35 Basic Vegan Recipes for New Vegans! | Elephantastic Vegan (2024)

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Being vegan isn’t that easy in the beginning. You basically have to build up a new repertoire of recipes. This round-up includes my absolute favorite breakfast, lunch/dinner, snack, bread, milk, condiment, cheese, and dessert recipes.

35 Basic Vegan Recipes for New Vegans! | Elephantastic Vegan (1)

Whenever you adopt a new diet or lifestyle change, the first days, weeks, or months are the hardest! But I want to make things easy (or at least easier) for you and I’ve included my favorite basic vegan recipes for new vegans in this round-up! These recipes have helped me in my transition phase!

Here’s an overview:

  • Breakfast (savory like tofu scramble and sweet classics like pancakes and waffles)
  • Lunch/Dinner (lots of pasta (because quick!!), veggie balls and pulled portobello tacos)
  • Meat & Fish Alternatives (such as seitan steak, seitan sausages, banana blossom fish and crab cakes)
  • Snacks (hummus and crackers are life!)
  • Bread(A basic white bread loaf, carrot bread, naan, crispy flatbread,…)
  • Milk (almond and hazelnut milk are my favorites for drinking, coconut milk for cooking)
  • Condiment/Spreads/Dips (date-sweetened BBQ sauce, garlic sunflower seed dressing, 3-ingredient caramel sauce,..)
  • Cheese (cashew and almond parmesan, oooey-gooey nooch cheese and baked almond feta)
  • Dessert (muffins, chocolate chip cookies, cake and ice cream – the holy grail of desserts?)

Vegan Breakfast Recipes

Quick & Easy Tofu Scramble

Tofu Scramble is THE perfect vegan alternative for scrambled eggs. A special ingredient will make it taste and smell super eggy!

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Vegan Banana Bread Pancakes with Chocolate Chunks

Looking for a dairy-free and egg-free pancake recipe? Then you’ll love these vegan Banana Bread Pancakes with Chocolate Chunks! And you’ll never have to decide between banana bread and pancakes again!

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Vegan Chai Waffles

These vegan Chai Waffles topped with maple syrup taste and smell just like Christmas. These are made without eggs or dairy – but 100% flavorful. With cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and all the typical chai spices!

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Vegan Gingerbread Granola

This vegan Gingerbread Granola smells and tastes just like Christmas. It’s easy to make and includes all the typical gingerbread spices: ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.

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Vegan Blueberry Overnight Oats

Recipe for vegan and gluten-free Blueberry Overnight Oats. Prepare the oats the day ahead and top with warm blueberry sauce the next morning. So good!

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Raspberry Chia Pudding

Recipe for a vegan and gluten-free Raspberry Chia Pudding. Chia Puddings are awesome because you can make them the night before and therefore enjoy them in the morning without any hassle.

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Quick & Easy Lunch & Dinner Ideas

Easy Tomato Olive Pasta (Vegan)

This easy Tomato Olive Pasta Recipe is the perfect quick and fuss-free lunch or dinner! Ready in just 15 minutes and made with basic ingredients.

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Vegan Pulled Portobello Tacos

Pulled Portobello is a great vegetarian and vegan alternative to pulled pork. These Pulled Portobello Tacos are easy to make and absolutely delicious!

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Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese

Soy granule is the perfect alternative for the traditional meaty Bolognese sauce! This vegan Spaghetti Bolognese is quick to make, tastes like the real deal and no one would think it’s vegan!

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BBQ Couscous Bowl

Recipe for a simple BBQ Couscous Bowl with curried couscous, broccoli and tofu, slathered in BBQ Sauce. It’s the perfect healthy lunch or ideal to bring to work/school.

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Veggie Balls (IKEA-style)

These IKEA-style Veggie Balls are made with chickpeas, carrots, broccoli, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, corn, and peas. They are flavorful and easy to make. Packed with flavor and nutrients.

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Meat & Fish Alternatives

Homemade Vegan Sausages

No need to buy expensive veggie sausages anymore! These Homemade Vegan Sausages are easy to make and delicious. Thanks to two tricks, they are not tough and rubbery like seitan often is.

