Go-To Vegan Summer Recipes - Easy & Tasty Vegan Recipes
We asked our favourite plant-based foodies (including the BOSH boys and Deliciously Ella) to send us their go-to vegan summer meals, and this is what they gave us – we can't wait to try them all out! These easy vegan recipes for summer are ideal for delicious and ethical eating! Happy summer feasting everyone.
BOSH – Tropical Overnight Oats
Photograph by Lizzie Mayson
We’re hyped to share our Tropical Overnight Oats recipe with our friends at Immaculate Vegan from our latest book Healthy Vegan. It’s super tasty, filling and the perfect vegan breakfast for summer mornings.
Ingredients – Serves 2
100g rolled oats
10g almonds (skin on)
10g cashews
5g flaked coconut
20g dried fruit
250ml unsweetened plant-based milk
A pinch of salt
1 medium mango
1 lime
200g unsweetened plant-based yoghurt
A small handful of fresh mint leaves
½ tbsp flaxseeds
1 passionfruit
Directions
- The night before you want to eat your Tropical Overnight Oats, preheat the oven to 180°C, and place the oats, almonds, cashews and flaked coconut on a baking tray (keeping them separate) and bake in the oven for 5 minutes, until golden brown (be careful they don’t burn).
- Place the oats and dried fruit in an airtight container, pour in the milk and add the salt. Stir everything together, put the lid on and put the container in the fridge. Roughly chop the toasted nuts and put them in a separate container along with the flaked coconut. Put the lid on and set to one side.
- Slice the mango lengthways down either side of the stone, spoon out the flesh, cut the mango into bite-sized chunks and put the chunks in a container. Zest the lime into the container. Put the lid on the container and put the container in the fridge.
- The following morning layer the overnight oats, nuts, chopped fruit, yoghurt, mint leaves and flaxseeds. Halve the passionfruit. Serve the oats immediately, with the passionfruit halves.
Deliciously Ella – Spiced Potato Cakes
I've chosen these spiced potato cakes as they're the perfect vegan summer meal to make ahead of time and cook later. They make a delicious dinner served with rocket and hummus on the side, or even as a brunch dish with garlic baked tomatoes, sautéed spinach and smashed avocado.
Ingredients – Makes 8 cakes
750g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and quarteredDirections
- Place the potatoes into a saucepan of water with a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes until cooked. Once cooked, drain and leave to cool.
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once warm, add the chili and garlic and cook for a minute or so. Add the cumin, paprika, turmeric and cayenne pepper and sizzle for 30 seconds, then take off the heat.
- Once the potatoes have cooled, mash them in a bowl. Once mashed, add the spice and garlic mixture, chopped coriander, plain flour, lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash again until the mixture comes together.
- Shape the mixture into 8 patties.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan setting.
- Place a pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once warm, pan fry the patties on both sides for about a minute, until golden, then place onto a baking tray.
- Drizzle with a little more olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes, turning halfway, until they are golden brown.
Rainbow Plant Life – Crispy Sesame Tofu and Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
I love lettuce wraps in the summer, and these are light yet satisfying: made with chewy, crispy protein-packed tofu, meaty oyster mushrooms, rice noodles, and an addictively good almond-sesame sauce! A great vegan summer salad.
Ingredients – Serves 4
Tofu and Mushrooms
1 (14- or 16-ounce / 400-454g) block of extra-firm tofuSpicy Almond-Sesame Sauce
4 tablespoons smooth, creamy almond butterGarnishes: chopped cilantro (coriander), chopped chives or scallions, and sesame seeds
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (so the tofu and mushrooms don’t stick to the pan).
- Drain the tofu and press it (how to press tofu instructions are in the blog post under the section “How to make crispy sesame tofu and mushrooms”).
