal for cold weather when you want to cosy up under a blanket, particularly in the fall and winter months.

You can pick your favorite bread to serve with it. They are absolutely delicious together.

This soup requires butternut squash, olive oil, shallot, salt, garlic cloves, maple syrup, ground nutmeg, black pepper, vegetable broth, and butter.

28. Vegan Blueberry Muffins

We couldn’t have a plant-based recipe list without adding in a dessert, so that’s why we have added vegan blueberry muffins.

Despite no egg or dairy being used to make these, they’re fluffy, moist, and gorgeous to eat. They can also be made gluten-free, oil-free, and whole grain.

The elements used to make these blueberry muffins are soy milk, apple cider vinegar, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cornstarch, oil, vanilla extract, and fresh blueberries.

29. Homemade Vegetarian Chili

This recipe is easy to make, with many basic pantry ingredients involved.

While not the quickest, taking 20 minutes to prep and 40 minutes, it’s still worth making.

The ingredient list includes extra-virgin olive oil, red onion, red bell pepper, carrots, celery, salt, garlic cloves, chilli powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, vegetable broth or water, bay leaf, cilantro, sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar or lime juice and to garnish cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.

Got a family dinner? Why not cook up a big pot of this? It’s super hearty and delicious.

30. Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

Need a side dish? This vegan scalloped potato recipe is dreamy, made with vegan cheese, so it is super creamy and delicious.

This recipe requires 10 ingredients olive oil, avocado oil, garlic cloves, sea salt, black pepper, cornstarch, unsweetened plain almond milk, nutmeg, nutritional yeast, potatoes, vegan parmesan cheese, parsley, and paprika, which brings out a bold, spicy taste.

This dish is perfect to have on a cold fall or winter’s day.

Plant-Based Recipes

30 Easy Plant-Based Recipes

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 oz uncooked linguine
  • 2 tbsps butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 c shredded provolone cheese
  • 3 tbsps shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tsps minced fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Cook the linguine following the packet instructions
  2. While the linguine cooks, heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and saute for 3 to 5 minutes. You then need to add the tomato, onions, garlic, and seasonings. Cook for 3 minutes on a lower heat.
  3. Add the drained linguine to the mixture.
  4. Sprinkle with cheese and basil, mix and serve.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Skip to Recipe