Author: Whether you're brand new to plant-based eating or just looking for quick inspiration, these easy vegan recipes have you covered. With over 100 tried-and-true favorites, this list is packed with beginner-friendly meals that are simple to make and absolutely full of flavor. (No boring food allowed!)
In this post, you'll find everything from hearty vegan dinners and cozy soups to creamy sauces, crispy tofu, satisfying sandwiches, and sweet treats. These are the vegan staples I make again and again. The kind of recipes that turn "what's for dinner?" into something exciting!
I remember when I first went vegan, I had no idea where to start. I literally made pasta with tomato sauce on repeat. (Which got boring real fast.) Now I've got go-to recipes that are as easy as they are delicious.
You'll find everything from simple breakfasts and hearty mains to decadent desserts. There are plenty of veggie-packed meals, but also some of my favorite creative dishes, like homemade vegan cheeses (surprisingly easy to make!) and meaty mains made with tofu, beans, and lentils. Whether you're building a full vegan meal plan or just dipping your toes in, there's something here for everyone.
📚 Easy Vegan Recipes Table of Contents
Jump to your preferred section by clicking the links below 🔗
Easy Vegan Breakfast Recipes
Quick, cozy, and so dang satisfying. These vegan breakfast recipes are all about minimal effort and major flavour. For mornings when I want something simple but special, I whip up a batch of Tofu Bacon or a creamy glass of Banana Milk (also delicious on cereal). If you're into spreads, the 3-Ingredient Vegan Nutella is dangerous in the best way.
- Easy Chia Jam: "Just made peach blueberry jam.... farm fresh ingredients.... it is cooling right now! So excited! I snuck a taste... yummy! Can't wait to spread it on corn muffins!" -Sharon
- Homemade Creamy Oat Milk: "I've just made this - it's delicious. I've never had success with oat milk but this really worked." -Angela
- Vegan Egg Yolk: "I absolutely LOVE this recipe! quick, easy, and delicious. My non-vegan partner specifically ASKS me to make it!" -Bobbi
- 3 Ingredient Vegan Nutella: "So rich and delicious! A perfect sweet start to the morning!" -Adam
- Banana Milk: "Yum! Love this simple recipe. Yummy way to use up ripe bananas." -Laura
- Hemp Milk: "Just tried this, it's the first nut milk I've made and it turned out GREAT! Love that there is no soaking or straining needed and none of those additives that the store bought hemp milks have. Thanks!" -Lexi
- Classic Vegan Smoothie: "As per usual, a FANTASTIC post Sam. I have smoothies just about every day, and utilize them primarily for getting in a high protein meal (plus, they're great for a meal-on-the-go!)" -Brenda
- Go-To Green Smoothie: "Such an easy and tasty way to get fruit and greens into my day." -Tracy
- Easy Tropical Smoothie: This Easy Tropical Smoothie is ready in just 5 minutes and is bursting with healthy, tropical fruit that taste like a beach vacation.
- Cinnamon Dolce Coffee Syrup: "outstanding, use it in cold brew black tea, thank you for the idea" -Michael
- Tofu Scramble Spice Mix: "The Tofu Scramble Spice Mix is absolutely the best. Some days I'm so tired and think "oh man, I ran out of spice mix", then I actually think through that and say to myself..."this only takes a couple minutes to put together, JUST DO IT." -Carol
- Hearty Tofu Scramble: "This is the best tofu scramble I've ever made. (and I've tried A LOT) Definitely a keeper!!" -Char
- Vegan Scrambled Eggs: "Delicious, nutritious, and meal prep friendly! This recipe held its own as a main breakfast dish, but also made for an awesome wrap filling and toast topper." -Grace
- Quick & Easy Vegan Bacon: "So easy and delicious. Love my breakfast sandwiches with this. I make mine in the air fryer.
Thank you for yet another delicious recipe." -Sandra
- Quick & Easy Mushroom Bacon: "I love, love, love this recipe. A regular bake." -Chris
- Banana Peel Bacon: "You did it again, Sam! This came out great! I had my first ever BLT yesterday after making this recipe. It was incredible." -Sena
FREE Cookbook!
