My 15 Favorite SOS Free Vegan Recipes – Vegan Recipes

Last Updated on April 23, 2023 by admin

In our last post, we introduced you to some yummy treats and ingredients used for cooking your own SOS-free vegan meals. We also provided plenty of great juicers, spiralizers, blenders, and other cooking tools for less time in the kitchen.

Now that you have the supplies to make amazing meals, what can you cook? There are countless recipes on the Internet, but just because they’re vegan doesn’t mean they’re all SOS-free. We took all the guesswork out of prepping breakfast, lunch, and dinner with five recipes for each meal.

These are some of our favorite dishes. Even though a few of them look indulgent, all the recipes are healthy, vegan, and of course, SOS-free. With pancakes, pasta, Buddha Bowls, and more, you’ll feel like a pro chef in no time!

Breakfast

1. Sweet Potato Breakfast Toast

This yummy recipe comes courtesy of Wholesomely Elle. It’s an Instagram-worthy breakfast that’s so simple to prepare you’ll hardly believe it. Even better is that it’s a versatile dish, as you can make it in the toaster oven, air-fryer, or your standard oven.

Ingredients

Since a sweet potato is used in lieu of toast, the other ingredients are completely customizable. Here’s what you might try as toppings:

• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• Cinnamon
• Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries
• Bananas
• Ground flax seeds or hemp seeds
• Dairy-free, sugar-free yogurt
• Sunflower, cashew, almond, walnut, or pecan butter

Steps

1. If you’re using a toaster, let it warm up a bit before putting the sweet potatoes in. The potatoes should get somewhat mushy, but not completely. They also shouldn’t get too dark. It takes about 15 minutes to get to that sweet spot.
2. If you’re using an air fryer, set it to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the sweet potato in half and then let it sit in the fryer. After about 20 minutes, it should be ready.
3. If you’re using a standard oven, this too needs to warm up. The ideal cooking temperature is 400 degrees. Use a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, but don’t spray it down with anything. Cut the sweet potato in half, letting the halves brown and turn a rich orange over 20 or 22 minutes.

2. Triple Almond Energy Balls 

These Triple Almond Energy Balls from Oh She Glows would also make for a great snack or dessert. They don’t bake, but freeze, so you can make these at the beginning of the week and reach for them when that midweek slump hits.

Ingredients

Feel free to change up the ingredients so they’re more to your liking. The original recipe calls for:

• Cocoa powder, grounded pistachios, hemp hearts, and/or shredded coconut as toppings
• Water (five teaspoons)
• Almond extract (1/4 teaspoon)
• Salt substitute (1/4 teaspoon)
• Cinnamon (half a teaspoon)
• Pitted Medjool dates (half a cup)
• Raw cashews (half a cup)
• Raw almonds (one cup)

Steps

1. Grab your food processor and blend the cashews and almonds together. They should be hard and crumb-like when you’re done.
2. Repeat again with the dates. Again, keep that crumb-like texture.
3. Clean out your food processor. Next, you want to dump in your water, almond extract, Salt substitute, cinnamon, and butter. Pour water in teaspoon increments rather than all at once. The mixture should form into a dough. More water might be necessary for hard dough that’s falling apart.
4. Make a dozen dough balls. Each should be roughly the size of a golf ball.
5. Sprinkle the garnish you chose above, fully coating each ball.
6. If you want a firmer treat, an hour in the freezer will get them to the desired consistency.

3. Shamrock Breakfast Sandwich

Not all breakfasts have to be sweet, as Healthy Happy Life proves. Their Shamrock Breakfast Sandwich includes such staples as jalapeno sauce, petitas, and kale. Yes, it’s going to have a kick to it, so get your taste buds ready! This is definitely a good way to wake up your brain on a Monday morning.

Ingredients

There are three components to this dish: jalapeno mayo, kale sauté, and the patty. All are vegan, so you’ll be whipping them up from scratch with the exception of the store-bought patties. Here’s what you’ll need.

