25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (2024)

Oil-Free | Vegan Recipes

ByKarissa

Discover new ideas in thiscompilation of oil-free vegan recipes! This diet can be full of incredibly delicious food if you find the right dishes.

25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (1)

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I have many readers (and you!) that prefer to eat mostly vegan and oil-free. Having restrictive dietary needs can seem overwhelming, especially when you still want to eat incredibly delicious food. Good news – there are still plenty of dishes you can eat, and this list includes the best of the best recipes sorted into categories.

Below, you’ll find recipes like vegan stuffed shells, stir fry, corn chowder, homemade “sausage” patties, and more.

Breakfast

Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties

4.25 from 84 votes

These vegan sausage patties have those traditional breakfast flavors, like sage and thyme, but are totally plant-based! Oil-free and packed with protein.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (2)

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

5 from 1 vote

Whip up this vegan carrot cake overnight oats recipe for a convenient and nutritious breakfast. Packed with wholesome ingredients like nuts and shredded carrots, it's the perfect way to start your day!

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (3)

Tofu Scramble

5 from 38 votes

Vegan tofu scramble made with extra firm tofu and seasonings like nutritional yeast, Kala Namak salt, and paprika. You can add your favorite veggies for some added nutritional benefit and tastiness.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (4)

Maple Pecan Overnight Oats

4.69 from 19 votes

Overnight oats are a super easy and quick way to meal prep for breakfast!

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (5)

Lunch

Breaded Cauliflower Tacos with Chili Lime Cream Sauce

5 from 1 vote

These healthy vegan tacos are stuffed with oil-free breaded cauliflower and a zesty chili lime cabbage slaw. This is a super fun recipe using an air fryer!

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (7)

Vegan Chickpea Teriyaki Meal Prep Bowls

4.92 from 24 votes

This recipe for Chickpea Teriyaki bowls with crunchy broccoli and savory soy sauce is a quick, easy and healthy idea for vegan meal prep.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (8)

BBQ Tempeh Sandwich

5 from 2 votes

Meatless BBQ tempeh sandwiches are easy to make, satisfying, and nutritious!

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (9)

Dinner

Vegan Stuffed Shells

5 from 6 votes

Vegan stuffed shells with tofu and cashew ricotta are lighter, healthier and cheaper––not to mention tastier––than other stuffed shell recipes!

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (10)

Chickpea Noodle Soup

4.77 from 13 votes

This recipe for chickpea noodle soup is a vegan twist on chicken noodle soup – and it’s BETTER. Just pure veggie deliciousness here. This soup is healthy, but comforting and hearty.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (11)

Roasted Glazed Tofu

4.92 from 24 votes

This 5-ingredient glazed tofu roast is the perfect vegan alternative to a traditional ham roast.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (12)

Instant Pot Corn Chowder

4.54 from 26 votes

This Instant Pot Corn Chowder is a favorite dinner recipe in our house because it’s so easy! I love Instant Pot recipes because I don’t have to hover over a hot stove. Just throw all the ingredients together, let the pot do its thing, and unveil DELICIOUS corn chowder when the timer goes off. Yum. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. Oil-free option.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (13)

Vegan Broccoli Alfredo

4.91 from 22 votes

Creamy vegan alfredo served with roasted, cajun-spiced broccoli.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (14)

Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Soup

4.24 from 21 votes

This healthy vegan Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Soup recipe is delicious & comforting without all the calories!

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (15)

Vegan Slow Cooker Chili

Easy vegan slow cooker chili made with quinoa and enchilada sauce.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (16)

Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken

This vegan butter chicken is made with soycurls and chickpeas right in the Instant Pot!

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (17)

Chickpea Stir Fry

This oil-free vegan stir fry is made with chickpeas, veggies, and a delicious homemade sauce.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (18)

Sides

Air Fryer Fries

4.72 from 35 votes

Have no guilt digging into these healthy air fryer fries! I LOVE these smothered in vegan nacho cheese sauce or gravy.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (19)

Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

4.80 from 120 votes

Great as a side dish (or a main meal, let's be real) these homemade vegan scalloped potatoes are "cheesy" and delicious.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (20)

Healthy Green Bean Casserole

4.56 from 18 votes

Creamy non-dairy sauce, green beans, and a baked onion topping come together to make this delicious healthy green bean casserole!

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (21)

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

4.82 from 11 votes

Crispy, easy-to-make garlic roasted potatoes. Perfect as a side dish for any meal.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (22)

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

5 from 7 votes

This healthy vegan stuffed mushrooms recipe makes for a fantastic appetizer, especially for the holiday season! Quinoa, sundried tomatoes, pecans…yum.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (23)

Snacks

Oil-Free Hummus

4.64 from 19 votes

Simple, vegan hummus made with aquafabainstead of olive oil.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (24)

Vegan Nacho Cheese

4.75 from 40 votes

Cheesy, creamy, a little spicy, full of flavor – this vegan nacho cheese is delicious and healthy.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (25)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

5 from 3 votes

Protein balls made with chocolate and peanut butter. No protein powder necessary! This recipe is vegan and naturally sweetened with medjool dates.