Get a FREE eCookbook of the top 30 fan-favorite, vegan recipes. Just enter your email and name and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
Vegan Salads & Sandwiches
Fresh, crunchy, creamy, saucy, these salads and sandwiches are anything but boring. The Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich (it really tastes like eggs!) is perfect for work lunches or picnics, and I'm obsessed with the Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce when I want something light but filling. Oh, and if you haven't made Cowboy Caviar yet, now's the time, it's a party in a bowl.
- Best Vegan Sandwich Bread: "I made this last night and OMG! This is awesome! I have made several vegan bread recipes and this one is light, fluffy and super soft. Delicious! And it held up well when spreading peanut butter." -Angel
- Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich: "I did not expect this to taste exactly like egg salad, but it does! With the price of eggs and my love of tofu, I was looking for a way to get some protein at lunch. This will be my go to!" -Rachel
- Easy Vegan Creamy Cucumber Salad: "What a delicious way to serve up cukes! I love the dilly cucumber combo." -Laura
- The Best Vegan Greek Salad: "Wow, what a terrific blend of tastes! The dressing is spot-on perfect, everyone enjoyed this." -Steve
- Vegan Jackfruit Salad Sandwich: "This is the best sandwich ever! We love this and it's made with fruit! What could be better?" -Denise
- Vegan Ranch Chickpea Sandwich: "I've made a lot of your recipes and this one is gonna be a new staple! I'm always looking for new lunch ideas and this was delicious." -Kristen
- Vegan Mushroom Tofu Lettuce Wraps: "YUM!!! So quick to prepare and delicious!! Thanks for another winner Sam!!" -Karen
- Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce: "This is a great recipe!" -Nicole
- Vegan Wedge Salad: "This is fantastic!!! i made the tofu bacon bits. Yum." -Claire
- The Best Cowboy Caviar: "I made this absolutely DELICIOUS dish for a family get together today." -Sarah
- Vegan Strawberry Spinach Salad: "This salad is so refreshing" -Emily
- The Best Vegan Ceviche: "Delicious, refreshing and easy!" -Angie
- Best Vegan Chicken Salad: "Just made this! Delicious!" -Peter
- Vegan Spicy Black Bean Pita Sandwich: "WOW, I'd been looking at this and I'm thrilled I finally made it A big burst of flavor & the contrast of hot beans and chilled sauce is wonderful. Many ongoing thanks to you and the Sandwich King!!" -Pat
- Vegan Caprese Salad (with homemade bocconcini): Vegan Caprese Salad with homemade bocconcini! Juicy, ripe tomatoes, creamy homemade vegan mozzarella balls, and fresh basil leaves, all drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze!
- Easy Vegan Pasta Salad: "This is a delicious and easy recipe that is a crowd pleaser. So healthy." -Barbra
- Vegan Chicken Caesar Wraps: "I love this meal! This is my go to when I want something easy to make." -Annie
- Avocado Cashew Caesar Salad: "I LOVED IT! I wish I had made extra...will definitely make again and again." -AnneMarie
- Tofu Deli Meat (Peeled Tofu Technique): "We absolutely love this! Thank you so much for the recipe!" -Stefanie
- Vegan Spring Roll in a Bowl!: "Everything with peanut sauce is delicious and this spring roll in a bowl is even more. It's also super easy and quick to make. Love it" -Serena
Easy Vegan Dressings & Dips
Say no to store-bought salad dressing and dips, they are so easy to make, and so much tastier! These are the little flavour bombs that take boring veggies and make them craveable. Slather Easy Hummus on sandwiches, dunk your veggies in Vegan Spinach Dip, or drizzle Vegan Caesar Dressing on your greens to make them feel like a treat. They take just minutes to mix up but make any meal taste 100x better.