For the jalapeno mayo:

• Citrus juice or sweet green juice (a tablespoon)
• Salt substitute
• Chipotle powder
• Vegan mayonnaise (1 ½ tablespoons)

For the kale sauté:

• Finely-cut shallot (half)
• Salt substitute
• Raw pepitas (two tablespoons)
• Fine pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil substitute (half a tablespoon)
• Shredded kale (two cups)

For the patty:

• Oil substitute
• Salt substitute
• Black pepper
• Chipotle powder

Steps

1. Coat your pan with oil substitute. Toss in the shallots and let them turn brown. This should take about a minute.
2. Turn the heat up on high. Cook the seasoned vegan patty. Per side, it takes about a minute or two to brown.
3. Using a separate pan on medium heat, throw in the kale sauté. Put a lid on it to speed up the cooking time. It should only be on the stove for about a minute.
4. When the kale is done the cooking, throw in the pepitas and the vegan mayo.
5. Make your sandwiches and enjoy.

4. Vegan Pancakes

Vegan, SOS-free pancakes are rich in texture and flavor, especially when you follow this recipe from Feasting on Fruit. You’ll never want to go back to eating oil or sugar again after you taste these! They’re the perfect weekend treat.

Ingredients

The most interesting part of this recipe is how it omits rice, cashews, almonds, eggs, gluten, oil, and bananas. How do the pancakes stay together? With these ingredients:

• Vanilla extract (one teaspoon)
• Salt substitute (1/4 teaspoon)
• Baking soda (half a tablespoon)
• Baking powder (half a tablespoon)
• Maple syrup (two tablespoons)
• Lemon juice (two tablespoons)
• Non-dairy milk (half a cup)
• Oat flour (1 ¼ cup)
• Unsweetened applesauce (half a cup)

Steps

1. Essentially, you’ll make these pancakes the same way you would non-vegan ones. Mix ingredients into a blender or a bowl, stirring. You want the large lumps gone, but not all lumps.
2. Turn your skillet to medium-high. Make sure the skillet is non-stick.
3. Add a small amount of mix (about 1/3 a cup). You might have to move the pancake batter a bit on the pan since it’s not as liquid-like as standard pancake batter.
4. Let the pancake sit for about three minutes and then turn it over. Let the other side cook for just as long.

5. Vegan French Toast 

Why stop at pancakes when there’s French toast to make on a lazy weekend morning as well? This is another delicious breakfast treat, this time from Love and Lemons, that could just as easily double as a dessert. The vegan version is all about substituting out traditional Brioche bread for that which is vegan, sugar-free, and salt-free. There’s also no eggs to be found in this recipe, not even egg substitute.

Ingredients

• Fruit for the toppings (your choice)
• Sugar-free maple syrup
• Vegan butter
• Powdered sugar substitute
• Oil substitute
• Salt substitute
• Nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon)
• Cinnamon (one teaspoon)
• Sugar-free and salt-free nutritional yeast (one tablespoon)
• Millet flour or alternative flour (two tablespoons)
• Sugar-free, dairy-free milk (one cup)
• Vegan bread (six slices, the older the better)

Steps

1. Blend the salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, yeast, flour, maple syrup, and milk into a bowl.
2. Pour the above ingredients over both sides of the bread.
3. Turn on your skillet, setting it to medium-high. Use an oil substitute to get your pan slick. Put on your bread.
4. The bread should begin to brown at the edges after several minutes.
5. Repeat on the other side.
6. Top with fruit, sugar-free maple syrup, vegan butter, powdered sugar substitute, and anything else your heart desires.

Lunch

6. Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Whether you eat these mashed potatoes from Hello Nutritarian as a side dish or as a meal themselves, you’ll never crave the calorie-heavy version again. You still get all the dreamy, soft, fluffy goodness of traditional mashed potatoes thanks to a secret ingredient. Want to know what it is? Okay, we’ll tell you. It’s cauliflower sauce!

