10 quick vegan dinner ideas + meal inspiration

As a vegan I am regularly asked what on Earth do I eat…!

I was previously vegetarian and never got asked, but since I cut out dairy and all other animal products in January 2018, it’s something some people can’t quite get their head around.

The answer is everything!

I didn’t particularly like meat anyway and it was never the focus of my meals. I love fruits, vegetables and whole grains and simply enjoy these even more now.

Even if you love meat, pretty much every meat dish can be made as a healthier vegan alternative.

Read on for lots of quick vegan dinner ideas for inspiration from my vegan food diary. Discover links to lots more vegan recipe ideas and at the end too.

1. Quinoa & tofu bowl

Mixed veg and marinated tofu stir fried in a wok with a mixture of dried spices. Mixed with three colour quinoa to serve.

2. Burger & soup

Skip the chips with your burger and opt for a healthy nutritious soup on the side! Yum!

This is one of my favourite combinations. You can even skip all the condiments in the burger and dip it into the soup instead!

In these pictures I had a Jackfruit burger in wholemeal seeded bun with sliced tomato, vegan cheese, yellow mustard, tomato purée & vegan mayo.

Served with red pepper & lentil soup.

3. Patty and rainbow salad

Jamaican vegetable patty with salad and houmous

Patty: ready made from Ocado

Salad: mixed green leaves, carrot, onion, cucumber, beetroot, sweetcorn, bean sprouts, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar

4. Sweet potato wedges, southern fried tofu bites & pesto salad.

Salad: grated carrot, green salad leaves, onion, beansprouts, cucumber and onion mixed with green pesto & lemon juice.

Sweet potato wedges: chop off ends of sweet potato and discard. Slice the remainder into chunky wedges, mix with a bit of oil and bake for 40 minutes.

5. Mild vegetable curry

Rehydrated soy chunks, onion, mushroom, steamed carrot, coconut milk, Pataks mild curry paste, wholegrain rice.

6. Veggie balls salad bowl

Goodlife veggie balls with houmous and pesto salad.

Salad: grated carrot, green salad leaves, onion, beansprouts, cucumber and onion mixed with green pesto & lemon juice.

7. Leftover curry & fresh salad

Got leftover curry? Heat up a small portion and serve with a fresh salad for a delicious lunch or dinner. I topped my leftover curry with sesame seeds to make it more interesting second time round.

Mild vegetable curry (as above): rehydrated soy chunks, onion, mushroom, carrot, coconut milk, Pataks mild curry paste, wholegrain rice & sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Salad: mixed green salad leaves, beetroot, raw courgette, sweetcorn, apple cider vinegar.

8. Flatbread pizza

Crosta & Mollica wholemeal flatbread with tomato purée, fresh garlic, onion, courgette, sweetcorn & sprinkle of vegan cheese.

9. Vegan potato skins

Baked potato skins with vegan cheese & fried off onion mixed in.

Topped with courgette & mushroom (cooked in own juices).

Served with salad: green salad leaves, sweetcorn, grated carrot, beetroot & apple cider vinegar.

10. Potato pancake cooked breakfast

Waffle, potato pancake, mushrooms, courgette, plum tomatoes, beans & 3x vegan sausages!

Potato pancake: grated potatoes rinsed and sieved, mix chopped onion, black pepper, grated vegan cheese and fresh chopped garlic in a bowl with the grated potatoes, add a few sprinkles of flour and half a cup of plant based milk, mix it well, pour into a warm frying pan with a little oil to cook.