Whether you’re a beginning cook or experienced but really busy, you need a stash of easy go-to vegan dinner recipes that are delicious with plenty of protein and fiber to fill you up. I’ve listed my best easy vegan recipes here. All are super-healthy and avoid processed ingredients. They’ve also been tested by my team of recipe testers and/or the students in my classes. Plus, I make these at home for my family all the time.

These are the keepers – recipes that are simple, filling, and delicious. I’ve suggested easy side dishes for each of them, too, if you need to fill out the table. Cooking times are listed for each recipe to make your planning easier. Enjoy!

1. Three Sisters Quesadillas

These three “sisters”—corn, squash, and beans—taste delicious together and are healthier than plain ol’ cheese quesadillas. With your choice of spices, beans, and squash, they’re also more interesting.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Flavored rice mix (yellow, Spanish, “dirty” rice), stewed tomatoes, green salad
25 minutes

2. Simple Pinto Bean Soup (Instant Pot)

This soup has a simple, deep flavor—the red wine vinegar at the end is the key. You can always load up on garnishes to dress it up if you’re feeling fancy.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Whole-grain bread, spinach salad, fruit, roasted broccoli
50 minutes, most of it hands-off

3. One-Pot Cheesy Chili Macaroni

A spicy cheesy sauce surrounds macaroni, beans, and diced tomatoes for a satisfying entree. Besides making a healthy, satisfying dinner that the whole family will love, you also make the clean-up easy with this dish.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Water-sautéed greens, broccoli, spinach salad, Brussels sprouts
30 minutes

4. 30-Minute Cashew-Vegetable Curry

This delicious plant-based curry is high on flavor and low on calories (about 165 calories per serving). You can customize it, using your favorite vegetables.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Brown basmati rice, baked sweet potatoes, green salad
30 minutes

5. Black Bean Tacos with Corn Salsa

Try these easy tacos for an impressive dinner for family or guests. The classic combination of black beans and corn is a crowd-pleaser. The bean mixture freezes well, meaning easy leftovers on another night.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Flavored rice, fruit salad
30 minutes

6. Spicy Sweet Potato Chipotle Quesadillas with Guacamole

These quesadillas are spicy but also sweet and savory, and the texture isn’t mushy. Sweet potato and chipotle go together surprisingly well, and guacamole complements them with its mellow creaminess.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: No-fat refried beans, flavored rice mix (yellow or Spanish), steamed vegetables
30 minutes

7. Instant Pot Moroccan Lentil Soup

This soup is related to the traditional Moroccan stew harira. Tomatoes, turmeric, cinnamon, and cilantro combine with lentils in the Instant Pot for an easy, filling, delicious soup.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Whole-grain bread, green salad, fruit, roasted cauliflower or sweet potato
40 minutes, most of it hands-off

8. Vegan Fettuccini Alfredo

This recipe is for those times when you crave the flavor of Alfredo but don’t need the butter, heavy cream, or parmesan cheese. This lovely plant-based substitute is healthy and delicious.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Broccoli and/or cauliflower, spinach salad
25 minutes

9. Gracious Vegan Massaman Curry

Using raw cashews instead of coconut milk, you save 12 grams of saturated fat per serving. This plant-based curry is rich and delicious, featuring irresistible peanut and Thai curry flavors.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Brown Jasmine rice, roasted vegetables
25 minutes

10. Instant Pot Mexican-Inspired Quinoa

This Instant Pot technique result is a fluffy quinoa dish bursting with flavors and colors. It’s fun to put toppings on the table and let everyone build their own masterpiece.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Coleslaw, green salad, peas
25 minutes

11. Instant Pot Black Bean Soup

This simple-to-make plant-based black bean soup is the epitome of the saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” So few ingredients, so much tasty satisfaction. It’s low in fat and high in fiber, too.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Whole-grain bread, spinach salad, fruit, roasted cauliflower
55 minutes, most of it hands-off

12. Vegetable “Fried” Rice without Oil

Fried rice without frying? Yes! Fried rice with brown rice? Yes again. You have to try this to believe it. Healthy and delicious.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Green, bean, or fruit salad
20 minutes

13. Mac ‘n’ Cheese Sauce

This plant-based mac ‘n’ cheese sauce uses cashews and carrots, which provides a richness and heartiness that many vegan cheese sauces lack. Very low in cholesterol and saturated fat, and free of processed ingredients, this sauce is a double feel-good comfort food.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Stewed tomatoes, water-sautéed greens with garlic, fruit
25 minutes

14. Broccoli Rabe or Mustard Greens Stir-Fry

This is a great dish for using your farmers' market greens. The peanuts, jalapeño, and cilantro combine with the bitter broccoli rabe or mustard greens for a surprisingly delicious healthy entree.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Roasted vegetables, fruit, green salad
40 minutes

15. Baked Potatoes Topped with Shepherd's Pie Filling

Stuff your next baked potatoes with this shepherd’s pie filling. This clever solution gets you all the same flavors as the original pie but skips the oven and the trouble (and clean-up) of whipped potatoes.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Spaghetti squash, cauliflower, coleslaw
30 minutes

16. Cabbage Slaw with a Peanut-Ginger-Sesame Dressing

This slaw tastes a bit like a cold sesame noodle appetizers with its peanut sauce dressing. The gorgeous colors of the vegetables make this as attractive as it is delicious and filling.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Whole-grain bread, flavored rice mix, roasted or steamed vegetables
25 minutes

17. Plant-Based Tostadas

Make oil-free crisp tortilla shells and choose your toppings – beans, crumbles, sauces, and garnishes. Use your imagination and customize your tostadas depending on your mood and what you have on hand.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Flavored rice mix (yellow, Spanish, “dirty,” or red beans and rice), corn or corn on the cob, fruit
Timing varies

18. Goes-With-Everything Stir-Fry Sauce

This vegan universal stir-fry sauce, made without oil, goes with many different vegetable and protein combinations. You can play with flavors using this as a base. Have a jar of this in your fridge, and you’ll be able to whip up a stir-fry in no time!

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Brown rice, green or fruit salad
15 minutes for the sauce, another 20 for the stir-fry

19. Potato and Pea Samosa Quesadillas

Put a delicious Indian-spiced potato-pea filling into whole-wheat flour tortillas for this fusion creation: the samosa-quesadilla! With no added oil, these triangles are much healthier than the deep-fried samosas in Indian restaurants.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Chutney, bean salad, corn or corn on the cob, green salad, brown basmati rice
25 minutes

20. Baked Sweet Potatoes with Easy, Tasty Toppings

Easy baked sweet potatoes can make for a quick lunch or dinner. A variety of sauces and toppings are suggested, so get ready to create your own meal adventure.

Click here for the recipe.
Serve-with suggestions: Fruit salad, flavored rice mix (e.g., dirty rice or red beans and rice)
Time varies; as little as 15 minutes

20 Easy Vegan Recipes