- Prepare the tofu. Once pressed, chop the tofu into small cubes. Place tofu cubes in a medium or large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the neutral-flavoured oil, the 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, the 1 tablespoon tamari, and 2 pinches of kosher salt. Toss to combine. Then add the arrowroot powder, panko, and sesame seeds. Gently toss to combine, using a spoon or your hands. Spread the tofu out in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.
- Prepare the mushrooms. Clean off the oyster mushrooms them with a damp towel. Then, slice of the tough woody ends. Use your hands to separate the bunches into individual mushrooms; for large mushrooms, slice them in half. Add the mushrooms to the same bowl used for the tofu; toss with the remaining 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons neutral-flavorued oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms on another lined baking sheet.
- Bake the tofu and mushrooms. Bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes until crispy and browned, tossing halfway through. Bake the mushrooms until the bottom side is blistered and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip each of the mushrooms; return the sheet to the oven until the other side is golden, another 15 minutes.
- While the tofu and mushrooms are baking, cook the rice noodles according to the package. When they are done cooking, drain the noodles.
- You can serve the noodles whole, but for ease of eating, I like to use scissors to cut the noodles into bite-sized pieces.
- While the tofu and mushrooms are baking, make the Spicy Almond-Sesame Sauce. Add the almond butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 25 seconds to help loosen it up. Then add the remaining ingredients except for the water and whisk well to combine. Then, stream in the water and whisk to thin out the sauce until pourable but still thick.
- Assemble the lettuce wraps: Separate the lettuce leaves. Spoon a small amount of the cooked rice noodles on top, followed by the baked tofu and mushrooms. Spoon the sauce on top. Repeat with remaining lettuce and fillings.
Recipe Notes
* If gluten-free, use rice vinegar instead of black vinegar, which contains grains. Also confirm that your rice vinegar contains only rice, not other grains (some varieties do).The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook by Nisha Vora is out now.
Anna Jones – Flatbreads and a Spoon Salad
Photograph by Matt Russel
The part of east London I live in is full of Turkish cafés. They turn out charcoal-baked flatbreads and insanely good salads, and although meat is front and centre in Turkish food, there are some amazing vegan meals too.
Here is a quick way to make my two favourites at home. Amazing, fluffy, quick Turkish flatbreads from the frying pan, topped with caramel onions and smoky red peppers, and my favourite ever vegan salad recipe – sometimes called ezme salad, but I prefer its other name: spoon salad.
I use Turkish chilli here, which has a milder flavour, somewhere between a chilli and a red pepper, but if you can’t get your hands on it you can use regular dried chilli flakes, more sparingly. Similarly, if you can’t get pomegranate molasses a 50:50 mixture of good balsamic and agave syrup or maple syrup will do.
If you are in a hurry, this topping can be used to top ready-made pittas or flatbreads, which will save a lot of time.
Ingredients – Serves 4
For the flatbreads
200g spelt flour, plus extra for dusting 1 teaspoon baking powder
150ml warm water
For the topping
2 red onions3 red peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried Turkish chilli flakes (see introduction)
1 green chilli
A small bunch of fresh mint
For the salad
1 red onion
1 lemon
5 ripe vine tomatoes
A small bunch of fresh mint
A small bunch of fresh parsley
1 tablespoon sumac
1 teaspoon harissa or Turkish Chilli paste
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
Extra virgin oilive oil
Directions
- Get all your ingredients together. Put all the flatbread ingredients into the bowl of your food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. If you don’t have a food processor, this can be done in a bowl using a fork to begin with, followed by your hands, but it will take a little longer.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour and tip out the dough. Knead for a minute or so to bring it all together. This is a quick flatbread recipe, so you don’t need to knead it for long. Put the dough into a flour-dusted bowl and cover with a plate. Put to one side to rise a little for 10–15 minutes while you do some other jobs. Don’t expect it to rise like normal dough, but it may puff up a tiny bit.
