21 Quick and easy vegan dinners for midweek or lazy weekends.

Getting home from work late, and feeling tired after a busy day is a common occurrence, so I want quick vegan meals.  Mid-week dinners that are easy to make.

If there are too many ingredients or the meal is going to take too long to make, then it's just not going to happen.

My freezer is small, so I tend to cook from fresh, before you ask me why I don't batch cook and freeze.

21 Quick Vegan Meals for Midweek Dinners

In this collection of quick plant-based recipes,  I have gathered some of the most delicious but easy vegan dinners.

They are all simple to make, but are big on flavour.

You could choose any of them and have dinner on the table in no time at all.

My midweek meals have to:

1. Be quick
2. Have a short list of ingredients
3. Have no weird or hard-to-find ingredients
4. Use what I have in the store cupboard and fridge
5. Be something my family will enjoy (I'm not cooking two meals)
6. They must not break the budget
7. Taste great!

Tips for quick vegan meals

Here are my tips for quick vegan dinners, before you check out the recipes.

1. Have a well-stocked pantry with a good range of herbs, spices and stock cubes
2. Keep a good selection of canned beans and pulses
3. Make sure you have tinned tomatoes, passata and tomato puree
4. Stock up on some dried basics like pasta, rice, grains and couscous
5. Bottles of olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sriracha are essential
6. Most recipes start with onion and garlic, so make sure you always have some
7. Fill your salad drawer with both salad and fresh vegetables

Meal plan

Even though I can always pull a quick meal together from what I have in my fridge and store cupboard, I always like to meal plan.

When I meal plan, I only need to buy extras to supplement what I have and there is less waste.

I do think it saves money too.

But most importantly, it takes a lot of stress out of the week as you know which meal you are making each day.

It really reduces the mental load.

And of course, you can always swap the days.

Best Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes

I've been searching the web for some of the best quick vegan recipes and I've found lots to share with you. 

I've included some of my recipes too, which have been tested out and approved by my family before I share them.  

I hope you try some of these recipes and they inspire you to make your busy midweek dinners more varied.

For quick vegan lunches, check out back to school vegan lunches for kids (which are great lunch ideas for adults too or 41 insanely good vegan lunches.

Quick Vegan Dinner Ideas

You are going to love these quick recipes!

1. Cheesy Cauliflower 'Steaks

These easy cheesy cauliflower steaks are grilled in the air fryer with spices for an easy but delicious veg-packed dinner.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

2. Green Goddess Farfalle with Dairy Free Pesto

A tasty pasta with dairy-free pesto, broccoli, spinach and peas. Super tasty and healthy, but filling too. This pasta dish is good served hot for a quick vegan dinner or cold as a pasta salad for lunch or a light dinner.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

3. Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas

A favorite dish, a creamed spinach with chickpeas similar to Palak Paneer but without the cheese. There's plenty of protein and minerals in this easy vegan dinner.

recipe and photo

Fat Free Vegan

4. Spinach and Coconut Dal

A delicious, but frugal family meal, that can be thrown together in under half an hour. Great for during the week, when you get in from work late and need to put a meal on the table.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

5. Spicy Lentil Sausage Rolls 

The most amazing mini spicy lentil vegan sausage rolls. Easy to make and loved by kids and adults alike. Serve them for a quick family dinner with chips (or potato wedges) and baked beans.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

6. 5 Minute Sriracha Noodles

These super quick 5-minute sriracha noodles are a deliciously fast vegan dinner or lunch with no fuss, made in one pan.

recipe and photo

The Vegan Lunchbox

7. Greek Pasta Salad

A fresh pasta salad with the flavours of Greece, little balls of vegan cream cheese and a zingy dressing for a light but quick dinner.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

8. Vegan Smoky Red Pepper & Cheese Bean Burgers

Smoky red pepper, cheese and bean burgers. These juicy, smoky burgers are easy to make and great served stacked high in buns with salad and some vegan cheddar melted over them. Ready in 20 mins.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

9. Kale and Cashew Pesto Spaghetti

A creamy green sauce for spaghetti that's super silky and coats the pasta beautifully. The pesto is homemade from kale and cashews. A delicious plant-based dinner on the table quick!

