Easy Meal Ideas

Being vegan doesn’t have to mean hard work in the kitchen!
As our latest campaign says… it’s easy! #easy2bvegan

You might be surprised to know that many foods you currently enjoy are already suitable and once you’ve made that all important decision to try Veganism, help is easily at hand. There’s an ever growing range of convenient ready-made products that can help you to rethink your food overnight. You won’t miss out on a thing (not even cheese!) and it means that you can live cruelty free right away. You can then enjoy learning about and cooking new foods at your own pace and embark on a culinary journey of delicious discovery!

Here we’ve added dozens of easy vegan meal ideas to get you started! If you’d like some more involved cooking ideas then head on over to our recipe gallery.

Easy breakfast, lunch & dinner ideas (please either mouse over or tap your screen for details on how we made each dish.)

BREAKFASTS>>>

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Posh PBJ bagel!

This is a wholemeal Bagel Co bagel, toasted & topped - half with RAW almond butter & half with Waitrose organic apricot jam.

Banana Chocolate Breakfast Wrap.

Chocolate, for breakfast? Well the banana & wholemeal wrap do make it healthier. We used DeRit Chocoreal Dark & an Old el Paso tortilla.

Sunshine Citrus Breakfast.

Simply a bowl of freshly segmented oranges & red grapefruit with a vegan bar ‘to go’ as well. There are many bars on the market – try a few to see which ones you like the best. Handy for when time is short.

Nut Butter Roll & Juice.

There are so many nut & seed butters now! This one is almond made by RAW. Juices are also a great start to the day & ready-made is certainly easier than cleaning the juicer every time!

Pain au Tofu Weiner?

Another experiment using JusRol pain au chocolat chilled dough filled with Taifun Tofu Weiners & some very finely chopped red onion. Served with a dollop of Sainsbury’s own brand brown sauce. The sweet & savoury effect was an acquired taste!

Vegan Weekend Brunch.

Now this is what we call brunch! Features baked portabellini mushrooms, fried potato thins by Rankin (Waitrose), wilted spinach & fresh tomatoes plus the star of the show - Hodmedod’s British baked beans!

Peanut Butter on Toast with Apple.

Simple yet delicious – we used Whole Earth organic crunchy peanut butter on Dutchy organic seeded bread. The apple is a Granny Smiths.

Porridge with Caramelised Cinnamon Peaches.

We usually make our porridge with Oatly oat milk (half water, half milk mix) & the peaches were sliced & gently sauteed in a little Pure Soya margarine with some added soft brown sugar and a few pinches of cinnamon to taste. This is an incredible start to the day!

Savoury Croissants?!

This was an experiment using JusRol chilled croissant dough, chopped up Vbites Cheatin’ Rashers, & some finely grated Cheezly wrapped up in the dough & baked! We’ll be making these again……

Peanut Butter & Banana Maple Quesadillas!

These wholewheat tortillas from Old El Paso were buttered with Whole Earth organic peanut butter, stuffed with sliced banana, sprayed with 1cal Buttery, griddled and topped with Buckwud maple syrup. Yum!

Toasted English Muffin.

Hot toasted Warburtons muffin with lashings of creamy Original Sheese from Bute Island & topped with some home made raspberry jam. What could be better?!

Bircher's Muesli.

Simply made using a muesli bought from a local health food shop (watch out for added honey) mixed with Alpro soya yoghurt. We added chopped fresh green apple pieces too. Yum!

Toasted Crumpets with Yoghurt & Mango.

Delicious start to the day! We used Warburtons crumpets, coconut milk yoghurt (with mango & passionfruit) from the Coconut Collaborative & fresh mango.

Granola with Strawberries.

A lovely simple one - granola with fresh strawberries, Tesco organic soya milk, Alpro soya yoghurt & agave syrup.

Sweet & Savoury Breakfast Mix.

We had Tesco organic hummus on toasted olive bread with a side of soya yoghurt, fresh berries & Groovy Food Co organic agave syrup.

Chocolate Shreddies!

Not just for kids, we had Oatly chocolate oat milk & then topped with banana to be good ;)

Fresh Fruit Salad with cinnamon yoghurt.

