Easy Vegan Meals (breakfast & lunch!)

What should I eat? If you're stuck for quick vegan breakfast and lunch ideas, save this Guide! It includes easy recipes for plant based scrambles, pancakes, oats, salads, avocado toast and more. All are delicious and many are ready in as little as 5 minutes. There's some great vegan meal prep ideas and a free grocery list too!

So whether you follow a vegan / plant based diet or you just want to add more vegan dishes to your rotation, keep this Guide handy for quick reference! Check back often (or sign up for my newsletter) as I'll be adding to the list every couple of weeks.

Here's Your Grocery List

A well stocked vegan or plant-based pantry and fridge takes some time to build. But it's not necessary to run out and buy everything all at once, your inventory will naturally build as you try new vegan recipes.

Download vegan grocery list!

Use this free printable grocery list as a template for stocking your vegan kitchen. These are the basic ingredients I use to create hundreds of plant based meals for my family including many of our favorite lazy vegan meals (5-10 minutes)!

Don't worry, even though these recipes are simple, there's no skimping on flavor or texture. I promise you won't walk away hungry or disappointed!

Quick Food Prep Ideas

A little meal prep is a game changer on busy weeknights. But quick and easy is the name of the game when it comes to meal prep for me. I have zero desire to spend my day off in the kitchen cooking all day. With as little as 10 - 30 minutes of meal prep, you can cut your cooking time in half for the rest of the week. That's a WIN!

1. Make a grain: Anytime you make a grain (rice, couscous, lentils, quinoa), make extra and freeze the rest in single servings. They thaw quickly and are super convenient to have on hand for building healthy, satisfying vegan meals. This requires less than 5 minutes hands on time!
2. Make one to two vegan sauces or dressings on a Sunday to use as a condiment, dip or drizzle during the week. I always have a jar of sweet and spicy tahini sauce in my fridge! This is a 6 minute job total!
3. Prep salad ingredients: Or buy pre-shredded carrots, slaw, etc. Prep everything except the juicy veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado. Around a 10 minute job depending how many veggies you're prepping.
4. Make a filling: Some favorites include chickpea avocado salad, mushroom walnut meat, spicy black bean filling OR bake or air fry tofu. Approximately 10-15 minute hands on time (less for tofu).

5 Minute Vegan Breakfast Ideas

Here's the some of my favorite, lazy vegan breakfast recipes (no prep) when I don't have a lot of time, but I want something wholesome that tastes delicious:

1. Avocado Toast: One of my favorite savory vegan breakfasts! Mash an avocado onto a slice of sourdough toast, sprinkle with hemp hearts, add cherry tomatoes, arugula, and a drizzle of sriracha!
2. Quick Porridge: It's impossible to talk about quick vegan breakfast ideas without mentioning oats! Oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc served with homemade almond milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in a tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter and top with blueberries and banana slices and a handful of walnuts. Make on the stove or in the microwave. They taste great with savory toppings too like tahini, pomegranate, raisins, and pumpkins seeds.
3. Yogurt Parfait: Plant based yogurt topped with homemade vegan granola (or store bought), fresh fruit, hemp hearts, nuts or seeds.
4. Blueberry Banana Smoothie or Breakfast Bowl: Throw frozen fruit into the Vitamix with add ins like peanut butter, lemon, leafy greens, and hemp hearts. Top with fresh berries and granola. High protein and fiber, gluten free, healthy, antioxidant rich.
5. Toast: I like toasted sourdough with homemade peanut butter and homemade jam, some banana slices and a sprinkle of hemp hearts. Kid approved!
6. Fruit Salad: Cut up apples, pears, watermelon, berries, melon, grapes, cherries or any fruit you enjoy. Drizzle with a mixture of peanut butter or almond butter, some maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Sprinkle a handful of homemade granola or chopped nuts over each serving for extra crunch.

Quick Plant Based Breakfast Ideas

A few more flavor packed, vegan breakfast recipes that are still quick (5 -20 minutes):

1. Tofu Scrambled Eggs: These are the best vegan scrambled eggs - creamy, fluffy and eggy. Super simple to make served with toast and hashbrowns or in a vegan breakfast burrito.
2. Best Vegan Banana Bread: Really moist, super flavorful, easy to make vegan banana bread. Or make a small batch of vegan banana nut muffins.
3. Chickpea Pancakes: A simple savory, plant based pancake made with chickpea flour and veggies. Make ahead to enjoy ALL week! Gluten Free
4. Carrot Raisin Bran Muffins: These vegan bran muffins are a cinch to make in one bowl. They are super flavorful, moist and delicious plus they keep well in the fridge all week so breakfast is ready to go.

Check out my full list of plant based breakfast recipes ready in 20 minutes or less!

