15 Must Know Family-Friendly Vegan Recipes

A vegan lifestyle is a form of lifestyle where you avoid using or consuming things coming from animal exploitation, whether it is food, clothes or anything else. This kind of lifestyle is becoming more popular because people are getting more environmentally conscious. But starting a completely new lifestyle is a pretty daunting task. Following a vegan diet seems like something which has lots of restrictions. So often people get curious yet backtrack because they don't know how to navigate further. That's why we are here with this article to introduce you to some healthy and tasty vegan dishes which are really easy to make at home. Here you will find that there's always some nice vegan alternative for foods you usually enjoy so there's nothing much to worry about if you truly want to pursue this kind of lifestyle. Try these awesome recipes at home and you wouldn't be too intimidated to convert to a plant-based diet entirely.

1. Vegan cauliflower sandwich - Cauliflower may not be everyone's favorite vegetable but this particular recipe will compel you to change your mind about it. This vegan sandwich is especially crispy, savory and Cauliflower steaks add a meaty flavor to it. Added garlic and Romesco sauce are just the cherries on top.

Recipe - 

1. Cut the cauliflowers into slices suitable for a skillet.

2. Add oil to a cast iron pan and add the cauliflower steaks when the oil is hot enough.

3. Fry the steaks until golden brown and crispy on each side and then remove from the pan.

4. Take a blender and add chopped almonds, pepper, vinegar, garlic, and olive oil in it. The thick puree you will get is the Romesco sauce.

5. Take any kind of crusty bread and apply the Romesco sauce, stack with cauliflower, add spinach, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Your sandwich is now ready.

2. Vegan broccoli cheese pizza - Pizzas are something we all love. That's why here we have a recipe for a vegan pizza with broccoli with an extremely cheesy, delicious flavor and of course very easy to make at home.

Recipe- 

1. Microwave the broccoli for around 5 mins so it becomes tender.

2. Prepare your vegan cheese sauce in the meantime by adding a few roasted cloves of garlic and nutritional yeast to it.

3. Now add cooked broccoli, sliced onion, and vegan cheese sauce to your pizza crust. You can add vegan parmesan as garnish. Then bake it at 410°F for 12 mins and your pizza is ready to serve.

3. Smoked tofu vegan burger - This is a very tasty vegan burger that is prepared with sweet potatoes, tofu, and cashews and is pretty appetizing.

 Recipe -

1. Microwave the sweet potato for 3 mins until soft.

2. Heat up oil in a pan and fry the onion with a pinch of salt.

3. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and garlic salt to the onion and cook for 2 mins more.

4. Blend tofu, cashew, sweet potato, and fried onions together.

5. Shape the mixture into burger patties and keep them aside.

6. Make the slaw by combining shredded cabbage, grated carrot, chopped coriander, lime juice, and sesame seeds.

7. Mix mustard and soy milk in a bowl.

8. Mix plain flour, breadcrumbs, garlic salt, pepper, icing sugar, and baking powder in another bowl.

9. Dip your patties in both of the bowls one after another multiple time to get a nice crust.

10. Heat up oil in a frying pan and use a spatula to fry the patties until crispy on both sides.

11. Take toasted vegan burger buns, add fried patties, slaw, vegan mayonnaise, and serve.

4. Vegan shepherd's pie - This pie is a rich, flavourful recipe with mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and some other healthy vegetables. It's a classy dish that you can serve to your guests anytime without hesitation.

Recipe -

1. Boil the potato in salted water. Then drain the water.

2. Mash the boiled potatoes.

3. Add salt, pepper, vegan butter, and vegan sour cream to it.

4. Whip the mixture thoroughly.

5. Saute diced mushrooms and onions in a pan.

6. Then add diced garlic, carrots, celery, parsnips and cook some more until soft. Add beans and peas also.

7. Sprinkle a bit of flour.

8. Heat up the veggie broth and gently pour it over the sauteed vegetables.

9. Add mustard and parsley.

10. Fill a greased oven-proof dish with the above-made filling.

11. Add mashed potatoes over it and spread properly.

12. Bake the pie for 20-30 mins in a 375°F oven and you have your tasty, golden pie to serve.

5. Vegan bolognese Lasagna - Lasagna is a classic Italian dish adored by many. This one recipe is a vegan alternative of this famous cuisine served with bolognese and bechamel sauce. It's easy to make and tasty.