This was a mix of seasonal fruits & some soya yoghurt on the side with some cinnamon & Groovy Food Co organic agave syrup.

Herby Mushrooms on Toast.

We just fried some mushrooms in hemp oil with a little thyme & served on toasted rye bread from Biona.

GF Cereal with Almond Milk & Yoghurt.

We used Nature's Path organic cereals, with almond milk, a yoghurt & some fresh blueberries as well.

Simply Jam on Toast & Fruit.

What could be easier? We used Pure sunflower margarine & homemade blackcurrant jam this time.

Yoghurt & Fruit 'on the go'.

Ideal if you're pushed for time, grab a soya yoghurt & some fresh fruit. Joya is a good brand as it contains less sugar.

Tropical Weetabix!

We used Organic Weetabix with banana & coconut milk for a very decadent breakfast!

Creamy Berry Bagels.

We toasted some New York Bakery Co bagels, spread with Tofutti cream cheese & added a mix of fresh seasonal berries. Agave syrup is good to drizzle over too!

Breakfast Sausage Bap.

We used Linda McCartney vegan sausages, Tesco organic tomato ketchup, French's American mustard, spinach & fresh tomatoes.

Cereal, Berries & Chocolate Milk.

We used mixed wholegrain cereals by Nature's Path with chocolate soya milk & fresh berries.

MORE COMING SOON...

LUNCHES>>>

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Fresh & Zingy Tabouleh.

We used a pack of ready cooked grains from Waitrose, containing spelt, quinoa, red rice & wild rice, with plenty of fresh chopped tomatoes, cucumber, mint & parsley, dressed with Pukka hemp seed oil, fresh lemon juice & plenty of black pepper. Delicious!

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup.

This was ready-made chilled soup by Tideford Organics & we added interest & nutrition with some fresh pomegranate seeds, a swirl of Alpro soya cream & a drizzle of Pukka Hemp seed oil.

Coronation Salad Wholemeal Wrap.

We mixed Vbites ‘chicken’ style pieces with flaked almonds, chopped organic apricots, Plamil mayo & a little curry powder. Then topped with crunchy iceberg lettuce and wrapped it up!

Double Mushroom Muffin Burger.

Is it brunch, is it lunch? Who cares! Made with a toasted English muffin, 2 baked portabello mushrooms, slices of Violife cheddar-style cheeze & Sainsbury’s own brand BBQ sauce.

Jamaican Patty with Baby Kale Salad.

This was great for a quick lunch or supper! The patties can be found in Holland & Barrett made by Port Royal & the salad alongside was 2 bags of mixed baby kale leaves & baby spinach leaves, dressed with hemp oil & seeds from Good Hemp.

Portabellini Mushrooms on Toast.

These were sprayed with FryLight Olive, grilled and topped with some grated Vegusto ‘no moo golden’ & some ‘bacon’ flavour crumbles by PBMG. A lovely combination!

Cheeze & Chutney Toastie.

Such a classic – made using Cheezly soya-free slices with Gheeta’s Premium Mango Chutney (our favourite) in seeded organic bloomer. Sprayed with FryLight ‘buttery’ & griddled both sides in a hot pan.

Souped-up Kale & Chickpea Soup.

This was from Rod & Ben’s – Russian kale & chickpea soup & for fun we added some grated Cheezly ‘cheddar’ & some crispy tortilla strips made by Fresh Gourmet.

Grilled Veg & Cream Cheeze Wrap.

This was a lunch made using some left over grilled veg mix from the Waitrose Essential Range, some Bute Island cream Sheese & an Old el Paso Wholemeal wrap.

Sausage & Mushroom Ciabatta.

Brunch, lunch or supper really – we grilled some Linda McCartney Sausages & fried some onions & mushrooms in a little veg oil, served on fresh tomato slices and topped with Sainsbury’s own brand BBQ sauce.

Hot Flakey Savoury Puff!

Veganised this bakery classic using JusRol ready-rolled chilled puff pastry, VBites Cheatin’ Rashers, grated Cheezly, fresh tomato slices & sprayed with FryLight ‘buttery’.

Vegan ‘egg-mayo’ Sandwich with GF Veggie Crisps.

