I’m often asked if I can share more budget-friendly vegan meals. So I’ve teamed up with Alyssia from Mind Over Munch YouTube channel to show you some of our favourite vegan dinner recipes. Our goal was to make the recipes as affordable as possible. In fact, each one of my recipes is less than $0.90 per serving! I understand that prices for food vary depending on where you’re from. My calculation was based on prices I paid at the grocery store closest to my house in Toronto (i.e. Metro). I actually used to work there during high school, making pizzas. But that, my friends, is a story for another time.
Let’s get back to our awesome vegan dinners.
1. Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Growing up in Russia, I’ve eaten A LOT of potatoes. Potatoes and mushrooms happen to be one of my favouritefood combinations. Add a side of pickled tomatoes and cucumbers and you’ve got perfection. In the past couple of years, I started adding cauliflower to my mashed potatoes to bump up total nutritional value of the dish. If you’re not a big fan of cauliflower, don’t worry, you can barely taste it.
2. Spicy Red Lentil Soup
If you’re new here, you might not know this, but I love, love, love soup. I eat it all year round at least 2-3 times a week. This Spicy Red Lentil Soup is one of my staples during colder months. Well to tell you the truth, I make it during summer too as per my family’s and my tummy’s requests. It’s full of rich flavours and has just a few simple ingredients.
3. Stuffed Bell Peppers
This is one of my favourite dinners to make for my family. I love how versatile and creative you can get with this recipe. I’ve made it with quinoa, brown rice and buckwheat before using many different veggie combinations.
3 Affordable Vegan Dinner Recipes
Ingredients
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (Serves 3)
- 6 medium size potatoes
- 1 large cauliflower head (about 1½ pounds)
- 4 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp grapeseed oil
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Spicy Red Lentil Soup (Serves 8)
- 1 tsp grapeseed oil
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 5 medium carrots
- 1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes or 400 g fresh tomatoes
- 6-7 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups red lentils
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Stuffed Bell Peppers (Serves 4)
- 1½ cups brown rice
- 4 red bell peppers
- ½ tbsp grapeseed oil
- ½ onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20 green beans
- ½ broccoli head
- 2 small zucchinis
- 1 tomato
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Directions
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Cut potatoes into chunks and cauliflower into small florets. Steam for 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat oil in a large skillet.
- Add diced onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Finally, add sliced mushrooms and cook for another 7-10 minutes. When mushrooms are almost ready, season with salt and pepper.
- Mash potatoes and cauliflower with a potato masher adding as much reserved cooking liquid as needed.
- Season potatoes with salt and pepper.
- Serve mushrooms on top of mashed potatoes sprinkled with fresh dill.
Spicy Red Lentil Soup
- In a large pot, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add diced carrots to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add all of the spices except for salt and pepper and stir well. Cook for additional 2 minutes.
- Stir in the stock, tomatoes and red lentils. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stuffed Bell Peepers
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Lightly grease a baking tray.
- Cut peppers in half and remove the core. Place on the baking tray cut side down and roast for 25-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare brown rice according to the directions on the package.
- In a large skillet, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat.
- Sauté chopped onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add diced zucchinis, green beans and broccoli and cook for 5 minutes over medium/high heat.
- Stir in diced tomatoes and spices. Continue cooking for a couple more minutes.
- Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and add the rice which should be cooked by this point. Mix well.
- Spoon the rice and vegetables into the pepper halves. Return to oven to to heat up if needed for 5 minutes.
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FAQs
Vegan on a budget
- tinned beans and dried pulses of various kinds.
- vegetables (particularly seasonal ones)
- potatoes.
- egg-free pasta and noodles.
- rice.
- bread (wholemeal is ideal from a health point of view)
- dried herbs and spices.
- seasonal fruit.
Most vegan diets include beans in at least one meal per day, including lentils, chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans and many more. Many vegans consume soy-based proteins such as tofu and tempeh; their mild flavor makes them a great substitute for meat in stir-fries, soups and stews.
Can you be vegan on a low budget? ›
In fact, vegan diets in particular are very accommodating to budget living and eating. Many of the foods considered to be staples in a typical, healthy vegan diet are very affordable - grains, beans, seeds, and legumes are all good examples. You can make a lot of delicious vegan food on a budget!