Ingredients

Besides that amazing cauliflower sauce, here’s what else you’ll need to make this simple yet satisfying dish:

• Coconut aminos or liquid aminos (two tablespoons)
• Sugar-free, salt-free nutritional yeast (half a cup)
• Raw cashews (3/4 cup)
• Unsweetened almond milk (one cup)
• Cut yellow onion (half)
• Medium cauliflower
• Large Russet potatoes (five)

Steps

1. Fill a pot almost full with water. Put the onion and cauliflower in.
2. Put on a lid and let the pot boil for several minutes. Let the pot sit until the vegetables start to turn soft.
3. Before that happens, prepare garlic and the potatoes. These go in a separate pot. They should boil until they soften, too.
4. Allow at least five minutes for both pots to cool down.
5. Grab your blender and add liquid aminos, yeast, cashews, almond milk, onion, and cauliflower.
6. Now, mash up the potatoes with the garlic. You can use a fork to do this or whatever preferred instrument you have handy.
7. Once your other ingredients have blended, pour the cauliflower sauce over the potatoes, no more than two cups. Blend the sauce into the potatoes.
8. You might have to reheat the potatoes (over low heat) for the sauce to blend, although this isn’t mandatory.

7. Baba Ghanoush 

The exotic, delicious spread from the Middle East known as Baba Ghanoush stars a vegetable familiar to all SOS-free vegans: the eggplant. Keep things salt-free and oil-free with this recipe from Straight Up Food.

Ingredients

• Ground cumin (1/4 teaspoon)
• Garlic (one clove)
• Tahini (two tablespoons)
• Cut parsley (two tablespoons)
• Lemon juice (two tablespoons)
• Purple eggplant (one-pound vegetable)

Steps

1. Turn your oven on, letting it warm up to 400 degrees.
2. Clean your eggplant and let it dry. With a knife tip, stab it a little to aerate it.
3. Move the eggplant to a baking sheet. Parchment paper isn’t necessary, but use it if you’re more comfortable.
4. Let the eggplant cook over an hour. It should wrinkle and soften.
5. After 15 minutes, chop the eggplant open. Remove all seeds and insides.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients with the cut eggplant. Put them in a food processor until they take on a creamy texture.
7. Eat your Baba Ghanoush as-is or add to a salad.

8. Vegan Thai Lemongrass Coconut Curry Soup

Here’s another exotic lunch that will take your taste buds on a vacation. This vegan Thai Lemongrass Coconut Curry Soup comes straight from Salt & Lavender, and it sure is a winner. Don’t be too surprised if everyone else at the office is jealous of your awesome lunch, let alone that you made it yourself!

Ingredients

• Cilantro
• Cut basil
• Pepper and salt substitute
• Sugar-free, dairy-free coconut milk (one can)
• Celery root
• Medium zucchini
• Medium sweet potato
• Lime juice (from half a lime)
• Thai red curry paste (three tablespoons)
• Water or salt-free vegetable broth (3.5 cups)
• Minced garlic (three cloves)
• Ginger (one teaspoon)
• Cut medium onion (half)
• Lemongrass (two tablespoons)
• Olive oil substitute (one tablespoon)

Steps

1. Use your vegetable spiralizer for the celery root, zucchini, and sweet potato.
2. Cut the onion and lemongrass by hand.
3. Grab a pot and coat it with olive oil substitute. Set it to cook at medium-high. Add your ginger, onion, and lemongrass and cook for five minutes. Make sure you stir as you go.
4. Toss in the garlic and let it sit in the pot for 30 seconds only.
5. Now mix in the lime juice, curry paste, and vegetable broth, still stirring.
6. Scoop in the celery root, zucchini, and sweet potato next. After five minutes, they should be tender.
7. Lastly, pour in your coconut milk. This should blend over five minutes.
8. You can then add seasonings like cilantro, basil, pepper, and salt substitute.

9. Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Salad Sandwich 

You can put a lot between two slices of vegan bread, as you’ll quickly find with this Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Salad Sandwich recipe from PETA. It’s got creamy avocado, satisfying chickpeas, and plenty of other zesty flavors that make this easy weekday lunch such a favorite.

Ingredients

• Vegan bread
• Pepper
• Salt substitute
• Lime juice
• Cut green onions (two tablespoons)
• Cilantro (1/4 cup)
• Avocado
• Can of chickpeas (15 ounces)

Steps

1. Grab a bowl and add your avocado and chickpeas. With a spoon or fork, mash them up.
2. Blend with lime juice, green onions, and cilantro, stirring as you go.
3. Add the pepper and salt substitute for extra flavor.
4. Assemble on your vegan bread.

10. Vegan Buddha Bowl 

Our last pick for great SOS-free vegan lunches is from Eating Well. Their vegan Buddha Bowl is rated nearly five stars. It has grains, so it’s high in fiber, yet is soy-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and SOS-free. It calls on ingredients you have around the house and could even be consumed as a light dinner.

Ingredients

• Cut parsley or cilantro (1/4 cup)
• Full cut avocado
• Can of chickpeas (15 ounces)
• Cooked quinoa (two cups)
• Minced garlic clove
• Lemon juice (one tablespoon)
• Water (two tablespoons)
• Tahini (two tablespoons)
• Ground pepper (half a teaspoon)
• Salt substitute (half a teaspoon)

Steps

1. Start by warming your oven up to 425 degrees.
2. Grab your pepper, salt substitute, and oil substitute and cover your sweet potato. Prepare a baking sheet and put the potato on it.
3. Roast the potato for 15 or 18 minutes. It should be soft but not mushy.
4. Blend the rest of the pepper, salt substitute, garlic, lemon juice, water, tahini, and oil substitute in a separate bowl.
5. Put your quinoa in yet another bowl. Add the avocado, chickpeas, roasted potato, and other ingredients on the potato. Cilantro or parsley make for a nice garnish.

Dinner

11. Fennel Burgers

Major SOS-free veganism resource Raw Till Whenever will guide you in making your first vegan burgers. These taste like your favorite patties but without any animal byproducts, and that’s all thanks to hearty garbanzo and black beans. Since the ingredients go into a blender and prep fast and quick, these burgers are ideal in a pinch. You can still be the hit of any cookout or barbeque with this five-star dish.

Ingredients

• Cut white onion (half)
• Cut bell pepper
• Paprika (half a tablespoon)
• Fennel (half a tablespoon)
• Garlic gloves (two to three)
• Water (1/4 cup)
• Oats (one cup)
• Salt-free garbanzo beans (one can)
• Salt-free black beans (one can)

Steps

1. Turn your oven on, letting it preheat. Set it to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the above ingredients into your food processor and run for about a minute.
3. Make patties. You can get eight big ones or 16 smaller ones from the above ingredients. If your patties are too moist, oats can help.
4. Grab a nonstick sheet. Put the patties on there and then let them spend 20 minutes in the oven.
5. Turn the patties over. Let them cook for at least 15 additional minutes.
6. Take them out, let them cool a little, and then assemble your burgers.

12. Red Lentil Chili 

It can be hard to stick to a SOS-free vegan diet in the winter when you want to reach for comfort foods, but hold tight. Forks Over Knives has an incredible recipe for Red Lentil Chili. This dish translates well to the warmer months, too, when you can serve it at cookouts.

Ingredients

• Parmesan substitute
• Scallions
• Crushed red pepper (1/4 teaspoon)
• Chipotle powder (half a teaspoon)
• Smoked paprika (two teaspoons)
• Salt-free chili powder (1 ½ tablespoons)
• Dried oregano (1 ½ tablespoons)
• Dried parsley (1 ½ tablespoons)
• Apple cider vinegar (four tablespoons)
• Minced garlic (eight cloves)
• Two big cut red bell peppers (one pound)
• Large cut onion (10 ounces)
• Salt-free canned tomato paste (six ounces)
• Salt-free diced tomatoes (two cans)
• Water (seven cups)
• Red lentils (one pound)
• Deglet Noor dates (two ounces)

Steps

1. Mix a cup of water with the dates in a blender until combined.
2. Grab an electric pressure cooker and warm it up until it’s on high. Pour the rest of the ingredients in. They should be done after 10 minutes.
3. Don’t have an electric pressure cooker? Use a slow cooker for eight hours. You’ll need six cups of water for this version of the recipe. You’ll also have to start it earlier in the day so it’s ready in time for dinner.

