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31 Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes (Ready in 30 Minutes or Less!)

April 12, 2021Updated June 14, 2025 By Nava Atlas 2 Comments

Here’s a month’s worth of quick, easy vegan dinner recipes — ready to be served in 30 minutes or sometimes a bit less! You’ll find pasta and noodles, bountiful bowls, grain and bean classics, tofu and seitan dishes, big sandwiches, tortilla specialties.

31 easy vegan dinner recipes graphic

Whether you want a quick dinner for weeknights or casual weekend fare, you’ll find lots of ideas and inspiration here. Within each of these recipes, you’ll find simple ways to complete the meal. Let’s dive right in …

Vegan pasta and noodle dishes

Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Zucchini & Tomatoes: Here’s a super easy and tasty take on spicy peanut noodles. Use bottled peanut satay sauce or make your own. Though it’s a perfect summer dish, you can enjoy it year round.

Stir-fried soba noodles with tofu, broccoli, and snow peas

Stir-Fried Noodles with Tofu & Green Veggies: Stir-fried soba noodles with tofu, broccoli, green peas, mushrooms, and snow peas make a quick, light dinner. Super-easy and tasty, all you need to complete this meal is a platter of raw veggies. For a fun addition, serve vegetable spring rolls from your supermarket or natural foods store freezer.

Asian Noodles with Vegetable Stir-Fry

Teriyaki Asian Noodles with Tofu & Stir-Fried Vegetables: Teriyaki Asian noodles with tofu and stir-fried vegetables tastes just as great as what you might get for take-out. Maybe better! Use your favorite type of noodle — soba, udon, etc., or regular spaghetti or linguini.

Vegan beefy Pasta skillet with beyond ground

Vegan “Beefy” Pasta Skillet: One of those carb-laden classic recipes that’s so comforting, this vegan beefy pasta skillet is part cheeseburger macaroni, kind of hamburger helper-ish, and all plant-based. 

Pasta with leafy greens pesto

Pasta with Leafy Greens Pesto: Pesto using spinach, arugula, and/or watercress is a lighter, greener sauce for easy pasta dishes like this one; it’s also good on warm potatoes, potato salads, grain pilafs, and more.

Vegan Pasta Tuna Salad served

Vegan Pasta “Tuna” Salad: Made with baked tofu or plant-based tuna a nostalgic classic is brought into the 21st century. Now, even more veggies have been added to this family favorite.

Vegan power bowls

Korean Beef-less Bowls

Vegan Korean Beef-Less Rice Bowl: Korean Beef Bowl is an easy weeknight meal, embellished with kimchi and crisp vegetables. The recipe links to homemade crumbles, but to save time, you can use a packaged plant-based ground product.

Nori rice bowl with tofu, cucumber, avocado

Nori Rice Bowls with Tofu, Cucumber, & Avocado: Simple nori rice bowls are subtly infused with the tasty sea vegetable. Embellished with crispy tofu, cucumber, and avocado, it’s like veggie sushi deconstructed.

Edamame & orange spring grain bowls1

Spring Grain Bowls with Edamame, Bok Choy, and Oranges: These bountiful spring grain bowls serve up a variety of fresh flavors and textures. You’ll love the burst of sweetness provided by juicy orange sections. Bok choy, edamame, scallions, and bell pepper need minimal cooking to retain their textures and colors.

Asian noodle bowls (with bean-thread noodles)

Quick Asian Noodle Bowls with Colorful Vegetables: Here’s an easy delivery system for an array of colorful veggies. This might just become your go-to recipe when you crave a warming Asian-style dish in minutes. Make sure that the vegetables are barely cooked, so they retain their flavor, color, and crunch.

Red lentil dal on rice

Red Lentil Dal & Rice Bowls: Red lentil dal and rice bowls are a lovely way to feature this tasty legume that cooks up quickly. A cross between a stew and a hot dip made of well-cooked legumes, dal is often served with fresh Indian flatbreads like chapatis, but it’s also a fantastic centerpiece for rice bowls like this one.

Plant-based Grain and Bean Dishes

Vegan Black bean sofrito

Black Beans with Sofrito: A classic Latin American dish, this makes a quick and satisfying weeknight dinner. Sofrito is basically a sauté of the key ingredients of onions, garlic, bell peppers, and sometimes tomatoes, in olive oil. 

Vegan cauliflower curry with chickpeas and vegetables

Indian-Spiced Cauliflower & Chickpea Stew: A delectable Indian-spiced stew gives you the curry flavors you crave at a fraction of the cost of take-out. Using a readymade Indian simmer sauce and frozen cauliflower, this weeknight main dish will be on the table in 30 minutes.

Quick Vegan Quinoa paella

Quick & Colorful Vegan Quinoa Paella: Paella is a Spanish pilaf traditionally made with white rice and seafood. We’ll do away with the seafood here, of course, and since we’re dispensing with tradition, let’s do away with rice as well.

Jamaican Rice and Red Beans2

Jamaican-Inspired Rice & Red Beans: This is a shortcut and slightly Americanized version of the national dish, simply called “rice and peas” in the island nation. Coconut milk gives it a wonderful flavor and aroma.

Vegan Spanish Rice and Red Beans recipe

Spanish Rice & Beans with Pimiento Olives: This is one of those dishes that’s open to interpretation and doesn’t strictly belong to any tradition. This vegan version is a great choice when you want something easy and hearty.