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25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (26)

Trying to go vegan? Sign up for our (FREE) Vegan Beginner’s Guide!

If you try one of these oil-free vegan recipes, leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @karissasvegankitchen!

25 Oil-Free Vegan Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What do vegans cook with instead of oil? ›

Instead of oil, I use fruit purees, veggies, dairy-free yogurt, nut butters, almond flour or other nuts, sometimes coconut butter.

What can I bake without oil? ›

Oil Free Recipes
  1. Heavenly Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal.
  2. Holiday Breakfast In A Jiffy: Carrot Cake Oatmeal.
  3. Baked Cherry Pie Breakfast Pudding.
  4. My Go-To Holiday co*cktail – Quick, easy, festive, and low in sugar!
  5. Basic Chia Seed Pudding.
  6. Gourmet Chia Seed Pudding (from scratch!)
  7. Chia Seed Breakfast Bowl.

What can I cook without oil? ›

Baking & Roasting
  1. Oven-baked and roasted dishes can be incredibly flavorful without the need for oil.
  2. Roast your favorite vegetables, marinated with herbs and spices, for a crispy and savory side dish.
  3. Explore zero-oil baking recipes, from savory muffins to guilt-free sweets.

What is a vegan substitute for vegetable oil? ›

You can take just about any recipe, vegan or not, and make it better and healthier by replacing the oil or butter.
  • Unsweetened Apple Sauce.
  • Nut Butters.
  • Silken Tofu.
  • Aquafaba.
  • Mashed Banana, Pumpkin or Sweet Potato.
  • Check Out These Oil-Free Recipes.
  • Resources.
Mar 6, 2021

What is a vegan substitute for butter or oil? ›

What are good vegan butter substitutes? In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

What can I substitute for oil in a recipe? ›

  1. Melted Butter.
  2. Avocado.
  3. Unsweetened Applesauce.
  4. Greek Yogurt.
  5. Shortening.
  6. Coconut Oil.
  7. Bacon Grease.
  8. Nut Butters.
Nov 3, 2023

What happens if you bake vegetables without oil? ›

When vegetables are roasted without oil the finished product is a bit drier than it would be otherwise. However, finishing the roasted vegetables and adding flavor post-cooking, such as by tossing them in a small amount of high flavor liquid will boost flavor and add complementary flavor notes to the dish.

What happens if you dont use oil in baking? ›

Flavor: We just explored this. Adding oil to baked goods increases the fat content, which makes people happy. Moisture: Compare a cake with oil to one without oil and the oily cake will be luxurious and soft; the one without will taste like stale bread.

How to cook plant-based without oil? ›

How to Cook Without Oil. To saute or stir-fry: Add a stainless steel, or non-toxic non-stick pan to your stove top over medium heat, and add 1-2 tbsp's of vegetable broth or water. Then add your vegetables or tofu/tempeh and sautee just as you would normally.

How did people cook without oil? ›

Sautéing and stir-frying

Water works for a start, but you can also try vegetable broth, cooking wine, vinegar or soy sauce.

What can I use if I have no oil? ›

So, if you're stuck without this ingredient, here's some alternatives:
  1. Butter and margarine. Butter and margarine are glorious for adding flavour, richness and colour to meals so a great swap for oil. ...
  2. Ghee. ...
  3. Vegetable shortening. ...
  4. Bacon grease. ...
  5. Schmaltz. ...
  6. Mashed bananas and apple sauce. ...
  7. Tahini. ...
  8. Sunday roast fat.
Apr 26, 2022

How do you make food taste good without oil? ›

No Oil: Perhaps the easiest of all the categories! Simply sauté your ingredients in water or broth (for soups and stews), or coconut milk (for curries) before adding your other ingredients. This works because you'll be adding additional liquid to cook your ingredients later anyway, namely water, broth, or coconut milk.

What oil do vegans eat? ›

Sunflower, safflower, sesame, avocado, coconut, almond, and olive oil also pass this “Is This Oil Vegan” background check and are all great oil options that may not come with the worries of palm oil or canola oil.

Why do some vegans not use oil? ›

Some vegans choose to avoid olive oil if they follow a whole-food, plant-based type diet. Why do vegans not cook with oil? Some vegans follow whole food plant-based diets that emphasize foods in their whole, intact forms found in nature and restrict processed foods such as oil, sugar, or salt.

Can I use applesauce instead of oil? ›

Applesauce is a 1:1 replacement for oil, so if your recipe calls for half a cup of oil, use half a cup of applesauce instead. If you find yourself in the middle of a recipe and out of oil, use applesauce instead! This trick works in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and any kind of sweet baked good.

What do vegans use for oil? ›

FRYING- Soybean, peanut, vegetable, canola, sunflower, cottonseed, corn oil are some of the better options for frying as they are more refined. Making them oils with a high smoke point, which is key for deep frying and higher heat pan cooking.

How do you replace oil in a plant-based diet? ›

Here are some substitutions for oils/butter in your recipes: Vegetable broth: I use this to sauté my vegetables. Sometime I just use water if vegetable broth is not available. Nut butters: I use nut butters in my cookies as a fat replacer.

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