- Vegan Cashew Ranch Dressing: "AMAZING simple but tasty dressing. Gonna be my go to from now on" -Elizabeth
- Vegan Cashew Caesar Salad Dressing: "Absolutely delicious! I was looking for a Caesar dressing recipe that didn't have a long list of ingredients and tasted delicious. Check and check!" -Terri
- My Everyday Oil-Free Salad Dressing: "Delightful and delicious. Not heavy and oily. Thank you for sharing the recipe." -Brenda
- Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing: "Very very good!" -Suzy
- The Best Easy Hummus Recipe: "This recipe was SO easy to follow! I cannot go back to boring store bought hummus." -Priscilla
- Vegan Green Goddess Dressing: "Perfect blend and oil free, weeee! We absolutely love this dressing. We've also used it as a topping on a baked potato and it was amazing there too." -Jackie
- Easy Vegan Whipped Feta Dip: "This tasted amazing!!! Planning to put it on top of pasta and vegan meatballs but I am so tempted to eat this by the spoon! Amazing!" -Emily
- Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip: "Creamy, cheesy, and completely dairy-free! This vegan spinach artichoke dip is the perfect party appetizer-rich, flavorful, and irresistible!" -SGR Catering
- Easy Vegan Spinach Dip: "Never made this before and it is fabulous. I loved it and so did my non-vegan family." -EB
- Vegan Caramelized Onion Dip: "I made this today and served with ruffles and veggies for a movie night snack. I followed the recipe exactly and it could not be more perfect!" -Kayla
- 3 Vegan Pizza Dips - Creamy Garlic, Spicy Marinara, and Garlic Butter: "I made all 3 and they were delicious. Highly recommend the creamy one!" -Felicity
- Easy Vegan Tzatziki: "Oh my goodness. This tastes so good. I wanted to make my tzatziki with whole ingredients that did not include cashews. This was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!!" -Priti
Easy Vegan Salad Toppings
Crunchy, chewy, savoury magic. These toppings add a lil' extra something to salads, bowls, soups, you name it. Try the Vegan Bacon Bits (yes, seriously), or level up your pasta with some Homemade Vegan Parmesan. Quick to prep, easy to store, and wildly addictive.
- Parmegan (Vegan Grated Parmesan): "Quick, easy, tasty!" -Grace
- Homemade Vegan Parmesan Cheese: "Can we have a moment of silence in honor of this cheese? O. M. G..! Im in love. I feel like Im eating dairy filled aged Parmigiano! Texture. Flavor. Ease. All on point! Thank you for this amazing recipe!" -Susan
- Vegan Bacon Bits: "Love these! They're chewy and crisp-just delicious. And I love the flavor, more than store-bought bacon bits for sure." -Hadley
- Vegan Chorizo Crumbles: "These chorizo tofu crumbles are absolutely amazing!! I love making these crumbles as an alternative to the ultra processed ones sold in stores." -Tatya
- The Best Homemade Pickled Onions: "These are SO good-thank you very much! We love them!" -Deborah
- Quick and Easy Pickled Sandwich Veggies: "Thanks for the building blocks for a good banh mi." -Jen
Easy Vegan Recipes for Sides
These side dishes pair well with almost any main. I love roasting up Broccolini for a fancy-but-easy dinner or smashing some Smashed Potatoes for the ultimate crispy-on-the-outside snack. And don't sleep on the Vegan Cornbread! It's sweet, savoury, and perfect with chili or soups.
- How to Boil Corn on the Cob Perfectly: "used the recipe, corn came out fantastic." -Gary
- Easy Roasted Carrots Recipe: "Tender and caramelized, they're made with just 4 simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes, making them the perfect healthy side dish for holiday dinners or any weeknight meal."
