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Merle O’Neal, known for her fun and accessible plant-based content on YouTube, recently shared a video showcasing three viral high-protein vegan dinners trending on TikTok.
Beyond just taste-testing, O’Neal highlights how these dinners often rely on staple vegan ingredients like beans, cashews, and nutritional yeast. These pantry-friendly items can form the base of hearty meals while offering a wide range of nutrients. The recipes she covers include a protein-packed butter chickpea curry, a roasted zucchini and bean bowl with creamy cashew sauce, and a sticky lemon pepper tofu dish – all of which showcase how easy it can be to build a high-protein vegan plate with simple swaps and smart layering of ingredients.
Read more: ‘I Tried TikTok’s Viral High-Protein Vegan Meals’
Butter chickpea curry with silken tofu
The first recipe comes from Soph’s Plant Kitchen and offers a creative spin on butter chicken by replacing the meat and cream with chickpeas and a silken tofu-cashew blend. It uses turmeric, garam masala, cumin, and coriander to bring warmth, while nutritional yeast adds depth and protein.
Instead of coconut milk, the sauce is made from blended tofu and soaked cashews – both of which add texture and protein. Chickpeas serve as the main protein source, making the dish suitable for meal prep and a filling dinner option.
While O’Neal admits the flavor deviates from traditional Indian curry, she’s still impressed. “It doesn’t taste perfectly authentic, but it still tastes really good,” she says. “It’s a clever way to pack a lot of protein into something that’s already delicious.” She rates the dish 8.5 out of 10.
Read more: ‘I Tried The Viral Tofu Pancakes With 30g Of Protein’
Creamy zucchini and bean bowl
The second meal, also from Soph’s Plant Kitchen, features roasted zucchini and great northern beans smothered in a garlic cashew cream. Originally designed to include butter beans, O’Neal swaps them out due to a cooking mishap, noting that canned options are sometimes the easier route. The zucchini is roasted with garlic and olive oil until caramelized, then mixed with beans and a tangy cream made from cashews, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast.
O’Neal praises the volume and elegance of the dish: “This feels elant – I feel like I’m in Bridgerton.” She adds that it’s ideal for dipping fresh sourdough and calls it “zucchini beanie delight.” It earns a 9.5 rating for flavor and ease.
Sticky lemon pepper tofu
The final recipe is a viral sticky lemon pepper tofu from Giuseppe Federici. She seasons and fries tofu cubes in olive oil, then coats them in a sticky sauce made from lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce, and maple syrup.
The dish is flavorful, crispy, and satisfying. While she doesn’t typically prefer fried tofu, O’Neal finds it surprisingly appealing. “This would be really good for people who don’t like tofu but want to use it as a plant-based protein source,” she says. The tofu gets an 8.7 for flavor and presentation.
You can find more plant-based recipes on the Merle O’Neal YouTube channel.
