12 Super Delicious 5 Minute Vegan Meals

12 Super Delicious 5 Minute Vegan Meals

Word Count: 1636

Time to Read: 9 minutes


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Vegans: you know that in spite of what everyone else might think, we’re really just like everyone else. Even if food and how we prepare it is a major part of our lives, when we get home from a long day at work, we’d rather watch Netflix than cook a huge meal.

Here, we’re giving you the skinny of 12 of the most delicious 5 minute vegan meals out there.

1. 3-Bean Chili

If you’re a vegan, you’re one of 16 million others in the United States alone who has said “no” to eating animal products. That’s awesome - but it doesn’t mean you don’t crave delicious substitutes! Our first vegan meal is vegan chili:

  • Mix 1 can of cannellini beans, 1 can of chickpeas, 1 can of kidney beans, and 1 can of diced tomatoes in your favorite bowl
  • Add a diced yellow onion, carrots, and some olive oil and simmer this mixture for 2 minutes
  • Add in 2 cups of water, a clove of crushed garlic, and a handful of chopped pine nuts
  • Cook this for about 3 more minutes, add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

2. A White Bean and Avocado Open Sandwich

Next on our list of 5 minute vegan meals involves everyone’s favorite, avocados (did you know one has more potassium than a banana?)

  • Combine a can of white beans, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl and mash the mixture together
  • Place the mixture on 4 or 5 slices of your favorite bread, top with bean sprouts (add a few slices of red onion if it’s your thing) and….
  • Add sliced avocado on top!

3. A Taco In A Bag

Just because you’ve gone vegan doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the absolute bliss that is the taco! Plus, this vegan meal brings out the fun and laughs!

  • Get a bag of Frito chips, a container of vegan guacamole, some refried beans, and a few sprinkles of your favorite vegan cheddar cheese
  • Cut open that bag of Fritos and “top” your makeshift taco shell with all the trimmings. If you’d like, mix them all together with a fork.
  • We recommend eating this one right out of the bag - it just tastes better that way

4. Summer Pasta Salad

The next item up in our 5 minute vegan meals involves everyone’s favorite - pasta! Did you know that the first pasta machine in America was brought over by none other than Thomas Jefferson, in 1789? Why wasn’t that featured in Hamilton?

  • Grab some spiralized raw pasta (we like making our own from a zucchini)
  • Toss in some sundried tomatoes, raw yellow peppers, kalamata olives, half a red onion, salt, olive oil, and pepper
  • If you like, add a little vegan Italian dressing
  • Stir (or shake it up in a Tupperware container to make sure it really mixes) and enjoy!

5. Fake Eggs Benedict

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! And honestly, it just tastes better when you’re having it for dinner - but it also makes for an awesome brunch dish to serve to guests (and it’s easy to make in case you’re still nursing last night’s hangover.) To make this next option 5 minute vegan meals list…

  • Saute a few handfuls of spinach in some olive oil and set aside
  • Fry up about 8 small slices of tofu
  • Add some paprika, salt, pepper, and a few squeezes of lemon juice to the tofu
  • Throw your favorite meat substitute in the pot and let it all simmer for about three minutes
  • While that’s going, coat four English muffins in some vegan mayo, and put the spinach on top
  • Carefully spoon out your benedict mixture on top
  1. Escarole and Black Bean Salad

Next on our list of 5 minute vegan meals, we’re using escarole, which although it looks like spinach, is actually a part of the endive family - meaning it has a fun and surprising taste and texture.

  • Combine a clove of garlic, a dash of salt, half a red onion, and vinegar in a small bowl, then drizzle a little olive oil on top.
  • Dress about 1 can of black beans with the mixture, and add a little cilantro to taste
  • Dump the mixture in a pan over medium heat, add a dash of pepper and about three hand fulls of escarole. Stir and let simmer for about three minutes, remove, and enjoy!

7. Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce is on the rise - in a single year, the industry generated over $180 million in revenue. This one of our 5 minute vegan meals surely had something to do with those numbers. Lettuce wraps are a popular dish in many an Asian restaurant, but making your own isn’t just easy, it’s also enjoyable.