13. Curried Coconut Quinoa and Greens with Roasted Cauliflower

Whole foods blog Cookie and Kate provides us with this rich, fulfilling meal full of various flavors. This is more than just a salad. The quinoa is nutritious and filling, enough so that you might be able to go the rest of the night with the energy you get from this amazing dinner.

Ingredients

There are two parts to this dish, the curried coconut quinoa and the roasted cauliflower. Preparing the cauliflower just so is the key to this dish’s success, so we’ll break the ingredients into two parts.

For the curried coconut quinoa and greens:

• Red pepper flakes as garnish
• Chopped green onions as garnish (two)
• Kale, spinach, chard, or baby arugula (four cups)
• Apple cider vinegar (one tablespoon)
• Salt substitute (one teaspoon)
• Raisins (1/3 cup)
• Rinsed quinoa (one cup)
• Water (half a cup)
• Light, sugar-free, dairy-free coconut milk (one can)
• Ground cardamom (half a teaspoon)
• Curry powder (half a teaspoon)
• Ground turmeric (one teaspoon)
• Ground ginger (one teaspoon)
• Olive oil/coconut oil substitute (two teaspoons)

For the roasted cauliflower:

• Sea salt substitute
• Cayenne pepper (1/4 teaspoon)
• Olive oil/coconut oil substitute (two tablespoons)
• Cauliflower florets

Steps

1. Begin with your cauliflower. Let your oven warm to 425 degrees. Add sea salt substitute, cayenne pepper, and oil substitute to your cauliflower florets. Let them toast for about 30 minutes. The cauliflower edges should start to brown.
2. Now move on to the quinoa. Grab a big pot and fill it with your oil substitute so the cooking surface is slick. Let your quinoa cook, incorporating your onion after five minutes. Keep stirring the quinoa all along, mixing in the cardamom, curry powder, turmeric, and ginger in 30-second increments.
3. Now blend in the raisins, water, and coconut milk.
4. Turn the heat up so the ingredients boil, putting the lid on. After a few minutes, turn the heat down until it’s on simmer. Let it sit for another 15 minutes.
5. Using a fork, stir the quinoa until it’s light and full. Mix in the other ingredients, such as the vegetables, vinegar, and salt substitute. Add your roasted cauliflower and serve.

14. Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs

Does it get any more classic than this? If you’re trying to introduce kids with picky appetites to a vegan diet, spaghetti and meatballs is a perfect dish to make. It’s full of all the flavors everyone recognizes without all the heavy calories, carbs, and guilt that generally comes after consuming a big pasta dish. It’s easier to make than you think, too, when you follow this recipe from Whole Foods Market.

Ingredients

This is definitely a full meal, so don’t make it unless you have several hours to devote to cooking. You’ll need to prep faux Parmesan, marinara sauce, and vegan meatballs from scratch. The good news is you can use whole wheat spaghetti from a box. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for the other parts of this recipe.

