These Cozy Vegan Dinners Are Proof You Don’t Need Meat to Feel Fully Fed

Whatever your reason for a meatless meal, we’ve got you covered.

Associate Editor

Yasmine is an Associate Editor at Serious Eats. Her work has been featured in Women’s Health and on L’Officiel USA, and she recently graduated from New York University with a master’s in journalism. You can find her at Bleecker Street Pizza on any given weekend.

and

The Serious Eats Team

At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “wh…

Whatever your reason for a meatless meal, we’ve got you covered.

Yasmine Maggio

Associate Editor

and

The Serious Eats Team

At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.

Published January 07, 2026

Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

While I normally like to plan meals ahead of each week, December was easily a month of me eating whatever was in sight—no plan, just vibes. It was a lot of sweets, it was a lot of savory snacks, and it was a hell of a lot of meat. And there is nothing wrong with any of that! But now that January is here, I’m looking to cut back on the meat just a bit and turn to more plant-forward meals that nourish me from the inside out.

Luckily, Serious Eats is full of vegan recipes! Many of the vegan dinner recipes on this list are easy and require only a handful of ingredients. So whether you’re participating in Veganuary, doing Meatless Monday, made a resolution to go full vegan, or are just looking to throw in a few meatless days in here and there, you’re sure to find a delicious and satisfying vegan dinner recipe below.

Serious Eats / Mateja Zvirotic Andrijanic

This recipe for plump chickpeas bathed in a spicy and tangy tomato sauce comes together with simple ingredients you likely already have on hand. To keep it vegan, just choose the vegetable oil option rather than ghee.

Andrew Janjigian

This curry is intense with garam masala and ginger, cooled by coconut milk and ground toasted cashews.

Melissa Hom

While mapo tofu is typically made with ground beef, this recipe leans on dried and fresh mushrooms for a standout version that’s completely vegan.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This simple soup is made with roasted sweet potatoes, a splash of orange juice, and topped with crushed pistachios, olive oil, mint, scallions, and orange zest.

Continue to 5 of 13 below

Serious Eats / Melissa Hom

You can still have a mouth-tingling, umami-packed Kung Pao dish without the chicken—just add tofu plus some extra vegetables.

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

This vegan chili features a deep, spicy flavor, textural contrast, and rib-sticking richness. This chili gets an umami boost from Marmite or Vegemite—note that according to the Marmite website, all Marmite is certified vegan except the 70g jar, so be sure to check the label if you or somebody you are cooking for is a strict vegan.

Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

Kenji went through rounds of testing to make a veggie burger that was structurally sound, holds together on the grill, and objectively doesn’t suck. And he did not fail!

Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

This vegan tofu tikka masala is every bit as rich and tangy as its chicken or paneer counterparts and comes together in under 45 minutes, making it as fast—if not faster—than takeout.

Continue to 9 of 13 below

Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

Dried mushrooms are the secret to this soup’s intense and deeply satisfying flavor.

The secret to imitating a beefy ragù and a creamy béchamel is all about layering flavors and textures. This recipe relies on ingredients such as mushrooms, seitan, and almond milk to do just that.

Vicky Wasik

Daniel’s vegan version of carbonara is rich, dotted with meaty mushroom bits, and features the characteristic lactic tang of Pecorino Romano but with no dairy whatsoever. One commenter called this five-star recipe "hands down the best pasta dish I’ve had in the last five years."