Out To Lunch: 6 Easy & Delicious Vegan Lunch Recipes

When becoming vegan, knowing whether you’ll be able to source vegan lunch recipes may be one of the questions you have. If you look in the right places, it isn’t difficult to switch to a vegan diet!

Are you ready for delicious vegan lunch recipes that the whole family will enjoy? We’re talking sandwiches, salads and one pot meals with flavor combinations that you’ll want on rotation for your vegan meal planning.

In this guide, we’re going to give you some popular vegan lunch recipes that are quick and relatively effortless to make.

Take a look!

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Easy & Delicious Vegan Lunch Recipes

1. Vegan Sabich Sandwich

This recipe is a twist on the traditional Israeli sandwich. However, instead of using egg, you will be including white beans. It’s one of the best vegan lunch snacks to learn to whip up as you can eat it at home or box it up and take it with you on your travels!

Ingredients:

• 3 pita bread pockets
• 2 medium firm potatoes
• 1 young eggplant medium
• 1/2 cup heaped 1/2 cup canned white beans drained and rinsed well
• 1 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• 1/4 tspn harissa paste
• 3 dill pickles
• 1/2 cup hummus
• 1/2 cup tabbouleh salad
• 1/4 cup tahini sauce
• sea salt
• olive oil

Instructions:

1. Chop the eggplant into small cubes.
2. Add oil to a pan and heat on the stove.
3. Sprinkle some salt onto the eggplant and allow to cook on a medium-low heat until it starts to develop into a creamy consistency.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
5. Slice the boiled potatoes evenly into small chunks.
6. Take a small mixing bowl and add the harissa paste, mayonnaise and white beans and cut the dill pickles into vertical slices.
7. Lay the pita bread out and cover with hummus.
8. Layer the potatoes onto the bread.
9. Spoon a few tablespoons of the white bean mix onto the bread.
10. Spoon a few tablespoons of eggplant onto the bread.
11. Add two tablespoons of tabbouleh.
12. You may optionally drizzle tahini sauce over the sandwich for that extra hint of flavour or you may even opt to add extra harissa for that extra spicy kick.

2. Spicy Bean Noodles and Vegetables

If you’re keen on spicy foods that are bursting with flavour, then this vegan lunch recipe will certainly be up your street. What’s great about this recipe is that it’s:

•   Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
•   Dairy-free
•   Egg-free
•   Gluten-free (if desired)

Ingredients:

• 250 g wholewheat noodles, or gluten-free soba noodles
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 200 g Tenderstem broccoli
• 250 g chestnut mushrooms
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 2 spring onions
• Fresh coriander

For the spicy peanut sauce

• 6 tbsp soy sauce, or gluten-free tamari sauce
• 8 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions:

1. Start by cooking the noodles but be sure to refer to the back of the packet on the best method and length of time to leave on the gas.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan and cook the broccoli, mushrooms, red bell pepper and onions together.
3. Now it’s time to make the sauce. Sir all of the ingredients together in a bowl. If you find that the consistency is far too thick, then you could always add a touch of water until it becomes smooth.
4. It is completely optional as to whether you choose to heat the sauce – it be served and eaten hot or cold.

3. One Pot Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad

If you’re looking for a quick yet delicious vegan lunch recipe that won’t take up much of your lunch break, then this meal will be the perfect option that will take you less than 30 minutes to prepare. If you’re new to the vegan diet or don’t consider yourself much of a cook, it’s also one of the best vegan lunch ideas for beginners.

Ingredients:

• ½ tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tspn ground turmeric
• ½ tspn cumin
• ½ tspn cinnamon
• 1/2 tspn salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetarian broth (or water)
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• ⅔ cup dried cranberries
• ⅓ cup finely diced flat leaf parsley
• ½ cup sliced toasted almonds

Instructions:

1. Add Coconut oil to a large pot and place on the heat
2. Once the oil is hot, throw in some chopped onions and sauté for up to 5 minutes until soft.
3. Stir in cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and pepper and cover over for around 15 minutes on a low heat.
4. Then, add the chickpeas, parsley and cranberries and stir.
5. To finish off, season with parsley once on the plate.

