vegochef.com/guides/vegan-dinner-ideas/Vegan dinner ideas: 25 easy, filling meals
By the Vegochef team · Editorial standards · Last checked · 7 min read
Dinner is where plant-based eating gets easy: one pot of curry, a tray of roasted vegetables or a big salad, and you're done. Every recipe below comes from the Vegochef app, where we've cooked and tested them, and all are fully vegan. Tap a photo for the full recipe.
Curries and stews
Big flavour, one pot, and they taste even better the next day.
- Red lentil curry: red lentils simmered with ginger, spices, coconut milk and a spoon of peanut butter until creamy. Serve with rice or flatbread.
- Chickpea curry: chickpeas, peppers and spinach in a spiced tomato and coconut sauce, with basmati rice, in about 35 minutes.
- Jamaican lentil curry: brown lentils, potatoes and carrots with thyme, chilli, coconut milk and lime.
- Caramelised onion butter beans: sweet caramelised onions, mushrooms and creamy butter beans, made savoury with nutritional yeast.
Soups
Easy to batch-cook and freeze, and filling with a slice of wholegrain bread.
- Curried red lentil and tomato soup: a 25-minute lentil soup with a gentle curry warmth.
- Spicy tom kha soup: a Thai coconut soup with tofu, mushrooms, lemongrass and lime.
- Roasted beetroot soup: beets, purple potatoes, carrots and ginger blended until silky, with a swirl of oat cream.
Salads and bowls
Hearty enough for dinner, and they make great lunches the next day.
- Black bean and avocado salad: 15 minutes, no cooking, lots of protein and fibre.
- Lentil salad: lentils, cherry tomatoes, avocado and basil in 10 minutes.
- Roasted eggplant and chickpea salad: roasted eggplant, red peppers and chickpeas with parsley and garlic.
- Greek-style potato salad: potatoes, tomatoes and olives in a cucumber-mint soy yogurt dressing. Add a can of chickpeas for more protein.
Tacos and pasta
- Oyster mushroom tacos: spicy oyster mushrooms in corn tortillas with avocado, tomato and a lime soy yogurt sauce.
- Sun-dried tomato pesto pasta salad: fusilli, chickpeas and rocket in a sun-dried tomato and cashew pesto; works warm or cold.
12 more quick vegan dinner ideas
No recipe needed; each takes about 30 minutes or less.
- Tofu stir-fry: crispy tofu, broccoli, peppers and edamame in soy, garlic and ginger, over rice. See how to cook tofu.
- Lentil bolognese: brown or green lentils in tomato sauce with wholewheat spaghetti. See how to cook lentils.
- Black bean burritos: beans, rice, salsa, avocado and lettuce in a tortilla.
- Chickpea shawarma wraps: roasted spiced chickpeas, cucumber, tomato and tahini sauce.
- Tempeh tacos: crumbled tempeh fried with cumin, chipotle and lime. See what is tempeh.
- Peanut noodles: wholewheat or rice noodles with edamame, carrot and a peanut-lime sauce.
- Stuffed sweet potatoes: baked sweet potatoes filled with black beans, corn, salsa and avocado.
- Vegetable fried rice: leftover rice, frozen vegetables, edamame and crumbled tofu.
- Chili sin carne: beans, lentils and peppers in a smoky tomato sauce.
- Quinoa power bowl: quinoa, roasted vegetables, chickpeas and tahini. See how to cook quinoa.
- Pasta e fagioli: pasta and white beans in a tomato and vegetable broth.
- Dal and rice: red lentils with turmeric, cumin and garlic; the ultimate cheap, comforting dinner.
How to build a filling vegan dinner
Use this simple plate:
- A protein food (a quarter of the plate): lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, edamame or seitan.
- Vegetables (half the plate): anything you like; frozen counts.
- A whole grain or potatoes (a quarter): brown rice, quinoa, wholewheat pasta, potatoes or bread.
- A little fat: olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds or tahini, for flavour and to keep you full.
Want to check the protein? Every recipe above is built around a protein food, and the Vegochef app shows the exact amount per serving. The protein calculator shows how much you need, and our high-protein vegan meals has more ideas.
Make weeknights easier
- Cook once, eat twice. Double the curry or soup and freeze half.
- Batch-cook a grain and a legume on Sunday: rice or quinoa, and a pot of lentils or beans. See our vegan meal prep guide.
- Keep a stocked cupboard: canned beans, lentils, coconut milk, tomatoes, spices and quick-cook grains. Use our vegan grocery list as a checklist.
- Plan the week so you only shop once.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good vegan dinner?
One with a protein food (lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh or seitan), plenty of vegetables, a whole grain or potatoes and a little fat such as olive oil, nuts or avocado. Lentil curries, chickpea salads, tofu stir-fries and bean tacos are all easy examples.
What can vegans eat for dinner when they're tired?
Something from the cupboard: canned chickpeas or lentils with a jar of curry sauce or tomatoes, frozen vegetables and quick-cook rice, or wholewheat pasta with pesto and white beans. A 10-minute lentil salad works too.
How do I make vegan dinners more filling?
Add a protein food and fibre: beans, lentils, tofu or tempeh, plus whole grains and vegetables. A little fat, from avocado, nuts, seeds or olive oil, also keeps you full longer.
Can a vegan dinner have enough protein?
Yes. A cup of cooked lentils has about 18 g of protein, 100 g of tempeh about 20 g and 150 g of firm tofu about 22 g, according to USDA data. Build dinner around one of these and you're well on the way.
What are cheap vegan dinners?
Dishes built on dried or canned lentils, beans and chickpeas, rice, potatoes, oats and seasonal or frozen vegetables: dal, chili, bean soups, curries and pasta with beans.
Related guides
Plan your vegan dinners for the week
Pick dinners in Vegochef, see the protein and 29 vitamins, minerals and lipids they add up to, and turn the week into a grocery list in one tap.
Try it free for 7 days
Sources
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025: healthy vegetarian and vegan eating patterns (dietaryguidelines.gov)
- USDA FoodData Central: protein content of legumes and soy foods (fdc.nal.usda.gov)
From vegochef.com: meal planner and nutrition tracker for vegans, vegetarians and pescatarians. Free for 7 days on the App Store.