Here’s a short list of some of my favourite easy Vegan Pantry Recipes – Recipes made from Pantry Staples. Including lots of great and practical tips for storing your meals, prepping them, and ensuring you extend the shelf life of your ingredients!
Friends. Sending you all so much love! I want to do my best to make your life easier. If you’re like me and are staying at home, you probably want some recipes using your pantry ingredients – while also wanting them to taste delicious and be very easy. This is my first instalment of pantry staple recipes to get you started on some wonderfully easy recipes that are primarily made up on pantry ingredients! There are so many recipes that you can make from shelf-stable, frozen and fresh foods (that last a bit longer) plus your handy seasonings that you probably already.
These recipes are also very comforting, perfect for these times. I also wanted to share some of my favourites tips for extending the shelf life of recipes, along with some common swaps. Since your pantry might look slightly different from mine, feel free to swap for what you have.
Easy Pantry Staple Recipes (Vegan & Tips on Storing)
Coconut Chickpea Curry (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Coconut milk, canned chickpeas and canned tomatoes make this the ultimate pantry recipe. It also freezes so well!
Vegan Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
This recipe has been doing exceptionally well, and I know it’s because of how easy it is! Coconut milk, lentils, vegetable broth and some easy seasonings come together into a delicious filling and comforting soup!
15-Minute Mediterranean Chickpea Salad (Meal-Prep Friendly)
Using ingredients like chickpeas and fridge ingredients that last long (like cucumbers) this salad lasts for days and tastes great room temperature or cold.
Hearty Minestrone Soup (One Pot & Comforting)
Pasta in a soup ALWAYS has my attention. This soup features some amazing pantry ingredients and switches it a bit to keep your routine new and fresh.
One Pot Red Lentil Chili (Vegan & Gluten Free, Stovetop)
Could this get any easier? Stove top (or crockpot if you want), this chili uses canned beans, tomatoes, lentils and some longer lasting vegetables. P.S. instead of cartons of vegetable broth - use bouillon cubes or vegetable broth paste which lasts WAY longer and can transform water anywhere into a nutritious broth.
15 Minute Vegan Pasta Salad
Pro TIP: make all the pasta dishes. This uses veggies that last long, and if you can’t get fresh tomatoes you can easily sub sundried tomatoes!
Vegan Quiche Muffins with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Spinach
This Quiche Muffins will save your morning. Tofu, sundried tomato and spinach (easily frozen, straight from the fresh bag) make such a great dish. You can swap the veggies for ones you already have and make them your own!
Baked Banana Bread Oatmeal Cups (Chunky Monkey)
Oats, a great use for ripe bananas, frozen fruit! It couldn’t get easier. These freeze so well and make a great quick breakfast!
15 Minute Sesame Noodles with Maple Ginger Sauce
These noodles are not only super delicious, they take only 15 minutes. Perfect for when you’re low on time and need a quick meal. You can also add tofu to bulk it up.
Red Lentil Curry - Vegan, One Pot
Yet another pantry staple (lentils, coconut milk, vegetable broth) that comes together so easily. It reminds me of a dahl recipe that I had and loved, and has tons of rave reviews.
Chocolate Chip Tahini Mug Cake (5 Minutes & Vegan)
Gosh, we all deserve a treat right now. Tahini is one of my favourite pantry ingredients and works so well here. If you don’t have, sub a very runny peanut butter or other nut butter.
Coming NEXT:
Freezer Friendly Guide for freezing vegan baked and cooked goods
Easy Pantry Snacks (that are also kid-friendly)
DIY Hand Sanitizer
Stocking Your Pantry : check out my post about stocking a healthy vegan pantry. This isn’t a hard and fast list of course, but a good guide in general.
Tips for prepping and storing recipes
- Utilise your freezer! I’ll be sharing a freezer-friendly guide next, but you can freeze many of the recipes on this list. Then organise your freezer so you actually use the items in it. If your freezer looks overwhelming, chances are you won’t go into it. But you can freeze anything from curries to soups to sauces and gravies and pestos!
- P.S. instead of cartons of vegetable broth – use bouillon cubes or vegetable broth paste which lasts WAY longer. We only use this and our homemade vegetable broth (which you can freeze) and it saves us a lot of money and waste.
FRIDGE
- Keep a small whiteboard or chalkboard on your fridge (or even a piece of paper) to keep a running list of what’s in the fridge . I can’t tell you how many times my husband will make more rice when there’s a container in the fridge with it. I like to keep one for “INGREDIENTS IN THE FRIDGE” and one beside/under it for “MEALS PREPARED” so I know what I can pair with what. I also have a separate pantry list I can look at at a glance. Sometimes it really helps to see everything at one glance.
- Keep made dishes that will spoil quicker near the front of your fridge. Anything can get buried in the back of your fridge, and this way it’s the first thing you see.
- Give your fridge a quick weekly clean – that way you’ll catch anything you might’ve missed before it spoils!
