To set everyone in my house up for a week of delicious, nutritious eating, I do a ton of Vegan and Gluten-Free Meal Prep! From snacks and breakfasts to dinner and desserts, these are the foods that I prep every single week.
With three little ones and two busy adults in the house, it sometimes feels like food just flies out the windows. There is ALWAYS someone hungry, always dishes in the sink, and always a meal to prepare! As I've gotten into the groove of keeping our home running smoothly, I've started noticing the same recipes being prepped over and over again. This post is filled with the Vegan Meal Prep Foods I Make Every Week! They're all vegan and gluten-free, and they're all of my family's favorites. I spotlighted our favorite in each category, and then listed out a few more varieties of each dish so you can mix it up and keep it interesting!
- Granola
- Breakfast Cookies & Muffins
- Smoothie Freezer Bags
- Sauces & Dips
- Cashew Creams
- Hummus
- Lunch
- Dinner - Quinoa/Rice and Roast Veggies
- Dessert
- Energy Bites
- Crispy Chickpeas
How I Vegan Meal Prep: Whenever I Have a Minute!
This might look like a lot of prep, but the truth is, assembling these whenever I have a few extra minutes in the kitchen saves me SO MUCH time in the long run! Most of these recipes take just a couple minutes of hands on time (like quinoa in the Instant Pot!), and having them on hand makes assembling meals faster and less stressful. I do quite a bit of prep at the beginning of each week, and then replenish things as needed and as I have time. My kids love to get involved, and they've become great kitchen helpers! They help gather and measure ingredients, mix everything together, and scoop things into storage containers. I make an activity out of making hummus, energy bites, muffins, and cookies! I also rely on my freezer for so many things. Cook when you have time, make a double batch, and freeze half for the following week. It's such a relief when I remember muffins, smoothie freezer bags, chocolate goodies, or energy bites stashed and waiting to be enjoyed!
Granola
My family really loves granola! It's delicious by the handful as a snack, served over plant-based yogurt, in a bowl with Almond Milk as cereal, or sprinkled on top of Apple Nachos. We love it as a breakfast, snack, and even dessert...seriously, sprinkle granola over my Easy Blender Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream for the BEST treat!
- Easy Granola Recipe - More often than not, this is the one we make every single week! I usually end up making another batch mid-week because we all enjoy it so much.
- Gluten-Free & Vegan Chocolate Granola
- Grain-Free Granola
- Nutty Granola with Hemp Seed & Flax Seed
- Vegan Maple Pecan Granola
- 5-Minute Stovetop Granola
- Super Seed Granola
If there's ever leftover granola at the end of the week (rare!), I'll use it to make Granola Bark or Granola Energy Bites to snack on all weekend.
Breakfast Cookies or Muffins
I like to have some kind of baked good in the kitchen each week. Our favorites change with the season, but most of the time I make muffins or breakfast cookies for a grab-and-go Vegan Meal Prep option. These are also awesome for snacking or if I finish a smoothie and want a little something extra. As a bonus, they all freeze really well, so a double batch means less prep for future me!
- Freezer Friendly Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Dye-Free Green Muffins
- Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Blender Sweet Potato Muffins
- Vegan & Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Easy Vegan Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- The Best Healthy Zucchini Double Chocolate Muffins (with Cream Cheese Frosting!)
- Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Muffins
- Freezer Friendly Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Smoothie Freezer Bags
I am a total smoothie addict! I drink a smoothie every single day. My favorite smoothies have hidden veggies, creamy texture, and they taste like an indulgent treat! I prepare for a week of delicious smoothies by grabbing a couple favorite recipes and then portioning out all of the non-liquid ingredients into single-serving bags that get stored in the freezer. When I'm ready for a smoothie, I just dump it into the blender and add liquid and ice! Below are a couple favorites, and I've explained how I'd set up the Smoothie Freezer Bag for that recipe.
- Vegan Strawberries & Cream Veggie-Filled Smoothie - This smoothie has zucchini, frozen riced cauliflower, strawberries, slivered almonds, Medjool dates, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and crushed ice. I would put everything except the ice and water in the freezer!
- Creamy Avocado Vanilla Smoothie with Hidden Veggies - I love a green smoothie! This one has avocado, baby spinach, frozen riced cauliflower, Medjool dates, slivered almonds, and vanilla, so those would all get stored together in the freezer. Just add almond milk and ice cubes and blend!
- Vegan Wild Blueberry & Almond Butter Smoothie - For this smoothie I would put blueberries, Medjool dates, almonds, and a scoop of almond butter in a freezer bag, then add almond milk and ice to the blender when I'm ready to enjoy.
- Easy No-Nut Vegan Protein Smoothie - Riced cauliflower, sunflower seed butter, hemp and chia seeds, Medjool dates, vanilla and cinnamon would all go in the freezer bag. Just add oat milk and ice to the blender when you're ready to eat!
Sauces and Dips
I mentioned in the Ultimate Vegan Sauces Roundup that sauces are basically the foundation for my meal prep, which you'll totally see reflected here! I always start with the sauces and flavors I'm craving, make those, and then build meals around it.