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

10. Black Bean and Red Lentil Chili

Black lentils hold their shape while red lentils break down slightly to thicken the chili. This is one of those dishes that tastes best after the flavors have a chance to blend, so if possible, make it ahead of time and reheat before serving.

recipe and photo

Fat Free Vegan

11. Spiced Carrot, Lentil and Spinach Soup

A gently spiced soup that has so much flavour. It's vegan and dairy-free and perfect if you are watching your weight. It's only 184 calories for a huge bowlful or 138 calories for a standard bowlful.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

12. Korean Sweet Potato Noodle Stir Fry (Japchae) with Marinated and Baked Tofu

 This is a classic Korean stir fry dish using deliciously chewy, gluten-free sweet potato vermicelli. Although mainly a party or celebratory dish in Korea, it is easy enough to make for the family as a quick vegan midweek meal.

recipe and photo

Food to Glow

13. Zucchin (courgette) Bhaji and Tarka Dal

These zucchini bhaji have a great flavour and texture and best of all - they use up a LOT of zucchini! Tarka dal is made for dipping these bhaji.

recipe and photo

Maple Spice

14. Mini Margherita Puff Pizzas

Easy mini Margherita pizza pies that can be made in under 30 minutes. They are easy enough for children to make and they always love to eat them. Serve with a salad for a light dinner.
.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

15. Creamy Mushroom and Leek Risotto

A creamy leek and mushroom risotto recipe, with tips on how to make the perfect risotto and a free printable recipe. Add this to your meal plan for a quick meal this week.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

16. Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

A rich spaghetti sauce, sweet with the flavour of tomatoes, with some warmth from a little spice and the smoky flavour of roast red peppers and red onions. Who could say no to a tasty pasta dish like this?

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

17. Quick and Easy Five Vegetable Dal

Just add herbs or spices and vegetables to cooked grains and dinner is on the table in around 20 minutes. Serve with naan or flatbread for a nutritious, quick and easy vegan meal.

recipe and photo

Utterly Scrummy Food For Families

18. Fridge Lentil Soup

A warming lentil soup, made to use up salad drawer stragglers. Healthy, nutritious and very, very tasty. A great way to use leftover vegetables to make a speedy dinner.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

19. Black Bean Quinoa Chili

The thing we really like about this soup is the black velvety texture from pureeing about one-third of the cooked beans before they go into the soup, but you can forgo the blending and keep it chunky.

recipe and photo

Food to Glow

20. Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks with Peanut Butter, Tahini, and Ginger Sauce

Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks with Peanut Butter and Tahini Sauce are a great snack or a simple midweek meal served with salad.

recipe and photo

Kalyn's Kitchen

21. Spiced Tofu and Mushroom Tacos

Homemade soft, warm tacos filled with a roasted pepper tapenade, salad leaves, roast spiced tofu, roast red onions and roast mushrooms. A fast and easy vegan meal, perfect for Taco Tuesdays.

recipe and photo

Tinned Tomatoes

If you need more inspiration?

Looking for more easy vegan recipes? Check out these food guides.

• 25 Awesome Puff Pastry Recipes for Vegans
• 41 Insanely Good Vegan Lunches
• The Ultimate Sandwiches Guide  
• (50 Droolworthy Veggie & Vegan Sandwiches)
• Ultimate 4th of July Vegan BBQ Guide
• Best Vegan and Dairy-Free Products (UK)
• Most Popular Vegan Recipes 2017

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RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Chip Shop Battered Tofu

This is the chip supper you would love to order from your local chip shop, but will be very lucky if it's on their menu.

It's a real winner but easy to make. 

Creamy tofu is coated in thick, crisp, spicy beer batter. 

Serve this chip shop battered tofu with chips, peas and tomato ketchup. I'm not keen on mushy peas but I know a lot of you out there love them, so you could serve them with those if you like or even baked beans.

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