- Bulk prep where you can. It’ll make your life a lot easier in the long run, and as mentioned before, you can always freeze these items.
SWAPS/MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU
- If you don’t have the required spice, it’s usually not a big deal unless that spice totally rules the dish. Usually, a general seasoning mix can go a very long way or an easy swap. Don’t have garam masala? You probably have most of the ingredients to make it up . Don’t have enchilada sauce? Use tomato sauce + some chilli powder and chipotle powder. When in doubt, google “substitute for…”.
- Remember to choose some staple recipes that you know you’ll love, and then rotate them, adding in something new every now and then! That way you don’t make too much of something that you don’t even know if you’ll like, and you and your entire family are more likely to actually finish it!
I hope this post helps so much, friends! I will continue to update this post and keep it current. Look out for other pantry posts!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large red onion , diced
- 4 stalks celery , diced
- 1 large carrot , diced, or two medium size carrots
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 26 ounces fresh tomatoes , chopped - you can also use a 28oz can diced tomatoes and drain the liquid - (737g)
- 1 cup dried brown lentils , 7.1 ounces/200g, picked over, rinsed and dried
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- salt & pepper to taste , I use 3/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2-3 sprigs thyme , to be removed at the end
- 1 cup kale , roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime
- Toppings , Optional: Oil drizzle, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, parsley, and/or sprinkle of zaatar Crusty bread
Instructions
- In a large, deep pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil to heat.
- Add the onions, celery, carrot and minced garlic. Stir together and allow to sweat for about 8 minutes, to soften and release natural juices from the veggies.
- Add in the tomatoes, brown lentils, garam masala and salt and pepper. Stir together. Pour in the vegetable broth, and add the thyme and stir again.
- Bring to a boil, and then to a simmer for 30 minutes, until lentils are fully cooked.
- Remove the thyme. Scoop out two cups of soup (with liquid) and pour into your blender . If you have a glass blender, ensure it cools down a bit first!
- Press the soup setting or blend until fully blended out. Pour back into soup pot and mix the soup together one more time to combine everything.
- Add in kale and lime juice and stir to combine.
- Serve the soup and top with your favourite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Indian-Spiced Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large red onion diced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 1 large carrot diced, or two medium size carrots
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 26 ounces fresh tomatoes chopped - you can also use a 28oz can diced tomatoes and drain the liquid - (737g)
- 1 cup dried brown lentils 7.1 ounces/200g, picked over, rinsed and dried
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- salt & pepper to taste I use 3/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2-3 sprigs thyme to be removed at the end
- 1 cup kale roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime
- Toppings Optional: Oil drizzle, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, parsley, and/or sprinkle of zaatar Crusty bread
Instructions
- In a large, deep pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil to heat.
- Add the onions, celery, carrot and minced garlic. Stir together and allow to sweat for about 8 minutes, to soften and release natural juices from the veggies.
- Add in the tomatoes, brown lentils, garam masala and salt and pepper. Stir together. Pour in the vegetable broth, and add the thyme and stir again.
- Bring to a boil, and then to a simmer for 30 minutes, until lentils are fully cooked.
- Remove the thyme. Scoop out two cups of soup (with liquid) and pour into your blender. If you have a glass blender, ensure it cools down a bit first!
- Press the soup setting or blend until fully blended out. Pour back into soup pot and mix the soup together one more time to combine everything.
- Add in kale and lime juice and stir to combine.
- Serve the soup and top with your favourite toppings and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Indian-Spiced Lentil Soup https://jessicainthekitchen.com/easy-lentil-soup-recipe-vegan/ February 11, 2022
Whipped Coffee (Dalgona Coffee) is the BEST thing ever! It’s only 3 ingredients! It’s a fluffy and incredibly delicious way to make your morning coffee, and takes only 5 minutes with a hand mixer ! You can make it hot or cold!
Happy Sunday, friends! I shared this video for Whipped Coffee on my Facebook page and since I’m getting so many questions about it – I made a blog post so I can answer all your questions! The recipe is below, along with all the ways you can make it! P.S. I’ve also made a whipped matcha !
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
What kind of sugar can you use to make whipped coffee?
You should use granulated sugar. You can use white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, coconut sugar .
Can I make whipped coffee without sugar?
Yes you can… BUT ! I tested this and while it does fluff up in the same amount of time, it doesn’t stay fluffy as long as the sugar version. The sugar version stays fluffy for hours, this stays as fluffy for about 2 minutes, then begins to slowly dissolve for another 5 minutes until it’s liquid again. So keep that in mind for the unsweetened version.
Can you usemonkfruit sweeteneror sweetener replacements to make whipped coffee?
Yes you can! As long as they are granulated. P.S. – you can get 15% off next order of monkfruit sweetener if you use my code VEGANLOVE20 .
I don’t have a hand mixer. How else can I make whipped coffee?