  • Grab a few lettuce leaves, about four artichokes, (to keep to our time, don’t grill them, but of course if you want to do so that’s always an option) some pre-cooked quinoa and a fistful of raw rice noodles.
  • Place all the ingredients in the lettuce wrap, season with a little soy sauce if you’d like, and enjoy. For easier eating, it’s best to fold the ends of the leaves towards one another

8. 5 Minute Vegan Meals - You Can Sip!

Smoothies aren’t just all the rage - they also offer incredible benefits to your physical health, and they’re perfect for the vegan on the go.

To make our favorite, refreshing smoothie, mix two cups of frozen strawberries with one banana, a tablespoon of agave nectar for sweetener, and a handful of frozen blueberries. To get a dose of iron, add about a cup of spinach.

Mix, blend, and bust out a festive straw - why not don a sunhat and some heart-shaped glasses while you’re at it?

9. A Raw Kale and Avocado Salad

To make this tasty treat (you’ve probably already heard your vegan friends raving about all the awesome health benefits kale offers) just grab a bowl, some tongs, and mix these ingredients together with salt and pepper to taste!

Two cups of shredded raw kale (to save time, you can just tear apart the leaves with your hands) A small can of corn Sliced sun-dried tomatoes A diced avocado Paprika (about 1 teaspoon)

10. Lemon Chickpea Side Dish

These 5 minute vegan meals may be easy to make, but this one packs a serious punch of flavor. Plus, it works on its own or as an awesome addition to any vegan meal.

To make it, combine a can of chickpeas, about a cup of sliced cucumbers (make sure you’ve seeded them to prevent the dish from getting too soggy!) in a bowl. To flavor and season, squeeze a half a lemon over the mixture, add a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and dill!

It’s not just refreshing - chickpeas are also an amazing source of fiber, something that those of us who have opted not to eat meat need to be especially sure we’re getting enough of.

11. Mexican Bowl Over Raw Squash Pasta

It’s time to bust out your spiralizer again and make your own pasta in no time flat.

Grab some green and yellow squash and create your raw pasta noodles. Top with diced tomatoes, (or, if you prefer, halved cherry tomatoes) a can of rinsed and drained black beans, some avocado slices, and, to add an unexpected hint of zesty flavor, top with some tangerine slices!

It may sound weird, but take our word for it - it’s totally delicious, and the perfect way to end a summer meal on your balcony with friends.

12. Chocolate Covered Strawberries - Vegan Style!

OK, so it’s not technically a meal - even if it should be! Besides, you didn’t think we’d really end our list of the top 12 5 minute vegan meals without giving you at least a little something sweet, did you?

This dish is a crowd-pleaser, and it’s also the perfect way to end a romantic date - he doesn’t need to know you made the dish ten minutes before you left the house to meet him!

To make this dish…

  • Wash about ten strawberries well
  • Mix three tablespoons of coconut oil, two tablespoons of maple syrup, and about 1/3 of a cup of cocoa powder in a medium-sized saucepan.
  • Let the mixture simmer for about three minutes, or until everything is blended and smooth - no lumps!
  • Dip the strawberries into the mixture (make sure you’re coating them evenly) and set them on a plate
  • If you have time, you can let them sit in the fridge so the chocolate sauce can harden for about 20 minutes. But for our quick-fix purposes, a pop in the freezer for a few minutes will work just as well!
  • Place them in a plastic bag (or, if you’re going with our date idea, a cute box) and head out the door! Just try not to eat them all on the way…

Making 5 Minute Vegan Meals Is Easy!

And eating healthy doesn’t always have to be a chore. For more fabulous vegan recipes (ok, some of them may take a little more than 5 minutes to prepare, but we promise they’re worth it!) check out our blog.

If you’ve got a great meal plan of your own to contribute, or if you just want to send us photos of some of the awesome meals you’ve cooked when following any of the recipes listed here, feel free to reach out to us - we love hearing what our readers are up to!

About the author

Julia Ott
Hi! I'm Julia and I'm a vegan recipe inventor, furniture collector and mum to a little boy. I've been a vegetarian for 25 years, and a vegan for 4. I spend all of my spare time visiting farmers markets, searching for antiques at flea markets and cooking up a vegan storm in the kitchen! I co-founded Vegan.io to make the world a better place.

Want to try a vegan diet?

We created a meal planner app to help you! Get your fresh customized meal plan full of delicious, quick, budget friendly, healthy recipes.

GET YOUR MEAL PLAN!