Cashew Creams
- Easy Homemade Vegan Cashew Cream - This is an absolute must-make, always have it on hand, couldn't cook without it staple in our kitchen! I use cashews in SO MANY of my recipes to create a silky, creamy texture that's totally plant-based. Usually that starts with soaked cashews. You can read more about How (and Why!) to Soak Cashews in this post. For a nut-free alternative, try Easy Sunflower Seed Cream Sauce.
- I use this in dinner recipes like my Creamy Vegan Spaghetti Squash with Marinara, Easy Creamy Vegan Pasta Sauce, Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Caramelized Onions, and pretty much any creamy soup recipe!
- Easy Homemade Vegan Sour Cream - Another dairy-free staple! This is similar to the cashew cream, but it has a more savory flavor. I love to use it as a base for French Onion Dip, with Easy Oven Baked Taquitos, or as a garnish on top of pretty much any of my soup recipes. I also love it with any Mexican recipe from my blog (like my Vegan Mexican Burrito Bowls)
Hummus
We always make a double batch of hummus! This is what we snack on constantly. We dip any and all veggies in hummus, add a spoonful to bowls with quinoa and roasted veggies, or spread it onto Vegan Raw Rainbow Veggie Wraps. I even have a secret ingredient that makes it SO, so creamy!
Lunch
I'm pretty predictable with lunch! You'll usually find me eating some variety of a quinoa salad in the middle of the day. These are REALLY easy to prepare ahead of time, especially when I've already made a batch of Instant Pot Quinoa. I love quinoa as a base for a lunch salad because it's loaded with fiber and is a complete protein with all eight essential amino acids. It's an incredible way to add nutrients into Vegan Meal Prep!
Vegan Meal Prep: Dinner
Most often I use a spoonful of quinoa as a base for dinner. From there I add a roasted or grilled veggie and a scoop of hummus or drizzle of sauce, and then a handful of roasted chickpeas. It's all prepped and ready to go so even when things are hectic in the house and I'm feeling exhausted, we still have a filling and nutritious meal on the table!
I usually also select a couple seasonal veggies to roast or grill depending on the time of year. I'll get a start on those if they store well and don't get soggy! Even if the veggies get a little bit wilted in the fridge, usually a few minutes in the oven will revive them and give them the crispy outside that I love.
- Crispy Oven Roasted Cauliflower, Crispy BBQ Roasted Cauliflower, or Maple Roasted Cauliflower
- No-Fuss Seasoned Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Simple Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic
- Maple Roasted Butternut Squash
- Herb Roasted Root Vegetables
- Easy Maple Glazed Sauteed Carrots
- Crispy Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Green Cabbage with Green Tahini Sauce
Dessert
You can bet that I ALWAYS have some kind of chocolate on hand! I just refuse to ignore my sweet tooth. Usually I choose one or two treats to prepare each week and then I keep them in the freezer. These can all be thawed for a bit on the counter before enjoying, but I like them frozen, too!
Vegan Meal Prep: Energy Bites
We love energy bites, especially the kids! They taste like cookies, they're filled with nutrients that give us energy, and they're really easy to make and store. My daughter even makes them on her own now! I make at least a batch of these every week, but usually more often since they only last a day or two! I try to store them in the freezer to help them last in our household a bit longer. Everything in our freezer gets labeled with masking tape so I know the name of the recipe and the date it was prepared.
- Granola Energy Bites
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Energy Bites
- No-Bake Date Coconut Energy Bites
- Almond Butter & Jelly Energy Bites
- No-Bake Quinoa Energy Bites
- Flourless Brownie Energy Bites
- No-Bake Birthday Cake Energy Bites
- Instant Sunflower Energy Balls (Nut-Free!)
Crispy Chickpeas
These are best made fresh, so this is more like an ongoing thing that I'm making all the time as part of my Vegan Meal Prep! They're at their most crunchy and perfect right out of the oven, and since it's such a quick and easy recipe, it's no stress to make them as soon as I know I want some. I sometimes prep the BBQ spice mix in advance so that it is easy to toss on the freshly roasted chickpeas on busy weeknights.
More Resources for Plant-Based Eating
I am passionate about healthy eating and and making plant-based recipes feel doable and delicious! My site is filled with resources and recipes to help you add really tasty meals to your day. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for weekly meal inspiration, and as a bonus, you'll receive a free printable download for 10 Easy Vegan Dinners!
- Seasonal vegan and gluten-free meal plans: Fall Meal Plan, Spring Meal Plan, Summer Meal Plan, Winter Meal Plan
- My Vegan & Gluten-Free Pantry Staples
- Our Family Weekly Meal Plan, My Weekly Meal Plan, and Combat the Nightly "What's for Dinner?"
- My Ultimate Guide: Gluten-Free Product Recommendations & Helpful Resources
- My Favorite Dairy-Free Swaps
- Nourish in the New Year: 135+ Vegan & Gluten-Free Recipes
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