5 Minute Vegan Lunch Ideas

If you're like me, lunch can be a challenging meal! By the time I take a break from work, I'm very hungry, craving something healthy and satisfying, but haven't planned ahead. So I'm often left scrambling. Here's my top 5 fast vegan recipes for lunches when I find myself in that situation:

1. Avocado Toast: This is one of my favorite, savory and easy, vegan recipes for lunch (and breakfast). Toast sourdough bread, mash a few avocado slices right onto the toast. Add toppers like tomatoes, red onions, chickpeas, olives, hemp hearts, sriracha sauce, and some leafy greens.
2. Hummus Toast: Smear homemade hummus (or store bought) on a piece of toast. Top with avocado slices, cherry tomatoes, Everything Bagel seasoning, a drizzle of balsamic reduction, and anything else you're craving.
3. Cucumber Tomato Sandwich: This is easy! Two slices whole wheat bread, vegan mayo (or cream cheese), sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions. Add a handful of sprouts or leafy lettuce. Pickled red onions or hot peppers for extra tang and heat.

4. Tomato Cucumber Salad: My go-to easy salad for lunch! Add chickpeas, quinoa, almonds or hemp hearts to make it extra hearty. I like a handful of arugula to bump up the nutrients too.
5. Veggie Tray: For a fresh, light, summer lunch or ready made snack. Grab a bunch of your favorite veggies (carrots, radish, cauliflower, snap peas, celery, tomatoes, broccoli, etc) and make this quick and delicious dipping sauce: To one cup of store bought or homemade hummus add 1 tablespoon vegan parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and a squirt of sriracha sauce. Stir together, taste and adjust flavors to suit your taste. This spicy hummus is amazing on sandwiches, baked sweet potatoes and so much more.

Quick Plant Based Lunch Ideas

Here's a few healthy, filling, and quick (20 minutes or less) vegan lunch ideas for home, work or school lunches:

1. Easy High Protein Vegan Sandwiches or Wraps: Chickpea salad sandwich, egg salad sandwiches, California vegetarian sandwich or BBQ tofu wraps.
2. Vegan BLT: Stir together this smoky 'bacon' tofu marinade (2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon maple, ¾ teaspoon liquid smoke, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder). Thinly slice tofu, toss in the marinade, let soak for ~10 minutes. Pan fry the tofu slices in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat - flip once after 2-3 minutes. Brush with marinade and cook for another 1-2 minutes until lightly crispy. To assemble, spread vegan mayonnaise on toasted bread, pile on the tofu bacon, tomato slices, salt, pepper, and crunchy iceberg lettuce.
3. Vegan Taco or Burrito: Choose one - black bean taco filling, walnut taco meat or tofu taco filling. Add to a tortilla, top with chopped tomatoes (or salsa), avocado, and drizzle with one of the prepared sauces. Add a handful of dairy free cheese (optional).
4. Mason Jar Salads: The perfect vegan lunch to pack for school or work. They're satisfying, filling, and taste good too! Just layer the jars and you've got a healthy, hearty, plant-based lunch to go. I make 4 or 5 jars at a time then lunch is sorted for the entire week.
5. Quick Bowls: Add couscous, edamame, a handful of slaw and carrots, leafy greens, and some tofu cubes to a bowl. Drizzle with sauce or dressing. A 'clean out the fridge' bowl is my favorite way to use up bits of leftovers like sweet potato cubes, roasted veggies, etc. It's a great and easy vegan meal anytime of the day!
6. Corn and Zucchini Fritters: When corn is in season, there's nothing like these fritters served with spicy dipping sauce. They are quick and easy to make, store well in the fridge all week, and go with everything. Serve as is or with a salad.

CURRENT FAVORITE!!! - Easy Chickpea Wrap in 10 minutes
Drain a can of chickpeas, pat dry. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium size skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 clove of garlic (minced) and a sprinkle of salt to the pan. Add the chickpeas and pan fry for 4-8 minutes stirring as needed until they start to form a crust. Stir in ~¼ cup BBQ sauce* (or more) until well incorporated. Let them cook until the BBQ sauce becomes a bit jammy then remove from heat.
While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare toppings like sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, avocado, lettuce. Stuff everything into a pita or tortilla wrap with a drizzle of sauce, ie. spicy BBQ sauce, vegan ranch dressing, spicy mayo, peanut hoisin sauce or any favorite sauce. Great high fiber, high protein vegan lunch. Sooo good!!
*Any sauce or seasoning can be subbed for the BBQ sauce.
*Make a double or triple batch and store in a container in the fridge to enjoy all week for lunches.

Check out my full list of plant based lunch recipes ready in 20 minutes or less!

Favorite Vegan Dinner Recipes

Now that we've got vegan breakfast and lunch recipes covered, it's time for some easy vegan dinner ideas. Packed with incredible flavors and epic textures, these easy, high protein vegan meals will please all palates from vegans and vegetarians to plant based eaters and carnivores. Enjoy!

Next time you find yourself wondering, "What the heck should I eat?", I hope you turn to this Guide (lazy vegan and plant based breakfast and lunch recipes) and find a new favorite or two! Please leave a comment below and let me know your favorite, and tag me on Instagram or Facebook with any photos! 
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