Sometimes it seems like life won’t slow down and you just can’t catch a break. Work, school, sports, clubs for kids: when do you cook?! You want delicious, nutritious food without all the effort. Fast food is expensive and unhealthy and frozen pre-made meals are not always an option. Lazy vegan recipes are my specialty! I’m almost always on the go with Baby J and we both need healthy, nutritious meals to make it through the day and keep our energy up. While I have hundreds of longer, more time-intensive recipes, I always have lazy meals on hand for those busy or lazy days.
Lazy vegan recipes don’t have to be lame. These recipes are fun, simple, but still full of flavor. Let me do the hard work of figuring out what you should be eating!
Kitchen equipment
If I had only one piece of advice about making cooking easier, it would be to use tools. Using the tool is not to cheat or harm the quality of your food in any way. In fact, these tools enhance the quality of food in many cases! My favorite to use in the kitchen is the Instant Pot. A true “set it and forget it” appliance, you can make anything from tacos to stew to cauliflower piccata on it. Another favorite is my food processor. There are newer versions available, but I’ve had it for years and still use it regularly and it’s going strong. Use a food processor for dips, spreads, dough, burgers and meatballs. Likewise, I use the blender to make dressings and smoothies. I use my air fryer all the time! It’s great for stir-frying tofu, stir-frying chickpeas, or making burgers. This is especially great in the summer so you don’t have to turn on the stove.
Another helpful tool in the kitchen is the meal prep guide. If you have a few extra hours on the weekend but don’t have much time to cook during the week, you can definitely benefit from meal prep. If you’re not subscribed to my newsletters, you’re missing out on a free meal plan I give away every week! You can subscribe here or on the home page. Plus, you’ll get a free vegan cooking secret guide as a thank you for signing up.
Lazy Vegan Breakfast
I love a good, lazy weekend morning. There’s nothing better than a slow cup of coffee and a breakfast that I can eat with little to no effort. Of course a breakfast bar is always an option, but I like to go for something a little more filling. Most of these will require some cutting or cutting that you can do completely ahead of time.
If you have more energy to prepare something ahead of time on the weekend, try these make-add and grab-and-go recipes. Grab a muffin and go back to bed!
Lazy vegan food
These plant-based foods have minimal ingredients, but they certainly don’t lack flavor. They are family-friendly and do not require much hovering over the stove while cooking.
salad
Don’t skip hearty greens when making a salad. Try to avoid iceberg lettuce and go for something more nutrient-dense like spinach or kale. While fresh produce is best, bagged greens that are pre-washed are always an easy option.
soup
I love when I can make soup by throwing it in the Instant Pot or slow cooker and let the machine do the work for me. Do not stand on the stove and constantly stir so that it does not burn; I can nap or read a book or play with Baby J while cooking dinner! Soups require some prep work like chopping vegetables, but for a really lazy soup, frozen veggies will work in a pinch. Any stovetop soup can be cooked in a slow cooker or made ahead; Tastes better the next day anyway!
Five ingredient recipe
Now we’re talking! This is the ultimate lazy recipe. Only five ingredients and they take minimal time to prepare! A flavor-packed Buddha bowl can be made with just five ingredients, and even better if you already have some homemade dressing on hand. I don’t count salt, pepper, or other spices as ingredients in this dish because most people have them as a staple in their pantry. Some spices you can have on hand are nutritional yeast, garlic powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika, but I have a whole blog post about that. Did you know I also have an e-book full of five ingredient recipes? This list includes some delicious snacks and desserts!
15 minute meal
Like the five-ingredient recipe, these meals can be whipped up in a total of 15 minutes or less. That means less time in the kitchen and more time on, well, something else.
Five minute meal
You know what’s even better than a 15-minute meal? Five minutes of food! They can be thrown together without flattening in the microwave. The prep time for this is minimal, if not prep-free, and the recipes have very few instructions to follow.
If you’re still struggling and don’t want to do anything on this list, I recommend keeping frozen vegetables like broccoli and corn on hand, as well as some pantry staples like pasta, sauces, peanut butter, soy sauce, and black beans. . I like to put things like red onion and salsa in those five-minute burrito bowls for a fresh flavor, and canned tomatoes come in handy more than you might think.
For more easy and lazy meals, I recommend checking out Nisha Vora’s (Rainbow Plant Life) Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook! Most of the recipes are one-pot meals, all of them completely vegetarian and dairy-free, and many are gluten-free.
What are your favorite easy vegetarian recipes? Leave a comment below!