Anything I know about living vegan, I learned from somebody else. In this collection, I point you towards some people and places that I found useful when figuring out what to eat for lunch.
Wondering how to eat plant-based at lunch? Here are some of my favorite soup, sandwich, and salad recipes plus a few snack ideas that will keep you topped up from the time you clock in till the time you clock out.
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words, like ‘What about lunch?’” – A.A. Milne
Sandwiches & Wraps
A great grab-and-go option, there’s a reason why sandwiches are a brown-bag-lunch mainstay, but most of us can’t comprehend a sandwich that doesn’t involve meat or cheese.
Like all great sandwiches, the vegan variety is a delicately balanced combination of moistness and crunch, flavorful spreads and condiments, and perfectly-seasoned fillings. One thing I’ve realized since becoming vegan is that we think we’re craving meat or dairy when we’re actually craving texture, sweetness, salt, or spice. Keep that in mind when assembling your perfect plant-based sandwich.
In the Beginning, There Was Bread–And It Was Good
Good bread is the beginning of all great sandwiches, but not all bread is good for animals–i.e. vegan friendly.
“A man’s social rank is determined by the amount of bread he eats in a sandwich.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned
As a new vegan, you will need to get used to reading food labels and watching out for ingredients derived from animals. This article provides some more information about the most common types of vegan bread and how to substitute non-vegan ingredients in a bread recipe.
Vegan-Friendly Bread
- List of 20 (Supermarket-Friendly) Bread Brands
- Easy Whole Grain Seed Bread
- Vegan Sourdough Recipes
- My New Roots Life-Changing Bread
Fulfilling Fillings
Honestly, most days my sandwiches are of the peanut butter and jelly variety, and that’s always a good fallback when you’re first going vegan and have no idea where to begin.
However, there are endless ways to create filling and fulfilling plant-based sandwiches that are neither bland nor boring or make you look like a second grader in the office break room.
Chickpeas, white beans, tempeh and tofu are great sources of protein.
Pickled vegetables or capers provide a tasty tang, while avocado creates the creaminess that many of us crave in a good sandwich.
I love heirloom tomatoes in season, but in winter I layer roasted tomatoes in my sandwiches or stir some finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes into a hummus spread or vegan mayo (my favorite is Follow Your Heart’s Vegenaise).
Here are some of my favorite sandwich recipes. I like to make a big batch of the filling at the beginning of the week then quickly assemble in the morning or the night before.
Vegan Sandwich Ideas
- 10 Vegan Sandwich Fillings, by Veganuary
- 100 Irresistible Vegan Sandwiches, compiled by Connoisseurus Veg
- Chickpea of the Sea ‘Tuna’ Salad Sandwich, by Simple Veganista
- Chickpea Sunflower Sandwich, by Minimalist Baker
- 10 Vegan Sandwiches to Pack for Work or School, compiled by Emilie Eats
- 50 Veggie Wraps, the Stingy Vegan
Collard Wraps
Carbs will always have my heart, but a friend of mine who has celiac disease turned me onto these gluten-free “green burritos,” and I must admit they’re pretty damn good, especially in the summer when I’m craving something fresh and lighter.
I’ve seen vegan collard wraps at several stores in the Portland area, but store-bought vegan options are hard to come by where I live in rural Oregon so I like to make my own.
Here are some ideas to get you started, but feel free to get creative, follow your tastebuds, and come up with your own combinations. Any of the sandwich and wrap fillings above will work equally as well as a collard wrap, it will just be a little lighter.
Some ideas to get you started:
- Mastering the Collard Wrap
- Creamy Avocado Chickpea Wraps, Emilie Eats
- Collard Wraps with Herbed Cashew Spread & Roast Peppers, Food 52.
- Colorful Rainbow Wraps with Tahini, Feasting at Home
When people you greatly admire appear to be thinking deep thoughts, they probably are thinking about lunch.”
Douglas Adams
Mason Jar Salads
Salads are another lunchtime staple, and layering them in a wide-mouth mason jar solves that perennial first world sogginess problem.
Dressing goes on the bottom, followed by veggies, protein, and crisp leafy greens piled on top. Everything stays separate and dressing-free until you shake it up and pour it into a bowl. I’ve made a work-week’s worth of mason jar salads ahead of time and they really do stay fresh and crisp.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- 5 Mason Jar Salad Recipes, Emilie Eats
- Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar, A Virtual Vegan
- How to Make Vegan Mason Jar Salads for Make-Ahead Lunches
Soup
I love to cook and, once in a blue moon, I’ll go all out on elaborate dinners with side-dishes and main events that require timing and coordination. Mostly, though, I love meals that can be made in one pot and preferably doubled so there’ll be leftovers. Curries, stews and soups are what’s on the menu for lunch and dinner around here and not a week goes by when I don’t make some sort of soup.
“I live on good soup, not on fine words.”
Moliere
Below are some of my favorite vegan soup recipes. And, for those of you who don’t have the time or inclination to cook from scratch, here are some store-bough soup options.
Store-Bought Soups
It’s always wise to check the label before buying, but for some ready-made store-bought options, check out this recent post on the different types of vegan soups you can get at the grocery store in the U.S., including 17 vegan canned soups to keep you warm in the winter winter, vegan tomato soup brands, and even a few vegan cream of mushroom soup options.
Vegan Soup Ideas
- Tomatoes Bisque, by Well Vegan
- Cheesy Vegan Leek & Potato Soup, by Two Spoons
- Vegan Broccoli & Cheese Soup, by Oh She Glows
- Simple Vegan Tortilla Soup, by Minimalist Baker
- Creamy Pasta Soup Recipe, by Ela Vegan
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup, by Vegan Richa
- Thai Coconut Curry Soup, by Ela Vegan
Snacks
When I first became vegan, I found that I was hungrier than usual as my body adjusted to a new way of eating. This lasted about a month, but I still keep a stash of snacks around to top me up between meals.
Fruit (fresh or dried) and nuts are nutritious and require no preparation.
I also like rice cakes or tostadas with salsa, avocado toast, or hummus and veggies (carrot sticks, peppers, radishes.
Sam’s Harvest Jerky is amazing and, along with popcorn or toasted sunflower seeds, is my favorite savory movie-time snack.
I’m lucky enough to live in a part of the world that has amazing vegan cheese options (OMG Cultured Kindness), and I like to make myself a little plate with fig jam and crackers and stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) which you can buy in a can or make yourself if you’re less lazy than I am.
I’m addicted to dates and often eat them with a dollop of almond butter, like this recipe from Choosing Chia.
A well-planned plant-based diet can support healthy living and meet all our nutritional requirements. There is no reason why most people can not only survive, but thrive, on a vegan diet. I hope these recipe ideas show that it can also be flippin delicious. Happy lunching, friends!