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Vegan Seitan Steak

This vegan Seitan Steak is juicy and super easy to make! You can combine all the ingredients in a food processor – so no kneading required! By adding sparkling water and canned chickpeas to the mix, our seitan is softer than many of the tough seitan cutlets you can usually buy in stores. It goes perfectly with roasted potatoes and herb butter.

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Vegan Tempeh Bacon

Real bacon is high in cholesterol and saturated fats! This Vegan Tempeh Bacon is a much healthier plant-based alternative. It’s quick and easy and you can make it in the pan. The tempeh slices are smoky and crispy – perfect for breakfast with some tofu scramble or in wraps, burgers etc.!

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Banana Blossom Vegan Fish

This Vegan Fish made with Banana Blossoms is life-changing – especially if you thought that you would never eat anything tastes like fish again! The soft and flaky texture of the banana flowers is perfect as the base!

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Vegan Crab Cakes

These vegan Crab Cakes are quick and easy to make. I've added all the typical ingredients for a fishy flavor: nori, dill, lemon juice, and capers to a hearty base of artichokes and chickpeas. Delicious!

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Vegan Smoked Salmon (Carrot Lox)

You can make delicious vegan Smoked Salmon out of carrots! Everything Bagel + Vegan Cream Cheese + Carrot Lox = HEAVEN!

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Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad

Chickpeas make a great tuna-inspired sandwich filling. The dill, nori, capers, lemon juice, mustard, and tahini add to that typical flavor. The „tuna“ salad is also delicious in wraps!

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Easy Vegan Snack Recipes

The Best Hummus made with dried chickpeas

Say Hello to your new favorite Hummus recipe made from dried chickpeas.

Recipe yields 1 1/2 cups.

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Vegan Za’atar Crackers

With a few simple ingredients you can make delicious crackers. Top them with za’atar seasoning and you have the best crispy Za’atar Crackers ever! Vegan.

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Better-than-store-bought Vegan Breads

Basic White Bread

You can use this basic white bread recipe for all kinds of breads: bread loaves, burger buns, flatbread, pizza crust, bagels, pretzels,… Anything is possible!

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Mixed Flour Carrot Bread

Recipe for an easy-to-make and super flavorful vegan Carrot Bread using two kinds of flours. With lots of flax seeds and caraway seeds.

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Crispy Sesame Flatbread

Recipe for a crispy, yeast-free, vegan Sesame Flatbread. It’s the perfect bread to enjoy with hummus or to serve with soups! So easy to make and it’s quite addictive!

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Easy Vegan Naan (Indian Flatbread)

Easy Vegan Naan – if you’re into super fluffy flatbreads, then this is THE recipe for you! The dough is just a simple yeast dough, which you can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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Vegan Sandwich Bread

Nothing is better than freshly baked, warm, homemade bread! This fluffy vegan Sandwich Bread is easy to make and smells amazing!

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Plant-Based Milk Recipes

Date-Sweetened Hazelnut Milk

Do you want to make your own Hazelnut Milk at home? It’s actually super easy! I have a date-sweetened recipe for you, that is super yummy and delicious. It’s great for cereals, chia puddings or for hot cocoa.

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Almond Milk

Recipe for homemade, from-scratch Almond Milk. Super silky and better than store-bought! Add sweeteners, cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon or whatever you feel like!

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How to make Homemade Coconut Milk

You want to make your own Coconut Milk? Great idea! It’s super easy to make and I’ll show you how! It is perfect for cooking e.g. curries.

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Condiments and Sauces

Vegan Peppercorn Sauce

This Vegan Peppercorn Sauce is quick & easy and you only need staple ingredients to make it. It's perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts and helps bring them to the next level!

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Vegan Date-Sweetened BBQ Sauce

Recipe for a vegan, date-sweetened BBQ sauce. The perfect condiment for cookouts! It’s smoky and sweet, perfect for tofu, tempeh, and grilled veggies!

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Vegan Mango Chutney

Recipe for an easy-to-make and delicious vegan Mango Chutney made with a fresh mango. It’s perfect to spread on papadums (crispy Indian bread) or to serve with summer rolls or crispy homemade vegetable pakoras!

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Vegan ‘Meaty’ Tomato Dip

This is the perfect smoky & ‘meaty’ Tomato Dip to serve with Tortilla Chips! Thanks to soy granule, no one will know that it’s actually vegan!

