All About Greens · Vegan Recipes

Budget Vegan Dinners For Beginners

Vegan eating can be genuinely affordable. These budget-friendly plant-based dinners - all for beginners rely on cheap, filling staples - lentils, beans, pasta, root vegetables - to deliver maximum satisfaction for minimum spend.

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What You'll Find Here

Uses everyday supermarket ingredients - no specialist shops required
No meat, dairy or eggs - fully vegan and family-friendly
Recipes link to full instructions, prep times and serving sizes

119 recipes - all adapted for British kitchens with gram measurements and °C temperatures.

Creamy Coconut Chickpea Curry Serves 4 · 35 min #chickpea#coconut#curry Lentil Bolognese Serves 4 · 55 min #lentil#tomato#pasta Vegan Thai Green Curry Serves 4 · 35 min #coconut#tofu#lemongrass Vegan Mac and Cheese Serves 4 · 30 min #pasta#cashew-free#potato Smoky BBQ Jackfruit Burgers Serves 4 · 40 min #jackfruit#barbecue#burger Miso Glazed Aubergine (Nasu Dengaku) Serves 2 · 25 min #aubergine#miso#rice Vegan Pad Thai Serves 2 · 25 min #rice noodle#tofu#tamarind Creamy Tomato Pasta Serves 4 · 20 min #pasta#tomato#cashew-free Tofu Katsu Curry Serves 2 · 40 min #tofu#panko#curry sauce Mushroom Stroganoff Serves 4 · 30 min #mushroom#creamy#paprika Vegan Fish and Chips Serves 2 · 50 min #tofu#battered#chips Tofu Scramble Serves 2 · 15 min #tofu#kala namak#brunch Vegan Pesto Serves 1 jar (≈250 g) · 10 min #basil#nutritional yeast#pasta Vegan Béchamel Serves 750 ml · 15 min #white sauce#lasagne#soy Vegan Caesar Dressing Serves 1 jar (≈250 ml) · 10 min #cashew#caper#garlic Vegan Spaghetti Carbonara Serves 4 · 30 min #pasta#cashew#smoky Vegan Miso Soup Serves 2 · 10 min #miso#tofu#wakame Vegan Black Bean Burgers Serves 4 · 35 min #burger#black bean#smoky Vegan Pizza Margherita Serves 2 pizzas · 90 min #pizza#tomato#basil Vegan Tikka Masala Serves 4 · 50 min #tofu#tomato#cream Black Bean Tacos Serves 4 · 22 min #black-bean#taco#avocado Pea and Mint Risotto Serves 4 · 35 min #pea#mint#risotto Sweet Potato and Black Bean Curry Serves 4 · 40 min #sweet-potato#black-bean#curry Tempeh Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce Serves 2 · 25 min #tempeh#peanut#stir-fry Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew Serves 4 · 40 min #chickpea#sweet-potato#Moroccan Tofu Teriyaki with Steamed Greens Serves 2 · 30 min #tofu#teriyaki#japanese Red Lentil Dhal Serves 4 · 30 min #lentil#dhal#spiced Butter Beans in Smoky Tomato Sauce Serves 2 · 25 min #butter-bean#tomato#smoky Courgette and Pea Pasta Serves 2 · 20 min #courgette#pea#pasta Saag Tofu (Spinach Curry) Serves 4 · 35 min #spinach#tofu#curry Harissa Aubergine Pasta Serves 2 · 40 min #aubergine#harissa#pasta One-Pot Spiced Rice with Chickpeas Serves 4 · 35 min #rice#chickpea#spiced Creamy Spinach Pasta Serves 2 · 20 min #spinach#cream#pasta White Bean and Kale Stew Serves 4 · 40 min #white-bean#kale#Tuscan Mushroom and Walnut Bolognese Serves 4 · 50 min #mushroom#walnut#pasta Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry Serves 4 · 45 min #cauliflower#chickpea#curry Broccoli and Cashew Stir-Fry Serves 2 · 17 min #broccoli#cashew#stir-fry Kimchi Fried Rice Serves 2 · 20 min #kimchi#rice#Korean