25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (2024)

Table of Contents

Breakfast Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties Carrot Cake Overnight Oats Tofu Scramble Maple Pecan Overnight Oats Lunch Hummus Wraps Breaded Cauliflower Tacos with Chili Lime Cream Sauce Vegan Chickpea Teriyaki Meal Prep Bowls BBQ Tempeh Sandwich Dinner Vegan Stuffed Shells Chickpea Noodle Soup Roasted Glazed Tofu Instant Pot Corn Chowder Vegan Broccoli Alfredo Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Soup Vegan Slow Cooker Chili Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken Chickpea Stir Fry Sides Air Fryer Fries Vegan Scalloped Potatoes Healthy Green Bean Casserole Garlic Roasted Potatoes Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms Snacks Oil-Free Hummus Vegan Nacho Cheese Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls FAQs References

Oil-Free | Vegan Recipes

ByKarissaApril 3, 2023

Discover new ideas in thiscompilation of oil-free vegan recipes! This diet can be full of incredibly delicious food if you find the right dishes.

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I have many readers (and you!) that prefer to eat mostly vegan and oil-free. Having restrictive dietary needs can seem overwhelming, especially when you still want to eat incredibly delicious food. Good news – there are still plenty of dishes you can eat, and this list includes the best of the best recipes sorted into categories.

Below, you’ll find recipes like vegan stuffed shells, stir fry, corn chowder, homemade “sausage” patties, and more.

Breakfast

Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties

4.26 from 86 votes

These vegan sausage patties have those traditional breakfast flavors, like sage and thyme, but are totally plant-based! Oil-free and packed with protein.

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Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

5 from 1 vote

Whip up this vegan carrot cake overnight oats recipe for a convenient and nutritious breakfast. Packed with wholesome ingredients like nuts and shredded carrots, it's the perfect way to start your day!

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Tofu Scramble

5 from 38 votes

Vegan tofu scramble made with extra firm tofu and seasonings like nutritional yeast, Kala Namak salt, and paprika. You can add your favorite veggies for some added nutritional benefit and tastiness.

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Maple Pecan Overnight Oats

4.69 from 19 votes

Overnight oats are a super easy and quick way to meal prep for breakfast!

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Lunch

Hummus Wraps

5 from 5 votes

Breaded Cauliflower Tacos with Chili Lime Cream Sauce

5 from 1 vote

These healthy vegan tacos are stuffed with oil-free breaded cauliflower and a zesty chili lime cabbage slaw. This is a super fun recipe using an air fryer!

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Vegan Chickpea Teriyaki Meal Prep Bowls

4.92 from 25 votes

This recipe for Chickpea Teriyaki bowls with crunchy broccoli and savory soy sauce is a quick, easy and healthy idea for vegan meal prep.

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BBQ Tempeh Sandwich

4.41 from 5 votes

Meatless BBQ tempeh sandwiches are easy to make, satisfying, and nutritious!

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Dinner

Vegan Stuffed Shells

4.43 from 7 votes

Vegan stuffed shells with tofu and cashew ricotta are lighter, healthier and cheaper––not to mention tastier––than other stuffed shell recipes!

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Chickpea Noodle Soup

4.67 from 15 votes

This recipe for chickpea noodle soup is a vegan twist on chicken noodle soup – and it’s BETTER. Just pure veggie deliciousness here. This soup is healthy, but comforting and hearty.

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Roasted Glazed Tofu

4.92 from 24 votes

This 5-ingredient glazed tofu roast is the perfect vegan alternative to a traditional ham roast.

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Instant Pot Corn Chowder

4.54 from 26 votes

This Instant Pot Corn Chowder is a favorite dinner recipe in our house because it’s so easy! I love Instant Pot recipes because I don’t have to hover over a hot stove. Just throw all the ingredients together, let the pot do its thing, and unveil DELICIOUS corn chowder when the timer goes off. Yum. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. Oil-free option.

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Vegan Broccoli Alfredo

4.75 from 24 votes

Creamy vegan alfredo served with roasted, cajun-spiced broccoli.

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Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Soup

4.24 from 21 votes

This healthy vegan Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Soup recipe is delicious & comforting without all the calories!

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Vegan Slow Cooker Chili

Easy vegan slow cooker chili made with quinoa and enchilada sauce.

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Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken

This vegan butter chicken is made with soycurls and chickpeas right in the Instant Pot!

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Chickpea Stir Fry

This oil-free vegan stir fry is made with chickpeas, veggies, and a delicious homemade sauce.

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Sides

Air Fryer Fries

4.72 from 35 votes

Have no guilt digging into these healthy air fryer fries! I LOVE these smothered in vegan nacho cheese sauce or gravy.

