11 Foods Healthy Vegans Eat
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People always want to know what vegans eat all day, and they’re usually expecting a sadder answer than the real one.
These eleven things are in my kitchen permanently. Not because a nutritionist told me to, but because they’re cheap, they keep, and they turn into dinner fast.
Here’s what each one actually does and how I use it.
🍱 1. Tofu
Why it’s good: Around 20g of protein a block, plus iron and calcium if it’s set with calcium sulphate. Check the label, most are.
How I eat it: Pressed, cubed, cornstarch, then baked or air fried until the edges go golden. A tofu press is the single best five pound upgrade I’ve made, though a heavy pan works.
👉 Read more: How to Press Tofu Without a Press
👉 Try it in: Tofu Sofritas Bowl
🫘 2. Lentils
Why it’s good: About 18g of protein and 15g of fibre per cooked cup, and a bag of dried lentils costs almost nothing.
How I eat it: Red lentils collapse into soups and curries. Green and brown hold their shape, so they’re the ones for salads. Never salt them at the start, they stay tough.
🫘 3. Chickpeas
Why it’s good: 15g of protein a tin, plus iron and fibre. Tinned chickpeas are the most useful thing in my cupboard.
How I eat it: Mashed with mustard and vegan mayo as a sandwich filling, roasted for snacks, or straight into a curry. Dry them properly before roasting or they go chewy instead of crisp.
🌱 4. Quinoa
Why it’s good: One of the few plants that’s a complete protein, so it has all nine essential amino acids on its own.
How I eat it: As a base for grain bowls and cold salads. Rinse quinoa before cooking, otherwise the coating makes it taste faintly bitter. That’s the step everyone skips.
🌱 5. Avocados
Why it’s good: Fat that keeps you full, plus more potassium than a banana.
How I eat it: On toast, obviously. Also blended with lime and garlic into a dressing that makes any bowl of grains taste finished.
🌱 6. Nuts &Amp; Seeds
Why they’re good: Protein, minerals, and the omega-3s that are otherwise hard to get. Hemp seeds and ground flaxseed are the two that earn their place.
How I eat them: A spoon of chia or hemp on porridge every morning. Flax has to be ground, whole seeds go straight through you.
🥦 7. Dark Leafy Greens
Why they’re good: Calcium, iron and folate. Kale and chard beat spinach here, because spinach carries oxalates that block a lot of its own iron.
How I eat them: Kale sauteed hard with garlic and lemon. The lemon isn’t just flavor, it’s what helps you absorb the iron.
🎂 8. Sweet Potatoes
Why they’re good: Slow carbs plus a huge hit of beta carotene.
How I eat them: Wedges in the air fryer with smoked paprika, or split and stuffed with black beans when I can’t be bothered to cook properly.
🥣 9. Whole Grains (Oats, Brown Rice, Etc.)
Why they’re good: Steady energy, magnesium, B vitamins and a surprising amount of iron.
How I eat them: Oats every morning without fail. Brown rice or farro under whatever’s left in the fridge at dinner.
🌱 10. Berries
Why they’re good: Antioxidants, and the vitamin C helps you absorb iron from whatever they’re sitting on.
How I eat them: Frozen, in everything. Cheaper than fresh, picked riper, and they last.
🥛 11. Plant-Based Milks (Like Soy Or Almond)
Why they’re good: Fortified with B12, calcium and vitamin D, which is genuinely useful. Soy milk is the one with protein in it, around 7g a cup. The nut milks have almost none.
How I use it: Soy for porridge and coffee, oat when I want it creamier. Turn the carton around and check for the fortification, because some brands add nothing at all.
🌱 Bonus: A Few Favorite Combinations
- Lentil + Quinoa Bowl with roasted veggies and tahini drizzle
- Tofu Stir Fry with brown rice and broccoli
- Oats + Chia + Frozen Berries, made the night before so breakfast is already done
- Avocado Toast + Hemp Seeds for an easy, energizing snack
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🛒 The Eleven Things Always In My Kitchen
Not a wishlist. This is genuinely what is in my cupboards right now.
- Dried lentils: 18g protein and 15g fibre a cooked cup. Never salt them at the start.
- Tinned chickpeas: the most useful tin in the cupboard.
- Quinoa: a complete protein. Rinse it or it tastes bitter.
- Rolled oats: every single morning, no exceptions.
- Hemp seeds and chia: the omega-3s and minerals that are otherwise hard to get.
- A tofu press: the best small upgrade I have made. Fixes soggy tofu for good.
