If you're exploring the world of vegan and keto diets, you're in the right place. It's entirely possible to enjoy a fulfilling culinary experience while adhering to both plant-based and low-carb principles. This article provides a variety of vegan keto recipes that are easy to make, utilize simple ingredients, and cover every meal group. Finding dishes that allow you to cut back on carbs while staying plant-based can be a challenge, but many recipes stick to the low-carb keto lifestyle while remaining 100% plant-based.
Understanding the Vegan Keto Diet
A keto diet consists of high-fat foods, low-carb foods, and modest amounts of protein. The goal is to reach ketosis, where the body burns fat instead of glucose for energy. Vegans and plant-based individuals can absolutely follow a vegan keto diet, although it may require a little more planning due to its restrictive nature.
When transitioning to a plant-based keto lifestyle, the first step is to eliminate all animal products. The focus should then shift to obtaining most of your calories from plant-based fats such as avocados, nuts, nut butters, seeds, and coconut yogurt. These are healthy sources of vegan-friendly fats that will help meet your keto goals.
Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast is one of the easiest meals to adapt to low-carb and plant-based diets. Even a combination of raw nuts and berries is an acceptable alternative to kickstart the day.
- Coconut Yogurt: Made with just 2 ingredients, this coconut yogurt is rich in probiotics and healthy plant-based fats.
- Breakfast Cookies: These nutrient-packed breakfast cookies are flavorful and come together in just over 20 minutes. Instead of eggs binding them together, a delicious combination of chia and nut butter does, adding even more fiber and protein.
- Pumpkin Pancakes: Yes, pumpkins are seasonal, but these pancakes can be enjoyed year-round thanks to homemade pumpkin puree. They are also easy to batch cook and freeze for busy mornings.
- Chocolate Muffins: Swap the eggs for an egg substitute, and you’ve got chocolatey, moist, and fluffy muffins.
- Seeds and Nuts Porridge: This sounds like an oxymoron, but a delicious combination of seeds and nuts thicken up coconut milk to yield a creamy bowl of breakfast goodness. Top with some berries and you are done.
- Sunflower Seed Waffles: A great way to start the day and keep you full until lunch time.
Lunch Recipes
Each of the following vegan keto lunch recipes are delicious on their own but consider adding baked tofu or tempeh for a super filling protein boost!
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- Sesame Tofu and Eggplant: This recipe makes a wonderful light lunch and is surprisingly vegan. The eggplant is julienned then tossed with a spicy Asian-style marinade before it’s cooked down into soft noodles.
- Mediterranean-Inspired Keto Collard Green Wraps: Eat more veggies with these flavorful wraps.
- Heart of Palm Avocado Salad: This salad is quick, simple, and full of flavor, color, and texture. Creamy avocado meets crunchy nuts, summery lemon basil dressing, and briny palm hearts from a jar.
- Tofu Salad: Skip the mayo and you’ll still get an unbelievably refreshing, crunchy, satisfying salad (with half the carbs). I sometimes eat a larger portion of this for a lunch or light dinner.
Dinner Recipes
All of these vegan keto dinner recipes are low-carb but filling, delicious, and perfect for a healthy supper!
- BBQ Tofu: Simply swap store-bought BBQ sauce for this keto BBQ sauce, and you’ve got the perfect protein-packed tofu dish.
- One-Pot Curry: This one-pot curry is aromatic and super flavorful. Allowing the curry paste to cook and caramelize a little bit releases all of the aromatics in the spices which allows all of those delicious smells to flow through the coconut milk and bring everything together nicely.
- Cauliflower Tacos: These cauliflower tacos are easy to make with either air-fried, grilled, or roasted cauliflower, cabbage, jalapeño, and drizzled with an avocado lime crema.
- Vegan Keto Portobello Mushroom Burgers: Perfect for a family get-together, a dinner with friends, or a special treat after a long day. These vegan keto Portobello mushroom burgers are delicious and rich in nutrients.
- Broccoli Almond Soup: This deep green broccoli almond soup is super creamy but completely dairy-free and low in carbs. Get ready for your next favorite vegan keto dinner for the whole family!
- Low-Carb Zucchini Pizza Crust: This recipe for a simple low-carb zucchini pizza crust calls for only five simple ingredients, is free from cheese, eggs, and flour, and high in veggies.
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bowls: You can’t have normal spaghetti on a vegan keto diet, but you can have spaghetti squash! These gorgeous lasagna bowls are made from halved, filled, and baked squash.
- Vegan Pad Pak Thai: If you enjoy Asian cuisine, try this simple vegan Pad Pak Thai! It’s fresh, flavorful, and easy to make in less than 30 minutes.
- Stuffed Eggplant: This recipe consists of thinly sliced eggplant that is stuffed with homemade vegan ricotta cheese, smothered in a homemade marinara sauce, and topped with vegan mozzarella cheese.
- Vegan Keto Portobello Mushroom Pizzas: These cute little vegan keto portobello mushroom pizzas are stuffed with vegan mozzarella, sugar-free marinara sauce, and topped with vegan pepperoni and sprinkles of basil.
