This healthy vegan meal plan is perfect for anyone who wants to try out the vegan diet. It’s great for beginners or for anyone looking for new recipes. See recipe links below.

What does going Vegan mean?

Being vegan means you do not consume anything with animal ingredients or you don’t use products that contain animal products.

This pertains to food, drinks, clothing (leather, fur, silk, or wool), shoes, beauty products, bath products, or anything else that would be cruel to an animal during its creation.

This also includes items that contain ingredients that came from an animal, products that have been filtered using animal parts (such as some beers, wines and white sugars) or through animal testing.

It’s all about living a life as cruelty-free as possible.

Skipping these foods or products is good for the environment, your health and for the well being of other animals/creatures on our planet.

It’s a compassionate way of living and it’s healthy, too.

What is a vegan diet?

A vegan diet is no meats (this includes chicken, fish, shellfish, insects, etc), no dairy products, no honey, and no eggs.

You should also avoid any ingredients in packaged products that come from an animal (always read ingredients on food labels).

Some common animal by-products you should skip while on a vegan diet include gelatin, whey, casein and beeswax.

Our vegan meal plan can help you follow the vegan diet correctly.

Vegan Meal Plan Tips:

This plan is great to use as a guide of what to eat when following a vegan diet. You can choose to follow as is, or a lot of people just have the dinners or just lunches, etc.

Or they will have a combo of the meals – choose what works best for you.

Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits. Eat a rainbow of vegetables and fruits. Try a new one each week. This will help get all the nutrients you need for a healthy body and mind.

Get your B-12. This is one nutrient vegans tend to not get with their diet. You can definitely find supplements online that are vegan.

This one is my favorite, and of course, it’s vegan: Garden of Life B-12

Get Your Vitamin D. Getting safe sun exposure for about 20 minutes a day can actually benefit you. It helps the body build its own Vitamin D which helps grow strong bones and teeth.

It also increases the number of white blood cells in the body which help with infections and illness.

Vitamin D also has been shown to raise serotonin production in the brain which is the “happy brain chemical” that gets rid of depression, raises your spirits and lifts your sex drive.

If you prefer not to go into the sun often or live in an area with a little sun – try this vegan Vitamin D supplement instead.

Protein is everywhere. Beans, legumes, quinoa, tofu (organic only – GMO-free!) and tempeh are all full of protein. Even vegetables, nuts and seeds have some too.

The vegan meal plan below is balanced with the right amount of protein.

Love this vegan meal plan?

Try our Vegan Healthy Meal Plan App!

Recipes from the above Vegan Meal Plan:

These recipes are also vegetarian friendly. If you’re thinking of going vegetarian, vegan or plant-based – I highly suggest these recipes. They’re easy to make, they taste delicious, they are also healthy, help the planet and are cruelty-free.

Apple Cabbage Coleslaw

Roasted Cauliflower Hummus

Almond Stuffed Dates

Ants on a Log (Celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins)

Fruit and Nut Mix

Apple Slices with Tahini

Banana Tortilla Snack

Cinnamon Apple Snack

Vegan Yogurt + Fruit Bowl

Green Smoothie

Banana Date Smoothie (Afternoon Energy Smoothie)

Chocolate Covered Berries

Fresh Spring Rolls (Made with all veggies or tofu)

Homemade Marinara Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
half onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
28 oz can whole tomatoes, with the juice
2 Tbsp tomato paste
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp dried oregano
2 dry bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
Add onions, carrot and celery and cook 4-5 minutes until they are soft and golden. Don’t let these burn, as this will cause a bitter taste to the sauce.
Add garlic and sauté, being careful not to burn – this will also cause a bitter taste.
Add tomato paste and stir well. Add tomatoes, including the juice.
Add salt, pepper, oregano and bay leaves.
Cover and bring to a low simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Remove from the heat, add fresh basil and stir well. Remove the dry bay leaves. Add more or less seasoning, if needed.

