12 Recipes to Try for Veganuary 2021 Easy & Delicious Recipes for New Vegans

General Tso's Tofu

Easy? Yes

Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Going vegan doesn't (necessarily) mean eating a bunch of salads. We have our own take on takeout! This recipe starts with tofu coated in a crunchy batter and fried. Then, it's tossed in a sweet, sour, and spicy sauce, served on a bed of rice, and topped with fresh green onions. I also like to add fresh steamed vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, and sugar snap peas.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Easy? Yes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 48 minutes

Before going vegan, spinach and artichoke dip was one of my favorite snacks. It was so unhealthy, but so good! Now, I make this vegan version, which is just as delicious, but is made with healthy ingredients like cashews and fresh spinach. When I make this dip, I usually eat the entire batch by myself in a few days. And every time, I'm shocked to step on the scale and realize that I actually lost weight.

Baked Butternut Squash Casserole

Easy? No

Prep Time: 50 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Butternut squash casserole was one of the first dishes I made when I learned to cook in my college days. Back then, it was made with goat cheese (which was among the hardest things for me to give up as a vegan). Fortunately, now there are amazing cashew cheeses that taste very similar to goat cheese. This recipe uses some of that cashew cheese, along with leeks, kale, and pecans, for a casserole that is packed with deliciousness.

Pineapple-Ginger-Açaí Smoothie

Easy? Yes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 seconds

Total Time: 10 minutes

Açaí is a fruit that's found in the Amazon and has been popular in Brazil for years. It's now readily available in frozen form in the United States. It's very common to serve açaí in delicious bowls topped with fruit and granola, but it's also great in smoothies. This recipe combines açaí with pineapple and fresh ginger for a delicious and refreshing treat that can also help reduce inflammation.

Chewy Vegan Brownies

Easy? Yes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

In the early days of vegan baking, many vegan recipes resulted in dry, tasteless "treats." Fortunately, vegan baking has come a long way, and these brownies are an example of a vegan sweet that's just as delicious as the original. These brownies are extra-chewy, with a soft fudgy center that's similar to box brownies.

The Best Vegan Lasagna

Easy? Yes

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Lasagna is a classic comfort food for many of us. It can be hard to get a vegan version of it just right because so many of the ingredients are meat, dairy, or eggs. But this recipe has the perfect blend of flavors to create homemade tofu ricotta, and you can even use lentils instead of vegetables to create a taste that's similar to ground beef. But I personally love the taste of this lasagna with carrots and zucchini!

Vegan French Toast

Easy? Yes

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

When I first went vegan, I tried a few French toast recipes that fell flat, so I gave up for a while. However, since that time, I've experimented a lot, and finally ended up with a French toast recipe that has the perfect flavor and texture. The secret to replacing eggs in this recipe is in 3 ingredients: nutritional yeast to add savory flavor, and aquafaba and ground flax to create the right texture and crunch.

Jalapeño Poppers with Lemon Cashew Cream

Easy? No

Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

This recipe is a bit of a throwback to the 90s, but it's still so good! These jalapeño poppers have the classic breaded coating, but inside is something different. The filling is made from cashews flavored with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and coconut aminos for a grown-up version of this favorite.

Lentil Loaf with Oats and Veggies

Easy? No

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

This lentil loaf takes a bit of work, but it's worth it! Not only does it have a healthy blend of proteins and vegetables, but it's also a dish that everyone loves. Even the pickiest eaters have been known to devour this vegan loaf.

Chocolate Chip & Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Easy? Yes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Where do vegans get their protein? From these granola bars! They might taste like a sweet treat, but these chocolate chip and peanut butter granola bars are packed with protein. Peanut butter is a good protein source, but these granola bars also have oats, hemp seeds, and chia seeds for 7 grams of protein in each bar. You can make them in about 15 minutes, and they're easy to take along when you need to run.

Non-Dairy Hot Cacao with Maca Root

Easy? Yes

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 8 minutes

If you're used to making hot chocolate from pre-made packets (or hot chocolate bombs), you might be wondering how to make this soothing drink vegan. It's actually quick and easy! You just need some cacao (or cocoa), non-dairy milk, sugar, salt, and cinnamon, for a delicious winter treat. I like to add maca root as well, because it helps relieve stress, and is a better source of natural energy than caffeine.

Steph Sunshine's Famous Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Non-dairy Cream Cheese Frosting

Easy? No

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Since I am best-known in certain circles for my cupcakes, I'm rounding this list off with one of my most famous cupcake recipes. The vegan version of my carrot cake cupcakes is exactly as delicious as my previous non-vegan cupcakes that had a cult-like following. Pair them with my non-dairy cream cheese frosting for a delicious Veganuary treat!