This sandwich filling is amazing!!! Made by Badger’s Dairy-Free (available at festivals) served in Linseed bread and with GF veggie crisps by RW Garcia.

Souped-up Tomato & Basil Soup.

This lovely soup is ready made by Rod & Ben’s but for extra nutrition we added a pack of baby leaf spinach, some cubes of Cheezly Mozarella-style cheese & sprinkled on some Good Seed Italian Herb hemp & herb mix.

Sweet Chilli Cream Cheeze ‘Chicken’ Nugget Wrap.

Forget KFC this is awesome! Old el Paso wholemeal wrap with lashings of Bute Island creamy original Sheese, Fry’s chicken-style nuggets, Sainbury’s own brand sweet chilli sauce & a bit of salad for good luck! Mmmmmm.

Super Sausage & Beans on Toast!

This awesome classic was made better by using Taifun brand wieners, Heinz 5 Baked Beans, a pinch of curry powder & topped with some Marigold Engevita Nutritional Yeast Flakes for some added B12.

Cheeze, Pickle, Pepper Toastie.

This popular combo can easily be veganised – using Cheezly cheddar-style cheese, Branston sandwich pickle and some fresh bell peppers. We sprayed the bread with FryLight ‘buttery’ before griddling in a hot pan.

Spiced Lentil Soup.

This was a ready made soup from Rod and Ben’s & we added some crispy cavolo nero that had been sautéed slowly until crispy in Good Hemp hemp seed oil. It would be better to eat these crisps separately though they’re so delicious & go soggy in the soup!

Falafel & Coleslaw Stuffed Pittas.

These were spinach and pinenut falafel bites from Great Food, with Badger’s Dairy-Free coleslaw stuffed into mini wholemeal organic pittas by Waitrose own brand.

Cheezy Salad Mayo Wrap.

Double cheese here – 1 from Cheezly and 1 from Vegusto – with tomato, iceberg & Plamil garlic mayo in a Warbutons square sandwich wrap.

Souped-up Pea & Leek Soup.

We enhanced this lovely soup from Soupologie further still with some added kale, a little Alpro soya cream & some onion salad crispies from Danfood.

'Cheeze & sham' Toastie!

This awesome vegan alternative was made using VBites Cheatin 'ham-style' slices & their Cheezly soya free cheeze, with fresh spinach & tomato. We sprayed the bread with Fry-Light 1cal 'butter' flavour.

Caesar Salad.

A classic, veganised! We used crunchy romaine lettuce, grated Vegusto blue cheese, 'bacon' flavour crumbles by PBMG & dressing made from Plamil garlic mayo mixed with Provamel single soya cream & plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Oatcakes & Guacamole.

So simple, you can use Nairns Oatcakes, ready-made guacamole (watch out for added cream) & fresh tomatoes with cress & lots of salt & pepper! OR just mash some fresh avocado with a little garlic & lime juice.

Extra Nutritious Adzuki Bean Soup!

This delicious ready-made soup is by Soupologie & we added some baby spinach leaves & an Italian herb hemp sprinkle by Good Seed (Good Hemp co).

Hummus & Avocado on Toast.

Simply shop bought hummus from Tescos with fresh sliced avocado, lemon juice, s&p & cress - delicious!

Beans on Toast!

We pimped up this classic with onions, mushrooms & peppers - Marigold nutritional yeast flakes make a good sprinkle too.

Ultimate BLT.

We used Tesco free-from cream cheese, VBites 'cheatin' bacon-style 'rashers' & some sundried tomatoes.

Toasted Chive & Onion Bagel with Cheeze, coleslaw & a Side of Tomatoes & Olives.

We used New York Bakery Co bagels, Vegusto No Moo Piquant cheese & a homemade coleslaw with Tiger Tiger brand mayo.

Hummus with Toasted Wholemeal Pitta Bread & Raw Crudites.

We used Sainsburys pittas & hummus plus a selection of raw veg & salads - whatever you like or is in season!

Summer Classic - the Cucumber Sandwich.

We used Vitalite sunflower margarine & some Kettle chips on the side!

Homemade 'Bruschetta'.

Simply made with toast, guacamole, salsa & coleslaw. You can buy Vegan salsa & guacamole ready made.

Juicy Fresh Salad with a Mushroom Burger.

We used a Vegusto mushroom burger on a bed of mixed leaves with tomatoes, peppers & ready-made chargrilled artichokes from Sainsburys, then drizzled with Granovita brand salad cream.

Smoked 'Salmon-style slices' & Cream Cheeze Bagel.

We used New York Bakery Co wholemeal bagels, Tofutti cream cheese & VBites smoked 'salmon-style' slices.

Vegan Packed Lunch!

We packed a cucumber & marmite sandwich, smoked almonds, apple, soy milk & some oat & raisin cookies.

Meat-free 'Meatball' sub.

We made this delicious classic with VBites Vegi Deli Meatfree 'Meatballs', Mozzarella Cheezly & HP BBQ sauce.

Hot Grain & Avocado Deli Salad.

We used a pack of Seeds of Change Organic Seven Whole Grains with fresh avocado, some Vegusto Deli slices & a drizzle of lemon juice & Good Hemp Oil.

Tofu Wrap with Avocado & Smokey Sprinkles.

We used Cauldron marinated tofu pieces, Rochelle 'bacon' flavoured salad sprinkles & Blue Dragon sweet chilli sauce.

'Turkey-style roast' & Cranberry Bagel with Cream Cheeze.

We used a slice of VBites Turkey-style roast, Tofutti cream cheese (soya) with red peppers & Sainsburys cranberry sauce.

Sweet Potato Wedges & Dips.

We used yellow & orange sweet potatoes with home made guacamole, salsa & vegan mayo & sweet chilli sauces; but you can buy all of these ready made.

Spicy Bean Burger.

We baked a Tesco spicy bean burger & added iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, red onions & Plamil Vegan mayo to a granary bap.

Smokey Coconut(!) 'Bacon' & Avocado Bagel.

We used fresh avocado simply mashed, a wholegrain New York Bakery Co bagel & 'bacon' pieces by CocoBacon!

Mixed Chef's Salad with Tofu & Red Slaw.

This is freestyle - but we used Cauldron marinated tofu pieces & The Food Doctor Bio-Organic Spelt for a warm element.

A 'Fish-style' Finger Sandwich!

We made ours using VBites Fish-Style Fingers, topped with grated Mozzarella Cheezly & Plamil Chilli Mayo.

BBQ Mushroom Burger.

We grilled some portabello mushrooms & topped with Violife cheese slices & Sainsbury's BBQ sauce.

Hoisin Faux 'Duck-style' Wrap.

We shredded & fried some Granovita duck-style pieces & served with cucumber, spring onions & Waitrose Hoisin sauce in a wrap!

MORE COMING SOON...

DINNERS>>>

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Taboulleh-style Salad with Olive Tofu.

Fresh & zingy, made with Waitrose microwave brown rice & quinoa, with added cucumber, tomato, lemon juice, hemp oil, mint, parsley & black pepper. Topped with strips of Taifun olive tofu, sliced, rubbed with Good Hemp hemp oil & griddled.

‘Chicken’-style Nuggets Chips and Salad!

Keep the kids happy with this one (maybe serve with beans too) these are from Fry’s bought through Ocado online, baked in the oven along with the chips which were from Waitrose.

Stir-Fried Chow Mein.

We combined some shredded ‘duck-style’ pieces by Vbites with a bag of ready cut mushrooms & veg from Waitrose, some ready-cooked rice noodles & a sachet of chow mein sauce from Waitrose too.

Baked Potato with 'Chicken' & Sweetcorn Mayo.

We chopped up some Vbites ‘chicken’ style pieces & mixed with some tinned sweetcorn, diced spring onions & Plamil organic mayo.

Cheezy Broccoli Gnocchi.

No-one has time to make their own gnocchi! So we bought Biona organic gnocchi & simmered it with the tenderstem broccoli added towards the end of cooking. We then drained it, topped with grated Cheezly ‘cheddar’ & grilled for a couple of mins under a hot grill. Bellisimo!

Ready-made ‘Bites’, Hummus & Salad

Pretty much a vegan falafel-style staple, these new bites were from Great Food (chunky broad bean & quinoa) & (punchy sweet potato pakora) & can be eaten hot or cold. We had them hot with some Clive’s lemon & coriander hummus & a home made fresh salad.