Sweet Potato and Lima Bean Soup with Kale

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 1/2 cup lima beans, cooked or canned (drain well if canned, see below how to cook in crock pot)
5 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
2 TBSP nutritional yeast (click here to get it on amazon.com)
3 cup kale, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

In a large soup pot, saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent.
Add the sweet potato and cook for about 3 minutes.
Add in the broth, beans, garlic powder, pepper, paprika and nutritional yeast. Add more broth if needed to make more soup. You want the veggies & beans to be covered plus about 3/4″ above. Cook until sweet potato is soft.
Add the kale, cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Pesto (Serve over pasta, veggies or tofu – or a combo of these)

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups basil, parsley, mint, cilantro, spinach or kale (your choice, any combination)
1/2 Cup Pine Nuts (walnuts or roasted/unsalted sunflower seeds work well too)
3 Cloves Garlic
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
1/4 – 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

Put herbs/greens, nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast into a food processor. Process until it becomes a coarse mixture.
Scrape the mixture down the sides of the processor bowl with a spatula.
Slowly drizzle the olive oil over the mixture as you pulse the processor on and off. Do this until the mixture becomes a smooth, spreadable paste.
Sprinkle on some sea salt and ground black pepper, stir and taste – add more if needed.
Store in fridge for flavors to meld together for about an hour.

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium spaghetti squash, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds scraped out & discarded
2 large carrots, sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 mini portabella mushrooms, sliced (button mushrooms work also)
1 cup frozen green sweet peas
6 small tomatoes, diced
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 TBSP dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
nutritional yeast to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Bake the spaghetti squash cut side down on a cookie sheet in a 375 F oven. Set timer for 45 minutes.
While it’s baking, cook the veggies. First add the sliced carrot to a pan with 1/2 TBSP olive oil and cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes, covered. Stir halfway through.
Add the broccoli, fresh minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and the rest of the olive oil. Stir. Cover and cook for 6 more minutes. Make sure not to burn the garlic, turn down heat a bit if necessary.
Next add the mushrooms and sweet green peas. Cook for about 5 more minutes.
Once everything is cooked to your liking, add the tomatoes, stir, cover and turn off heat. The tomatoes will break down easily and turn to mush if you over-cook them.
Once the squash has cooked for about 45 minutes, take it out and pierce it with a fork to see if it’s done. If the fork goes in easily, it’s done.
Once cooled a bit, take a fork and scrape the squash flesh – it should shred easily into noodles on its own. And there you have spaghetti squash!
Put some in a bowl or on a plate and add the veggies on top. You can then add nutritional yeast on top (if you’d like) and enjoy!

Cashew Alfredo Sauce (great on pasta, veggies, etc)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup raw cashews
1 cup boiling water (use some of the starchy water from cooking your pasta)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
1 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP nutritional yeast
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place raw cashews (must be raw, not roasted) in a food processor or blender and pulse until nuts are very fine. I use my Blendtec 575 – and I’ve been using it for over 4 years now on a daily basis (I make smoothies daily). Love it. Can’t say enough good things about it.
Carefully add in the boiling water; process until smooth.
Add the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper; process some more until smooth.
The sauce will thicken as you blend. This is why using starchy water is a good choice. It will help with thickening.
If it isn’t thickening enough for you, heat it in a saucepan over a low temperature for a few minutes, and that should do the trick.
On the other hand, if it’s too thick, add a little more water 1 TBSP at a time until desired consistency.
Serve over cooked pasta of your choice. (If you’re following a Paleo Diet or gluten free diet, serve over zoodles – zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or any other veggie noodles – carrots, sweet potato, cucumber, etc.)
You can also serve it with some steamed, sautéed or roasted veggies.

Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles) with Creamy Avocado Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

2 zucchini
1 avocado
1/2 lemon juiced
1 clove garlic
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP water
2 tomatoes
1/8 cup chopped almonds

DIRECTIONS:

Peel zucchini (if desired) and continue to peel zucchini into “noodles” (zoodles) until you reach the seeds. Save the rest of the zucchini for the sauce. You could also use a spiralizer or julienne peeler if you have on. Place noodles onto a plate.
Add the rest of the zucchini (with the seeds) into your blender (chop off the ends first).
Slice the avocado in half, remove the seed and skin. Place into blender.
Add the lemon juice, garlic clove, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oil and water to the blender. Blend everything until smooth and creamy. (you could use a food processor for this also).
Pour the sauce onto the noodles – you could use just half of it if you want and save the rest for later.
Chop the tomatoes and place on the sauced “noodles”. Sprinkle the chopped almonds, a bit of black pepper (if desired) and enjoy!