- Cauliflower Mac & Cheese: This cauliflower mac & cheese is creamy, cheesy, and colorful. The bright yellow hue comes from turmeric. The sauce is flavored with a touch of mustard, and garlic, but the star is cheddar cheese.
- Ratatouille: Bursting with seasonal summer veggies like zucchini, squash, and eggplant, this beautiful baked ratatouille makes for a presentable vegan keto-friendly dinner for when you have guests!
- Pad Thai: Flavorful peanut sauce, crunchy veggies and protein-packed tofu meet for this delicious Pad Thai. Ready in 20 minutes and super healthy!
- Vegan PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps: Do you like PF Chang’s lettuce wraps? This vegan keto version delivers all of the flavors thanks to the perfectly spiced and cooked tofu.
- No-Bean Chili: This healthy no-bean chili is high in protein and low in carbs. Packed with flavor thanks to cozy spices like cumin, chili, paprika, and cinnamon, it gets its texture from soy meat, mushrooms, and walnuts. Made with simple ingredients and ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes, this is a great vegan keto weeknight dinner!
Side Dishes
Pair these keto side dishes with any of the main course options listed above for a super delicious dinner!
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts: Even the picky eaters at the table will be going for seconds of these crispy yet tender brussels sprouts.
- Buffalo Bites: These crispy, spicy buffalo bites are full of flavor and deceptively low-carb. Just make sure to use vegan-friendly buffalo sauce (I like the Tokito brand).
- Smoked Whole Cauliflower: A tender smoked whole cauliflower with a crusty smoked layer and soft cauliflower flesh, perfect for a healthy low-carb side dish or light dinner!
- Cauliflower Rice: Cauliflower rice is one of the classic vegan keto recipes! Ready in only 20 minutes, it’s great for weeknight meals and can be loaded with different veggies.
- Cauliflower Puree: Let’s use this awesome and versatile vegetable that is cauliflower and turn it into a flavorful, keto-approved puree!
- Coleslaw: This classic American coleslaw features crunchy veggies and creamy vegan mayo.
- Cauliflower Tabbouleh: This cauliflower tabbouleh is based on the traditional Middle Eastern salad recipe but uses cauliflower rice instead of couscous for a keto and grain-free alternative.
- Warm Broccoli Salad: In under 15 minutes you can have a tender, crisp, broccoli slaw that’s warmed and dressed in classic Asian flavors. It’s so fast, and so easy, that this recipe is only three steps!
Snacks
When I’m on a health kick, midday cravings and mindless snacking are usually what cause my diet to fall off the rails.
- Chocolate Energy Bites: Energy balls are a go-to in any diet, but they’re often held together with carb-heavy oats. These chocolate energy bites are made with creamy almond butter instead, and they taste incredible! Also, try my fat bombs too.
- Protein Bars: When I’m starving between meals, protein bars are my lifesaver.
- Guacamole: Sorry to tempt you with the chips, but this simple guac recipe is seriously so good-you'll be eating it by the spoonful!
- Zucchini Cauliflower Fritters: These are perfect as a side, a snack, or a light lunch.
Dessert Recipes
Coming up with vegan AND keto desserts might sound impossible.
- Avocado Chocolate Mousse: Thick, creamy, perfectly sweetened, and made with just 3 ingredients.
- Macadamia Nut Mug Cake: Fresh, delicious, and unique. These are the 3 words I’d use to describe this mug cake. Tomato is a fantastic thing that can bring moisture, taste, and a unique sense of flavor to a dish.
- Peanut Butter Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, powdered sugar substitute, and baking soda.
- Add the peanut butter, coconut oil, and vanilla and mix well.
- Using your hands, roll 12 balls and place them on the lined sheet.
- Cross each ball of dough with a fork to form a cookie shape.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool on the tray completely.
- Lemon Raspberry Sweet Rolls: The sweet, delicate, layers of dough are slathered with lemon cream cheese filling and a sweet, gooey raspberry sauce. To top it all off, a tart lemon glaze is generously drizzled over the rolls that seeps into the creases. The result is a decadent and satisfying breakfast that holds its own against any higher carb roll.
Condiments
While most condiments (ketchup, jam, jelly, BBQ sauce, maple syrup), should be limited on a vegan keto diet meal plan you can still enjoy certain condiments!
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Sources of Vegan Protein for Keto
Great sources of vegan protein that are suitable for a keto diet include tofu and tempeh, and nuts like walnuts, almonds, and macadamias.
A Sample Daily Vegan Keto Meal Plan
In case you are feeling overwhelmed after looking at all these delicious plant-based keto recipes and you don’t know where to start or what to make, I thought it would be helpful to share my ideal daily vegan keto diet meal plan with you. If I were following this diet then this is exactly what I would make for a few day’s worth of meals.
- Breakfast: Tofu scramble, divided into four portions for meal prep. Make sure to fill it out with lots of vegetables. I prefer mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, spinach, edamame, and bok choy!
- Snack: If you find yourself craving a snack, guacamole would go perfectly with low carb keto crackers.
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