‘Steak’ Pie with Roast Veg & Baked Potato.

Another meal that can all go into the oven! A Fry’s steak-style pie, with baked potato & some roast veg – carrot, parsnip, courgette & onion in just a little olive oil & seasoned with salt & pepper.

Sticky BBQ Tofu Veg Kebabs.

We marinated some Taifun natural tofu cubes in sticky glaze Chinese BBQ sauce by Amoy, then skewered with mushrooms, peppers & onions & grilled under a high heat! Served on top of Veetee microwave basmati rice.

Crispy ‘Prawns’ with Wedges & Salad.

Retro supper – these are a bit like scampi! From Fry’s foods & cook from frozen. Wedges were made by deep frying some cold baked potato slices. We made the marie-rose sauce with Plamil vegan mayo, Biona ketchup, fresh lemon juice & black pepper.

Haggis Neeps & Tatties!

Yes – Burn’s Night vegan-style – using Macsween veggie haggis (which is vegan), mashed potatoes made creamy with Pure soya margarine & a little Alpro soya cream, then served with cubes of fresh boiled swede.

Plum & Hoisin Noodle Stirfry.

This was from a meal deal by Ocado using a bag of ready prepped mushrooms and mixed veg, a bag of rice noodles & a packet of ready-made plum & hoisin sauce. Couldn’t be easier to assemble! We added some cashew nuts for added nutrition & crunch.

Pasta Salad.

This was a value brand white fusilli pasta with added Vbites ‘chicken’-style pieces, a tin of sweetcorn & some spring onions mixed together with Plamil mayo – very reminiscent of student days!

‘Fish-style steak’ & Chips!

Yes really! This is a revelation as the clever people at VBites make Fish-Style Steaks as part of their Making Waves range & we cooked them with some organic oven chips from Dutchy at Waitrose & some tinned veg that we had in the larder. The ketchup is Tesco own brand organic.

Sweet & Sour Tempeh.

Tempeh can be found in health food shops & this was bought frozen. We used a jar of sweet & sour sauce by Seeds of Change & added extra onion, peppers & pineapple. Served with Veetee microwave basmati rice.

Classic Burger!

This is a Fry’s traditional burger with all the trimmings. French’s mustard & Biona ketchup is great with it too.

Vegan Roast with Mash, Veg & Gravy!

We used a Vegusto ‘rustic’ roast, made our mash using olive oil instead of butter & milk, added some tinned veg & the made the gravy using a vegan mix by Orgran.

Baked Potato, ‘Tenders’ & Slaw.

These are Louisianna ‘chicken’-style tenders from Fry’s & the slaw was homemade by shredding red onion, white cabbage, carrot, parsnip & beetroot – all mixed with a little vegan mayo.

Harissa Grilled Veg & Quinoa.

We chopped some mediterranean veg (courgettes, mixed peppers, red onions etc) mixed with some veg oil & harissa paste & cooked on a hot griddle. Served ontop of a microwave pouch of quinoa from Merchant Gourmet.

French Cassoulet Pie.

This is so easy it can all go in the oven at the same time! The pie is from Clives Pies, the veg is essential grilled veg mix (frozen) from Waitrose & baby pearl potatoes were roasted too.

Spag Bol!

You've probably got your own recipe for this - so just swap the meat for soya mince! Here we used VBites mince, onions, mushrooms, a jar of sauce by Zest & PVeeze by Good Carma Cheese to sprinkle on top!

Vegetable & Cashew Blackbean Stirfry.

We used a bag of ready-prepped stirfry veg from Waitrose, a handful of cashew nuts, a pack of Veetee microwave rice & a sachet of blackbean sauce by Blue Dragon. We sprinkled on some sesame seeds too.

Tomato & Olive Pesto Tart.

Made simply using ready-made puff pastry pastry, a jar of Meridian green pesto, tomatoes & kalamata olives. We dressed the leaves in Good Oil hemp oil.

Sausage & Mash!

We used Linda McCartneys red onion & rosemary sausages with sweet potato mash, steamed mixed green veg & Sainsbury's veggie gravy.

