Vegan Life > Recipes > 50+ Easy Vegan Recipes for Beginners

50+ Easy Vegan Recipes for Beginners

December 25, 2024

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Being a new vegan can be overwhelming as you learn how to cook in an entirely new way. So I've gathered a whole menu of easy and delicious vegan recipes that you can enjoy right away with little or no experience! These recipes include breakfasts, snacks, desserts, and plenty of dinner recipes, including sandwiches, pastas, curries, and more.

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Whether you're a new vegan or a veteran vegan who's feeling a little lazy, you're going to want to bookmark this page and come back to these recipes over and over again. Not only are these recipes super easy to make, they're also super tasty, making transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle as delicious as possible.

Commonly Used Vegan Ingredients

If you're short on vegan cooking experience, you might come across some ingredients that are totally new to you. This brief glossary will help you figure out what these ingredients are, where to find them, and how to use them.

  • nutritional yeast: Not to be confused with baker's yeast, nutritional yeast (aka nooch) is a vegan food additive that has an umami-rich, cheesy flavor. It's usually found in flake form, and it's typically fortified with vitamins which give it a yellow color. (Non-fortified versions are also available, which are lighter in color). You can use this in any dish to add a cheesy flavor, but it's also sometimes added in small quantities in desserts to balance the sweetness. Find this at your local organic food store (i.e. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's) in the seasoning section, or order it online.

  • coconut milk: Coconut milk has a thick, creamy texture that's great for pies, puddings, soups, and curries. For most recipes, you'll want the full-fat (regular) coconut milk that comes in a can, not the lite version or a coconut milk beverage. Some recipes may specify coconut cream, which is just coconut milk with less water added. Others may tell you to use the thick cream that settles at the top of the can of coconut milk, in which case you should be careful not to shake the can before using it. You can usually find canned coconut milk in the Asian section of the grocery store or near the canned condensed milk. If you're buying a Latin brand like Goya or Iberia, make sure that it is pure coconut milk, without added sugar (unless the recipe specifies otherwise).

  • raw cashews: One of the most-used ingredients in vegan cooking, raw cashews can be blended up into a rich cream that can replace heavy cream in many recipes. You'll want to make sure you're using unsalted and raw (not roasted) cashews. You should also soak your cashews before blending them, which I do by boiling a pot of water, then turning off the heat and soaking the cashews in the hot water for 10 minutes. You may prefer to purchase fair trade cashews, because cashew farming and processing can involve some bad practices.

  • kala namak (black salt): If you're making a recipe that's going for an egg-like flavor, like a frittata, omelet, or French toast, you'll probably encounter this ingredient. It has a sulfurous, umami flavor that's similar to eggs. You'll typically just need a pinch, so a small jar will last you a long time. If this isn't available in the Asian section of your grocery store, you may need to visit an Indian grocery store or order it online.

  • aquafaba: This is the liquid from a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). It is often used as an egg replacer in recipes that require a light texture, like cakes. It can also be whipped into a vegan meringue.

  • ground flax: You can find this ingredient at most grocery stores, and it's typically mixed with water or another liquid, then used as an egg replacer. Once it is mixed with a liquid, the liquid will thicken into an egg-like consistency. This egg replacer is typically used in denser recipes, like cookies and brownies. It's available in golden or brown flax, but both work equally well.

  • agar agar: Made from seaweed, this ingredient acts like gelatin to firm up vegan cheeses and desserts. It's available as a powder or flakes, so pay attention to which one the recipe calls for. You can replace one with the other, but you'll need about 3 times as much of the flakes. (So if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of powder, you can also use 3 teaspoons of flakes). You might be able to find agar agar in the baking section of some organic food stores, but if not, you can order it online.

  • tapioca starch (aka tapioca flour): Like cornstarch, tapioca starch thickens foods when heated. But tapioca starch can also make your vegan cheeses stretchy, which cornstarch can't do. If you're making vegan cheese or a cheesy dip, you'll probably find this ingredient in the recipe. Most grocery stores should have this in the baking aisle, but you can also order it online.

  • tofu: Although most people have heard of tofu, not everyone is aware that there are several different types. In most cases, if you're going to be cooking tofu, you'll want extra-firm or firm tofu, which won't break apart easily. This tofu may need to be pressed to drain some of the water, so check the recipe's instructions. Silken tofu typically doesn't need to be pressed, and it's usually used for desserts or sauces. You may also find vacuum-sealed extra-firm tofu that doesn't need to be pressed. In your grocery store, you may find this in the produce section or the refrigerated vegan "meat" section.

