25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (2024)

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

4.25 from 84 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 24 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

5 from 2 votes

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

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Dinner

Vegan Stuffed Shells

5 from 6 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

4.77 from 13 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

4.91 from 22 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

4.56 from 18 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

4.64 from 19 votes

Simple, vegan hummus made with aquafabainstead of olive oil.

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Vegan Nacho Cheese

4.75 from 40 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 3 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.

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...

Tell Me More ›

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.

View Details ›

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

Why do vegans avoid oils? ›

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).

Tell Me More ›

Should vegans avoid oil? ›

A kitchen is never complete without cooking oil – we all use it for frying, baking, and as a salad dressing, to name a few. Thankfully for ethical and environmentally minded eaters, all mainstream oils are plant-derived products and completely vegan.

Can you fry eggs without oil? ›

Just put some small amount of water like half a shot glass of water in to your pan open the eggs and cover the pan with a lid on low fire, the eggs will be made as fried in perfect shape and with no taste of oil at all, this is common where I live now and frankly I like it this way more.

Read On ›

What is a healthy replacement for vegetable oil? ›

If you're phasing vegetable oil out of your diet, you have many alternatives. If weight loss is your goal, use applesauce or yogurt to make baked goods lighter. Olive oil and flaxseed oil are better used raw. Avocado oil is great for high-heat cooking.

Explore More ›

Can you skip oil in baking? ›

You may substitute the following cup-for-cup for vegetable oil in baked goods: Applesauce, preferably unsweetened. Avocado, unseasoned, mashed. Banana, ripe and mashed.

What to cook with if you don't have oil or butter? ›

In general, the following foods work best as butter replacements in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and quick breads:

Applesauce. Applesauce significantly reduces the calorie and fat content of baked goods. ...
Avocados. ...
Mashed bananas. ...
Greek yogurt. ...
Nut butters. ...
Pumpkin purée.

Learn More ›

Is it healthier to cook without oil? ›

Meanwhile, oil-free cooking offers many potential health benefits, from lowering calorie intake to strengthening your heart. Additionally, cooking without oil can simply make your dishes taste more authentic, fresh and delicious. Let's look at some considerable health benefits of oil-free cooking below.

Get More Info ›

Do vegans use oil to cook? ›

Vegan cooking usually involves a lot of flavoring of veggies, plant based meats, pasta, lentils etc. More often than not oils are the preferred way to do so it's important to know what works for what and when.

Keep Reading ›

What oil do vegans eat? ›

Sunflower, safflower, sesame, avocado, coconut, almond, and olive oil also pass this “Is This Oil Vegan” background check and are all great oil options that may not come with the worries of palm oil or canola oil.

Read The Full Story ›

What can I use in place of oil? ›

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

Nov 3, 2023

Read The Full Story ›

Can I use applesauce instead of oil? ›

Applesauce is a 1:1 replacement for oil, so if your recipe calls for half a cup of oil, use half a cup of applesauce instead. If you find yourself in the middle of a recipe and out of oil, use applesauce instead! This trick works in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and any kind of sweet baked good.

Learn More ›

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.

What to use instead of oil plant-based? ›

Baking is a whole world until its own when it comes to substitutes for butter, oil, and shortening. Recipe developers use applesauce, vegan yogurt, mashed banana, mashed sweet potato, mashed pumpkin, and sometimes water thickened with cornstarch as substitutes for pure fat ingredients.

Discover More Details ›

What do vegans use an air fryer for? ›

Air fryers can also make it easier to follow a vegan diet, offering a failsafe way to cook staples like tofu, cauliflower, and potatoes to perfection. Below, we've rounded up 10 mouth-watering recipes that prove plant-based cooking needn't be complicated or boring.

View Details ›

25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (2024)

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

What do vegans cook with instead of oil? ›

Is it healthier to cook without oil? ›

References