4. Vegan Burrito

Although many burritos contain meat ingredients, you can create your own vegan burrito that tastes just as good as any with the addition of animal products. If you’re short on time, you’ll be pleased to know that this vegan lunch recipe doesn’t require any cooking whatsoever and is perfect for taking to work for lunchtime or even for camping vacations.

Ingredients:

• 100g bulgur wheat
• 120g cherry tomatoes
• 4 tortilla wraps
• 215g can kidney beans
• 198g can sweetcorn
• 200g smoked tofu
• 50g grilled red peppers
• 1 avocado
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 1 lime
• Chilli sauce

Instructions:

1. Pour 100ml of boiling water into a bowl and add the bulgur wheat. Leave to soak for 40 minutes.
2. Put the cherry tomatoes into a food bag and squash with your hand, to separate the juice from the tomatoes until they’re dried out.
3. Pour the tomato juice into the bulgur bowl and allow to soak. Leave the tomatoes in the bag for a little later on.
4. Once the bulger is finished soaking, season with salt and pepper to add a hint of flavour.
5. In another bowl, mix the tahini with 3 tablespoons of water until it turns into a smooth sauce.
6. Lay down as many flat breads as you would like to create the wraps and divide the bulgur wheat mix between them alongside a helping of sweetcorn and kidney beans. Then, add the dried-out tomatoes, avocado chunks and grilled peppers. Add a sprinkling of the tahini sauce you made earlier and squeeze some lime or add a dash of chilli sauce if you would like.
7. Fold the wrap at either side and roll the bottom until it’s completely enclosed to prevent the contents falling out.

5. Vegan-Loaded Sweet Potato

If you’re looking for healthy vegan recipes or recipes for weight loss, this meal will be the one for you as it contains much-needed protein and plenty of nutrients your body needs. Vegans often struggle finding good toppings to add to their potatoes less bland, but Kara Lydon Nutrition has put together a great vegan lunch recipe to make your sweet potato dish a little more interesting.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Green Goddess Dressing to serve

Instructions:

1. Firstly, line the oven with a baking sheet and preheat to 375 degrees.
2. Poke several holes into the sweet potato with a fork and bake for around 60 minutes until they soften.
3. Heat olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add garlic and leave to simmer for 1 minute. Add the kale and ¼ cup of water, then put the lid back on the pan for up to 5 minutes.
4. Take the lid off to stir the kale and leave for another 15 minutes.
5. Cut the sweet potatoes in half and add the mixture. If desired, sprinkle with green goddess dressing to serve– enjoy!

6. Green Thai Tofu Curry

If you’ve not yet found a quick and easy curry recipe that’s suitable for vegans, this one will be sure to impress with its exotic flavors and simple instructions that should take you no more than 25 minutes! If you’re soon to host a vegan lunch for guests, this recipe would be a great choice to show off your cooking skills.

Ingredients:

• 240g jasmine rice
• 225g pack smoked tofu
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 50g thai green curry paste
• 400g tin low-fat coconut milk
• 150g sugar snap peas
• 175g baby sweetcorn
• 150g greens beans
• 1 lime
• Coriander

Instructions:

1. Add the jasmine rice to the pan and add 480ml of water with a pinch of salt. Heat up and bring to the boil, before letting it simmer for around 10 minutes.
2. Put the smoked tofu into a non-stick frying pan for approximately 2 minutes until it turns crisp.
3. Add some curry paste and coconut milk into a separate pan and allow to simmer for around 5 minutes. Then, throw in the tofu, add the sweetcorn and green beans and allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
4. Finally, you may squeeze some lime juice or add a few coriander leaves to the curry to serve, alongside the jasmine rice.

We hope this guide has proven that turning vegan doesn’t have to be boring if you have a few great recipes under your belt. If you have tried any of the above vegan lunch recipes, let us know how easy they were to make and whether you enjoyed tucking in.If you have any other recipes you’d like to share, please get in touch! We’d love to hear your thoughts.

What’s your favourite vegan lunch recipe?

Share with us in the comments below!