- The Best Roasted Broccolini Recipe: "Exactly how i do mine. Brocollini is the bomb." -Jess
- Perfect Roasted Brussel Sprouts: "Your roasted Brussel sprouts are absolutely wonderful." -Joyce
- Easy Smashed Potatoes: "TOTALLY delicious! Super Easy!" -Chava
- Garlic Hasselback Potatoes: "These look so professional and delightful on a plate! AND they were delicious. Not hardly any work at all. So much better than just a plain baked potato." -Teresa
- Easy Vegan Cornbread Recipe: "This is my all time favorite cornbread recipe. It always turns out perfect. I love how easy it is!" -Stacey
- The Best Corn Ribs Recipe!: "We loved this recipe - great twist on corn on the cob and the flavors are amazing especially with the chipotle cream. Prep time is quick too." -Laura
- Easy Vegan Cheddar Biscuits: "Family loved this recipe, even my daughter's friend who isn't vegan." -Laurie
- The Best Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes: "I just made these and they are outstanding!" -Helen
Easy Vegan Cheeses
These vegan cheese recipes are melty, stretchy, and straight-up addictive. I could eat the Vegan Nacho Cheese with a spoon (don't judge), and the Ooey Gooey Vegan Mozzarella is pure magic on pizza. Want something fancy? Try the Vegan Truffle Cheese. Trust me.
- Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese: "My favourite cashew-based cheese hands down!" -Christine
- Vegan Bocconcini (Homemade Mozzarella Balls): maybe a a short reader review here or helpful tip
- Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella: "This is perfection!!!!!!! I made it for your lasagna soup recipe, and it is fabulous!" -Nathalie
- The Best Vegan Mozzarella!!!: "I made this for the first time to put on homemade pizza and it really worked great! I can't believe it melted so much better than the store bought kind." -Nina
- Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese: "Sam, you are an absolute genius, and THIS HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING." -Heather
- Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese: "This is a delicious recipe. I used it for jalapeño poppers and they were delicious." -Erin
- The Best Vegan Feta: "Sam, this is good! So thankful for a recipe that doesn't use probiotic capsules. Thank you for all your hard work. Hugs!" -Marie
- Vegan Truffle Cheese Recipe: "I've spent years mucking about with Vegan Cheese recipes, and this - so far - is hands down the tastiest, easiest and most addictive. It's creamy, but what really gets me is the umami, just like dairy cheese. THANKS Sam! This is set to be a regular thing in my kitchen!" -Willy
Easy Vegan Lunches & Dinners
Weeknight vegan dinner recipes that don't feel like work! These lunch and dinner recipes are loaded with veggies, spices, sauces, and all the good stuff. I make Vegan Orange Chicken when I want takeout vibes at home, or I batch cook Shredded Tofu Taco Meat for easy tacos, bowls, and burritos. Oh, and My Go-To Soup is exactly what it sounds like-cozy, comforting, and endlessly customizable.
- Homemade Vegan Ramen Seasoning: "YUM! Officially my saviour recipe of the season." -Leah
- Homemade Vegan Mac & Cheese Powder: "This is one the best vegan recipes around. I think I make this dish almost every week adding a different veggies every times and it never disappoints." -Serena
- Baked Tofu Bites!: "This is by far the easiest and most delicious tofu recipe I've ever made-we make it weekly in our family and have it with stir fry or on salads. It's so delicious and both my kids love it and ask for it all the time!" -Cassidy
- The Quickest and Easiest Seitan Recipe! (Vegan Chicken): "100% the texture of meat. Better than store produced vegan meats because you decide the additives" -Jim
- My Go-To Vegan Soup Recipe: "OMG! Sooo delicious! This was a big hit!" -Pat
- Easy Red Lentil Curry: "Made this this afternoon for the extended family. We all loved it!" -Rose
- Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos: "When I say this recipe confirmed I can do vegan I am so serious!!! It was great and glad I came across the recipe" -Lorie
- Easy Vegan Tacos: Shredded Tofu Taco Meat: "Delicious! We gave it a solid 10. Had it for dinner tonight." -Judy
- Fresh Tomato Pasta (my favourite easy summer pasta): "Sam, this recipe is freaking delicious!!!" -Karen
