Run out of ideas to make your lunch more interesting? You’re bound to find something suitable with these 31 healthy vegan lunch recipes. Tasty sandwiches, quick lunches, soups, lunch box ideas or something a bit more special, we’ve got you covered. There’s a few bonus recipes thrown in to liven up your sandwiches too.
Last year I took the Veganuary challenge with some trepidation. Could I really manage a whole month without dairy? It seemed I could and this post for 31 healthy vegan breakfast recipes really helped.
Breakfast and lunch were the two meals I was most concerned about. This year I was looking forward to taking part once again. And so far I’m really enjoying my healthy vegan diet.
Vegan Lunch
I’ve been a bit lackadaisical when it comes to lunch, however. Hummus sandwiches or almond butter and Marmite on toast are where I’m at. I feel I need to up my game and get a bit more variety into my lunches.
So to inspire us all I’ve put together these 31 healthy vegan lunch recipes. There’s one for each day of Veganuary. Yes I know we’re nearly half way through the month now, but the recipes will surely be good for the rest of the year too. And next year will be here before you know it.
31 Healthy Vegan Lunch Recipes
So if you’re looking for lunchbox ideas, things to put on toast or quick lunches for home consumption, take a look at the following 31 healthy vegan lunch recipes. In the spirit of new year healthfulness, they’re all savoury.
Some of the recipes come from me and others from fellow food bloggers. You’ll find most of them are quick and easy to prepare. They’re also nutritious and most importantly, good to eat. In addition there are a couple of bonus recipes for making your sandwiches extra yummy.
Sandwiches
When I’m working away from home, I find sandwiches are the quickest and easiest things to make. And as I make my own rye sourdough bread, I really enjoy them, even if the fillings are quite simple. But I’m getting a bit bored now with hummus and pickled carrots – nice as they are.
One of my favourite sandwiches is the tofu, lettuce tomato sandwich pictured above. It feels sort of decadent and special somehow. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme
If you love Mexican flavours these cilantro lime rice and black bean burritos are the sandwiches for you. From Vandana at Green Bowl to Soul.
Vegan cream cheese is a really useful spread to have to hand. This cream ‘cheese’, spiced pickled beetroot and lettuce sandwich includes a recipe for how to make it. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
Tasty and filling you can eat these jerk jackfruit wraps at your desk, on the go or in the comfort of your own home. From Jessica at Vegan Punks.
For a stunning looking sandwich, it would be hard to beat this rainbow roast vegetable sandwich. From Anthea at Rainbow Nourishments.
A vegetarian take on the classic Vietnamese sandwich. This vegan bánh mi has punchy marinated tempeh stuffed into a crusty baguette alongside pickled vegetables, mayonnaise and fresh coriander leaves. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
For anyone missing eggs, this simple tofu egg salad makes the perfect sandwich filling. No cooking required and can be ready in ten minutes. From Valentina at The Baking Fairy.
Likewise if you love the fishy taste of tuna, this vegan tuna salad sandwich is for you. From Jasmin at Ve Eat Cook Bake.
Things To Make Sandwiches Extra Yummy
Vibrant, fresh and zingy carrot top pistou from Choclette at Tin and Thyme. Just spread on both slices of bread before filling with salad and crisped tofu slices, vegan cheese or whatever else you fancy.
You can’t have a list of delicious vegan sandwiches without a good recipe for vegan mayonnaise. Mine is a really quick and easy one to make, but it’s really very good.
If you prefer butter, I have you covered there too with this rather good recipe for homemade vegan butter.
These days it’s rare for me not to have a jar of carrot pickles on the go. They add zing and crunch to loads of sandwiches. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
A dab of my favourite ever spiced apple chutney can liven up most sandwiches. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
Homemade hummus is always useful to have to hand. Here’s my recipe for traditional hummus.
