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How To Find Vegetarian Recipes For Beginners

Say goodbye to boring meals—here’s how to find vegetarian recipes that excite you!

So, you’ve taken the leap into vegetarianism—amazing! But now, after a few weeks (or maybe even days), you might be wondering… What do I actually eat?

At first, cutting out meat feels exciting and fresh, but if you’re cycling through the same three meals over and over, boredom can set in fast. And let’s be real—nobody wants to live off plain salads and pasta forever.

The good news? Keeping your meals exciting, satisfying, and totally meat-free is completely doable—you just need the right recipes!

That’s where I come in. In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to find the best vegetarian recipes so you can keep your meals varied, delicious, and simple to make.

Let’s dive in!

Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you, of course!)—thanks for helping keep the veggie fun going!

What to Look For In Vegetarian Recipes

Finding the right vegetarian recipes can make or break your transition to a meat-free lifestyle. You want meals that are nutritious, satisfying, and easy to prepare, so you don’t feel frustrated or tempted to revert back to old eating habits.

Here’s what you should focus on when searching for recipes that will keep you feeling great and excited about your meals.

Batch Cooking & Meal Prep

Cooking from scratch every day can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re new to vegetarian eating. That’s why it’s helpful to look for recipes that make great leftovers and are easy to prep in advance. Meals that store well and reheat nicely can save time and effort throughout the week.

Finding recipes that work well for batch cooking helps ensure that you always have something delicious and satisfying on hand, reducing the temptation to revert to less nutritious options out of convenience.

Whole Food Ingredients

One of the biggest mistakes new vegetarians make is relying too heavily on processed meat substitutes. While these products can be helpful in small amounts, they aren’t the foundation of a healthy vegetarian diet.

Instead, focus on recipes that highlight whole, plant-based ingredients like fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Whole foods provide essential nutrients, fiber, and natural flavors that will keep you feeling satisfied and energized.

A vegetarian meal with whole food ingredients.

Simplicity

As a new vegetarian, the last thing you need is a complicated recipe that requires 20 different ingredients and multiple cooking techniques. Sticking with simple, easy-to-follow recipes helps build confidence in the kitchen without feeling overwhelmed.

Look for meals that require minimal steps, basic cooking methods, and common ingredients. Keeping things simple ensures that vegetarian cooking remains enjoyable rather than stressful, making it easier to maintain your new lifestyle.

Balanced Nutrition

One concern you may have as a new vegetarian is whether you’re getting enough nutrientsespecially protein. A well-rounded vegetarian meal should include a good balance of protein, healthy fats, and fiber to keep you full and energized. Without proper balance, you may find yourself feeling hungry soon after eating, which can lead to frustration and cravings.

When searching for recipes, make sure they incorporate plant-based protein sources, fiber-rich ingredients, and healthy fats to support overall health and keep you feeling full.

Familiar Flavors

Going vegetarian doesn’t mean you have to give up the flavors and textures you love. Sticking with familiar dishes—just made with plant-based ingredients—can make the transition feel seamless.

Instead of diving into completely new and unfamiliar meals, look for recipes that mirror the foods you already enjoy. This makes it much easier to stick with vegetarian eating because you won’t feel like you’re sacrificing the meals that bring you comfort.

Staple Ingredients

One of the best ways to make vegetarian cooking easier is to stock your kitchen with versatile pantry staples that can be used in multiple recipes.

When searching for vegetarian meals, look for ones that incorporate common, long-lasting ingredients like whole grains, canned beans, frozen vegetables, and dried spices. These ingredients make it easier to throw together meals without requiring frequent grocery trips or expensive specialty items.

A vegetarian pantry cabinet with staples like dried beans and spices.

Quick Preparation

As a new vegetarian, you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen figuring out complicated recipes. Meals that take 45 minutes or less are ideal, especially during busy weekdays when you need something fast and filling.

Quick recipes allow you to maintain a vegetarian diet without sacrificing convenience, which makes it much easier to stay consistent. The more effortless your meals feel, the more likely you are to stick with your new lifestyle.

Minimal Special Equipment

Most vegetarian recipes are simple, but some require special kitchen gadgets, hard-to-find tools, or uncommon ingredients. When starting out, look for recipes that don’t require anything beyond basic kitchen essentials like a knife, cutting board, skillet, and oven.

Recipes that demand high-powered blenders or dehydrators, for example, can be intimidating and may discourage you from cooking at home. Keeping things simple ensures that vegetarian cooking remains accessible and stress-free.

Seasonal and Affordable

Eating vegetarian doesn’t have to be expensive! Choosing recipes that use seasonal, budget-friendly produce can help you save money while enjoying the best flavors and nutrition. Out-of-season ingredients can be costly and sometimes lack the freshness and quality of local, in-season options.

