The Best Plant-Based Recipes For Beginners – 12 Easy Recipes
The plant-based diet focuses on foods sourced from plants and many people new to this diet will wonder what they can eat. No don’t worry you won’t just have to eat salads all the time, the plant-based diet is much more varied than that. Below I have listed some of the best plant-based recipes for beginners so you can try this lifestyle and see if it is the right choice for you!
The Plant-Based Diet
Of course, supermarkets cater to consumers who choose the plant-based lifestyle and it can be as unhealthy and full of processed food as any other diet. The journey to a more concious and plant-based diet should also include the willingness to try new things and be prepared to cook and prepare more meals from scratch.
For me, this journey meant to slowly incorporate more plant-based options when I would usually eat meat. I knew that for myself it had to be a more gradual shift as I slowly replaced my go-to meaks with plant-based options. Maybe for you, it works better if you make a sudden shift and stop eating all meat products. See what works best for yourself and take it at your own pace. This can be a great first step towards a more slow-paced lifestyle.
Now I want to share the best plant-based recipes for beginners that helped me on my own journey.
Plant-Based Breakfast Options
Breakfast is important to me and I like varied options. I used to have meat as part of my breakfast but completely stopped eating any meat for breakfast. I now focus on oats and occasionally have pancakes or some bread option.
My go-to breakfast option is homemade granola with oat milk. I like to prepare the granola with seeds and nuts at the weekend and will also make a batch of oat milk. This way during the week, I will not have to prepare anything. I can just grab a bowl of granola and have it with oat milk.
Occasionally, I will have these oat breakfast bars if I fancy a change. They are prepared with the remaining oat pulp from making oat milk and are stored in the freezer. If you fancy one you just take it out and can eat it straight away. Personally, I prefer them slightly defrosted.
If I fancy a special treat, I will have some English breakfast muffins with some jam. These take a bit more time to prepare but I only eat them every now and then so I like to have a batch in my freezer for when I fancy them.
Alternatively, I like pancakes with fresh berries (strawberries and blueberries are my favourite) and maple syrup or overnight oats.
Plant-Based Lunch Or Dinner Recipes
I like simple recipes and rarely spend much time in the kitchen. However, I am not keen on just salads and need something more substantial. Every now and then I will spend a day on the weekend batch-cooking a few meals and freeze them for later but generally, I just prepare something quick. These recipes are my favourites.
I love soups and here I will spend a bit more time if needed. The flavour of these soups is worth it. And you get some much plant-based goodness! My current favourite soup is this roasted tomato soup. The other soup I like is a classic, a nice warming leek and potato soup.
If I fancy a take away I generally make this pizza base recipe and add my favourite toppings. The dough is easy to make and I am sure once you tried it you won’t go back to your store-bought pizza. It is fun to make with the family and you can get your kids involved with the dough and adding the toppings!
Fancy something a bit more special? Try these vegan empanadas. You can either buy ready-made puff pastry or make it yourself. The fillings are easy to make and you can get creative and try new fillings! Or do you fancy this delicious paella dish? It is easy to make and you don’t need any fancy new equipment!
Plant-Based Snack Ideas
My list on plant-based recipes for beginners would not be complete without some snack ideas. Let’s face it you will become peckish at some point and the best option is if you have some healthy-ish homemade snacks ready. You don’t want to fall into the trap where you revert back to pre-packaged high-calorie snacks.
If you fancy trying to make some snacks I can recommend these vegan kale crisps. They are so delicious, even my non-vegan friends love them. Alternatively, you could try these sourdough crackers and find out what your favourite topping is. I like them slightly salted but they are great with herbs as well.
Fancy something sweet? Try these chocolate brownies with oat pulp (from the oat milk) in them.
Which ones of this list of the plant-based recipes for beginners are your favourites? Have you tried them? What did you like about them? Share it with me in the comments.
If you enjoyed these plant-based recipes for beginners and want to find more head over to my recipe section and join my Facebook Group which focuses on homemade vegan recipes that are affordable and healthy.