30 Lazy Vegan Recipes for Busy Weeknights (2024)

When time is short, energy is low, and you and your family are getting hangry, these 30 Lazy Vegan Recipes will come to the rescue! They’re my go-to recipes when I don’t feel like cooking. With five or fewer ingredients and less than 30 minutes to pull off, they’re easier than ordering take-out!

There are days when I have a whole afternoon to enjoy the process of cooking a slow and leisurely meal. I’m one of those people who truly loves to cook! However, I don’t always have the time or energy to spend hours in the kitchen.

Some days, I’m exhausted from working, parenting, running errands, and keeping the house kept up, and when dinner time rolls around, the last thing on Earth I want to do is make dinner.

That’s when I pulled out one of my five favorite lazy vegan recipes. These recipes follow the WFPB Diet and are no fuss!

💗 Why You’ll Love These Lazy Vegan Recipes…

• They are five ingredients or less.
• Less than 30 minutes from start to finish for easy weeknight dinners
• Family approved
• Healthy, vegan and plant-based
• One-pot meals
• It uses pantry and frozen staples I keep in stock.

Chickpea Pasta with Marinara and Spinach

It doesn’t get much easier than this! Chickpea pasta is a staple we keep in our pantry, along with the pre-made marinara sauce. Look for a sauce with 0 grams of sugar and no oil added. I also have fresh or frozen spinach to throw into the sauce to make this a complete meal. If you don’t have spinach, add your favorite veggie. Fresh peppers, frozen peas and carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and veggie work!

Ingredients

• 8 oz of chickpea pasta
• 2 cups pre-made marinara sauce
• 12 oz bag of fresh spinach
• 4 tablespoon vegan parmesan (optional)

How to Make Chickpea Pasta with Marinara and Spinach

Step 1: Prepare chickpea pasta according to package instructions.

Step 2: Heat marinara sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add spinach when the sauce begins to boil. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until spinach wilts.

Step 3: Combine cooked and drained pasta with sauce. Sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese (optional).

Easy Vegan Fried Rice with Tofu

This short-cut vegan fried rice recipe uses pre-cooked brown rice, tofu, and a frozen mixed vegetable medley.! You can also use a frozen stir-fry medley for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 package of frozen brown rice
• 16 oz extra firm tofu
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, and green beans)
• 1 small red onion (diced)
• ¼ cup soy sauce

How to Make Easy Vegan Fried Rice with Tofu

Step 1: Cook brown rice in the microwave according to package directions. If you don’t have a brown rice steamer bag, you can make instant pot brown rice to save time.

Step 2: While cooking rice, quickly press the water out of the tofu. Usually, I press my tofu for 15 minutes, but when I’m in a crunch for time, I do a quick press. Drain water from tofu. Place the tofu block on two paper towels folded into quarters, fold two additional paper towels into quarters, and place them on top of the tofu. Gently but firmly press on the top of the tofu for 1-2 minutes. Then dice tofu into cubes.

Step 3: Heat ¼ cup of soy sauce in a large skillet. Add diced onion. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until translucent. Add tofu. Cook until tofu begins to brown, about 5-10 minutes.

Step 4: Add frozen vegetables and cooked brown rice. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until frozen vegetables are cooked through.

3. Quick and Easy Bean Chili

This recipe is a paired simpler version of my favorite easy vegan chili. It takes only five main ingredients plus chili powder, salt, and pepper. It comes together in less than 30 minutes and tastes excellent with vegan cornbread muffins or a small side salad.

Ingredients

• 1yellow onionchopped
• 1organic green pepperchopped
• 1cupsvegetable stockplus ¼ cup to simmer vegetables
• 14ozcan organic black beans or another type of beans
• 14ozcan fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1tbspchili powder
• salt and pepperto taste

How to Make Quick and Easy Bean Chili

Step 1: In a large dutch oven or pot, sauté onions in ¼ cup of vegetable stock. Cook until translucent. Add chopped green peppers and chili powder. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Step 2: Add vegetable stock, fire-roasted tomatoes, and black beans. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Black Bean Tacos

Everyone loves tacos, and this recipe is as lazy as it gets. Simply warm some corn tortillas, and black beans, then top with store-bought salsa and your favorite fresh veggies.

Ingredients

• 4-8 corn tortillas
• 15 oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 2 teaspoon taco seasoning or chili powder (optional)
• ½ cup frozen corn
• ½ cup prepared salsa
• ½ cup shredded lettuce
• ½ avocado diced (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Drain and rinse black beans.

