Quick and Easy Vegan Summer Recipes

The best season of the year is finally here! Whether you have to feed an entire crew or plan a romantic summer picnic for two, these quick, easy and seriously delicious vegan summer recipes will hit the spot when the weather’s hot. Plus, many of them store well as leftovers for later.

Here they are, our five favourite vegan summer recipes:

• Summer Wrap with Celery and Cranberries
• Nacho Bowl with Green Lentil Meat
• Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges and Asparagus
• Harissa Aubergine Flatbreads with Cucumber Mint Relish
• Chickpea and Courgette Burger

Vegan Summer Wrap with Celery and Cranberries

Loaded with kidney beans, celery, cranberries, these vegan summer wraps are fast, moist and flavorful. They’re incredibly tasty and super easy to make – the perfect recipe for summer picnics and quick weekday lunches.

Total cooking time: 15 minutes | Serves: 2 | Easy

Ingredients

• 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 tbsp cranberries
• ½ can sweetcorn, drained
• ½ small red onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 1 tbsp vegan mayo
• 1 handful walnuts, crushed 
• 1 handful basil leaves
• 1 handful cress
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Chilli flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. To make these vegan summer wraps, add kidney beans to a bowl and mash well with a fork. 

2. Add chopped celery, sweetcorn, onion, garlic and cranberries to the bowl and stir to combine. Add vegan mayo, basil leaves, walnuts and cress and season with salt and pepper. Toss with a little lime juice and a few chilli flakes. 

3. Spread over 4 wraps, roll up and eat.

Vegan Chickpea Burger

Ready in under 20 minutes, high in fibre and low in fat, this tasty vegan chickpea burger delivers on every level. We made these the other day and still can’t get over how simple and delicious they are! Super filling too!

Total cooking time: 20 minutes | Makes: 4 patties | Easy

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 small courgette, grated
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 50g oats
• 4 burger buns
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• Handful iceberg salad
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 2-3 tbsp mixed herbs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp vinegar

Method

1. In a bowl, mix together chickpeas, courgette, onion, garlic, oats,  peanut butter, herbs, olive oil and vinegar. With a hand blender, blend until smooth but make sure there’s still some texture left.

2. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Form patties which are around 1,5-2cm thick and fry for 5 minutes on each side. 

3. To serve, slice burger buns and fill with a slice of tomato, a patty, red onion slices and iceberg salad.

Vegan Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges and Asparagus

A quick and easy quinoa bowl, with thick asparagus spears, sweet potato wedges and a creamy peanut butter dressing. The ideal vegan recipe for hot summer nights.

Total cooking time: 45 minutes | Serves: 2 | Easy

Ingredients

For the quinoa bowl:

• 1 pound asparagus spears (thick spears are best for roasting)
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 50g quinoa
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 30g margarine 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• Salt and freshly grated black pepper
• Lemon juice

For the peanut butter dressing:

• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 3-4 tbsp of boiling water
• 1 tbsp soya sauce 

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Rinse the asparagus spears. If the ends are tough, break them off. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into wedges.

2. For the sweet potatoes, melt the margarine in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cinnamon. Add the potato wedges to the margarine and toss to combine. Season the potatoes with the salt and pepper.

3. Spread the asparagus spears in an even layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Add the sweet potatoes to the same baking tray.

4. Roast at 200°C for 20 minutes until the asparagus is just lightly browned and the sweet potatoes tender. In the meantime, cook your quinoa according to packaging instructions.

Vegan Nacho Bowl With Green Lentil Meat

This vegan nacho bowl with tortilla chips and vegan sour cream dip is an absolute dream! We LOVE Mexican food and are totally obsessed with this summer dish at the moment! So easy to make, full of flavour and great texture with some plant-based ‘meat’ made of green lentils, which are a great source of iron and high in magnesium. A real plant-based power food!

Total cooking time: 25 minutes | Serves: 2 | Easy

Ingredients

For the lentil meat:

• 1/2 can green lentils
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp oregano

For the cashew cream:

• 100g cashews, soaked for 30 minutes
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the nacho bowl:

• 1/2 can sweet corn
• 1/2 can kidney beans
• Iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped (or any salad you have in your fridge)
• 1 spring onions, cut into rings
• 1/2 red onion, cut into half rings
• 120g nachos
• 1 avocado, diced

Method

1. To make your vegan nacho bowl, start by preparing your green lentil ‘meat’. Drain the lentils, place them in a food processor and process until well incorporated. But make sure to leave some texture! Season with smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. 

2. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste, lentil mixture and diced tomatoes and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

3. Next, drain the cashews and, together with all sour cream ingredients, put into a blender. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Now it’s time to assemble your nacho bowl! Combine lettuce, sweet corn, kidney beans and avocado. Top with the lentil meat and cashew sour cream. Finally, add the nachos on top and sprinkle with red onions and spring onions. If you want some extra spice, you can add some chopped chillies too!

Vegan Harissa Aubergine Flatbreads with Cucumber Mint Relish

Total cooking time: 25 minutes | Serves: 2 | Easy

Spicy, sweet and satisfyingly sticky aubergine, served in soft flatbreads with a tangy relish and creamy tahini dressing. Topped with fresh pomegranate seeds, they make the perfect summer dish.

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1 large aubergine, cut into 1cm chunks
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons harissa paste 
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2-3 flatbreads 
• 50g pomegranate seeds
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the relish:

• 1/2 cucumber, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• Handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

For the tahini dressing:

• 3 tbsp tahini
• 1 small lemon, juiced 
• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 pinch sea salt 
• 3-4 tbsp water 

Method

1. Whisk the harissa paste and maple syrup into a large bowl, then add the aubergine chunks and cherry tomatoes into the mixture. Mix until the vegetables are generously coated.

2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add harissa coated aubergine and cherry tomatoes. Reduce heat and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. In the meantime, prepare the relish. Combine cucumber, red onion, mint and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside. 

4. Next, prepare the tahini dressing. Add tahini, lemon juice, and maple syrup to a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly add water and whisk until creamy and pourable. 

5. Arrange the flatbreads on a platter and top with harissa aubergine and tomatoes, spoon over the relish and tahini dressing and finally sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.