For the cashew Parmesan:

• Salt substitute
• Salt-free garlic powder (1/4 teaspoons)
• Sugar-free, salt-free nutritional yeast (two tablespoons)
• Unsalted cashews (half a cup)

For the marinara sauce:

• Black pepper
• Salt substitute
• Chopped basil leaves
• Oregano (one teaspoon)
• Salt-free diced tomatoes (one can)
• Dry red wine (1/4 cup)
• Salt-free tomato paste (one tablespoon)
• Cut carrot
• Minced garlic
• Cut onion
• Olive oil substitute (half a tablespoon)

For the meatballs:

• Salt-free black pepper
• Salt substitute
• Heaped sunflower seeds (1/3 cup)
• Rolled oats (half a cup)
• Soy sauce (one teaspoon)
• Salt-free tomato paste (one tablespoon)
• Basil (one teaspoon)
• Oregano (one teaspoon)
• Cut garlic clove
• Olive oil substitute (half a tablespoon)
• Can of kidney beans (15 ounces)

Steps

1. Begin by making your spaghetti. Set it aside when it’s done.
2. If your kidney beans haven’t been rinsed yet, do so now. Then drain them. Use a fork for mashing.
3. Grab a medium pan and spread oil substitute. Put your onions on and sauté them. Let them cook over three minutes.
4. Toss in your minced garlic, leaving the onions on. Let both veggies fry on the pan for about a minute.
5. Combine the mashed beans, garlic, and onion with your oats, soy sauce, tomato paste, and spices.
6. Blend up the sunflower seeds using a food processor. They should have the consistency of meal. Combine the other ingredients with the sunflower meal. Now you have the mixture for your meatballs. Roll them up into balls. You should get between 12 or 14 of them.
7. Next, prepare your marinara sauce. Using another medium-sized pan, turn it onto medium heat. Pour some olive oil substitute over the cooking surface. Add the rest of your onions. After about three minutes of cooking, combine your carrots and garlic. These need to cook over about three minutes.
8. Now use your salt-free tomato paste, letting it heat up for two minutes. Make sure the red wine is evaporated and deglazed with some heat on the pan.
9. Next, incorporate your diced tomatoes. These need to cook for 10 minutes, but on a much lower heat setting. Put them on simmer.
10. Add your pepper, salt substitute, and oregano. Basil leaves make the sauce look pretty.
11. The meatballs should cook on medium heat in a medium-sized pan. They need oil substitute so they don’t stick. Let them get golden brown over four minutes. If you have the time, you can put them in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees instead of pan-cooking them.
12. Blend the garlic powder, salt substitute, yeast, and cashews into a food processor for the cashew Parmesan.

15. Vegan Grilled Burritos with Black Beans, Rice, Avocado, and Salsa Crema 

You don’t have to give up Taco Tuesday entirely now that you’re an SOS-free vegan. With this grilled burritos recipe courtesy of Veggies Don’t Bite, you can still enjoy rich, zesty Mexican flavors that make everyone gather around the table.

Ingredients

The salsa crema in this recipe is rich and requires its own separate batch of ingredients from the burritos. Let’s go over both separately.

For the burritos:

• Chopped cilantro as garnish
• Corn as garnish
• Salsa crema (half a cup)
• Salt substitute
• Cut avocado (half)
• Cooked black beans (3/4 cup)
• Cooked brown rice (3/4 cup)
• Gluten-free tortillas (two)

For the salsa crema:

• Lemon juice (one tablespoon)
• Raw walnuts (half a cup)
• Raw cashews (half a cup)
• Salsa (3/4 cup)
• Unsweetened cashew milk (3/4 cup)

Steps

1. Make your salsa cream first. Take all the ingredients listed in that section and put them in a blender.
2. Put beans, rice, and salt substitute in a tortilla. Don’t forget your avocado!
3. Make a burrito using the tortilla.
4. Turn your frying pan on medium-low and place your burrito. Over the next five minutes, it should turn a dark brown. Here’s another test for doneness: the burrito will come off without sticking when it’s ready.
5. Turn the burrito on the other side and cook it for five minutes.
6. Add your salsa crema, cilantro, corn, and other garnishes.

Conclusion

If you weren’t convinced before, these recipes prove that SOS-free vegan cooking has all the flavor and taste of traditional non-vegan meals. You won’t even notice what you’re missing, which is sugar, salt, oil, calories, carbs, and other not-so-good-for-you stuff. You could even convince friends or family to get on board, too!