  • seitan: Made from vital wheat gluten, this vegan protein has a meaty texture. You can buy it pre-made at the grocery store (near the tofu), but some recipes will have you make it yourself with vital wheat gluten and a range of seasonings.

  • all kinds of mushrooms: Going vegan will lead you to discover mushrooms that you didn't know existed. There's a huge variety of mushrooms that taste nothing like the portabello, white button, or shiitake mushrooms you've tried before. The most popular vegan mushrooms include: oyster mushrooms, king oyster (or trumpet royale) mushrooms, and lion's mane mushrooms. These mushrooms are often used to replicate meat or seafood textures without using processed ingredients.

  • vegan sugar: Wait, what? Sugar isn't vegan? Well, some of it isn't. That's because when it's processed, some brands use animal bone char to separate the white sugar from the molasses. So white sugar, powdered sugar, and even brown sugar (which is white sugar with molasses added back to it) can be unsuitable for vegans. Although many brands won't disclose this information on the label, in the US, sugar marked "organic" cannot use animal bone char during processing, so organic sugar is always safe.

  • vegan alcohol: Just like sugar, some wines, beers, and liquors use animal products for filtering. Barnivore.com has a pretty comprehensive list of alcohol brands and which products are confirmed vegan or not vegan.

Vegan Substitutes

Depending on the recipe you're using, some might tell you to use a vegan substitute like vegan butter or cheese. These can vary in quality, so here's what you should keep in mind:

  • vegan cream cheese: One thing you'll notice if you try vegan cream cheese is that no brand tastes like any other brand. For that reason, if you come across a recipe that requires vegan cream cheese, I recommend using the same brand that's suggested in the recipe, so you'll get the same results that the recipe's author intended.

  • non-dairy milk: It's very common to find non-dairy milk listed as an ingredient in baking. Generally, you can swap out different types of milk (almond, soy, oat) with similar results, as long as you stick to unsweetened, plain milk. I have found that some milks are thicker than others, though, which can result in your batter being too thick. If you're unsure, soy and almond milk are usually safe choices.

  • vegan cheese: This is another product that will vary a lot in its flavor and quality. If you're looking for a mozzarella for pizza or pasta, you can check out my taste test of 6 of the most popular vegan mozzarella cheeses. I also did a similar taste test with vegan cheese slices in grilled cheese.

  • vegan butter: There are many options available for vegan butter, but Earth Balance sticks and Miyoko's blocks are good choices for almost every purpose. If you're baking, you'll typically want to use vegan butter sticks or blocks, and not a soft vegan butter spread. For frying, sticks or spread will work. You can also make your own vegan butter with my easy recipe, which is great for baking and spreading (but I don't recommend it for cooking, because the cashews may burn).

  • vegan yogurt: Like vegan cream cheese, vegan yogurt varies widely, with bases like cashew, almond, and coconut. I generally like Kite Hill for all types of vegan yogurt, including Greek yogurt. You'll find that some brands are a bit watery and underwhelming. Typically, you'll use this in a sauce or a dessert like a pie, so you'll want something with a good, thick, consistency.

Easy Vegan Breakfast Recipes

Start your day off right with one of these vegan breakfast recipes! From French toast to frittata bites, everything here is incredibly easy to make for a lazy morning or a morning on the go.

Easy Vegan Appetizers and Snacks

These appetizers and snacks aren't just easy to make; they're also sure to impress your taste buds. Perfect for a party or solo snacking.

Easy Vegan Soups, Stews, and Salads

Start your lunch or dinner off with one of these delicious soups, stews, or salads.

Easy Vegan Sandwiches, Burgers, and Tacos

Whether it's wrapped in bread, a burger bun, or a tortilla, these easy vegan recipes are perfect for a casual meal.

Easy Vegan Pasta and Noodle Dishes

Pasta dishes are often so easy to make that they deserved their own section here. Put these recipes in your rotation, and you'll never have a boring meal again!

(More) Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes

These are the dinner recipes that aren't pasta dishes or sandwiches. From pizza and tofu to curries of all kinds, here you'll find lots of vegan ways to get a quick and delicious meal on the table.

Easy Vegan Desserts

I love sweets, and they're even better when I can whip them up quickly without much effort. These recipes are all tasty treats that are completely beginner-friendly, so you can keep them in your arsenal for whenever your sweet tooth calls.

StephSunshine

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Steph Sunshine

Hi! I'm Steph, the vegan writer, recipe tester, and photographer behind Steph Sunshine. My mission is to make vegan food tastier and more accessible to everyone, so we can all leave this world a better place than we found it.

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