Whether you’re a seasoned vegan chef or just getting started with vegan recipes, you’re probably well aware that too much oil can be a problem. You don’t have access to butter, but if you’re trying to cut down on your fat intake, the amount of oil in recipes can be disheartening.
Fortunately, there are lots of vegan-friendly dishes that do not use oil. Things like crunchy vegan granola, almond milk crepes, and lentil carrot soup are ideal options. You might also want to try vegan alfredo, crispy roast potatoes, and buffalo chickpea tacos. We’re going to look at all of these recipes today!
Cutting the oil out of cooking can be a challenge, but it’s a great thing to do. Let’s start examining the top vegan recipes you might like to try.
Crunchy Vegan Granola
Granola makes a great start to the day, and you can eliminate the oil easily with this healthy granola recipe. The dates in the recipe will give it a nice amount of sweetness, and it’s packed with healthy additions, like goji berries, pumpkin seeds, and chia seeds.
You don’t want to start the morning with anything greasy, so this makes a perfect breakfast. It’s also great for snacking on later in the day if you find yourself getting peckish. Flavorful, quick to make, and completely vegan, what’s not to love about this delicious granola?
Almond Milk Crepes
If you’re craving pancakes, know that you don’t have to miss out just because you’ve cut oil and animal products from your menu. These almond milk crepes are light and delicious, making them a perfect option for any meal, and you can pair them with just about anything you like.
Toss in some fresh fruit, some vegan yogurt, or a little maple syrup, and you’ve got a tasty treat that everyone will love – and they won’t even notice it’s vegan. They’re ideal for making your weekend special, your date night stand out, or just creating a reward for the kids after school.
Note that you will need a good non-stick skillet for these, or there’s a risk that your crepes will cling to the pan. Make sure the pan is hot before you add the batter to minimize this problem.
Chickpea Noodle Soup
Soup is a meal many vegans love, but so many soup recipes call for oil. Fortunately, this chickpea noodle soup does not. You’ll be sauteing the veggies in a small amount of vegetable stock instead, preventing them from sticking without introducing grease to the soup. What a perfect way to cook, and a method you may be able to use with other soups too.
Between the chickpeas and the noodles, this is a beautifully filling recipe that puts everything in one bowl – no need for bread to dip when you’ve got noodles as your carbohydrate serving.
You’ll cook the noodles separately and then add the soup to top of them when serving it, ensuring they have a good bite and don’t get so mushy that they break up in the soup.
Lentil Carrot Soup
If you want something healthier for lunch, this lentil carrot soup might be perfect. Free from oil, this is also ultra-healthy, and the ideal way to tackle a cold, or prevent one from taking hold of you. It’s got lots of warming spices, such as ginger and turmeric, and it looks brilliantly bright and colorful.
Lentils are a particularly great way to make a soup filling, and they’re also nice and nutritious. Don’t underestimate how warm this soup can be on a cold winter day. It incorporates fresh greens in the form of spinach and parsley, meaning it has lots of goodness to keep you healthy.
ReCrispy Roast Potatoes
You might be thinking that there’s no way to make crispy roast potatoes without oil because the fat is usually what makes that golden crunch – but you’re wrong! These crispy roast potatoes are oil-free, making them much healthier. They may not taste quite as phenomenal as if you made them with oil, but they’ll be significantly better for you.
You’ll be using aquafaba for the oil, so they’re still perfectly vegan. It will create an excellent crunch around the edges of the potatoes, leaving them soft and fluffy inside. With a little bit of vegan gravy and some other roasted vegetables, these are the perfect accompaniment to any meal.
Buffalo Chickpea Tacos
With no oil in them whatsoever, these vegan buffalo chickpea tacos are ideal for a casual night at home. They are packed with flavor from the different spices, and the chickpeas provide a punch of protein, but they’re low in fat and very delicious.
You do need to source some vegan sour cream if you want to enjoy this recipe fully, but you can just enjoy the rest of the meal without it if this isn’t an easy ingredient for you to get hold of. With the warmth of paprika and cumin and the zesty edge of lime juice, these make a delicious dinner for everybody to enjoy.
Pumpkin Muffins
Muffins are a delightful treat, and this pumpkin muffin recipe offers an oil-free option by swapping apple sauce into the ingredients. The apple sauce will ensure that the muffins are deliciously moist and tender, without being remotely greasy.
For a low-fat snack, these are an ideal option. They are sweetened with sugar, but you could opt for another form of sweetener if you prefer, and if you top them with pumpkin seeds, they’ll be both healthy and delicious. What better way to ensure you – or your kids – are eating healthily but still getting to enjoy a treat from time to time?
Stuffed Kidney Bean Burgers
When you think of a burger, does your mind immediately jump to dripping fat and a grease overload? It does for many people, but these stuffed kidney bean burgers are here to challenge that assumption and let you enjoy your burger almost fat-free.
These burgers have plenty of flavor, thanks to the mushrooms, beets, cumin, and soy sauce, and they’re also full of protein. With walnuts, kidney beans, and flax seeds, you’ll be getting tons of vital nutrients that many vegans end up lacking. Serve them on whole wheat burger buns for the best results.
Quinoa Stuffed Eggplants
A lot of people think you need oil to make eggplants silky and rich – but actually, these vegetables have a delightfully velvety texture all on their own. Combine them with quinoa in these quinoa-stuffed eggplants, and you’ve got an instantly nutritious, healthy meal without a drop of oil in sight.
With onions, carrots, tomatoes, and raisins bringing extra flavor to this dish, plus a lemony sauce made with soy yogurt, this is an exquisite meal that will set your taste buds tingling. You’ll enjoy every bite, and it’s wonderfully healthy!
Conclusion
As you can see, there are lots of ways to enjoy oil-free recipes even when you’re vegan. You don’t need animal products and you don’t need large dollops of fat to make delicious food every time you set foot in the kitchen. With a little creativity and some good ingredients, you’ll make such fantastic food that nobody notices the lack of oil!
