High Protein Vegan Meal Prep

Here are four easy and flavorful meal prep recipes to keep you nourished, energized, and excited for every meal of the week!

Time to read: 10 mins | Time to make: varies | Yields: about 4 servings

Breakfast: Apple & Cinnamon Breakfast Bars

Soft, naturally sweet breakfast bars made with oats, walnuts, vanilla protein, and applesauce. High in fiber and perfect for meal prep..

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (400 g) applesauce

• 1 cup (100 g) walnuts

• 1¾ cups (150 g) rolled oats

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon

• 2–3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

• Handful of blueberries

• ¼ cup (60 ml) water (if using protein powder)

Method

1. Blend walnuts and oats until they resemble a flour texture. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add baking powder, cinnamon, and optional protein powder. Stir in the applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix everything well. If you added protein powder, add ¼ cup (60 ml) of water. Leave to sit for about 15 minutes.

2. Line a loaf pan or 9x9-inch square dish with parchment paper, transfer in the mixture, and top it off with blueberries. Bake for about 30 minutes at 355°F (180°C).

3. Once completely cooled, drizzle with peanut butter and enjoy.

Brekkie or Lunch: Tofu Scramble

Perfect breakfast idea if you are looking for a hearty, savory breakfast. Onions, spinach, and warm spices give this dish lots of flavors. Served on toast with mashed avocado makes a top vegan breakfast. For more information, check out detailed recipe here.

Ingredients

• 1 (16oz or 453g) block of firm or extra firm tofu

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 1/2 medium onion, chopped

• 2 handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped

Seasoning mixture:

• 1 tablespoon (16 g) tahini

• ½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened almond milk

• ½ tablespoon soy sauce

• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ¼ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne

• ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 2 tablespoons (14 g) nutritional yeast

Method

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the seasoning mixture. For best results, whisk all ingredients except milk and then gradually add milk.

2. Crumble the pressed tofu with your hands into chunks.

3. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add onion and a little bit of salt and cook for 5-8 minutes until soft and translucent. Then add tofu chunks and cook until golden brown and crisp on the edges, about 8 minutes.

4. Lower the heat to medium. Add the seasoning mixture and cook, stirring and continuing to break up the tofu, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add spinach and allow it to wilt for one minute.

5. Serve with rice and beans or toasted bread with your favorite spread.

6. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the microwave.

Lunch: Vegan Enchilada Bowls

Slow-cooked taco tofu with black beans, fire-roasted corn, and peppers. Just dump everything in the slow cooker and walk away.

Ingredients

• 2 blocks (16 oz each) firm tofu, drained and crumbled

• 1 packet taco seasoning

• 480 g (2 cups) red enchilada sauce

• 340 g (2⅓ cups) fire-roasted frozen corn

• 440 g (1 can) black beans, drained

• 1 bag frozen peppers and onions

• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Add crumbled tofu, taco seasoning, enchilada sauce, frozen corn, black beans, peppers and onions, and salt to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2–3 hours or low for 3–4 hours.

2. Serve in bowls with your choice of toppings (avocado, cilantro, lime, vegan sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.).

Gluten Free Bread

A hearty, freezer-friendly loaf made with buckwheat, chickpea, and rice flours. Psyllium husk binds everything without eggs.

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 100 g (¾ heaped cup) buckwheat flour

• 100 g (⅔ cup) white rice flour

• 100 g (1 cup) chickpea flour

• 40 g (5 tablespoons) tapioca flour/starch

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ¾–1 teaspoon sea salt

• 50 g (⅜ cup) pumpkin seeds (optional)

Psyllium mixture:

• 450 ml (1.8 cups) water

• 30 g (3 tablespoons) psyllium husk powder

Method

1. In a bowl, combine the water with the psyllium husk powder and whisk well. It will gel instantly and become thick. Set aside for 20–30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, measure all the dry ingredients and add them to a large bowl. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).

3. Add the psyllium gel to the bowl and knead the ingredients with a hand or stand mixer (use a dough hook). You can also knead the dough with your hands. It will take about 5–10 minutes for the dough to come together.

4. If the dough appears too wet, sprinkle it with 1–2 tablespoons tapioca flour. If it feels too dry, add a little water.

5. Shape the dough into a round or rectangular loaf and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (you can sprinkle the paper with a bit of tapioca flour).

6. Bake for 50–60 minutes. Let the bread cool completely, then slice and enjoy.

Dinner: Vegan Impossible Meat Chili

A rich, smoky chili made with whole dried chiles, Impossible meat, and kidney beans. This is J. Kenji López-Alt's recipe — complex, deeply flavored, and perfect for batch cooking.

Ingredients

• For the chile paste:

  • 2 whole dried ancho, pasilla, or mulato chiles, stems and seeds removed, torn into rough 1-inch pieces (about ½ ounce)

  • 1 whole dried New Mexico red, California, costeño, or choricero chile, stems and seeds removed, torn into rough 1-inch pieces (about ⅛ ounce)

  • 1–2 dried hot chiles, such as árbol or pequín, stems and seeds removed and torn into rough pieces (optional)

  For the chili:

  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter

  • 1 pound vegan ground meat (such as Impossible)

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 large garlic cloves, grated

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • Salt

  • 2 chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce, finely chopped

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

  • ¼ cup tomato paste

  • 1 can (15 oz) whole tomatoes packed in juice

  • 1 can (16 oz) kidney or black beans, drained

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon whiskey (optional)

  • Diced onions, chopped cilantro, chopped pickled jalapeños, sliced black olives, vegan sour cream, shredded vegan cheese, fresh tortillas or tortilla chips, for serving (optional)

Method

1. Make the chile paste. Add all the dried chiles to a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until slightly darkened and giving off an intense roasted aroma, 2–5 minutes. Turn down the heat if they begin to smoke. Add 1 cup water; it should immediately boil. Reduce heat so water barely simmers, and cook until chiles have softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chiles and liquid to a blender and blend at high speed, scraping down sides as necessary, until a completely smooth purée is formed, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

2. Prepare the chili. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the vegan ground meat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until fat has mostly rendered and it is starting to sizzle rather than steam, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 2 minutes. Add the chipotles, cumin, and reserved chile paste, and cook, stirring frequently, until the paste reduces to the point that it starts to sizzle and fry, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently until homogenous, about 1 minute.

4. Add chopped canned tomatoes and scrape up any brown bits that have stuck to the pan. Add kidney beans, soy sauce, and 1 cup water, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors have developed and chili is thickened to desired consistency, about 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar and liquor, if using. Adjust texture by adding water, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with whatever garnishes you like.