Tofu, Seitan, & Other Plant-Based Protein dishes

Southwestern scrambled tofu with tortillas (migas)

Southwestern Tofu Scramble (Migas): Southwestern tofu scramble is a vegan interpretation of migas, a dish developed for using up corn tortillas that have lost their freshness. Brimming with lively southwestern flavors, in the original recipe, tortilla pieces are scrambled with eggs; this version replaces eggs with tofu.

Peanut satay golden tofu triangles

Peanut Satay Golden Tofu Triangles: This simple preparation of golden tofu triangles, inspired by a Thai appetizer, gets its luscious flavor from peanut sauce — homemade or bottled. This preparation just might inspire fussy eaters to give tofu a chance, and may just be one of the easiest of easy vegan dinner recipes!

Tofu and Bok Choy

Tofu & Bok Choy Stir-Fry: This quick tofu and bok choy stir-fry uses two of my favorite shortcuts — a richly-flavored teriyaki marinade and squeeze-bottle ginger. 

Easy Tofu teriyaki recipe

Easy Tofu Teriyaki: This recipe is all about the sauce, which absorbs into the tofu to make it remarkably flavorful. This makes 2 to 3 servings, so if you’re feeding more or have true tofu fans at the table, you may want to double this recipe. Serve with store-bought sushi for a fun meal!

Seitan and broccoli stir-fry in pan

Super-Easy Broccoli & Seitan Stir-Fry: Here’s a simple broccoli and seitan stir fry that highlights the unique flavor and texture of this plant-based high-protein food.  You can think of this as a vegan “beef” and broccoli, or just enjoy it on its own merits.

Vegan Orange Chicken & Broccoli2

Vegan Orange “Chicken” & Broccoli: This recipe transforms a Chinese restaurant favorite into a plant-based treat. This quick and colorful dish gets its subtle fruity flavor from a splash of fresh orange juice and preserves — orange or apricot.

Vegan pepper steak served with rice

Vegan Pepper Steak: Here’s a plant-powered rendition of a Chinese restaurant favorite. This version is just as hearty as the real thing, made with seitan or any of the varieties of steak-style plant protein options to accompany the plethora of peppers.

Tortilla specialties

Sizzling tofu or tempeh Fajitas

Sizzling Tofu or Tempeh Fajitas: Talk about easy vegan dinner recipes —these easy and delicious sizzling tofu or tempeh fajitas are a great way to ease into participating in Meatless Mondays — and beyond!

Spicy Tofu Rancheros

Spicy Vegan Tofu Rancheros: Spicy vegan tofu rancheros is a well-seasoned egg-free version of the Southwestern classic, huevos rancheros. It’s an easy dinner dish — perfect for brunch, too — served with slices of avocado and/or orange.

Vegan crumbles and coleslaw tacos

Easy Coleslaw & Plant Protein Soft Tacos: It’s easy to make your own tasty plant protein tacos using any of the “beefy” vegan crumbles available these days. Or, you can make your own — all the options are here.

Easy Vegan Black Bean Tostadas

Easy Black Bean Tostadas: The nice thing about serving tostadas is that everyone can construct their own at the table, making it easy on the cook. These easy tostadas make a quick weeknight meal for the family or fun fare to serve to company.

Big vegan sandwiches

BBQ Lentil Sloppy Joes on a bun

BBQ-Flavored Lentil Sloppy Joes: As satisfying as any kind of burger meal, these vegan barbecue-flavored lentil sloppy joes are ready fast if the lentils are cooked ahead of time. If done well, sandwiches are the epitome of easy vegan dinner recipes!

Vegan Philly Cheesesteak

Portobello & Seiten Vegan Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches: Hearty vegan Philly cheesesteak — the classic sandwich — made with portobello mushrooms, seitan, and vegan cheese, definitely rivals the original recipe.

Pulled Mushroom Barbecue Sandwiches

Pulled Mushroom BBQ Sandwiches: Dianne Wenz’s pulled mushroom sandwiches smothered in a savory barbecue sauce will win over the most ardent mushroom skeptics. Serve with one of the two simple bean salads recommended for a great meal.

BBQ Chickpea pita sandwich

BBQ-Flavored Chickpea Pita Sandwiches: Veggies and your favorite barbecue sauce synergize in a hearty chickpea pita sandwich with great flavor and texture. You can also take these same ingredients and transform them into a wrap.

Filed Under: Recipe Roundups, Vegan Recipes

About Nava Atlas

Nava Atlas is the author of many vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including Vegetariana, Plant-Powered Protein, 5-Ingredient Vegan, Wild About Greens, Vegan Holiday Kitchen, and many more. A longtime dedicated vegan, find out more about her on this site's About page.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carol

    April 14, 2021 at 9:32 AM

    All of these wonderful recipes have come at a very opportune time for me – I am moving tomorrow and while putting my things in their places these easy, quick & delicious recipes will prove to be very helpful, especially time-wise. New apartment, “new life”, new recipes to enjoy!
    Thanks so much, Nava!

    Reply
    • Nava Atlas

      April 14, 2021 at 8:25 PM

      Good luck with your move and enjoy your new place, Carol!

      Reply

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