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Garlic Sunflower Seed Dressing

This raw, vegan and glutenfree Garlic Sunflower Seed Dressing can be used as a super delicious dip or on a salad as a dressing – you simply adjust the consistency by adding more or less water.

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Vegan (Salted) Caramel Sauce

This is the easiest vegan Caramel Sauce ever! You’ll only need 3 ingredients and 1 minute to whisk it together! Drizzle it over nice cream, pancakes, or crepes! It’s true magic!

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Vegan Cheese Recipes

Vegan Cashew Parmesan

Vegan Parmesan is one of the super-easy-to-make homemade staples. You’ll only need three ingredients! Make some vegan Parmesan now because it’s perfect for pasta, pizza, risotto and so much more! It keeps for a long time.

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Almigiano – Vegan Almond Parmesan

Recipe for a vegan Almond Parmesan, perfect over pasta, lasagna, pizza or rice-based dishes. This is not only a dairy-free alternative to traditional parmesan, but also gluten-free and free of all animal products.

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Nooch Cheese Sauce

Easy and quick homemade vegan Cheese Sauce. Try this Nooch Cheese Sauce with Nutritional Yeast Flakes. Perfect for Lasagne or Mac & Cheese.

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Baked Almond Feta with Rosemary

Recipe for a vegan Baked Almond Feta with Rosemary. Made with the leftover almond pulp from making almond milk! Perfect to crumble over pasta, lasagna, or risotto!

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Cashew Mozzarella

Easy recipe for a vegan Mozzarella Cheese made out of cashews. You’ll only need 7 ingredients! It’s perfect for pizza, quesadillas, or grilled cheese sandwiches!

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Sweets and Desserts

Soft Baked Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies I’ve ever made. They are soft with a slight crisp on the outside, slightly flaky, slightly fudgy. Plus they are really easy and quick to make. You’ll only need 6 basic ingredients!

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Peanut Butter Nice Cream with Magic Chocolate Shell

This Salted Peanut Butter Nice Cream topped with Magic Chocolate Shell and Chocolate Granola is a dream come true! I’ll gladly skip any breakfast/lunch/dinner for this treat!

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Vegan Blueberry Lemon Streusel Muffins

Recipe for vegan Blueberry Lemon Streusel Muffins. The tangy lemon streusel go perfectly well with the sweet blueberry muffins. So easy and so good! You don’t need any dairy or eggs for muffins.

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Vegan Rhubarb Crumble Cake

Recipe for a super fluffy vegan Rhubarb Crumble Cake – all dairy-free and egg-free. The cake consists of a simple one-bowl vanilla batter, soft rhubarb pieces and perfectly browned crumble / streusel.

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Vegan Blueberry Ombre Popsicles

You’ll only need 2 ingredients for these Vegan Blueberry Ombre Popsicles! They are the perfect summer treat and look so pretty!

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Don’t forget to bookmark or pin this page, so you’ll always have the recipes handy when you need them.

Let me know in the comments below, what are your favorite basic vegan recipes?

35 Basic Vegan Recipes for New Vegans! | Elephantastic Vegan (46)

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35 Basic Vegan Recipes for New Vegans! | Elephantastic Vegan (47)

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35 Basic Vegan Recipes for New Vegans! | Elephantastic Vegan (2024)

FAQs

How to eat vegan without cooking? ›

16 No-Cook Vegan Recipes to Beat the Heat
  1. Berry Overnight Oats.
  2. Chia Breakfast Parfait.
  3. Enchanted Smoothie Bowl.
  4. Chickpea Salad Rolls.
  5. Tofu "Egg" Salad Sandwich.
  6. Rainbow Hummus Sandwich.
  7. Thai Crunch Salad With Peanut Dressing.
  8. Rainbow Salad.
Jul 21, 2022

How can I make my vegan diet affordable? ›

Vegan on a budget
  1. tinned beans and dried pulses of various kinds.
  2. vegetables (particularly seasonal ones)
  3. potatoes.
  4. egg-free pasta and noodles.
  5. rice.
  6. bread (wholemeal is ideal from a health point of view)
  7. dried herbs and spices.
  8. seasonal fruit.