Sweet Chilli Veg Noodles.

We kept this fresh & added a variety of veg & cashew nuts to some ready-cooked noodles & stirred in some Blue Dragon sweet chilli sauce.

Easy-peasy Nut Roast!

We used a packet mix by Artisan Grains & served with a jacket potato, some fresh steamed veg & home-made red currant jelly on the side.

Southern Fried 'Chicken' Dish!

We used Southern Fried 'chicken' pieces from VBites & served with some sweet potato, griddled baby corn & a rustic salsa of tomatoes, avocado & chilli.

Moroccan Veggie Burger with a Colourful Stir-fry.

A fusion dish! The burger was from Sainsbury's & we made a simple mixed veg stirfry in a wok with some microwave rice added.

Flatbread Pizza.

We used a square wrap, topped with a little tomato puree, dried herbs & some griddled slices of aubergine, peppers, olives & pinenuts.

Cauliflower & Spinach Madras.

We simply used Pataks Madras paste, some water, a tin of chopped tomatoes, a cauliflower, an onion & spinach at the end, served with microwave Veetee veg pilau rice.

Easy Roast Dinner!

This is a Turkey-style roast from VBites & some roast potatoes & veg that all went in the oven at the same time. The veg gravy is from Sainsburys.

Hot Dog!

We used a Vegusto Vegan Wiener, Tesco organic ketchup, French's American mustard & served with baked sweet potato wedges & homemade slaw.

Sausage Rolls, Croquettes & Veg.

We baked some Fry's sausage rolls, Sainsbury's croquettes & microwaved some frozen peas & sweetcorn.

Easy Chow Mein!

We boiled some Clearspring Soba Noodles & stirfried some Granovita 'duck'-style pieces with some fresh veg in a Blue Dragon chow mein sauce.

Veggie Kebabs.

Aubergine, onion, peppers, courgette and mushrooms were chopped & marinated in rapeseed oil & fresh mixed herbs, then skewered ready for the BBQ. We served them in wraps with coleslaw added.

Classic Roast Dinner!

Simply swap your usual meat! First attempt by David our Director... using Vegusto Porcini Roast & Marigold Swiss Bouillon for the gravy. The fabulous potatoes were cooked in veg oil.

Breaded Nuggets & Salad.

We used Fry's Louisianna Tenders ('chicken' style) & served with a crisp salad, new boiled potatoes & a creamy coleslaw using Plamil garlic mayo.

Vegetable Grill with Hashbrowns & Veg.

We baked this Tesco value Vegetable Grill with some McCain's hash browns (*beware some hash browns contain egg) & served with some healthy steamed veg.

Thai Red Curry.

Simply made using Thai Taste red curry paste, a tin of Waitrose organic coconut milk & the veg we had handy - which included romanescu, yellow courgette & cucumber!

Pie, Veg Mash & More veg!

We baked a Clive's Pies organic creamy mushroom pie & served with some mashed swede, more veg & some Tesco's veggie gravy.

Veggie Fingers, Chips & Beans!

These veggie fingers were from Tesco's & the organic beans from Sainburys. We had a leftover baked potato so wedged & fried it - just to be naughty.

Teriyaki 'Beef' & Mushroom Stirfry.

We used VBites beef-style pieces, some fresh mushrooms & a packet of Blue Dragon Teriyaki sauce; served on Sainsbury's ready cooked rice noodles & a fresh veg stirfry.

7 Veg Roast Dinner with Lincolnshire Patties.

We used a Granose packet sausage mix to make these herby patties & then simply cooked a selection of seasonal veg.

Meat-Free Cottage/shepherds pie.

Everyone has a favourite cottage/shepherds pie recipe, so simply swap the minced beef/lamb. We used Vegusto Vegan mince with plenty of onions then topped with potato put through a ricer.

Christmas Dinner!

Most of a xmas dinner can be vegan, we just swapped turkey for a homemade nut roast (yes we know it's a cliche but don't knock it 'til you try it!)

MORE COMING SOON...
We've chosen to add dishes here that require minimal cooking or kitchen skills - most can be easily assembled in under ten minutes. If you've got a quick and EASY vegan meal idea that we could add here, please let us know - we'd love to hear from you!