Vegan Nasi Goreng Serves 2 · 20 min #rice#Indonesian#fried-rice Roasted Red Pepper Soup Serves 4 · 35 min #pepper#roasted#soup Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Serves 4 · 45 min #squash#butternut#soup Pea and Mint Soup Serves 4 · 15 min #pea#mint#soup Vegan Tom Yum Soup Serves 4 · 25 min #tom-yum#Thai#mushroom Cream of Mushroom Soup Serves 4 · 40 min #mushroom#cream#soup Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup Serves 4 · 35 min #sweet-potato#ginger#soup Roasted Tomato Soup Serves 4 · 55 min #tomato#roasted#soup Vegan Corn Chowder Serves 4 · 35 min #corn#chowder#creamy Vegan Mulligatawny Serves 4 · 40 min #lentil#apple#curry Borlotti Bean Minestrone Serves 6 · 55 min #borlotti#minestrone#pasta Vegan Cottage Pie Serves 6 · 80 min #lentil#potato#mash Spinach and Chickpea Curry Serves 4 · 30 min #spinach#chickpea#curry Creamy Vegan Coleslaw Serves 6 · 10 min #coleslaw#cabbage#carrot Crispy Smashed Potatoes Serves 4 · 50 min #potato#crispy#side Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Serves 4 · 17 min #asparagus#roasted#spring Cavolo Nero with Garlic and Chilli Serves 4 · 15 min #cavolo-nero#kale#garlic Honey-Roasted Root Vegetables Serves 6 · 55 min #root-veg#roasted#honey Crispy Spiced Chickpeas Serves 4 · 30 min #chickpea#crispy#snack Green Beans with Toasted Almonds Serves 4 · 13 min #green-beans#almond#French Spiced Red Lentil and Rice Pilaf Serves 4 · 40 min #lentil#rice#pilaf Sautéed Tenderstem Broccoli with Chilli Serves 4 · 13 min #tenderstem#broccoli#chilli Roasted Garlic Potatoes Serves 6 · 65 min #potato#garlic#roasted Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Serves 6 · 45 min #mac-and-cheese#cauliflower#pasta Roasted Carrot and Puy Lentil Salad Serves 4 · 40 min #carrot#lentil#roasted Lentil and Walnut Salad with Herbs Serves 4 · 35 min #lentil#walnut#herb Warm Spinach Salad with Mushrooms Serves 4 · 17 min #spinach#mushroom#warm Cucumber and Dill Salad Serves 4 · 10 min #cucumber#dill#Scandinavian Artichoke Heart and Olive Salad Serves 4 · 10 min #artichoke#olive#Greek Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding Serves 2 · 5 min #chia#pudding#overnight Crunchy Vegan Granola Serves 10 · 35 min #granola#oats#honey Baked Oats Serves 1 · 25 min #oats#baked#banana Green Smoothie Bowl Serves 1 · 5 min #smoothie#bowl#green Porridge with Berry Compote Serves 2 · 15 min #porridge#oats#berry Açaí Bowl Serves 1 · 5 min #acai#smoothie#bowl Savoury Oatmeal with Avocado Serves 1 · 13 min #oats#savoury#avocado Coconut Yoghurt Parfait Serves 2 · 5 min #yoghurt#parfait#granola Overnight Oats with Peanut Butter Serves 1 · 5 min #overnight-oats#peanut-butter#banana Vegan Cheese Crackers Serves 40 · 25 min #cracker#cheese#nutritional-yeast Vegan Chapati Serves 8 · 25 min #chapati#Indian#flatbread Coconut Rice Pudding Serves 4 · 40 min #rice-pudding#coconut#winter Romesco Sauce Serves 8 · 35 min #romesco#pepper#almond Miso Ginger Sauce Serves 4 · 5 min #miso#ginger#Japanese Italian Salsa Verde Serves 6 · 10 min #salsa-verde#herb#Italian Teriyaki Sauce Serves 8 · 7 min #teriyaki#Japanese#sweet Vegan Aioli Serves 8 · 5 min #aioli#garlic#Spanish Tahini Sauce Serves 6 · 5 min #tahini#sesame#Middle Eastern Peanut Dipping Sauce Serves 4 · 5 min #peanut#Thai#satay