Our Top 10 Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes from August 2023!

These budget-friendly vegan recipes mean you don’t have to break the bank to have flavorful, healthy, seasonal meals that are 100% plant-based.

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 20,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, don’t forget to check out our Budget-Friendly Archives!

1. Rainbow Tofu Kebabs

Source: Rainbow Tofu Kebabs

Kebabs aren’t just for outdoor summer barbecues; these Rainbow Tofu Kebabs by Toni Okamoto and Michelle Cehn are an anytime meal-on-a-stick you can make in the oven, rain or shine! We like to serve these atop a bed of fluffy rice, but you might slide the tofu and veggies off the skewer and serve them on a salad or stuffed in a pita.

2. Baked Tofu Buddha Tray

Source: Baked Tofu Buddha Tray

Standard Buddha bowls will be a thing of the past once you use your sheet pan to cook the ingredients. Minimal washing up makes this Baked Tofu Buddha Tray by Luce Hosier a go-to for those evenings when you’ve had a long day and can’t be bothered to cook. With the help from the oil, the outer edges of the red cabbage will crisp up nicely, yet the inside will be soft. The red cabbage chunks will fall apart in your mouth. Roasted red cabbage is a favorite vegetable and the paprika-smoked tofu chunks with a dollop of hummus are delightful. This is a perfect prep recipe to ensure you’re feeding your body plenty of goodness even on a busy day.   Reprinted with permission from One-Pan Vegan by Luce Hosier. Page Street Publishing Co. 2022. Photo credit: Luce Hosier.

Get the Summer Cookbook!

3. Peanut Sauce Udon Noodles

Source: Peanut Sauce Udon Noodles

Perfect for busy weeknights, these Peanut Sauce Udon Noodles by Carol Clayton are ready in under 20 minutes! They’re comforting, full of savory flavor, and just a touch spicy. This healthy vegan recipe can easily be made gluten-free.

4. Lentil Salad

Source: Lentil Salad

This Lentil Salad by Dominique Ebra is a classic combination of fresh green lentils, crunchy cucumber, red bell pepper, red onions, and herbs, with a simple lemon and maple syrup dressing. A satisfying, healthy staple protein-packed dish, this lentil salad recipe is great to make for lunch, dinner, or a side dish.

5. Loaded Strawberry Basil Lemonade

Source: Loaded Strawberry Basil Lemonade

How to jazz up your lemonade? Make strawberry ice cubes! The fruity ice cubes add a little fun and extra color to your lemonade. This Loaded Strawberry Basil Lemonade by Anna Sue is so refreshing and delightful. Summer in a glass! Enjoy the sunshine!

6. Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

Source: Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

These Chocolate Raspberry Muffins by Kim Julie-Hansen are incredibly rich and contain just the right mix of chocolate and fruit. They’re sweet enough to qualify as cupcakes too, so feel free to add your favorite frosting and decorate them to your liking.

7. Creamy Spinach Sauce

Source: Creamy Spinach Sauce

This Creamy Spinach Sauce by Sara Oliveira with a beautiful green color that’s perfect for warm weather!

8. Apple-Chickpea Kale Salad

Source: Apple-Chickpea Kale Salad

This Apple-Chickpea Kale Salad by Caryn Carruthers is a delight of contrasting textures, temperatures, and flavors. Yes, this is a salad, but it isn’t your choke-down-your-raw-veggies kind of salad. It is the kind of salad that has warm and cold veggies, crunchy apples, meaty chickpeas, the slight tingle of a thinly sliced red onion, and more to keep you interested in what your next bite combination will be. A better name is required for a salad like this — come to think of it, it’s a smorgasbowl!

9. Cacio e Pepe Summer Pasta Salad

Source: Cacio e Pepe Summer Pasta Salad

Colorful and delicious, this simple pasta salad comes together in just minutes. You have to try making this Cacio e Pepe Summer Pasta Salad by Adam Merrin and Ryan Alvarez!

10. No-Tuna Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Source: No-Tuna Chickpea Salad Sandwich

This No-Tuna Chickpea Salad Sandwich by Andrea Soranidis has “eat me” written all over it! It’s a fantastic lunchbox option (but is great for breakfast too!), conveniently packed with plant-based protein and it comes together in just ten minutes.   Reprinted with permission from The Vegan Bean Cookbook by Andrea Soranidis, Page Street Publishing Co. 2021. Photo credit: Andrea Soranidis

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!