Brown Rice Vegan Sushi Rolls

INGREDIENTS:

1 avocado
1/2 cup purple cabbage
1/2 cucumber
1/2 cup spinach
2 small carrots
4 nori seaweed sheets [See it on Amazon]
1 cup brown rice [See it on Amazon]
1 1/2 TBSP rice vinegar [See it on Amazon]
2 tsp tamari [See it on Amazon]
NOTE: You’ll also need a sushi mat [See options on Amazon] for making your rolls.

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the rice according to package directions. When done, remove from heat, take off lid.
Transfer rice to a non-metal bowl (ceramic, glass, wood) and stir in the rice vinegar and tamari. Stir often until it cools.
While the rice is cooking, slice the veggies into strips, like shown in the picture above.
Once rice is cooled and veggies are cut, place sushi mat on a clean work surface with slats running crosswise.
Place 1 sheet of nori, shiny side down, on mat, lining up a long edge of sheet with edge of mat nearest you. Using damp fingers, gently press some of rice (about 3/4 cup) onto nori in 1 layer, leaving a 1 3/4-inch border on side farthest from you.
Arrange some of the veggies in an even strip horizontally across rice, starting 1 inch from side nearest you.
Beginning with edge nearest you, lift mat up with your thumbs, holding filling in place with your fingers, and fold mat over filling so that upper and lower edges of rice meet, then squeeze gently but firmly along length of roll, tugging edge of mat farthest from you to tighten. (Nori border will still be flat on mat.)
Open mat and roll log forward to seal with nori border. (Moisture from rice will seal roll.)
Transfer roll, seam side down, to a cutting board.
Make other rolls in same manner, then cut each log crosswise into 6 pieces with a wet thin-bladed knife.
Enjoy these easy vegetarian sushi rolls with wasabi paste, soy sauce, and ginger. (if desired)

Spiced Chickpea and Squash Wraps

INGREDIENTS:

1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup squash
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp Spanish paprika
1/2 cup canned chickpea
1 flour tortilla
1/2 cup spinach
1/4 cup plain vegan yogurt
1 TBSP lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Mince the garlic. Thinly slice the squash and rinse and drain the chickpeas.
Stir-fry the squash, add the minced garlic and paprika, stir. Cook until squash is tender. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice and yogurt. Cook until heated through.
Heat tortilla in a skillet, place the chickpea mixture and spinach in the center. Fold and roll the tortilla. Enjoy.

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS:

2 portobello mushroom caps
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup veggie broth
1 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup leeks, sliced
1/2 cup swiss chards, chopped
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cup tomato, diced
1 tsp dried sage
1 TBSP nutritional yeast seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375F. Cover baking sheet with oil.
Cook quinoa – rinse quinoa, pour over boiling broth, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed, fluff to separate the grains. Set aside.
Heat up another pan, saute minced garlic and chopped leeks until soft. Add broccoli florets, chopped chards and shredded carrots, stir.
Mix the veggies into the cooked quinoa. Place the mixture into mushroom caps, sprinkle with nutritional yeast.
Place stuffed mushrooms into the baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Black Bean Brownies

INGREDIENTS:

1 can black beans
1/3 cup applesauce
3 TBSP coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 TBSP flaxseed meal
2 1/2 TBSP water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, grease a small square baking pan.
Make a flaxseed “egg” by combining the water and the flaxseed meal in a small bowl. Stir well. Let stand for at least 5 minutes. You now have a flaxseed “egg”.
Rinse and drain the black beans, and place in a blender. Toss the remaining ingredients in a blender along with the flaxseed “egg” and puree until smooth.
If the mixture is too dry, add some water, a little at a time. Transfer into the baking pan, spreading evenly and bake for 40 minutes. Slice into squares and enjoy.