Sometimes it feels like life won’t slow down and you just can’t catch a break. Work, school, sports, clubs for the kids: when are you supposed to cook?! You want tasty, nutritious food without all the effort. Fast food is costly and unhealthy and frozen premade foods aren’t always an option. Lazy vegan recipes are my specialty! I’m almost always on the go with Baby J and we both need healthy, nutritious foods to make it through the day and to keep our energy up. While I have hundreds of longer, more time-intensive recipes, I always have lazy meals on hand for those busy or lazy days.
Lazy vegan recipes don’t have to be lame. These recipes are fun, simple, but still full of flavor. Let me do the hard work of figuring out what you should eat!
Kitchen Tools
If I had only one piece of advice to give about making cooking easier, it would be to use tools. Using tools isn’t cheating or harming the quality of your food in any way. In fact, these tools increase the quality of foods in many instances! My favorite to use in the kitchen is the Instant Pot. A true “set it and forget it” appliance, you can make anything from tacos to stews to cauliflower piccata in it. Another favorite is my food processor. There are newer versions available, but I have had mine for years and still use it regularly and it’s going strong. Use a food processor for dips, spreads, doughs, burgers, and meatballs. Similarly, I use a blender a lot to make dressings and smoothies. I use my air fryer all the time too! This is great for frying tofu, roasting chickpeas, or making burgers. It’s especially great in the summer so you don’t have to turn on the oven.
Another helpful tool in the kitchen is a meal prep guide. If you find yourself having a few hours of extra time on the weekends but not much time to cook during the week, you could definitely benefit from meal prepping. If you’re not subscribed to my newsletters, you’re missing out on a FREE meal plan I provide every week! You can subscribe here or on the home page. Plus, you’ll get a free vegan cooking secrets guide as a thank you for signing up.
Lazy Vegan Breakfasts
I love a good, lazy weekend morning. There’s nothing better than a slow cup of coffee and a breakfast I can eat with little to no effort involved. Of course a breakfast bar is always an option, but I like to go for something a little more filling. At the most for these something will need to be chopped or sliced which you can totally do ahead of time.
If you have more energy on the weekend to prep something ahead of time, try these make-ahead and grab-and-go recipes. Grab a muffin and head back to bed!
- Make Ahead Breakfast Enchiladas
- Sweet Potato Chocolate Muffins
- Sweet Potato Oat Bran Muffins
- Tahini Granola
- Sweet Potato Granola
- Spirulina Chia Seed Pudding
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Mix
Lazy Vegan Meals
These plant-based dishes include minimal ingredients but they’re definitely not lacking in flavor. These are family-friendly and don’t require much, if any, hovering over the stove while the food cooks.
Salads
Don’t skip out on the hearty greens when making salads. Try to avoid iceberg lettuce and go for something more nutrient-dense like spinach or kale. While fresh produce is best, bagged greens that are pre-washed are always an easy option to go for.
- Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpeas
- Chickpea Tuna Salad
- Marinated White Bean Salad
- Herbes de Provence Salad
Soup
I love when I can make a soup by throwing it in the Instant Pot or slow cooker and let the appliance do the work for me. No standing over the stove and constantly stirring so it doesn’t burn; I can take a nap or read a book or play with Baby J while dinner cooks! Soups do require some prep work like chopping the vegetables, but for a true lazy soup, frozen veggies will work in a pinch. Any stovetop soup can be cooked in a slow cooker or made ahead; the flavor is better the next day anyway!
Five-Ingredient Recipes
Now we’re talking! These are the ultimate lazy recipes. Only five ingredients and they take minimal time to prepare! A flavor-packed Buddha bowl can be made with only five ingredients, and even better if you already have some homemade dressings on hand. I don’t count salt, pepper, or other spices as ingredients in these meals since most people already have them in their pantry as a staple. Some spices you should have on hand are nutritional yeast, garlic powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika, but I have a whole blog post about this. Did you know I have an e-book full of five-ingredient recipes, too? This list also contains some tasty snacks and desserts!
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Carrot Red Lentil Soup
- Tofu Teriyaki Fried Rice
- Barbecue Tempeh Collard Wraps
- Sweet Potato Thai Green Curry
- Avocado Pineapple Popsicles
- Energizing Cocoa Date Balls
- Carrot Top Pesto
- Magical Vegan Milkshakes
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Dips
- Harissa Almonds
- Cinnamon Tahini Cookies
- Chickpea Curry
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
15-Minute Meals
Similar to the five-ingredient recipes, these meals can be whipped up in a total time of 15 minutes or less. That means less time in the kitchen and more time doing, well, anything else.
- Vegan Crab Cakes
- Mango Black Bean Quinoa Salad
- Lentil Chili Tacos
- Korean BBQ Jackfruit Tacos
- Broccolini Mushroom Linguine
- King Oyster Mushroom Vegan Scallops
Five-Minute Meals
Do you know what’s even better than a 15-minute meal? A five-minute meal! These can be thrown together in no time flat in the microwave. The prep time for these is minimal if not prep-free and the recipes have very few instructions to follow.
If you’re still struggling and don’t want to make anything on this list, I suggest keeping frozen vegetables on hand like broccoli and corn, as well as some pantry staples like pasta, sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, and black beans. I also like to keep things like red onion and salsa for a fresh taste on those five-minute burrito bowls, and canned tomatoes come in handy more than you might think.
For even more easy and lazy meals, I recommend checking out Nisha Vora’s (Rainbow Plant Life) Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook! Most recipes are one-pot meals, all of them being completely vegan and dairy free, and many are gluten-free.
What are your favorite easy vegan recipes? Leave a comment below!
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