- To make the topping, heat a frying pan on a medium heat, then finely chop your onions and red peppers and put them into the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft and sweet, then add the dried chilli. Chop the fresh green chilli and mint and add to the pan along with a final tablespoon of oil. Stir, then take off the heat and season well. Next, make your salad. Finely slice the onion and put into a bowl with the juice of half a lemon and a good pinch of salt. Scrunch with your hands, then leave to pickle.
- Chop the tomatoes roughly, then roughly chop the leaves of the fresh herbs. Put them into a bowl with the spices and the pomegranate molasses and add the lemon-pickled red onions. Season well with salt and pepper and add a little more lemon juice and a good drizzle of olive oil, balancing out the flavours until it tastes great.
- Now back to the flatbreads. Put a large frying pan or griddle pan (about 22–24cm) on a medium heat. Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour, then divide the dough into four equal-sized pieces. Using your hands, pat and flatten out the dough, then use the rolling pin to roll each piece into about a 20cm round, roughly 2–3mm thick.
- Once your pan is hot, cook each flatbread for 1–2 minutes on each side, until nicely puffed up, turning with tongs.
- Spread with the onion and chilli mixture while hot, and serve straight away with spoonfuls of salad.
From A Modern Way to Cook by Anna Jones
Nutrition Stripped – BBQ Tempeh Nourish Bowl
Maybe it’s because I’m born and raised in the midwest and our summers in Ohio were filled with sweet BBQ, corn on the cob, and cucumber salads, but there’s something about this nourish bowl's flavour and texture combination that’s so delicious!
This vegan meal bowl contains all 5 elements of my Foundational Five formula — non-starchy carbohydrates, starchy carbohydrates, healthy fat, protein, and the flavour factor. Eating in this way supports your physical body on a cellular level, ensuring you’re consuming the nutrients you need to have a sharp focus, calm digestion, lasting energy, sound sleep, and vibrant long-term health.
Ingredients
For the Vegan Salad Dressing
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°. Arrange 1 large sheet of heavy-duty aluminium foil on your counter. Place 2 sweet potatoes in the centre and fold over, crimping each side to create a “packet” for your potatoes.
- Place aluminium-wrapped potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until completely tender, about 1.5 hours. Set aside.
- Lightly oil a second baking sheet. Lightly toss sliced tempeh in your favorite BBQ sauce until evenly coated. Roast tempeh in the oven, along with sweet potatoes until sauce begins to caramelize and tempeh is heated through, about 20 minutes.
- In a medium nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add fresh or frozen corn and saute until corn begins to char around the edges and is tender. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
To Make The Vegan Salad Dressing
In a container with a resealable lid, combine shallot, garlic, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, water, mustard and olive oil. Seal container tightly and shake vigorously until ingredients are well combined and emulsified. Store dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week. After storing, shake dressing before each use to emulsify.
Salad Assembly
In a large mixing bowl, add sliced cucumbers, sauteed corn and sliced green onions. Drizzle in your preferred amount of dressing and gently toss to combine. Enjoy!
Klara's Life – Split Pea Hummus
I have included this delicious and creamy split pea hummus recipe, because it's a great vegan summer dish to enjoy outside for a picnic with friends. It´s ideal for tasty sandwiches with lots of herbs, or you can enjoy it with healthy vegetable sticks and some crackers.
Ingredients
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp of olive oil
pepper and salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 clove of garlic
Chopped almonds
Chopped herbs
Directions
- Put all ingredients in a blender with 2-3 tablespoons of cooking water and mix to a creamy consistency. Depending on the desired creaminess, lemon juice or olive oil can be added.
- Season with salt and pepper. I like to serve it with fresh herbs such as coriander or parsley, chopped nuts, bread, crackers and crispy seasonal vegetables. It's also delicious in sandwiches.
Rebel Recipes – Sticky Aubergine & Courgette Puttanesca with Roast Cauliflower
I’ve chosen this vegal meal recipe as it’s packed with beautiful summery flavours that I hope will invoke those same fond summer memories. An abundance of summer vegetables, six to be precise, enveloped in a deep and rich tomato sauce that coats each morsel perfectly. Inside you’ll be digging for the hidden olives and tasting the salty tang of capers on the back of your palate finished with a warm hint of chilli.