How to make vegan food satisfying? ›

5 Tips for Making a Vegan Meal Feel Filling and Satisfying
  1. Balance the plate. I think the misconception that vegan meals are all veg and nothing else gets to the issue at hand. ...
  2. Flavor with herbs and spices. ...
  3. Take on the traditional. ...
  4. Mix up the cooking technique. ...
  5. Showcase the produce.
May 2, 2019

How to cook for vegan guests? ›

Vegan dinner party recipes
  1. Courgette curry. A star rating of 4.8 out of 5. ...
  2. Beetroot & red onion tarte tatin. ...
  3. Beetroot hummus party platter. ...
  4. Italian-style roast cabbage wedges with tomato lentils. ...
  5. App onlyWhole-roasted curried cauliflower & chickpeas. ...
  6. Refried beans. ...
  7. Vegan pie. ...
  8. App onlyCreamy vegan wild mushroom risotto.

What not to eat when going vegan? ›

Vegans don't eat any foods made from animals, including:
  • Beef, pork, lamb, and other red meat.
  • Chicken, duck, and other poultry.
  • Fish or shellfish such as crabs, clams, and mussels.
  • Eggs.
  • Cheese.
  • Butter.
  • Milk, cream, ice cream, and other dairy products.
  • Mayonnaise (because it includes egg yolks)
Nov 3, 2023

What are the 5 most important rules of a vegan diet? ›

For a healthy vegan diet:
  • eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
  • base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates (choose wholegrain where possible)
  • have some fortified dairy alternatives, such as soya drinks and yoghurts (choose lower-fat and lower-sugar options)

What are the most filling vegan foods? ›

Plant-based foods you can add to your meals to help improve satiety
  • Oats. ...
  • Chickpeas. ...
  • Walnuts or Almonds. ...
  • Sweet Potatoes. ...
  • Brussels Sprouts. ...
  • Avocado. ...
  • Brown rice or quinoa. ...
  • Dark Chocolate.

Is peanut butter vegan? ›

The bottom line. Most types of peanut butter are free of animal products and can be enjoyed as part of a vegan diet. However, some varieties are made in facilities that also process animal products or contain refined sugar that was produced using bone char or non-vegan ingredients like honey or fish oil.

What do vegans struggle with the most? ›

Low vitamin B12 intake is a significant problem in vegan diets due to the exclusion of vitamin B12-rich foods such as meat, poultry, and eggs. A lack of vitamin B12 has been linked to neurologic and hematologic problems [19].

Which foods are surprisingly vegan? ›

Top 10 surprising vegan foods
  • Crumpets. This might be an obvious one to some, but a quick poll with our vegan and dairy-free friends shows many mistakenly believe crumpets contained dairy. ...
  • Dark chocolate. Chocoholics assemble! ...
  • Cream crackers. ...
  • (Some) biscuits. ...
  • (Some) crisps. ...
  • Ice Cream. ...
  • Pasta. ...
  • Peanut butter.

How to go vegan for beginners? ›

  1. Make Vegetables the Stars of Your Meals. ...
  2. Eat a Variety of Foods. ...
  3. Choose Whole Grains. ...
  4. Discover New Plant-Based Proteins. ...
  5. Don't Assume Vegan Food Products Are Healthier. ...
  6. Focus On Fish-Free Omega-3s. ...
  7. Don't Forget About Vitamin D. ...
  8. Pump Up Your Iron.
Sep 30, 2022

Can you eat vegan meat without cooking it? ›

Not only is eating plant-based meat raw a food safety risk, doing so will means that it will lack the quality and taste you'd expect. Read more about why eating plant-based meat raw is not recommended.

Can you survive as a raw vegan? ›

A raw vegan diet may not be sustainable in the long term. The lack of bread, cooked grains, and cooked legumes can make it challenging to get enough calories every day without frequent meals, which may make it too restrictive to be a 24/7 thing.

How do you eat raw vegan? ›

What Is a Raw Vegan Diet? Raw veganism is a subset of veganism. Like veganism, it excludes all foods of animal origin. Then it adds the concept or raw foodism, which dictates that foods should be eaten completely raw or heated at temperatures below 104–118°F (40–48°C).

How do you stick to a raw vegan diet? ›

Newbies, have food with you at all times. Think fruit, veggie sticks, and coconut water. Snacking is an important secret for anyone going raw, especially if you're looking to rev metabolism and digestion. “Always start by adopting healthier habits and incorporate them into your day-to-day routine,” says Rawvana.

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