I’m often asked if I can share more budget-friendly vegan meals. So I’ve teamed up with Alyssia from Mind Over Munch YouTube channel to show you some of our favourite vegan dinner recipes. Our goal was to make the recipes as affordable as possible. In fact, each one of my recipes is less than $0.90 per serving! I understand that prices for food vary depending on where you’re from. My calculation was based on prices I paid at the grocery store closest to my house in Toronto (i.e. Metro). I actually used to work there during high school, making pizzas. But that, my friends, is a story for another time.
Let’s get back to our awesome vegan dinners.
1. Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Growing up in Russia, I’ve eaten A LOT of potatoes. Potatoes and mushrooms happen to be one of my favouritefood combinations. Add a side of pickled tomatoes and cucumbers and you’ve got perfection. In the past couple of years, I started adding cauliflower to my mashed potatoes to bump up total nutritional value of the dish. If you’re not a big fan of cauliflower, don’t worry, you can barely taste it.
2. Spicy Red Lentil Soup
If you’re new here, you might not know this, but I love, love, love soup. I eat it all year round at least 2-3 times a week. This Spicy Red Lentil Soup is one of my staples during colder months. Well to tell you the truth, I make it during summer too as per my family’s and my tummy’s requests. It’s full of rich flavours and has just a few simple ingredients.
3. Stuffed Bell Peppers
This is one of my favourite dinners to make for my family. I love how versatile and creative you can get with this recipe. I’ve made it with quinoa, brown rice and buckwheat before using many different veggie combinations.
3 Affordable Vegan Dinner Recipes
Ingredients
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (Serves 3)
- 6 medium size potatoes
- 1 large cauliflower head (about 1½ pounds)
- 4 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp grapeseed oil
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Spicy Red Lentil Soup (Serves 8)
- 1 tsp grapeseed oil
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 5 medium carrots
- 1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes or 400 g fresh tomatoes
- 6-7 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups red lentils
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Stuffed Bell Peppers (Serves 4)
- 1½ cups brown rice
- 4 red bell peppers
- ½ tbsp grapeseed oil
- ½ onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20 green beans
- ½ broccoli head
- 2 small zucchinis
- 1 tomato
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Directions
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Cut potatoes into chunks and cauliflower into small florets. Steam for 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat oil in a large skillet.
- Add diced onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Finally, add sliced mushrooms and cook for another 7-10 minutes. When mushrooms are almost ready, season with salt and pepper.
- Mash potatoes and cauliflower with a potato masher adding as much reserved cooking liquid as needed.
- Season potatoes with salt and pepper.
- Serve mushrooms on top of mashed potatoes sprinkled with fresh dill.
Spicy Red Lentil Soup
- In a large pot, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add diced carrots to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add all of the spices except for salt and pepper and stir well. Cook for additional 2 minutes.
- Stir in the stock, tomatoes and red lentils. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stuffed Bell Peepers
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Lightly grease a baking tray.
- Cut peppers in half and remove the core. Place on the baking tray cut side down and roast for 25-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare brown rice according to the directions on the package.
- In a large skillet, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat.
- Sauté chopped onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add diced zucchinis, green beans and broccoli and cook for 5 minutes over medium/high heat.
- Stir in diced tomatoes and spices. Continue cooking for a couple more minutes.
- Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and add the rice which should be cooked by this point. Mix well.
- Spoon the rice and vegetables into the pepper halves. Return to oven to to heat up if needed for 5 minutes.
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FAQs
Vegan on a budget
- tinned beans and dried pulses of various kinds.
- vegetables (particularly seasonal ones)
- potatoes.
- egg-free pasta and noodles.
- rice.
- bread (wholemeal is ideal from a health point of view)
- dried herbs and spices.
- seasonal fruit.
Sample meal plan
- Breakfast: tempeh bacon with sautéed mushrooms, avocado, and wilted arugula.
- Lunch: whole-grain pasta with lentil “meatballs” and a side salad.
- Dinner: cauliflower and chickpea tacos with guacamole and pico de gallo.
- Snacks: air-popped popcorn, kale chips, and trail mix.
You could start by removing meat or dairy one day a week and go from there. Or you could try changing one meal at a time, having vegan breakfasts during your first week, adding a vegan lunch during week two and so on.
How to go vegan without dying? ›
For some people, starting slowly can help ease the difficulties of adopting a new way of eating. “I would advocate for a transition period where you start gradually increasing your intake of legumes, tofu, tempeh, whole grains, nuts and seeds while decreasing your intake of animal products.
