Switching to plant-based meals doesn’t have to be hard or time-consuming. You can enjoy simple recipes that use basic ingredients and still taste great. These dishes offer more than just good flavour; they can improve your health, help reduce your impact on the planet, and add variety to your daily meals.
Whether you’re new to plant-based eating or just looking for quick, tasty ideas, these recipes are a great place to start. They’re designed to be stress-free, so you won’t need to hunt for fancy items or spend hours in the kitchen. With a bit of inspiration, anyone can make delicious plant-based meals that fit into a busy lifestyle.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets. It’s best to just bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) along with rhubarb, tomato and citrus scraps, as acids may harm compost creatures.
Essentials of Plant-Based Cooking
Getting into plant-based cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few staple ingredients on hand and simple methods to prepare them, you can whip up nourishing meals without any fuss.
The key is to focus on basic, affordable foods that work well in lots of dishes and require minimal effort. Let’s look at the must-have ingredients and easy ways to cook them, so you can enjoy tasty plant-based meals every day.
Key Ingredients for Simple Plant-Based Meals
Start with a small collection of versatile staples that store well and can be used in many recipes. These basics form the backbone of easy, affordable plant-based cooking:
- Beans and lentils: Dry or canned options like chickpeas, black beans, red lentils, and green lentils add protein and fibre. Buy dry beans in bulk for better value, soak overnight, and cook in batches or grab canned versions for quick use.
- Rice and oats: Brown or white rice is a filling base for meals. Oats don’t just make breakfast; they can turn into savoury dishes too. Store grains in airtight containers in a cool, dry place.
- Seasonal vegetables: Choose fresh, local vegetables that are in season for flavour and price. Root vegetables, leafy greens, tomatoes, and peppers often work well. Keep veggies fresh longer by storing them in the fridge drawers or perforated bags.
- Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds add crunch, healthy fats, and nutrients. Keep them in the fridge or freezer to stop them going rancid.
- Basic spices and herbs: Garlic, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and dried herbs like oregano or thyme build flavour easily without complicated sauces.
You can find these items in most supermarkets, health food shops, or online. Buying whole foods like dry beans and grains in bulk reduces cost and waste. Taking simple storage steps, like using sealed containers and refrigerating when needed, keeps your ingredients fresh and ready to go.
Basic Cooking Tips Everyone Can Follow
Cooking plant-based meals doesn’t need to be tricky. Here are some straightforward ways to prepare your ingredients without spending too much time or needing special tools:
- Steaming: A gentle way to cook leafy greens, broccoli, and carrots. It keeps vegetables crisp and locks in nutrients. Use a steaming basket or place vegetables over boiling water in a colander.
- Quick sautés: Heat a little oil or water in a pan, add chopped vegetables or cooked beans, and stir often for 5-10 minutes. Add spices or herbs during cooking to boost flavour without extra effort.
- One-pot meals: Combine grains, legumes, vegetables, and spices in one pot, then simmer until cooked. It saves on washing up and allows flavours to blend beautifully.
- Batch cooking: Make larger portions of staples like cooked lentils, rice, or roasted veggies, then store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. Having ready-to-use ingredients shortens meal prep on busy days.
These tips keep plant-based cooking simple and manageable. They use everyday kitchen tools like pots, pans, and steamers you already have. With a bit of practice, you’ll find quick routines that fit your schedule and keep meals tasty and fresh.
Simple Plant-Based Recipes Books
Make It Vegan is absolutely terrific! This has gorgeously innovative recipes, all beautifully photographed, and affordable for anyone to make. From ‘Wake Up’ and quick eats, to nibbles, sides and main dishes, there are also plenty of sweets and treats.
Maddie starts off telling her life story (a history of eating disorders and drinking at university), before she ‘fell into’ a healthy lifestyle after moving to Cornwall. She strongly believes that unless you run a restaurant (or are appearing on Masterchef), there’s no need to get stressed about cooking.
She suggests trying a few of her recipes each week, putting on some music (she likes Norah Jones) and chilling, while you learn to cook!
Recipes include:
- Pesto Potato Salad
- Cauliflower & Mushroom Burgers
- Maple Pancakes
- Spinach & Butter Bean Soup
- Sundried Tomato & Tahini Rigatoni
- Sticky Seitan Ribs
- One Pan Baked Scramble
- Butter No-Chicken Curry
- 10-Minute Mac & Cheese
- Vegan Paella
- Un-Sausage Rolls
- Beetroot Mushroom Wellington
- Fluffy Lemon Sponge Cake
- Chocolate Spread Cheesecake
- Pain au Chocolat
- Choc-a-choc Chocolate Cake!
Madeleine still lives in the Cornish countryside with her husband, where she makes her own mac and cheese from the book) at least once a week, served with roasted garlic broccoli. She also enjoys making dals and stir-fries.
Vegan Recipes from Irish Identical Twins!
The Happy Pear 20 is the latest book by ‘The Happy Pear! These identical twins from Ireland (where they have gone from a small box scheme to an Irish empire of books, YouTube cooking videos and ready-meals) have millions of fans, and it’s not hard to see why.
Naturally upbeat, think Jamie Oliver turned into twins, and gone vegan! Everything is simple and affordable, and they always use real ingredients. The nutrition of the food is evident, as they have bags of energy and even go wild swimming in the freezing cold Irish sea!
Recipes include:
- Red Pepper Pesto and Bean Salad
- Chocolate Coffee Caramel Cake
As an example, check out this simple recipe for their homemade apple crumble.