- Vegan Garlic Seared Scallops: "I love garlic and the texture of king oyster mushrooms. This recipe is delicious on its own, as a side dish or filled out with some risoni or fettuccine pasta." -Amy
- Easy Vegan Greek Sheet Pan Dinner: "I've made this 4 times in the last 3 weeks for vegan and non-vegan family members. always a hit!!" -Bri
- Vegan Sheet Pan Fajitas - quick & easy!: "Love these, lots of flavour and easy to make. And I never usually comment on any recipes! This is my Friday evening go to meal after a busy week." -Angela
- The Best Ever Lentil Ragú: "This is one of my favourite dishes to make. So good, so filling and so easy. Always on rotation." -Cece
- Easy Vegan Penne alla Vodka: "This is a huge favorite in our family. No one knew this was a vegan recipe and the whole dinner party was raving about it!! It's so creamy and hearty, definitely recommend!!" -Stephanie
- Easy Vegan Orange Chicken: "This was simply delicious." -Robin
- Vegan Marry Me Chicken: "OMG. The best thing I've eaten in a long time!!! Where has this recipe been the last 13 years I've been vegan??? My entire family devours this every time I make it and they aren't even VEGAN! It's that good." -Diana
- Vegan Condensed Mushroom Soup (Perfect for casseroles): "Easy, excellent recipe!" -Valerie
- Easy Vegan Buffalo Jackfruit (vegan buffalo chicken): "This was delicious and so easy to make!" -KG
- Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice: "This fried rice is delicious, easy and especially pretty when made with red onions." -Gigi
- Quick & Easy BBQ Tofu: "Made this recipe today with smoked tofu and loved it. Super quick and easy indeed." -Serena
Easy Vegan Desserts
These desserts are fast, fuss-free, and full of flavour. The 5-Minute Chia Pudding is my fave when I want something healthy-ish, and the Vegan Snickerdoodles are chewy perfection. Need something cold and dreamy? Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream is your new BFF.
- 5-Minute Chia Pudding (no chilling overnight): "This recipe is exactly what I've been looking for! Topping it with fresh banana & cinnamon! Yum!" -Carly
- Vegan No-Bake Berry Cake: "This was so good and easy." -Sara
- Easy Vegan Snickerdoodles: "These are AMAZING!!!" -Megan
- Easy Vegan Gingersnap Cookies: "I absolutely love this recipe. So simple and easy to make. I love that it's vegan! They taste amazing and I've made 3 batches in a week cause they're so good. Thanks for sharing!" -Lilo
- Best Homemade Egg Substitute for Baking: "I so appreciate having this recipe to make ahead of time in a batch like this!" -Stephanie
- Easy Vegan Pie Crust: "This is our go-to pie crust recipe. It's delicious and flaky and it's not a complicated recipe." -Natalie
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cups: "These are the best! So so so good! Super easy to make. My 4 year old can pretty much make them by herself! Such a hit." -Lauren
- Vegan Chocolate Dipped Honeycomb: "I made this with golden syrup (instead of corn syrup) as it's all I had and it was perfect." -Sheena
- Vegan Ice Cream Bars (peanut butter chocolate): "Really simple and tasty!" -Devon
- Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream: "If I could only have one kind of ice cream the rest of my life, this would be it!!!" -Jill
Tips & Tricks for Easy Vegan Cooking
🍛 Make it in bulk: The Red Lentil Curry freezes like a dream, double the batch and stash extras for lazy nights.
🥗 Salad hack: Keep a jar of Go-To Dressing in the fridge. It makes any bowl of veggies instantly delicious.
🌮 Freezer stash: Shredded Tofu Taco Meat is great for freezing. I portion it into little bags for easy tacos on the fly.
🍞 Make-ahead friendly: Whip up a loaf of Sandwich Bread on Sunday and have fresh slices all week for avo toast, sammies, and snacking.
🧄 Spice it up: Keep a jar of Tofu Scramble Spice Mix on hand and breakfast is ready in 5. No thinking required.
A whole bunch of ridiculously easy vegan recipes that are delicious, satisfying, and fun to make. Bookmark this post so you don't lose it. Share it with a friend, and come back anytime you need ideas for what to cook next!
If you try any of these recipes, let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
FREE Cookbook!
Get a FREE eCookbook of the top 30 fan-favorite, vegan recipes. Just enter your email and name and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
Leave a Reply