Cook Once Eat Twice
Sandwiches are all well and good, but variety is the spice of life and all that. Sometimes it’s just good to have a change. There are lots of recipes you can cook up in advance. You can then use these on an ad hoc basis when you fancy something different or don’t have time to prepare anything. Keep them in the fridge or freezer until needed.
Leftovers from the previous night’s evening meal often make excellent lunchbox material too.
For something completely different, how about making up a batch of vegan sushi to liven up your lunchbox? It’s easier than you might think. From Alexa at Key to My Lime.
Homemade falafel are much easier to make than you might think. Once made they freeze well and can be taken out for a vegan lunch as and when needed. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme
If you love bean, sweet potatoes, quinoa corn and southwestern flavours this southwest quinoa salad is for you. From Stacey at Stacey Homemaker.
One of my favourites are these wild garlic tofu patties. You can swap the wild garlic for any soft greens of your choice if you can’t get holds of this pungent spring herb. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme
Vegan spam musubi is a completely new one on me, but I’m now keen to try it. From at Robin Vegan Dollhouse.
How to prep tempeh & squash Buddha bowls with turmeric tahini sauce. Only takes an hour and makes four work lunches. From Allison at Up Beet Kitchen.
Sicilian pasta salad makes a lovely summer supper, side dish or contribution to a buffet type meal. Pack any leftovers into lunchboxes for the following day. It’s absolutely fabulous. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
Another one which is good to make ahead for packed lunches is dhaniya pulao. From Swati at Food-Trails.
On Toast
When I’m at home, toast is my go to favourite. If I have a more substantial lunch, I’ll often have toast for my evening meal. It’s quick to prepare, easy to make and delicious.
Since I came up with this mushroom pâté last Veganuary it’s become one of my go to lunch recipes. Made with mushrooms, walnuts and butter beans it’s perfect for spreading on toast or for filling sandwiches. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
You can’t have a toast section without a recipe for avocado toast. This one from Annabelle at The Flexitarian includes coriander, mint and zaatar.
Another firm favourite here at Tin and Thyme is tempeh on toast. It uses avocado as the bottom layer, slices of fried crispy tofu with chilli sauce and dukkah to spice it all up.
Not all toast needs to be bread. Take a look at these simple sweet potato toast recipes from Amanda at My Goodness Kitchen. Just pop your slices of sweet potato into the toaster.
For anyone missing cheese on toast, how about this vegan chickpea tuna melt? Creamy, gooey, satisfying, filling, perfection, moreish is how Nava from Yum Vegan Food describes it.
All you need to spread on this sourdough banana bread when toasted is your favourite nut butter. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
Soup
Like the section above, soup is one of those things you can cook once then eat twice – or more. Well, apart from my beetroot miso soup that is. If you have a flask to keep liquids hot, soups are also great for packed lunches.
My Froothie Evolve power blender * is just the best for making soups. You can find out all about it in my Froothie Evolve review. Throw a few ingredients into the cooking jug, wait for thirty minutes and you have a delicious smooth or chunky soup.
Super low calorie but extremely tasty lettuce & pea soup with new potatoes. The croutons are an optional extra. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
Chuck it all in a pot and whizz spiced parsnip spinach soup. The sweetness from the parsnips, acidity from the apple and earthiness from the spinach give it a particularly tasty and rounded flavour profile. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
You absolutely can’t miss out on the best lentil soup livened up with lots of dill and lemon juice. From Sophie at Wholehearted Eats.
Beetroot miso soup makes a surprisingly filling, delicious & nourishing meal. It’s easy to make and the only cooking required is the beetroot. Excellent served as a light lunch or simple supper. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
A super smooth squash and red pepper soup which becomes even more delicious with a can of coconut milk. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
Special Lunches in 30 Minutes Or Under
Sometimes you just want something a bit more special than a sandwich for lunch. You might have friends or family hot footing it over to you for a meal. It probably wouldn’t do to hand them a couple of slices of toast because, let’s face it, they’re most likely going to be disappointed.
