15-min Quick & Easy Vegan Meals

In my book, quick means super quick aka easy vegan meals that are done in 15 minutes. Yes, it is possible. I found 45+ delicious recipes that are perfect for lunch or dinner if you have only 15 minutes to get them ready. Are you interested? 

What do we mean by quick & easy?

Well, we mean you can make them really really quickly. There are definitely certain days when even 30 minutes seems like a lifetime to get dinner ready. But don’t be afraid there are a lot of yummy vegan recipes you can do in or less than 15 minutes. What these easy recipes have in common? 

• NO soaking
• NO pre-cooking
• NO overnight preparation
• NO resting or waiting to be chilled
• NO lengthy ingredients list
• NO need to use any special kitchen equipment

Sounds good, right? 

What kind of quick vegan meals are they?

We collected a series of delicious vegan recipes that are gluten-free as well. We included…

• pasta recipes
• stir-fry recipes
• buddha bowls
• loaded salad recipes
• lunch ideas to go
• veggie soups
• hearty dinner recipes

Tips to make any recipe quicker

We have some go-to tips and tricks to make short-cuts and reduce the preparation time or cooking time:

• Use canned products -> they are pre-cooked (e.g. lentils, beans, corn, peas)
• Use frozen products -> e.g. frozen spinach is already pureed so you can skip blending the soup or sauce when ready
• Use powders for seasoning -> if you use onion or garlic powder, you can skip chopping or cooking 
• Use rice noodles -> if you make a pasta dish rice noodles are one of the fastest to get them ready
• Use a food processor for chopping and shredding -> you can save time a lot of time on preparation
• Chop veggies small for cream soups -> chop veggies as small as you can to reduce cooking time. You will blend them at the end so it doesn’t matter how do they look like at the beginning. 

Quick & Easy Vegan Pasta Recipes

Of course, one of the quickest dishes are pasta dishes. You can make a delicious homemade pasta sauce that is ready at the same time your pasta has been cooked. Below you will find ONLY yummy, easy, vegan pasta sauce recipes that are ready in 10-15 minutes! 

1. 15-min Easy Vegan Alfredo Sauce by My Pure Plants
2. 10-min Hearty Marinara Sauce by My Pure Plants
3. 15-min Spinach Pasta Sauce by My Pure Plants
4. 15-min Broccoli Pesto Pasta by The Petite Cook
5. 10-min Roasted Red Pepper Pasta by The Fiery Vegetarian
6. 15-min Parsley Walnut Pesto Pasta by The Simple Green

As you can never have enough recipes for pasta, here are some Asian-inspired vegan pasta dishes. 

1. 15-min Coconut Curry Noodle Bowl by I Heart Vegetables
2. 10-min Red Thai Curry Sauce by Kitchen Gone Rogue
3. 10-min Vegan Pad Thai by Strength & Sunshine
4. 15-min Creamy Tahini Chickpea Pasta by Sarah’s Vegan Guide
5. 15-min Vegan Pad See Eew by Go Dairy-free
6. 15-min Red Lentil Pasta with Spinach and Artichoke by Profusion Curry

Quick & Easy Vegan Stir-fry Recipes

Making a healthy, veggie-loaded stir fry is just as easy as making a pasta sauce. The only difference really is that you add rice, quinoa, buckwheat or whatever grain you prefer to your veggies instead of pasta. Below we collected ONLY delicious, easy and vegan stirfry recipes that are ready in 10-15 minutes! 

1. 15-min Broccoli Lentil Stir Fry by My Pure Plants
2. 15-min Vegan Egg Fried Rice by Vegan on Board
3. 15-min Coconut Curry with Black Bean Quinoa by Little Sunny Kitchen
4. 15-min Cauliflower Fried Rice by This Healthy Kitchen
5. 15-min Mushroom Fried Rice by A Virtual Vegan
6. 10-min Chickpea Spinach Curry by Hungry Healthy Happy

Vegan Buddha Bowls

Buddha bowls are similar to salads but loaded with a rainbow of ingredients. It is usually a cold one-bowl meal that consists of vegetables, grains and plant proteins (like tofu, beans or legumes). Eating a bowl for dinner is so filling, that it will not even leave any place for dessert. Here are some superfood bowls that you can make in 10-15 minutes. 

1. 15-min Quinoa Chipotle Bowl with Southwest Tahini Sauce by Shane & Simple
2. 15-min Teriyaki Bowl with Tofu by Sustain My Cooking Habit
3. 15-min Plant-based Power Bowl with Peanut Sauce by Go Dairy-free
4. 10-min Beet Buddha Bowl by Just Beet It

Loaded Salads for a Complete Meal

Don’t think about salads as boring side dishes! These easy salad recipes will have everything. If you eat them for lunch, you will feel that you have eaten a complete meal. And the best part is that you can make them under 15 minutes. However, you may be able to enjoy them much longer. 

1. 15-min Thai Noodle Salad by Eat with Clarity
2. 15-min Tex Max Quinoa Salad by Profusion Curry
3. 15-min Hummus Pasta Salad by Bucket List Tummy
4. 10-min Chickpea Avocado Salad by Yum Vegan Lunch Ideas
5. 10-min Vegan Thai Salad with Peanut Sauce by Cass Clay Cooking
6. 15-min Zucchini Chickpea Quinoa Salad by A Cedar Spoon

Quick & Easy Vegan Lunches to Go

If I am listing you quick and easy vegan meals here, I am sure not to miss the truly quickest meal recipes. You can never go wrong with a hearty, veggie-packed sandwich or wrap for lunch or dinner. It is the best lunch for the busiest people who don’t even have time to sit down for eating. They will only have 10-15 minutes to prepare a quick sandwich, grab it and go!

1. 15-min Cream Cheese Pinwheels with Fresh Veggies by My Pure Plants
2. 15-min Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich by My Pure Plants
3. 10-min Smoky Chickpea Tuna Salad Sandwich by The Simple Green
4. 10-min Green Veggie Sandwich by Veeg
5. 15-min Pinto Bean Taco Lettuce Wrap by Rhubarbarians
6. 15-min Lentil Mushroom Taco by Veggie Inspired

Easy Vegan Soups

Soups can be as hearty and as filling as any other meals or refreshing depending on the season. Boost your soups with various toppings to have a complete lunch or dinner. Below you will find ONLY delicious soup recipes that are ready in 15 minutes! 

1. Spicy Tomato Soup by The Fiery Vegetarian
2. Thai Curry Pumpkin Soup by The Lemon Bowl
3. Black Bean Soup by Intentionally Eat
4. Cold Watermelon Soup in Gazpacho Style by My Pure Plants
5. Vegetable Thai Noodle Soup by Cass Clay Cooking
6. Vegan Miso Soup by Simple Vegan Blog

Hearty Dinner Recipes

You can surely have a hearty and filling dinner even if you have only 15 minutes to prepare it. You can eat a burger, a chili, a pizza or a quesadilla. Below you will find ONLY delicious vegan recipes that are ready in 15 minutes! 

1. 15-min Loaded Sweet Potato Quesadilla by Feenin for Greens
2. 10-min Spicy Chickpea Chili by I Heart Vegetables
3. 15-min Mexican Pita Pizza by Feenin for Greens
4. 15-min Black Bean Burger by Veggie Inspired
5. 15-min Jamaican Jerk Tofu Skewers by Veggie Desserts
6. 15-min Nachos Supreme by Elke Living

UPDATED: This recipe roundup was originally posted in April 2019, but was rewritten and republished with easier and quicker recipes in March 2020.