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As the sun shines brighter and the days grow warmer, it’s the perfect time to embrace refreshing and light meals. Summer calls for dishes that are not only delicious but also easy to prepare and packed with nutrition. Imagine enjoying a cool, creamy coleslaw at a weekend picnic, or savoring a vibrant potato salad during a family lunch. These vegan summer dishes are ideal for hot weather, offering a delightful mix of flavors and textures that are sure to impress.
Read more: 15 Vegan Picnic Recipes
These vegan summer recipes are all about simplicity and freshness. They are quick to prepare, making them perfect for those busy summer days when you want to spend more time outdoors and less time in the kitchen. Plus, they are incredibly versatile, allowing you to customize them to suit your taste and dietary preferences. The ease of preparation and the use of fresh, wholesome ingredients make them a fantastic choice for anyone wanting to eat well without the hassle.
Read more: 15 High Protein Vegan Lunch Ideas
10 summer recipes
These 10 summer recipes are perfect for keeping your meals light, fresh, and full of flavor. Whether you’re preparing for a picnic, a family gathering, or just need a quick and healthy dish, these vegan options have you covered. Dive into the season with these easy and delightful recipes that are sure to make your summer cooking a breeze.
Vegan coleslaw
Up first on this list is a classic summer dish, well-loved and often on the table for your barbecue, picnic, or Sunday lunch. This vegan coleslaw recipe was made for hot summers. It’s oil-free, completely plant-based, and made with a homemade vegan mayo. The dish comes from Clean Food Dirty Girl and is one you need to try.
Find the recipe here.
Cheese and tomato quiche
What’s more exciting than a completely vegan quiche? Perhaps one that’s also very tasty and easy to make. This recipe is from Viva’s Vegan Recipe Club and is a great addition to summer lunches. Despite what you may think, this quiche doesn’t take long to put together at all. In fact, it takes 60 minutes in total to create this yummy vegan cheese, tomato, onion, and broccoli quiche. The trick to this recipe is the use of firm tofu in the filling for that perfect texture.
Find the recipe here.
Oil-free potato salad
Another summer staple is the beloved potato salad. This oil-free recipe is also from Clean Food Dirty Girl. While there are plenty of plant-based potato salad recipes out there these days, this one is a little different. Using onion, parsley, and dill with red potatoes and topped with a homemade cashew dressing, you’re sure to delight in its fresh flavors.
Find the recipe here.
Vegan Caesar pasta salad
Elevating the classic Caesar salad with pasta is a genius way to get a more satisfying meal. What’s more, you can still enjoy all the flavors of the classic with completely plant-based ingredients. That’s what Rebecca Hincke does in this recipe. Pasta salad is a clear winner for summer lunches, and this vegan Caesar pasta salad has all the elements for a tasty meal. The dish includes vegan bacon, almond Parmesan, garlic croutons, lettuce, and a flavor-packed dressing to tie it all together.
Find the recipe here.
Easy 3 bean salad
As the title suggests, this recipe from Dreena Burton is an incredibly easy-to-make three-bean salad. It’s a bit different from regular three-bean salads, mainly because it swaps green beans for chickpeas, and uses green onions rather than regular onions. This elevates the flavor along with the bell pepper, chunks of sweet and crunchy apple, and the tangy dressing. Plus, you get a protein kick from the kidney beans, black beans, and chickpeas. Definitely give this a try as a side for lunch, or bring it along to potlucks and BBQs.
Find the recipe here.
Vegan bean, orzo, and pesto salad
From PlantBaes comes the delightful bean, orzo, and pesto salad made for meal prepping. Filled with fresh flavors and nutritious vegan ingredients, this dish is packed with plant protein and is full of veggies. The recipe gives you instructions on how to make your very own pesto rosso, and the ingredients are simple and easy to source. It’s a simple combination of butter beans, orzo, broccoli, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and plant-based feta (with some extras).
Find the recipe here.
Vegan peach pasta
This peach pasta salad recipe is a real treat and would make for an excellent side dish for cookouts. It’s also perfectly good to pack for lunch at work or school. It’s filled with spirally cavatappi pasta, chickpeas, arugula, donut peaches, shallots, avo, cherry tomatoes, and lots of herbs, spices, and condiments. You should definitely give this recipe from Munchmeals by Janet a try this summer. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and savory.
Find the recipe here.
Vegan-friendly halloumi salad
BOSH! has made a punchy and robust Halloumi salad with plant-based halloumi made from firm tofu. Innovation is key when making vegan alternatives, so of course, you can make your tofu taste like cheese simply by marinating and cooking it in the oven. The salad is the easy part. You’ll fry some onions, red peppers, and tomatoes before adding hearty pearly barley to the mixture. That will make a tasty salad you can serve warm or cold.
Find the recipe here.
Gluten-free asparagus quiche
This gluten-free quiche comes from The Garden Party, and it’s not only aesthetically pleasing but tasty, too. This vegan quiche is made with a quinoa crust and is filled with silken tofu, asparagus, nutritional yeast, peas, artichoke hearts, and more. It’s garnished prettily with asparagus spears and slices of artichoke and topped with slices of lemon and sprouts.
Find the recipe here.
High protein couscous salad jar
The last recipe on this list is another salad jar recipe that’s perfect for meal prep. It’s made with bouncy pearl couscous, crisp baked tofu, cucumber, red pepper, sun-dried tomato, and an easy-to-make dressing. The recipe comes from FitGreenMind and is ideal for quick meals on the go. These salad jars can be stored for up to three days and don’t require much prep beyond cooking the tofu and couscous and chopping veggies.
Find the recipe here.
Read more: 10 Quick Vegan Lunches
