By Ela on | 14 Comments. This post may contain affiliate links*. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
These 14 vegan dinner recipes use simple pantry ingredients and are easy to make. All of these vegan meals don’t require fresh produce, they are plant-based (egg-free, dairy-free), and gluten-free.
Especially during uncertain times, it’s super helpful, to have a list of recipes on hand that use pantry staples! Most of these quarantine meals are also inexpensive as they use ingredients like beans, lentils, potatoes, rice, pasta, canned tomatoes, etc. Many of the vegan dishes can be frozen and a lot of them are also perfect for meal prep. I hope you will find these easy vegan recipes helpful!
Pantry Staples
Lately, I received a lot of messages from my followers on Instagram, asking me to share simple vegan dinner recipes that can be made from ingredients that you usually store in your pantry or cupboard. Below you will find a list of pantry ingredients I stocked up for the next 14 days:
- Beans – I bought different dried beans like kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, and also dried chickpeas and peas. I prefer cooking legumes in my Instant Pot, and in my opinion, it’s also healthier to use dried beans/chickpeas/peas than canned legumes. However, I also stocked up on cans, because they can be stored for so long. Also, if the power should go out (not unlikely in times of crisis) or if the gas bottle is empty, there is still something to eat for emergencies.
- Lentils – Lentils are a staple ingredient in our home. I love that lentils cook much faster than dried beans, yet they also contain healthy plant-based proteins. You can find a lot of lentil recipes on my blog which I will share with you further below.
- Rice – Rice is also a staple ingredient. As mentioned in other blog posts, my favorite rice is Jasmine rice and Basmati rice because of the shorter cooking time.
- Potatoes – I love potatoes and use them in many of my dinner recipes. They are so versatile, as they can be cooked, fried, mashed, and they are simply delicious. In cooler regions, potatoes can be stored in the basem*nt for several months without any problems.
- Pasta – I prefer gluten-free pasta like quinoa pasta, rice noodles, chickpea pasta, etc. However, you can always use regular wheat pasta if you aren’t a celiac. Also, if you are on a tight budget, regular pasta has an advantage, since it’s often much cheaper than gluten-free pasta.
- Vegetables – Some examples are canned or frozen corn, mushrooms, carrots, olives, tomatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower. (PS: I know, not all of them are vegetables).
- Tomato sauce/paste – I always make sure to also have tomato sauce (e.g. marinara sauce, passata, salsa, crushed tomatoes) and tomato paste in my pantry.
- Nuts and seeds – The following nuts and seeds are quite common in my pantry as I love to snack on them or use them for baking: Shredded unsweetened coconut (my pet chicken Erna also loves everything with coconut), almonds, peanuts (and peanut butter), cashews, sunflower seeds, walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds.
- Other vegan pantry staples – Coconut oil, olive oil, rice flour, chickpea flour, tapioca flour, cornstarch, oats, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and other spices (cumin, curry, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, paprika, smoked paprika), coconut sugar, maple syrup, raisins, dates, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, baking powder, and baking soda.
Finally, an important tip: I also store/use fresh ginger, turmeric, and garlic in large quantities to strengthen my immune system.
Do you want more tips for stocking and organizing your vegan kitchen, then check out this helpful article about vegan kitchen essentials.
Quarantine Vegan Dinner Recipes
If you are in quarantine right now, you won’t be able to stock up on fresh vegetables. If you happen to have canned veggies or frozen veggies, simply use them instead, if a recipe calls for fresh produce. Click on each picture to get straight to the recipe.
1. Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
You can use canned or dried mushrooms instead of fresh ones.
2. Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
3. Easy Lentil Stew
Also, for this recipe, you can use canned or dried mushrooms instead of fresh ones.
4. Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Taquitos
5. Easy Sweet Potato Curry
You can use frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach and canned sweet potato if you don’t have access to fresh sweet potato.
6. Vegan White Bean Soup
Use frozen or canned carrot and celery if you don’t have fresh veggies.
7. Vegan Meatballs Over Mashed Potatoes
8. Vegan Broccoli Risotto
Use frozen broccoli if you don’t have fresh broccoli.
9. Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Use frozen or canned carrot and celery if you don’t have fresh veggies.
10. Spanish Rice And Beans
Use frozen or canned bell pepper if you don’t have fresh veggies or skip it.
11.Red Lentil Dahl
Use frozen or canned carrot and bell pepper if you don’t have fresh veggies.
12. Vegan Pumpkin Pasta Bake
You can use canned pumpkin instead of fresh pumpkin.
13. Chili Sin Carne
14. Easy Veggie Stew
Use frozen or canned carrot and celery if you don’t have fresh vegetables.
I hope you will give some of these easy vegan dinner recipes a try! Please comment below which one you liked, maybe you already made it before. Also, don’t forget to tag me on your Instagram or Facebook post with #elavegan and use @elavegan.
IF YOU ARE USING PINTEREST, FEEL FREE TO PIN THE FOLLOWING PHOTO:
