Weekly Vegan Dinner Menu with Grocery List

This vegan dinner menu is going to make your week easy and stress free! A week of meals all planned out for you, plus a grocery list to go with them.

Dinner time can be crazy and if you're looking to add more vegan dinners into your week it adds to the stress. So following a menu makes it simple and approachable!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

This post was originally published on September 26, 2016.

I have many vegan meal plans to follow, but this dinner menu is one of my simplest and easiest! It's made for the whole family and planned out for you at every step.

Tips for Planning Easy Vegan Dinners

Plant-based eating can be overwhelming at first, but if you keep yourself organized, it is easy! It's great to have a guide like this one especially if you are just getting into adding more plants into your diet.

I created this weekly vegan dinner menu from day one to day seven in the order that I think is easiest, feel free to switch it up but read each day carefully as I include ways to keep prep easier. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• The recipes for each day are adapted for 4 servings, but in some cases I have you freeze leftovers for another time.
  • The lentil soup is doubled so you can eat it over two nights.
• Many of these recipes ask for a number of cups of chopped veggies, I estimated how many whole ones you will need to get the amount of chopped.
  • I rounded up so you may have more than necessary, but save for another time or for extra with the dinner on day #5 which incorporates leftover veggies.
• For ease of shopping I also focused on using unsweetened cashew milk when non dairy milk is required. However, you are welcome to use any other plant milk you prefer.

When I chose my plant-based milk, I always turn to Silk brand. I not only love the quality of their products, but I love the flavor!

Vegan Dinner Menu Recipes

Day #1

• This recipe as written makes about 15 burgers. I cut it in half when writing the shopping list. If you do not halve the recipe make sure to adjust the shopping list.
  • Eat a few patties one night and freeze the rest of another time (perhaps a night you need to defrost a quick dinner).
• When you prep for these you can also prep ahead for Veggie "Meat" Sauce that you are making tomorrow, day #2, by chopping the carrots, celery and cauliflower. You can also chop an extra ¼ cup green onions to use on day #5.
  • Store the prepped veggies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• The optional toppings are Pistachio Buffalo Cream, lettuce, tomato and red onion. Feel free to add them, or even top with anything else you like.
• An extra side for this dinner is my Baked Cornmeal and Pepita Crusted Onion Rings. I did NOT include this in the shopping list as it ads an extra level of prep to this dinner menu and I wanted to make it as easy as possible, but feel free to add on your own if you're feeling extra feisty!

Day #2

• This recipe makes more sauce than you will use tonight, freeze the leftovers for another night when you need a quick dinner.
• The carrots, celery and cauliflower were prepped with last nights meal.
• I included the jarred chopped/crushed tomato option in the shopping list, but feel free to use the fresh tomato option from the recipe, just make sure to adjust accordingly when you shop.
• You can use the fresh herbs from the recipe if you prefer, but for ease of prep I have included the dried version in the shopping list. Make sure to adjust accordingly when you shop.
• Salt and pepper in this meal is to taste, depending on the broth you use and how salty you prefer it.
• I include the optional Hemp Almond Parmesan to sprinkle on the top, but feel free to leave it out.

Day #3

• Cut half of one head of cauliflower into thick strips for these tacos, and the other half into big pieces for the dinner on day #5.
• Cut all 3 of the potatoes into pieces, both for this meal and for the dinner on day #5.
  • Give the cut potatoes a soak in water, then drain and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will help prevent browning.
• For ease of shopping, use cashew milk to make the sauce instead of almond.

Day #4

• Make sure to doubled this recipe for eating both today and on day #7. This is reflected in the shopping list.
• Cut 4 carrots into pieces to use with this dinner, and then cut 2 carrots into pieces and save to use with tomorrow's meal.
• Use ½ cup crushed tomatoes instead of sauce (this makes it easier since you are purchasing crushed tomatoes for the sauce from day #2).
• Chop 2 medium onions to use with this meal, and then chop 1 small onion and save to use with the dinner on day #6.

Day #5

• This bowl was originally created to use leftover veggies and beans. I added the following to the shopping list to use with this dinner (in addition to any other leftovers you have that you can add):
  • carrots
  • cauliflower
  • potatoes
  • green onions
• For ease of shopping, use cashew milk to make the sauce.
• The original recipe is per bowl, but I multiplied it by 4 (which is accounted for in the shopping list).
• I have included enough beans in the shopping list for this meal, but you can also add the extra from the burgers from day #1.
• The leftover lemon herb sauce from here is used with tomorrow's recipe.
• Start soaking the chickpeas for tomorrow's dinner tonight.

Day #6

• Make sure you soak the chickpeas overnight.
• Use the leftover sauce from yesterday for this instead of the sauce that is in the recipe.
  • If you prefer the sauce that is in the actual recipe, then plan accordingly when you shop as I did not include the ingredients in the shopping list.
• The onion was chopped and prepped from the recipe on day #4.
• If you do not want to buy coriander just for this recipe, feel free to leave it out.

Day #7 Leftover Greek Lentil Soup

• Super easy dinner day as this meal is simply leftovers from day #4!

Pantry Staples

Having a stocked pantry makes shopping for your vegan dinner menu each week easier, as you may already have many ingredients on hand. The following are suggestions for items to always have around:

Pasta, beans, grains:

• Dried pasta of choice, gluten-free if needed
• Black beans
• Pinto Beans
• Chickpeas
• Brown Rice
• Quinoa
• Oats

Nuts and seeds:

• Cashews
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Flax seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Chia seeds

(Non) Dairy:

• Non-dairy milk- Silk Cashew Milk, almond milk, coconut milk, etc.
• Plain dairy-free yogurt
• Coconut cream

Spices and baking essentials:

• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Basil
• Oregano
• Ginger
• Cinnamon
• Salt & pepper
• Vanilla extract
• Vegetable broth
• Brown rice flour
• Maple strup

Produce:

• Potatoes
• Onions
• Greens
• Peppers
• Mushrooms

Common Questions

More Plant Based Meal Plan Ideas

The above vegan menu is for dinners. But you need to eat during the day too! Check out these suggestions for plant based breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dessert:

Breakfast

• Savory Spinach Oatmeal
• Healthy Homemade Granola Bars
• Gluten-free Buttermilk Pancakes
• Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries
• Spinach Banana Smoothie

Lunch

• Mashed Chickpea Sandwich
• Healthy Vegan Gyros
• Vegan Pizza Burrito
• Falafel Sandwich (Make extra falafel in the meal plan!)
• Greek Farro Salad

Snacks

• Gluten-free Oat Banana Blender Muffins
• Healthy Chocolate Covered Smoothie Recipe
• Easy Pineapple Salsa
• Simple Healthy Guacamole
• Healthy Peanut Butter Balls

Dessert

• Gluten-Free Brownies
• Oven Baked Churros
• Carrot Cake
• Healthy Vegan Apple Crisp
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

More Vegan Resources

Eating plant based can be overwhelming at times. Check out these helpful posts for more support:

• Vegan Benefits - A Low Stress Approach
• The Wellness Continuum
• 5 Day Raw Food Reset
• 30 Healthy Vegan Recipes
• Surprising Non Vegan Foods