What vegan food fills you up? ›
Healthful foods that are high in protein, fiber, or both tend to be filling. Rich sources of protein for vegans include foods such as soybeans, pulses, and some nuts and seeds.
How to be vegan when you're broke? ›
Staple vegan foods such as oats, lentils, pasta, rice and chickpeas are among the cheapest foods and are in *a lot* of vegan recipes, so should definitely make an appearance on your list. Oh, and avoid shopping whilst hungry.
What does 100% vegan eat? ›
The vegan diet
- eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
- base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates (choose wholegrain where possible)
- have some fortified dairy alternatives, such as soya drinks and yoghurts (choose lower-fat and lower-sugar options)
Fortunately, loads of candies are vegan, so we can indulge our cravings (mostly) guilt-free. Most dark chocolate is vegan, as are popular sweet treats such as Smarties (known as Rockets in Canada), Oreos, Airheads, Jujubes, and Swedish Fish (some Swedish Fish contain beeswax, so be sure to check the label).
Which country is #1 for vegans? ›
India. Three of India's major religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism — teach the practice of ahimsa, or non-violence towards all beings. Because of this religious tradition, India has the highest percentage of vegetarians out of all the countries in the world.
How to go vegan without dying? ›
Our Guidelines For Eating A Plant-Based Diet
- Eat plenty of nutrient-dense vegetables at every meal.
- Eat a wide variety of organic, unprocessed foods.
- Eat protein with every meal.
- If you choose to eat grains, pick minimally processed grains like quinoa, amaranth, and oats.
A healthy vegan diet should contain a variety of whole grains, proteins, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables. Foods like nuts, seeds, legumes, soy products, and nutritional yeast can all help boost your protein intake throughout the day.
Whole Grains: Brown rice and quinoa are less processed than typical grain products making them great sources of protein. Legumes: Lentils, beans and peas are easy to prepare and very cost effective sources of protein. Dried fruits: Dried fruits contain the same number of calories but in a smaller, on the go form.
What foods do vegans love? ›
On a vegan diet, you can eat foods made from plants, including:
- Fruits and vegetables.
- Legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils.
- Nuts and seeds.
- Breads, rice, and pasta.
- Vegetable oils.
You could start by removing meat or dairy one day a week and go from there. Or you could try changing one meal at a time, having vegan breakfasts during your first week, adding a vegan lunch during week two and so on.
Can a poor person be vegan? ›
Also, junk food and pre-packaged meals tend to be expensive. But if you want a relatively healthy, inexpensive vegan diet and have some basic cooking skills, I don't see why it would be too too much of a problem being vegan on a strict budget.
Why is being vegan so expensive? ›
It's not really true that vegan products are more expensive than animal-based ones across the board. In fact, avoiding meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products can have a positive impact on your wallet. That's especially the case if you generally spring for high-quality animal products, which don't come cheap.
How to eat raw vegan for cheap? ›
Raw Vegan On a Budget
- Look at your budget. ...
- Make your staple foods cheap fruits, like bananas.
- Buy in bulk in order to get case discounts. ...
- Shop locally and in season. ...
- Find reduced, “aesthetically challenged” fruit at grocery stores and markets as they're often on discount.
Growing up in Russia, I’ve eaten A LOT of potatoes. Potatoes and mushrooms happen to be one of my favouritefood combinations. Add a side of pickled tomatoes and cucumbers and you’ve got perfection. In the past couple of years, I started adding cauliflower to my mashed potatoes to bump up total nutritional value of the dish. If you’re not a big fan of cauliflower, don’t worry, you can barely taste it.
If you’re new here, you might not know this, but I love, love, love soup. I eat it all year round at least 2-3 times a week. This Spicy Red Lentil Soup is one of my staples during colder months. Well to tell you the truth, I make it during summer too as per my family’s and my tummy’s requests. It’s full of rich flavours and has just a few simple ingredients.
This is one of my favourite dinners to make for my family. I love how versatile and creative you can get with this recipe. I’ve made it with quinoa, brown rice and buckwheat before using many different veggie combinations.