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Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

4.80 from 120 votes

Great as a side dish (or a main meal, let's be real) these homemade vegan scalloped potatoes are "cheesy" and delicious.

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Healthy Green Bean Casserole

4.53 from 19 votes

Creamy non-dairy sauce, green beans, and a baked onion topping come together to make this delicious healthy green bean casserole!

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Garlic Roasted Potatoes

4.82 from 11 votes

Crispy, easy-to-make garlic roasted potatoes. Perfect as a side dish for any meal.

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Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

5 from 7 votes

This healthy vegan stuffed mushrooms recipe makes for a fantastic appetizer, especially for the holiday season! Quinoa, sundried tomatoes, pecans…yum.

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Snacks

Oil-Free Hummus

4.66 from 20 votes

Simple, vegan hummus made with aquafabainstead of olive oil.

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Vegan Nacho Cheese

4.77 from 42 votes

Cheesy, creamy, a little spicy, full of flavor – this vegan nacho cheese is delicious and healthy.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

5 from 5 votes

Protein balls made with chocolate and peanut butter. No protein powder necessary! This recipe is vegan and naturally sweetened with medjool dates.

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Trying to go vegan? Sign up for our (FREE) Vegan Beginner’s Guide!

If you try one of these oil-free vegan recipes, leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @karissasvegankitchen!

FAQs

What do vegans cook with instead of oil? ›

Instead of oil, I use fruit purees, veggies, dairy-free yogurt, nut butters, almond flour or other nuts, sometimes coconut butter.

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What can I cook without oil? ›

Baking & Roasting

Oven-baked and roasted dishes can be incredibly flavorful without the need for oil.
Roast your favorite vegetables, marinated with herbs and spices, for a crispy and savory side dish.
Explore zero-oil baking recipes, from savory muffins to guilt-free sweets.

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What can I bake without oil? ›

Oil Free Recipes

Heavenly Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal.
Holiday Breakfast In A Jiffy: Carrot Cake Oatmeal.
Baked Cherry Pie Breakfast Pudding.
My Go-To Holiday co*cktail – Quick, easy, festive, and low in sugar!
Basic Chia Seed Pudding.
Gourmet Chia Seed Pudding (from scratch!)
Chia Seed Breakfast Bowl.

More items...

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What is a vegan substitute for vegetable oil? ›

You can take just about any recipe, vegan or not, and make it better and healthier by replacing the oil or butter.

Unsweetened Apple Sauce.
Nut Butters.
Silken Tofu.
Aquafaba.
Mashed Banana, Pumpkin or Sweet Potato.
Check Out These Oil-Free Recipes.
Resources.

Mar 6, 2021

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What is a vegan substitute for butter or oil? ›

What are good vegan butter substitutes? In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

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What can I replace oil with in a recipe? ›

Melted Butter.
Avocado.
Unsweetened Applesauce.
Greek Yogurt.
Shortening.
Coconut Oil.
Bacon Grease.
Nut Butters.

Nov 3, 2023

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What happens if you bake vegetables without oil? ›

When vegetables are roasted without oil the finished product is a bit drier than it would be otherwise. However, finishing the roasted vegetables and adding flavor post-cooking, such as by tossing them in a small amount of high flavor liquid will boost flavor and add complementary flavor notes to the dish.

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How to cook plant-based without oil? ›

How to Cook Without Oil. To saute or stir-fry: Add a stainless steel, or non-toxic non-stick pan to your stove top over medium heat, and add 1-2 tbsp's of vegetable broth or water. Then add your vegetables or tofu/tempeh and sautee just as you would normally.

Why do some vegans not use oil? ›

Not compliant with certain vegan diets

The rationale used by these diets for avoiding oils is that oil is high in calories (since it's pure fat) and doesn't include the fiber or as many antioxidants as you would get from eating the whole, unprocessed food instead (in this case, the whole olive).

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Why oil free vegan? ›

Vegetable oil doesn't contain many micronutrients in comparison to the calories it provides. Due to its caloric density, overconsumption of vegetable oils may also cause someone to eat too many calories and lead to weight gain in the long term.

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What do vegans use for oil? ›

FRYING- Soybean, peanut, vegetable, canola, sunflower, cottonseed, corn oil are some of the better options for frying as they are more refined. Making them oils with a high smoke point, which is key for deep frying and higher heat pan cooking.

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How do you replace oil in a plant-based diet? ›

Here are some substitutions for oils/butter in your recipes: Vegetable broth: I use this to sauté my vegetables. Sometime I just use water if vegetable broth is not available. Nut butters: I use nut butters in my cookies as a fat replacer.

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