It could be that you like to sit down to a leisurely lunch at the weekend or you might just have a bit more time on your hands than usual. These special lunch recipes are the ones to go for in these instances.
Only ten minutes to make these lightening fast Thai coconut curry noodles. You don’t need much more than mushrooms, coconut milk, curry powder and chilli sauce. From Emily at Oat & Sesame.
For a slightly lighter summer dish, this snap pea, arugula & farro salad looks appetising. From Megan at Short Girl Tall Order.
Serve these smoky sweetcorn pepper fritters with salad for an elegant lunch. From Choclette at Tin and Thyme.
Enjoy a warm bowl of garlicky Greek chickpeas & spinach. Serve with crusty bread, rice or quinoa. From Alisa at Go Dairy Free.
Nothing else needed with this fattoush with sumac hummus and pomegranate. Recreated by Choclette on Tin and Thyme from the book Seriously Good Salads by Nicky Corbishley.
For a quick and easy lunch that turns a toast idea into something special, how about a tortilla pizza? You can vary the toppings to suit. From Yaz at By The Forkful.
Your Favourite Healthy Vegan Lunch Recipes
I hope you found something to inspire you with these 31 healthy vegan lunch recipes. Let us know if you’ve tried any of them in the comments below. We’d love to hear what your favourites lunch recipes are too. Do you have any tips to share?
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more vegan recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
CAMILLA HAWKINS says
Loving all these plant based recipes, especially the sushi! Must show these to my daughter who’d love them too!
Choclette says
Yes that sushi looks so good. How’s your daughter getting on? There’s plenty of inspiration in this lot.
Jill @MadAboutMacarons says
What inspiration for vegans or even non-vegans, Choclette. What a delicious line-up of fabulous ideas. My daughter has now become vegetarian at university in the interim of eventually making the move to vegan. I need to get on the bandwagon and try – so thanks for the ideas x
Choclette says
It seems to be happening everywhere. I remember it being virtually impossible to be a vegetarian in France when I was a student there. You’re a creative and inspired cook Jill, you’ll have no problem at all.
Swati says
Awesome Collection be it vegans, vegetarians or even non vegetarians, everyone can relish and put together these recipes so easily. Thanks for including my Dhaniya Pulao in the fabulous collection!!
Choclette says
Thank you Swati. Plenty of ideas for a delicious healthy lunch and thank you for contributing one of them.
Vandana says
Amazing collection! Thanks for putting so much effort in collecting these delicious vegan recipes. Can’t wait to try them all.
Choclette says
It’s nice to have one place to go to when you’re looking for vegan lunch inspiration.
Janice says
Some lovely ideas for lunch. I’m in danger of getting stuck in a rut.
Choclette says
It’s very easy to find something you like and then just stick to it. But it’s always good to ring the changes from time to time. You can always go back to your rut again.
Chloe Edges says
Looks great, even carnivorous me could easily be tempted by some of these lunches!
Choclette says
Oh, I’m sure you would Chloe, there’s lots of delicious stuff on offer.
Christina Conte says
So many beautiful and delicious dishes! No need to be vegan to enjoy these great recipes!
Choclette says
That’s the joy of this sort of food, it’s inclusive and most vegetarians or meat eaters I know would enjoy these recipes.
Allison says
What a delicious collection of lunch recipes. I am excited to try them, especially some of the creative sandwiches. Thank you so much for including my tempeh buddha bowl recipe!
Choclette says
I was so inspired by your buddha bowl, I made myself a marinated tempeh sandwich for lunch today.
angiesrecipes says
That’s a heaven for vegans :-))
Choclette says
It’s certainly give me a lot of ideas Angie 😀
Mandy says
So much inspiration here Choclette. Some of those sandwich fillings look brilliant. Thanks for including my banh mi.
Choclette says
Those sandwiches inspired me to go for something a bit different yesterday. I think I’ll do the same again today. Your banh mi is on my list.