Step 2: Add to a medium saucepan. Add taco seasoning (optional) and frozen corn. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until corn is warm and cooked through.While beans are simmering, warm corn tortillas in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Step 3: Assemble tacos. Add black beans to corn tortillas. Top with lettuce, salsa, and diced avocado (optional). Serve and enjoy!

5. Garlic Whole Wheat Pasta

When you want something super flavorful, home cooked, quick, and easy, this garlic whole wheat pasta is where it’s at! Serve with steamed broccoli for added veggies! I love this dish because the whole wheat pasta has added fiber!

Ingredients

• 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
• ½ cup vegetable stock
• 5 cloves garlic (minced)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup parsley or basil (coarsely chopped)
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese (optional)

How to Make Vegan Garlic Whole Wheat Pasta

Step 1: Prepare whole wheat pasta according to package directions.

Step 2: Add vegetable stock to a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until garlic softens and becomes fragrant about 8 minutes. Stir frequently so that garlic doesn’t burn.

Step 3: Add pasta and ¼ cup of reserved water to the sauté pan. Toss together until combined. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. If pasta seems too dry add a little more pasta water. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and optional vegan parmesan cheese.

📝 Tips for Creating Lazy Vegan Meals

To pull off these lazy vegan recipes, you need to have some simple vegan pantry staples at home.

• Buy Canned, Frozen, and Dry Ingredients In Bulk
• Fill in Each Week With Seasonal Ingredients like fresh herbs and vegetables.
• Stock Up On Spices

Canned Ingredients

These are a few that I always keep in stock. Of course, you likely have your own favorites. These ingredients are fast, cheap, easy, and nutrient dense. Beans are high in protein, coconut milk has healthy fats, and adds a nice creaminess to many recipes, while diced tomatoes and marinara are great to have on hand as they are added to numerous simple vegan recipes.

• Black Beans
• Chickpeas
• Diced Tomatoes
• Coconut Milk
• Marinara Sauce

Dry Ingredients

Keeping these dried ingredients on hand means you’ll have a nutrient-dense, high-fiber, high-protein, vegan option. Quinoa cooks quickly, making it perfect for busy weeknights.

I also stock up on the brown rice steamers for nights when I’m too tired and pressed for time to make brown rice on the stovetop. Although, if you have an instant pot, you can make it much quicker.

• Quinoa
• Wholewheat pasta
• Chickpea pasta
• Lentils
• Packaged brown rice steamer
• Raw nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, or pecans)

Frozen Ingredients

I love having frozen veggies on hand. They’re so easy to warm up and throw into a recipe for added veggies. My family loves broccoli and mixed vegetables. Having frozen veggies means if my produce bin is barren, we can still add some veggies to our plate!

• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Mixed Vegetables
• Cauliflower
• Peas
• Brown Rice (comes in packets)

Fresh Ingredients

Some ingredients you have to have fresh. These are on my list every week!

• Corn tortillas or Whole wheat tortillas
• Whole wheat bread
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Bell Peppers
• Cucumbers
• Spinach
• Lettuce or other mixed greens
• Avocado
• Tomatoes
• Fresh Fruit

🥘 Quick Vegan Meal Ideas

🌮 Vegan Quesadillas, Tacos, or Nachos

If you keep tortillas around, you can quickly make your simple vegan quesadillas, tacos, or nachos by making a vegan cheese sauce and whatever canned beans and veggies you have in your fridge or freezer.

Buddha Bowls

With cooked quinoa or brown rice, make a simple Buddha bowl. Add some fresh veggies, beans, or tofu, and top with this simple vegan tahini dressing, salsa, or dressing of choice.

🥗 Main Dish Salads

If you have a lot of fresh greens you need to eat, place them on a plate and add your favorite beans, lentils, tofu, or tempeh for protein. Then, add your favorite veggies using what you have at home. Top with something crunchy like chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds, then drizzle one of your favorite vegan salad dressing recipes!

🥣 Soups and Chilis

It’s simple to make an easy homemade soup with vegetable stock, beans, frozen vegetables, and spices. You can get creative with the variety of flavors.

🥪 Vegan Sandwiches

There’s nothing wrong with preparing a simple sandwich for dinner or lunch. There are so many more sandwiches you can prepare than simple peanut butter and jelly.

🍝 Pasta and Noodles

When looking for a lazy vegan recipe to prepare quickly, nothing is as easy as pasta or noodles. So many different types and shapes of pasta and sauces can vary the flavors. Use lentil or chickpea pasta for extra protein or gluten-free pasta if needed.

🎥 Video

😋 More Quick and Easy Vegan Dinners!

Recipe