Plant-based recipes can seem boring, but they don’t have to be. You just need to look for good ones, like everything on our list of 5+ Fun Vegan Dinner Recipes.
For more ideas of what to cook, check out all of our vegetarian recipes.
Meat is expensive, especially right now. I was just grocery shopping and chicken prices went up. Eggs finally went down (and I had a really morbid joke I wanted to throw in there, but I refrained). But, joke’s aside, people are really trying to stretch their grocery store budgets. And a great way to do that is eating less meat and making plant-based meals.
When people (especially meat eaters) think of those, though, they think of a salad with fresh veggies. And sure, salad is vegan, but salad is so boring. It’s not going to convert carnivores. And honestly, neither is any vegan alternative to meat. Because if you’re cooking fake meat, you might as well cook real meat. They’re about the same price.
So all of these easy vegan recipes are vegan as written (not just vegetarian meals that you can adapt to be vegan) and don’t include plant-based meat.
If you found this list of great vegan dinner recipe because you’re trying to cut out meat from your menu, but you’re still okay with dairy, check out our Meatless Monday Vegetarian Recipes list for more ideas (ones that include dairy in them).
5+ Fun Vegan Dinner Recipes
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This list is filled with all of the vegan dinner ideas we already have on Drugstore Divas. As we add more delicious vegan recipes to the blog, we’ll be sure to update this list. So be sure to save this (pin it, bookmark it, etc.) so you can come back to it from time to time to see what we’ve added.
Vegan Chickpea “Tuna” Salad
If you’re craving a tuna salad sandwich, but you want to skip the tuna, our Vegan Chickpea “Tuna” Salad is for you. It’s vegan, so there’s no actual tuna, hence the quotes. What you do is mash the chickpeas and season them so that the texture and taste are very similar to canned tuna fish.
When you’re making this, be sure to use vegan mayo. Traditional mayo is made from eggs, which you can’t use if you’re making a vegan sandwich.
Plus, a sandwich is always the perfect weeknight dinner. Sandwiches are easy to make and easy to clean up. So go with this vegan sandwich instead of a cold cut sandwich.
Vegan Kale And Bean Soup
Vegan soups are really easy to make, as long as you resist the temptation to sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top of them (because, even though cheese is delicious, it’s not vegan).
This Vegan Kale And Bean Soup is filled with carrots, celery, kale, two types of beans (cannellini and black beans). The base of the soup is vegetable broth, which adds so much flavor to the soup. It’s something the whole family will enjoy (and, honestly, no one will miss any meat).
And, really, I make this no matter what the season. Sure, some people only eat soup in the colder months, but I’ll make soup recipes anytime.
Chickpea And Spinach Vegan Burger
Burgers are a staple in the summer. But, when you’re omitting meat, a veggie burger is generally your option. And most veggie burgers are made with a plant-based protein and they’re not great. Your other option is a black bean burger, which very easily falls apart.
Our recommendation is a Chickpea and Spinach Vegan Burger. The chickpeas really hold the patty together well and the spinach (you can use frozen or fresh spinach, it doesn’t matter) adds a bit of flavor and color. Add your favorite toppings and you have a great meatless burger.
This recipe makes a bunch of burgers, so we always have extras to eat for lunch the next day.
Vegan Taco Pasta Salad
If you’re looking for a light dinner, this Vegan Taco Pasta Salad is a great idea. It’s a really easy recipe that we usually make as a side dish when we’re having a pot luck and are looking for a vegan recipe to offer our guests.
This pasta salad has all the flavors and toppings of tacos except a protein. But, you have the pasta, so it’s a really hearty choice.
If you’re looking for more vegan pasta dishes, we have a simple Vegan Pasta Salad recipe you might want to try too.
Lentil And Cauliflower Vegan Tacos
I absolutely love tacos. They’re definitely one of my favorite meals, so much so that we have a bunch of taco recipes on Drugstore Divas. If you’re skipping meat, you can still have tacos. You just need to use lentils and cauliflower as the base and make our Lentil And Cauliflower Vegan Tacos.
I will tell you this though. These tacos do take a bit of time because you have to soak the lentils in water overnight. So you have to plan for these ahead of time. They’re not good if you’re looking for quick vegan dinners. But, if you’re looking for a delicious dish, these tacos are it.
Top them with fresh tomatoes and spinach, like you would top traditional tacos. Just skip the sour cream (because that’s not vegan).
Just be careful when choosing side dishes to go with these. Refried beans are usually made with lard, so they’re not vegan (although, good news: Taco Bell’s refried beans are vegan).
Vegan Penne Alla Vodka
Don’t thinking you can’t make those creamy pastas if you’re making vegan recipes. You sure can. Like this vegan version of Penne Alla Vodka.
Traditional vodka sauce is made with cream. Which isn’t vegan. But, we make a creamy cashew sauce. If this is your first time making cashew cream, it might not see appealing. But, I promise you, it’s so much better than it sounds. The cashew cream tastes exactly like traditional cream. If you serve this at a dinner party (which I’ve done), no one will know it’s vegan.
And, other than making that cream sauce, this is a really simple recipe that you’ll be making for a long time (even after meat prices come back down).
Which of these easy vegan dinner recipes will you try first? Let us know in the comments.