"While sober curiosity and lazy girl workouts have taken over our feeds, another lifestyle trend has quietly proven that it’s here to stay: the vegan diet. This eating style focuses on eating plants and food made from plants, such as veggies, soy, legumes, nuts, and plant-based meats and dairy alternatives. Easy enough, right? But sticking to a plant-based diet while working is sometimes easier said than done. So rather than waste your precious free time trying to find vegan-friendly restaurants near your workplace or stray off your diet, we set out to find the best vegan lunches for work. Whether you’re looking for sandwiches, wraps, hearty bowls, or salads, these easy vegan lunch ideas have you covered.
12 Easy Vegan Lunches for Work
1. Vegan Cobb Salad
Source: Jessica in the Kitchen
This meal is essentially a deconstructed vegan BLT sandwich in salad form. It’s satisfying, loaded with healthy fats, and perfect for those following a keto diet. To make, combine red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and other spices in a mason jar and shake well to create the dressing. Then toss together lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, carrot, cucumber, and vegan cheese in a large bowl. From there, top with avocado and plant-based chicken and bacon, and drizzle with your homemade dressing. This will keep for two days in the fridge, but it’s best enjoyed fresh, so try making it in the morning for lunch that day.
2. Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Hummus
Source: Simply Quinoa
This grain bowl combines eggplant, cooked quinoa, chickpeas, lots of hummus, and a drizzle of tahini sauce to deliver a lunch that’s satisfying and nutritious. Plus, it’s also gluten-free. Cook the eggplant, chickpeas, and quinoa, and assemble your bowl the night before work. Then store it in the fridge in an airtight container overnight so it stays as fresh as possible.
3. Vegan Burger
Source: Erin Clarke of Well Plated
Made with black beans, flaxseed, almonds, pepitas, rolled oats, red pepper, red onion, and hemp seed hearts, this vegan meal is rich in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber. Plus, it is protein-packed and will give you the energy you need to tackle that mid-afternoon slump. Because this one requires meal prepping with the oven and a food processor, you’ll want to make the burger patties on a Sunday and store them in the fridge plain. To reheat for lunch during the week, gently heat the patty in the microwave, then place on a bun, top with avocado, and enjoy.
4. Socca Pizza
Source: Cotter Crunch
Pizza is one of the best adult lunch ideas out there, and this recipe is plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free, and grain-free. Despite the fact that you’ll need to make the crust from scratch using chickpeas, olive oil, and a variety of dried herbs and spices, it’ll only take 20 minutes to cook and can be wrapped in foil and stored in the freezer for up to three months. Likewise, you can also keep your fully made pizza in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days and reheat it in the microwave or enjoy it cold for lunches for work or school throughout the week.
5. Fresh Spring Rolls
Source: Love and Lemons
Like something you’d get at your favorite Vietnamese restaurant, these spring rolls are packed with fresh veggies, herbs, tofu, and noodles for a refreshing and satisfying vegan lunch. The recipe calls for a mix of carrot, cucumber, jalapeño pepper, mango, and avocado, but you could easily customize these with whatever fillings you like. Pack a few rolls along with a serving of the sweet-and-savory peanut dipping sauce for an easy plant-based lunch for the office.
6. Sweet Potato & Avocado Green Salad
Source: Minimalist Baker
There’s a reason salads are one of the most popular easy vegetarian lunch ideas out there—they’re super easy to whip up and can be fully customized to your liking. Case in point? This easy everyday salad. Not only is it vegan and gluten-free, but it’s also made with common kitchen staples such as sweet potatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, avocado, and whatever greens you have on hand. What’s more, after you roast the sweet potatoes and toss together the ingredients, you can add even more toppings (think: vegan cheese, crispy chickpeas, extra veggies, etc.) to make this meal even more delicious and filling.
7. Asian Noodle Salad
Source: Joyful Healthy Eats
Noodle bowls are both comforting and filling, and this recipe does not disappoint. It’s gluten-free, healthy, and a great vegan work lunch since it can be made ahead and enjoyed throughout the week. Start by mixing up the spicy sesame dressing while your Asian noodles cook to al dente perfection. Then combine the two and toss with veggies such as red and yellow pepper, napa cabbage, carrots, and green onions. Pack serving-size portions in separate containers and place them in the fridge for a week’s worth of easy vegan lunches.
8. Vegan Tuna Melt Sandwich
Source: Orchids and Sweet Tea
Looking for some inspo for your next work-from-home lunch? Look no further. In truth, tuna melts are seriously underrated, and this vegan tuna salad sandwich uses mashed chickpeas, vegan mayo, dill, yellow mustard, green onions, relish, and vegan cheese to elevate the classic. Once you have your “tuna” mixture made and on top of bread, heat up some vegan butter and minced garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat before grilling each side of your sandwich for 3-4 minutes and melting everything to perfection.
9. Pesto Pasta Salad
Source: Detoxinista
While traditional pesto sauces contain dairy, this version swaps out the pine nuts and Parmesan in favor of a fresh basil vinaigrette. What’s more, this pasta salad can be served hot or cold, so you can make it ahead of time and pull it from the fridge when you’re ready to eat. Throw your dressing ingredients in a food blender and chop up your veggies while the rotini pasta is cooking. Once done, drain and rinse with cold water, combine with veggies and chickpeas, and toss with your pesto sauce before covering in the fridge for up to three days.
10. Buffalo Chickpea Wrap
Source: Hello Spoonful
Nutritious and filling, this wrap is what the best vegan meal prep recipes are made of. It’s well-balanced with protein, fat, carbs, and fiber, and can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days. Whip up the buffalo chickpea salad before your workweek by mashing together a can of chickpeas, hot sauce, tahini, dairy-free yogurt, diced celery, and onion powder. In the morning, place the chickpea salad mixture in a wrap and layer with lettuce, sliced avocado, and red bell pepper. If you want to go low-carb, opt for a lettuce wrap instead or place the salad on top of lettuce or other veggies and eat it with a fork.
11. Vegan Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Source: She Likes Food
Blame it on the weather or that mid-week slump, but sometimes you just need a hearty lunch to get you through the day. Spend a little over an hour on a Sunday afternoon meal prepping these vegan sloppy Joe stuffed sweet potatoes for lunch throughout the week. You’ll start by roasting your sweet potatoes in the oven before combining diced onion, minced garlic, tofu, lentils, and a variety of sauces for your sloppy Joe mixture. You’ll have six servings in total, so be sure to store them in a tightly sealed container in the fridge after they’ve been stuffed and garnished with your favorite toppings. They will keep for 4-5 days and can be enjoyed cold or gently reheated in the microwave.
12. White Bean Salad
Source: 40 Aprons
If you’re constantly on the go and don’t have a lot of extra time to spend meal prepping vegan lunches for the week, this white bean salad is perfect for you. It’s ready to eat in 10 minutes or less, so you can make it during your lunch break. Otherwise, you can opt to make it ahead and chill it in the fridge before eating. Either way, all you need is a can of white beans, half a red onion, cucumber, dried and fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to bring this recipe to life.