Stephen and David are identical twin brothers, who run a vegan foodie empire over the border in Ireland. They started out with an organic cafe, and now have several cookbooks, a ready-meal range, cooking classes and a You Tube channel with millions of fans.
Plant-Based Comfort Food Made Easy
Elly’s Plate is a fun book of easy-to-make plant-based recipes that favour comfort food, over eating salad every day. The author has a background in plant-based recipe development, and offers smart tricks to incorporate nutritious ingredients, without even noticing.
Each recipe is packed with flavour and protein, from 75 main course dishes including 10-minute dinners and dinner party centrepieces.
Recipes include:
- Crispy Satay Burger
- Lasagne with White Bean Bechamel Sauce
- Black Bean Loaded Sweet Potatoes
- Chilli-Jam Tahini Noodles
- Hot ‘honey’ Halloumi-style Burgers
- Double Mushroom Brisket and Lentil Ragu
- Espresso Martini Churros
- Date and Chocolate Banana Bread
Elly Smart left a career in law to pursue food as her passion, and worked as a food economist alongside Welsh chef Gaz Oakley (widely regarded as being the best vegan chef in the world).
She then helped developed the burger menu at a top London vegan fast food chain, before becoming a recipe development chef full-time. Power to you!
A Refreshing Aussie Vegan Recipe Book
Let’s go over the other side of the world, to read Chloe’s Vegan Kitchen, an uplifting book of 90 fresh easy recipes, from curries to cookies!
Everything in this book is super-simple to make and good for you too (as well as the animals!) The author (who went vegan as a teenager) quickly discovered that making her own quick easy meals made her feel better, especially when made with affordable and easy-to-find ingredients.
Recipes include:
- Spicy Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tacos
- Butternut Pumpkin Risoni
- Cauliflower Floret Focaccia Sandwich
- Pesto Eggless Frittatas
- Strawberries & Cream Smoothie
- Mocha Hazelnut Smoothie
- No-Bake Carrot Cake
- Chunky Chickpea Cookies
- Chocolate Cherry Tart
Chloe is a popular vegan influencer, this time in an country that invented Vegemite on toast! Raised in a rural town, she had to learn to cook, and now her recipes have gone viral worldwide. Her background in social media marketing led her to publish her first book.
100 Plant-Based Recipes to Enjoy Everyday
Back to Europe now, and a book from Germany (a country that has more vegans on earth by ratio than anywhere – Berlin is the most vegan-friendly city one art!)
All Day Vegan is a unique book of really easy recipes. You won’t have to find another page to find one of the ingredients, you know that kind of thing!
If you’ve just bought a chunk of artisan vegan cheese but don’t know what to do with it, or if you don’t know where to start with plant-based cuisine, this is the book for you.
Many of today’s recipe books seem to be more about taking photographs of the authors rather than the food itself. This book is quite different, with a comprehensive contents page detailing all recipes, so you can just flip to whatever you fancy making. The 100 (very unique) recipes include:
- Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse
- Lemon Pie Oatmeal
- Mini’s Muesli Guide (a no-recipe recipe!)
- Go-to Scrambled Tofu
- Hot Orange Waffles
- Green Pea Toast (or pasta salad)
- New York-style Bagels
- Greek-style Pita Sandwiches
- Artichoke Tortilla Pizza
- Apple Pie Energy Bites
- Minty Iced Chocolate
- Date & Maple Crumble Bars
- Sweet & Salty Almond Cookies
- Lemon & Ginger Loaf
- Carrot Cake for One
- Chocolate Chai Ice Cream
As an example, the first recipes is for Chocolate Polenta Porridge (ideal if you’re bored of oatmeal but don’t want to go down the ‘cocoa pops’ route’, or you have polenta, and have no idea what to do with it. Made with natural vanilla and maple syrup.
Mina Roma is a popular German blogger, whose recipes on her YouTube channel are popular with millions, thanks to her unique and simple meal ideas. She also regularly posts what she eats each day, to inspire others with simple ideas.
A Stunning Book of Easy Vegan Recipes
So Easy is the latest book by Roxy and Ben, a couple who began videoing recipes in their small London kitchen, and now have millions of fans on their blog (with a recipe app).
These super-duper recipes are easy, delicious and affordable. Learn to make:
- Creamy Pesto Rosso Gnocchi
- Teriyaki Meatball Ramen
- Barbecued Mushroom Tacos
- Lemongrass & Coconut Curry
- Harissa Bolognese
- Red Pepper Tapenade Baguette Pizzas
- Sloppy Joe Quesadillas
- Gooey Chocolate Brownies
Roxy and Ben are a couple who began filming their vegan recipes for You Tube, and now have millions of fans, and several best-selling cookbooks to their name.
Super-Simple Delicious Vegan Recipes
Simple & Delicious Vegan is a self-published book by one of the world’s most popular vegan recipe bloggers. This German woman (who lives in Costa Rica) went vegan to heal severe acne, and her recipes are unique, each page containing a visual of ingredients.
A few of her recipes use the sweetener xylitol, but she always gives subs, if you live with pets (just a few dropped crumbs could be unsafe, so never cook or bake with it, if you live with furry friends.
It’s a bit more expensive due to being self-published, but will provide you with years of lovely recipes including the following:
Conclusion
Simple plant-based meals show that eating well doesn’t have to be complicated or take all day. With basic ingredients and easy techniques, anyone can make tasty dishes that fit into a busy life. Give these recipes a try and see how straightforward plant-based cooking can be.
Feel free to share your favourite recipes or tips in the comments—it’s great to learn from each other’s kitchen wins. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