Ingredients
Roast Cauliflower
1 medium cauliflower cut into florets1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch sea salt
Aubergine & Courgette Puttanesca
1 large organic onion chopped2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic sliced
1 aubergine chopped
1 courgette sliced
1 red peppers chopped
6 organic tomatoes chopped
1 tbsp smoked paprika
Pinch chilli flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
3 tbsp sundried tomato paste or 8 sundried tomatoes in oil chopped finely
75ml water
4 tbsp olives
2 tbsp capers
1 tsp Salt
Twist black pepper
Optional toppings
Roast tomatoesCucumber dip
Thyme
Directions
To roast the cauliflower
- Pre heat your oven to 180 C
- Add the cauliflower to a roasting tray then toss to coat with olive oil and salt
- Roast for approx. 35-40 minutes until crispy on the outside.
To make the Puttanesca
- Add the olive oil and onion to a large frying pan and heat to a medium heat. Fry for approx. 8-10 minutes until soft and browning.
- Add in the garlic and stir for another few minutes, then add in the chopped tomatoes, red peppers, courgette, aubergine, chilli, smoked paprika and sun dried tomato paste.
- Add the water, stir then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper and add in the olives and capers.
- Then simmer uncovered for a further 10 minutes.
To serve
- Stir half the roast cauliflower into the stew.
- Top with the remaining cauliflower and additional toppings.
Conscious Cooking – Ratatouille's Ratatouille
I've chosen this vegan summer recipe for you as it's one of my favourites, highlighting the bounty and flavours of summer. Inspired by the Pixar movie "Ratatouille", this is also my most recreated recipe. Traditionally this is a peasant vegetable "stew", but honestly, Thomas Keller's adaptation of this dish (a tian, so I am told) has taken this to a new level. Simple healthy ingredients, impressive looking and absolutely satisfying.
It's nice to try to buy all the vegetables the same diameter (easier to stack and layer), which is why I specify an Asian eggplant/aubergine. It's only because they are skinnier, but any one will work. You'll find that just a few veggies goes a long way. This is one of my all-time favourite vegan dinners to prepare with children of any age!
Ingredients
2-3 fresh tomatoes, pureed with a pinch of sea salt2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 tsp fresh thyme, basil, parsley, and/or oregano, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 Asian eggplant/aubergine
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow/summer squash
2-3 small plum tomatoes
1⁄2 red bell pepper, deseeded
Sea salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Pour tomato puree, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and half of the chopped fresh herbs into a baking dish. Stir in the chopped shallot and garlic.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Using a mandolin, or a really sharp knife, thinly and evenly, slice the vegetables. Make the slices thin, about 1/8’ (3mm) thick. The thinner, the better!
- Make mini-stacks of about 20 slices in sequence. Arrange a few stacks at a time into the prepared baking dish in a concentric spiral from the outer edge to the inside, fanning them out a bit so that you can see the top 1/8” of all the slices. “Stand” them up a little, so you can it as many vegetable slices in as possible, but you may still have some leftover veggies. Save the smaller rounds for the center of the dish.
- Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season with more salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining chopped herbs. Cover the dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to it just inside the dish rim, directly on top of the vegetable arrangement.
- Bake for 40 mins – 1hr (depending on how thick your vegetable slices are), until vegetables are soft, but not limp. Serve this impressive dish with pride! ;)
Click here for the traditional flavors of Curry Ratatouille or a Thai Green Curry variation.
For more vegan food inspiration, check out our guide on How to Have a Vegan BBQ.
For more summer inspiration, including a great selection of ethical & sustainable swimwear, sandals, sunglasses, beach bags, hats, sarongs and espadrilles, check out the Immaculate Summer Shop.
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