You can make whipped coffee using a stand mixer, a hand frother or hand whisk and by hand! Making it by hand took me about 8 minutes (others have reported this and up to 15 minutes). The key is to do back and forth/side-to-side whisking in a zig zag motion, instead of only in large circles.
I would recommend using a whisk and not a spoon because it takes so long with a spoon and your arms will definitely be tired! You do want to ensure you’re doing it in a bowl and not a mug or a jar, so that enough air is whipped into it!
Can I use hot or cold milk?
You can use any one! I love cold coffee so I make an iced coffee with mine. But you can definitely make it hot – it works the same! So if you wanted it hot, you would heat up your milk, then stir it into the hot milk.
What is whipped coffee?!
Whipped coffee is a Tiktok name for this kind of coffee (also known as tiktok coffee). It’s actually called Dalgona Coffee (Korean coffee) and was coined by South Korean actor Jung Il-woo. I have learned since that it’s been around for years and is also known as Frappe Coffee (Greek), Beaten Coffee (Indian) and is known in several other cultures. I first saw it on Tiktok (@imhannahcho) a few days ago!!
How to make whipped coffee
Whipped coffee is made up of only 3 ingredients! To make whipped coffee, add 2 tablespoons of instant coffee, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of boiling water to a clean bowl. Using a hand mixer, you whisk/whip it together for about anywhere from 2 minutes to 5 minutes. Check out my IG highlights for lots of videos of me doing this!
To keep your whipped coffee vegan, use any vegan milk (such as almond milk, soy milk, oat milk (learn how I make it), cashew milk or any other. After you’ve made the whipped part, pour some of your favourite vegan milk (1 cup of it) into a glass with some ice if you’re doing an iced coffee. Spoon/scoop the whipped coffee on top, then stir it into the milk to combine. I like to use my straw to stir it in. Enjoy! Whipped coffee can last for days in your fridge!
Which instant coffee do you use?!
I used Nescafé Classic (the double filter, full flavour one) ! Yes, it works with decaf coffee too !! You do need to use instant coffee for it to work! I have seen that it doesn’t work with 3-in-1 mixes.
Can I make whipped matcha?
Yes! I did an entire post about how to make whipped matcha !
What else can I use this for/what should I have whipped coffee with?
So it makes this incredible drink, but you can use it in so many other ways! Here are some yummy ways to enjoy it:
- Use it as a topping for brownies (like my brownies recipe) .
- I saw a friend make pavlova out of it!
- Make vegan chocolate chip cookies and dip it into it – it tastes phenomenal!
- If you want to make this extra indulgent you can use my 3-ingredient caramel sauce with it!
- Another INCREDIBLE use is to make a very large batch of it (maybe, a cup each?) and freeze it to make coffee ice cream !
- Have this with a warm slice of banana bread .
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar ,
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
- a pinch of cinnamon , optional
- 1 cup milk of choice , I’ve tried it with soy milk, almond and oat milk
Instructions
- Add all the coffee, sugar and boiling water in a bowl (you can easily double or triple this recipe). Using a hand mixer or stand mixer and whip on one of the higher speeds.
- Whip the entire mixture for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and whip any bits that didn’t get whipped.
- Taste (it’ll be very strong! But of course diluted with your milk) and add more sugar IF desired. I’ve seen some people add another tablespoon of sugar, but it was fine for me. Remember it’ll be diluted with the milk!
- Add the coffee to a tall glass (about 8 ounces/1 cup) of your favourite milk. I’ve tried it with soy milk, almond and oat milk. If you’re doing iced, add a few ice cubes, then the milk, then spoon the whipped coffee on top. If using hot, just add it to the glass.
- Using your spoon or straw, stir vigorously to swirl it into your milk.
- Sip and enjoy! Also take a photo 😉
Notes
WAYS TO MAKE WHIPPED COFFEE
- You can make coffee with a hand mixer or stand mixer (I found these are the easiest ways).
- You can make it by hand but I don’t recommend doing it that way if you have other tools. It takes at least 20 minutes by hand! That being said, that’s how many people make it on Tiktok.
- If you have a hand frother or a hand whisk, you 100% can use that to make it!
- Ask me - and I’ll include here if you can make it any other way.
- Tip: I used the hot water straight from my Keurig. But you can also boil the water first!
- You can make less, the above recipe is just a ratio amount. So you can cut it down if you desire, just keep the ratios the same.
What else can I use this for/what should I have whipped coffee with?
Use it as a topping for brownies (like my brownies recipe)
I saw a friend make pavlova out of it!
Make cookies and dip it into it - it tastes phenomenal! I love it with my snickerdoodle cookies , and my maple pecan sugar cookies.
If you want to make this extra indulgent you can use my 3-ingredient caramel sauce with it!
Another INCREDIBLE use is to make a very large batch of it (maybe, a cup each?) and freeze it to make coffee ice cream !
Have this with a warm slice of banana bread , strawberry banana bread , pecan banana bread or even chocolate chip pumpkin bread !
P.S. I now also have a whipped matcha blog post!