What is the most basic vegan diet? ›
base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates (choose wholegrain where possible) have some fortified dairy alternatives, such as soya drinks and yoghurts (choose lower-fat and lower-sugar options) eat some beans, pulses and other proteins.
Can vegans eat pasta? ›
Do vegans eat pasta? Most packaged pasta—including spaghetti, penne, and more—is vegan. It's worth checking the label to be sure, as some pasta contains eggs, but most of the pasta you see on the supermarket shelves is 100% vegan!
What is the most delicious vegan food in the world? ›
Top 20 global vegan recipes
- Ponzu tofu poke bowl. ...
- Veggie yaki udon. ...
- Sesame & spring onion stir-fried udon with crispy tofu. ...
- Sesame & ginger sushi bowls. ...
- Vegan ramen. ...
- Seitan & black bean stir-fry. ...
- Vegan paella. ...
- Padron peppers.
Accidentally Vegan Foods You Already Have at Home
- Peanut butter.
- Welch's Jelly.
- Marie Callender's Frozen Pastry Pie Shells.
- Pizza dough.
- Thomas Bagels (most flavors but not all)
- Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans.
- Polenta.
- Rice, quinoa, barley, oats, farro, couscous.
Basic vegans who don't eat any animals or products from animals. Raw vegans don't eat any animal products — or even any cooked food. Ostrovegans also don't eat any animal products — except oysters or similar bivalves.
What sort of foods do most vegans love having? ›
11 Foods Healthy Vegans Eat
- Legumes. ...
- Nuts, nut butters, and seeds. ...
- Hemp, flax, and chia seeds. ...
- Tofu and other minimally processed meat substitutes. ...
- Calcium-fortified plant milks and yogurts. ...
- Seaweed. ...
- Nutritional yeast. ...
- Sprouted and fermented plant foods.
Vegan dinner party snacks and starters
- Beetroot vegan hummus. ...
- Purple sprouting broccoli tempura with ponzu dipping sauce. ...
- Crispy fried cabbage. ...
- Grilled vegetable antipasti. ...
- Vegan summer rolls. ...
- Warm hummus with pine nuts, raisins and olives. ...
- Beer batter pakoras. ...
- Cashew cream and ancho chilli elotes.
Make it obvious. Don't separate your vegetarian and vegan choices in a different section, as that can make meat-eaters skip the section altogether. Instead, integrate them into the regular menu and make ordering meat-free dishes simple by labelling the vegetarian and vegan dishes on your menu.
How to afford being vegan? ›
Build Your Diet Around Whole Foods
Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, tofu, nuts and seeds are typically very affordable. Make sure to take advantage of all of the tips mentioned above to guarantee that you're paying the lowest price possible.
What is the average vegan salary? ›
Vegan salaries
If we look at the Vegan salary statistics in United Kingdom as of July 31, 2024, the represented employee makes £58,835; to be more precise pay rate is £4,903 per month, £1,131 per week, or £29.07 per hour. We have researched the job market for this profession in detail and derived average values.
What is the average income of a vegan? ›
In terms of income, vegans and vegetarians are most likely to be earning below $30,000 a year while the diets are rarer among high earners. In terms of political orientation, liberals are far more likely than moderates of conservatives to ditch meat or dairy.
How to be vegan when you're broke? ›
Staple vegan foods such as oats, lentils, pasta, rice and chickpeas are among the cheapest foods and are in *a lot* of vegan recipes, so should definitely make an appearance on your list. Oh, and avoid shopping whilst hungry.
Growing up in Russia, I’ve eaten A LOT of potatoes. Potatoes and mushrooms happen to be one of my favouritefood combinations. Add a side of pickled tomatoes and cucumbers and you’ve got perfection. In the past couple of years, I started adding cauliflower to my mashed potatoes to bump up total nutritional value of the dish. If you’re not a big fan of cauliflower, don’t worry, you can barely taste it.
If you’re new here, you might not know this, but I love, love, love soup. I eat it all year round at least 2-3 times a week. This Spicy Red Lentil Soup is one of my staples during colder months. Well to tell you the truth, I make it during summer too as per my family’s and my tummy’s requests. It’s full of rich flavours and has just a few simple ingredients.
This is one of my favourite dinners to make for my family. I love how versatile and creative you can get with this recipe. I’ve made it with quinoa, brown rice and buckwheat before using many different veggie combinations.