Recipe -

1. Cook the vegan ground beef first.

2. Then take a pan and saute onions, celery, and carrots in it. Also add chopped garlic, tomato paste, and Italian herbs and saute for a bit more.

3. Now add the cooked vegan beef, also red wine if you can, and boil for a while. Then add chopped tomatoes, salt, and pepper to it. Simmer this bolognese sauce for 15 mins.

4. Now for bechamel sauce, take a pan and melt vegan butter in it. Then add a bit of flour and slowly add soy milk. Boil it and continue to stir until you get a thick sauce. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and nutritional yeast.

5. Layer up your oven-proof dish with bolognese sauce. Then add alternative layers of lasagna sheets, bolognese, and bechamel sauce in it. Sprinkle some vegan cheese on top.

6. Bake the lasagna for 45 mins in a preheated oven at 392°F. Then slice it and enjoy with basil leaves.

6. Vegan Mongolian beef - This is a stir-fried dish that is easy to make and tastes absolutely heavenly with the goodness of tofu. It also contains a sauce that is thick and sweet.

Recipe -

1. Slice the tofu into small cubes.

2. Take a bowl and mix cornflour, soy sauce, water, and oil. Then coat the tofu cubes with this mixture. Then dip them again in cornflour.

3. Take a pan and heat up some oil. Add the coated tofu and fry them until all sides are properly fried and crispy.

4. After keeping the fried tofu aside, pour more oil into the pan. Add ginger and garlic when the oil is hot enough. Stir them a bit.

5. Then add five spices and chili flakes and stir again. Later add soy sauce, water, sugar, and orange zest.

6. Keep stirring and simmering it until the sugar is dissolved and you get a thick mixture. Then add cornflour so it thickens even more.

7. Then add tofu and spring onion over the thick sauce. Stir it properly and your dish is ready.

7. Vegan white sauce pasta - We all love pasta and different kinds of dishes made with it. But are you looking for an easy vegan recipe of pasta that will also taste equally good as the non-vegan version of it? Then here we are with a simple recipe of vegan white sauce paste to satisfy your cravings.

Recipe -

1. Boil the pasta first. Then drain the water.

2. Take a pan, pour almond milk over it and cook in medium heat to prepare your white sauce.

3. Add minced onion, minced garlic, dry oregano, nutritional yeast, and ground white pepper to the almond milk.

4. Mix cornstarch and vegetable broth in a bowl and add it too to the milk.

5. Stir the sauce until it becomes thick and creamy.

6. Then prepare the vegetables. Fry the chopped onion first in a pan. Then add chickpeas, broccoli, bell pepper, and corn kernels. Stir and fry them for a few minutes more.

7. At last, add the pasta and spinach to the other veggies, pour the white sauce over it. Stir and mix everything together.

8. Serve your dish with red pepper flakes and enjoy.

8. Vegan lentil meatballs - This dish is sure to bring you authentic Italian flavors with bare minimum efforts. Even meat lovers will enjoy this dish. You only need very few ingredients to make this dish.

Recipe -

1. Take a food processor and add sprouted lentils, oat flour, coconut aminos, rosemary, and California prunes in it. Blend until smooth.

2. Now make small meatballs from the mixture prepared and bake them at 400°F for 20-25 minutes.

3. Then take a pan, pour marinara in it and cook the baked meatballs. After that, your lentil meatballs are ready!

9.  Vegan carbonara spaghetti - This is a rich and creamy dish that you can make as your meal pretty quickly when in a rush. Traditional carbonara is made with eggs, but here we have a vegan alternative that tastes just as good.

Recipe - 

1. Cook the pasta first in hot water and then drain the water.

2. Make coconut bacon.

3. Mix aquafaba, sea salt pepper, turmeric, and almond milk together.

4. Pour the mixture into the cooked pasta, add coconut bacon, vegan parmesan, and stir everything together. Your vegan spaghetti carbonara is now ready to eat.