Vegan Cheese Sauce Serves 4 · 15 min #cheese-sauce#nutritional-yeast#creamy Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette Serves 8 · 3 min #balsamic#vinaigrette#dressing Miso Sesame Dressing Serves 6 · 3 min #miso#sesame#Japanese Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing Serves 8 · 3 min #honey-mustard#dressing#creamy Creamy Avocado Dressing Serves 6 · 5 min #avocado#lime#creamy Orange Tahini Dressing Serves 6 · 3 min #tahini#orange#citrus Ginger Soy Dressing Serves 6 · 3 min #ginger#soy#Asian Kale Chips Serves 2 · 20 min #kale#chips#crispy Perfect Guacamole Serves 4 · 10 min #guacamole#avocado#Mexican Vegan Quesadillas Serves 4 · 20 min #quesadilla#Mexican#cheese Edamame with Flaky Sea Salt Serves 2 · 7 min #edamame#Japanese#quick Cucumber Rolls with Hummus Serves 4 · 15 min #cucumber#hummus#wrap Golden Milk Latte Serves 1 · 8 min #golden-milk#turmeric#latte Matcha Latte Serves 1 · 3 min #matcha#green-tea#latte Vegan Hot Chocolate Serves 1 · 7 min #hot-chocolate#cocoa#warming Turmeric Ginger Wellness Shot Serves 4 · 5 min #wellness#shot#turmeric Green Detox Juice Serves 2 · 5 min #green#juice#detox Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Serves 2 · 2 min #strawberry#smoothie#banana Raspberry and Banana Smoothie Serves 2 · 2 min #raspberry#banana#smoothie Masala Chai Latte Serves 2 · 15 min #chai#latte#spiced Beetroot and Apple Juice Serves 2 · 5 min #beetroot#apple#juice Peanut Butter Banana Shake Serves 1 · 3 min #peanut-butter#banana#shake Lemon and Ginger Tea Serves 2 · 10 min #lemon#ginger#tea Tahini and Date Smoothie Serves 1 · 3 min #tahini#date#smoothie Black Olive Tapenade Serves 8 · 5 min #tapenade#olive#French Oaty Porridge (Three Ways) Serves 2 · 15 min #oats#porridge#plant milk Oaty Pots - Overnight Oats Serves 1 · 5 min #oats#overnight oats#meal prep All About Greens Smoothie Serves 2 · 5 min #smoothie#spinach#banana Curried Chickpeas Serves 2 · 10 min #chickpeas#curry#salad Curried Lentil Soup Serves 4 · 60 min #lentil#soup#curry No Egg Mayonnaise Serves 2 · 10 min #tofu#mayo#egg alternative Tomato Pasta Bake Serves 4 · 35 min #pasta#tomato#bake Creamy Carbonara Serves 4 · 30 min #pasta#tempeh bacon#ZenB

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are these vegan dinners really budget? +

Yes - every recipe has been tested and filtered specifically for this collection. All are genuinely accessible for home cooks.

What are the cheapest vegan protein sources? +

Dried lentils (~50p per 100g dry), canned chickpeas (~60p per tin), frozen edamame (~£1.50 per 500g) and frozen peas are the best value. Tofu varies but firm tofu at around £1.50 per 280g block competes well with meat prices per gram of protein.

Do I need to be a confident cook to make these? +

Most recipes on this list are suitable for home cooks with basic skills. Each has a prep time listed - if you're a beginner, start with recipes under 30 minutes that have fewer than 10 ingredients.

Ready to cook with real confidence?

The Cook Like A Pro course covers plant-based cooking from the ground up - knife skills, sauces, protein sources and weeknight meal planning. Step-by-step video lessons you can follow at your own pace.

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