10 Easy Meals for Vegan Beginners 

Going vegan—particularly overnight—can seem like a big step. According to the US Dietary Guidelines and the unspoken rules of the Standard American Diet (yes, that stands for SAD), you’re cutting out two whole “necessary” food groups. Attempting to concoct elaborate or foreign recipes you see on Pinterest and TikTok will just add stress to the ordeal. Adopting a plant-based diet should be fun. It should also be delicious, rewarding, and joyful. Save the gourmet, multi-step culinary projects for a few months down the road. For now, stick to the basics. All of these recipes take 30 minutes or less to prepare and require minimal, familiar ingredients. Impress yourself and your family by whipping up any one of these 10 easy vegan meals.

one Stuffed Black Bean Sweet Potatoes with Sour Cream and Guacamole

A loaded potato of any sort—sweet, russet, or purple—is a staple in any vegan arsenal. Ranging from super basic to gourmand, this recipe hits the sweet spot. It’s more than just canned beans and corn plopped onto a potato, but it’s simple enough to toss together on a hectic Tuesday night. If you’re short on time, purchase store-bought dairy-free sour cream (like Forager) instead of making your own.
Get the recipe

two Root Vegetable Bowls with Peanut Sauce

The more accustomed you get to eating vegan, the more you’ll realize it’s often the sauce that makes the meal. Truly, you can turn humble grains, greens, and beans into a $15 Buddha bowl by adding a quick homemade sauce. In this case, we do recommend making the sauce, as it’s so quick and many store-bought options contain fish sauce. Plus, you get to control the spice level.
Get the recipe

3 Two-Step Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad Sandwiches

Rely on the deli side. Of course, this quick chickpea mash is terrific between two slices of bread (try a bagel to switch it up), but it’s also excellent dolloped onto salads, stuffed in a pita, or wrapped in a tortilla. Sometimes, we’ll use it as a dip for raw carrots, toasty pita triangles, and celery. It only takes five minutes to make, but the possibilities are endless.
Get the recipe

4 3-Step Vegan Diner-Style Pancakes

Few things are more satisfying in the moment than sitting down to a stack of giant, fluffy pancakes and watching syrup cascade down the sides as you sit contentedly at your own kitchen table. One bite of these flapjacks and you’ll realize nothing is missing from your new vegan diet. Add chocolate chips or blueberries if you want to get wild.
Get the recipe

5 Vegan Banana Oatmeal Porridge

Master the perfect bowl of oats once and for all with this minimal-ingredient breakfast recipe. Infused with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of brown sugar, this banana-based bowl of oats is made for those who crave something sweet in the morning. Bonus: it’s far healthier and more filling than a muffin or a donut and only takes a few extra minutes to prepare.
Get the recipe

6 Easy Vegan French Bread Pizza

It’s pizza night, and all you need are six ingredients to make it happen. The key to a quality vegan pizza is your choice of non-dairy cheese. Miyoko’s Creamery makes a solid mozzarella in two forms—sliceable rounds and pourable mozz made for pizza. Let your creativity (and the contents of your fridge) determine the rest.
Get the recipe

7 Easy Vegan Tofu Egg Salad

Packed with protein and super versatile, this eggy tofu mix will surely make it into your weekly lunch rotation. Egg salad is one of those foods that you may not have enjoyed as an omnivore but will love as a vegan.
Get the recipe

8 Vegan Roasted Lemony Broccoli Rigatoni

There are nights when pasta with a blob of store-bought marinara will suffice, but given a few extra minutes, you can add some fiber and pizazz to your go-to pasta night. While this dish takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and just six ingredients, you could even pass it off as a romantic date night meal.
Get the recipe

9 Vegan Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

When you go vegan, you don’t have to sacrifice any familiar favorites. There are store-bought alternatives for many products, but you can just as easily make your own. This thick, belly-warming broccoli cheddar soup satisfies just as completely as its Panera predecessor—especially when served in a bread bowl (yes, sourdough bread is vegan!).
Get the recipe

10 Healthy Sushi Rolls with Ginger-Tamari Sauce

Vegan sushi encompasses so much more than cucumber and avocado rolls. This recipe isn’t the most complex iteration of plant-based sushi, but it can also be parred down as well. If you’re short on time, skip the pink rice step and just go with plain sushi rice. You can also opt to purchase a creamy store-bought sauce like the ginger- and sesame-infused Japanese Dressing from Mother Raw.
Get the recipe

For more simple vegan meal ideas, read:
13 Easy Vegan Weeknight Dinners

7 Vegan Air-Fryer Recipes
5 Easy Vegan Meals That Don’t Require a Recipe