10. Vegan garlic chickpea soup - This soup is a very tasty and creamy dish that can be prepared quickly with simple ingredients like chickpeas, potatoes, dried herbs, etc.

Recipe -

1. Take a blender and blend the chickpeas into a smooth paste.

2. Heat up the olive oil in a pan and then fry the garlic in it for 1-2 minutes.

3. Now add the chickpea puree to the pan along with another fresh can of chickpeas. Add potato cubes, paprika, thyme, chili flakes, rosemary, pepper and stir everything together. Add the vegetable broth after that and stir again.

4. Bring the soup to a boil. Then lower the heat and let it simmer for around 20-25 minutes. After that, your soup is ready to serve.

11. Quinoa carrot salad - This crunchy, delicious salad is simple to make and can be stored for a prolonged period of time. So if you want to make something for your weekly lunch prep, then this is an ideal dish. The crunchiness doesn't go away even when you store it in the refrigerator.

Recipe -

1. Boil the rinsed quinoa in a pot with a pinch of salt. Then simmer it until it's dry. Then turn the heat off and let it cool.

2. For raw apple cider vinaigrette, add apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk it thoroughly.

3. Now place carrot, celery, garlic, scallions, and almonds in a bowl. Add the boiled quinoa and prepare vinaigrette in it. Sprinkle some cayenne. Toss everything together and serve or store for later.

12. One-pot Vegan Chili Mac - This one-pot recipe is packed with powerful flavors and lots of protein. This gluten-free and oil-free recipe contains mushrooms which provide a meaty flavor to it.

Recipe -

1. Heat up the oil in a soup pot. When it's hot enough, add the chopped onion and saute for 2 mins. Then add garlic, mushrooms, and tempeh in it and cook for around 5 mins.

2. Add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt, then stir everything together for 2 more minutes.

3. Pour the vegetable broth into the pot slowly.

4. Then add beans, tomato paste, corn, and pasta. Again stir well to combine everything.

5. Boil the mixture and then lower the heat to let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.

6. Add salt, pepper, and your choice of sweetener and serve your one-pot vegan chili mac.

13. Vegan burrito with black bean - This is a quick and easy burrito recipe that will be adored by everyone. You can also make it ahead of time and enjoy it gradually.

Recipe -

1. Heat up the oil in a pan and saute onion and bell pepper for around 5 mins. Then add tomatoes, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, minced garlic, salt and cook for 5 mins. Add the black beans and corn now and cook for a few more minutes.

2. Layer the tortillas with the black bean mix, shredded lettuce, a cup of rice, and guacamole. Now roll your burritos and serve to enjoy.

14. Thai vegetable stir fry -  This is a colorful, flavorful, and nutritional dish with tofu and rice. And like all the other recipes here, it's very easy to make and budget-friendly.

Recipe -

1. To prepare the sauce first, add soy sauce, cornstarch, coconut sugar, white vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger water and a pinch of chili powder to a jar and shake it well.

2. Now put the tofu cubes in a bowl and marinate them with the prepared sauce.

3. Take a pan and cook the squash cubes with a bit of water for a few minutes. Then add eggplant cubes, mushroom slices, baby corn, broccoli, peas, scallions in the pan and pour the vegetable broth.

4. Saute everything for a few minutes until the liquid is gone.

5. Now add the marinated tofu and stir fry sauce to the pan and cook for a few minutes more. After the vegetables become crispy, remove the pan from heat.

6. Serve your stir fry in bowls with brown rice, cashews, and Thai basil.

15. Vegan yaki udon noodles - Yaki udon noodles are a classic Japanese dish and here we have a vegan version of it that is equally tasty and healthy.

Recipe -

1. Cook the udon noodles first according to the package instructions. Then let it cool down.

2. Heat up the oil in a pan and add slices of carrot, cabbage, pieces of mushrooms, green onions in it. Fry them 5 mins.

3. Then add the cooked udon noodles to the pan along with soy sauce, dashi stock, and mirin. Stir everything together. Drizzle sesame oil and serve hot.