When browsing recipes, focus on those that highlight readily available ingredients to keep your meals affordable, fresh, and environmentally friendly.

Where to Find Vegetarian Recipes

Trying new things and broadening your rotation of meals will keep things interesting and make your diet more enjoyable.

My advice for beginning vegetarians is always to start your journey with quick and easy meals that don’t require recipes. But once you’ve gotten a good stock of those quick meals in your arsenal, you’re ready to get more experimental and creative with new recipes!

Here are the best places to find vegetarian recipes that you’ll love.

Vegetarian Food Influencers and Bloggers

The internet is swimming with plant-based food bloggers and social media influencers who provide amazing veg-friendly recipes, often with beautiful pictures, step-by-step instructions, and often even videos.

You’ll find that many of these profiles are fully plant-based/vegan, or that there are general food bloggers who also share some vegetarian recipes. There are a handful, though, that are primarily focused on vegetarian recipes and nutrition.

I recommend you check out my favorite vegetarian influencers and bloggers here on the Veg Friends page!

You can also simply try googling the type of recipes you are looking for and see which blogs come up, or try searching in your favorite social media platform for vegetarian accounts.

An online recipe tutorial on a laptop screen with a vegetarian blogger.

Pinterest

Pinterest is free platform and a visual search engine that is perfect for finding great vegetarian recipes.

In Pinterest you can search for recipes simply by inputting “vegetarian recipes” or you can tailor your searches even more by putting in “vegetarian dinner recipes with broccoli,” for example. The search results will all be visual images or videos of different meals, which you can click and be taken to the blog where the recipe is published.

You can “pin” (save) your favorites to boards so you can organize your ideas and come back to them at your convenience.

You can check out The Vegetarian Guide Pinterest account, which includes several boards with vegetarian recipes for inspiration.

Vegetarian Cookbooks

Cookbooks are the classic go-to for finding any recipe, and that is true of vegetarian recipes as well!

Personally I tend to stay more in the online space to find new recipes, but if a physical cookbook is more your jam, then they can also be a great place to look.

Here are some great ones to start with:

Taste of Home Vegetarian Made Easy: 335 Delicious Meatless Recipes

The Weekday Vegetarians: 100 Recipes and Real-Life Plan For Eating Less Meat

The Vegetarian Reset: 75 Low-Carb, Plant-Forward Recipes from Around the World

The Simply Vegetarian Cookbook: Fuss-Free Recipes Everyone Will Love

Love Real Food: More Than 100 Feel-Good Vegetarian Favorites to Delight the Senses and Nourish the Body: A Cookbook

A stack of vegetarian cookbooks on a kitchen counter.

Veg Essentials

Inside my signature product bundle Veg Essentials, you’ll find The Veggie Vault, which is a library of the plant-based recipes my family eats all the time in our house (and the ones I show in the Easy Beginner Vegetarian Facebook group)! These are all of my favorite recipes – some that are quick and easy and some that are more advanced but worth the effort.

You can also save the recipes into Collections that you can organize however you wish, and you can generate a grocery list for your chosen recipes with just one click.

Learn more about Veg Essentials.

AI

It’s here to stay, I’m afraid to say. But that means we can use AI to our advantage!

Use AI tools like ChatGPT to help you with recipes. You can tell it what you have in your fridge and ask it to give you recipes ideas.

Please be aware that your ability to search for recipes on AI is amazing – you can totally customize your search so you can find “gluten-free Italian-inspired casseroles with broccoli and jackfruit.”

BUT the recipes generated are made by a computer who has never tasted or finessed them in the same way that a human has. For that reason, I recommend starting with recipes from our Veg Friends.

Restaurant Menus

Restaurants won’t divulge their secret recipes, but if you have a vegetarian favorite at a restaurant, you can use it for inspiration in helping you recreate the meal at home.

Often you can try googling “copycat” recipes for your favorite veg meals from chain restaurants, which can sometimes give you pretty great results.

You can also deconstruct the different elements of your favorite restaurant dishes and search for highly-rated recipes for all of the pieces. You might just end up putting together a meal that’s even better than what you got at the restaurant!

Have Fun With It!

Now that you’ve found some great recipes, be sure to share them! Hop into the Easy Beginner Vegetarian Facebook group and share your favorites with the other new vegetarians in the group (plus you can see what others are eating).

Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone! Try new ingredients, experiment with different spices, and put your own spin on recipes to make them your own. The more curious and open you are, the more exciting your vegetarian journey will be.

Most importantly, enjoy the process. Cooking should be fun, not stressful!

Some meals will be instant favorites, while others might need a little tweaking—that’s all part of the adventure.

So grab a new recipe, get cooking, and have fun creating delicious, nourishing meals that keep you excited about being vegetarian. You’ve got this!

XO – Bailee

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