These low cal vegan recipes are the perfect way to kickstart a healthier diet!

By Lora O’Brien

If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re not alone. Thanks to crappier quality food, larger restaurant portions and a general confusion about what’s healthy and what’s not, more of us are overweight than ever before. To further complicate the matter, some diets work for some, but not others. For example, I know people who have lost weight on high fat, low carb diets, but others who stay slim eating carbs all day with very little protein or fat. The adage ‘eat less move more’ is a good weight loss guide for most, but the caveat is that even a whole hour on a cardio machine in the gym may only burn around 400 calories for the average women – that’s around 1 piece of cake – that’s it!

Veganism is gaining popularity, but another factor that may lead to weight gain for many is idea that all vegan foods are low cal and healthy. Sorry, but it’s just not true! Loads of vegan snacks are packed with nasties like hydrogenated oils, palm oil and preservatives. Plus, though delicious and packed with nutrients, vegan staples like coconut oil, nuts and nut butters are still super-calorific. The average coconut based cheesecake has around 200 calories more per serving than a ricotta baked cheesecake, for example. Yipes!

So, what to do if you want to drop some kilos? You could try considering the following questions:

Determine why you want to lose the weight

This is the crucial first step. Someone who wants to shed a few pounds for the perfect summer body should not be in the same program as someone who’s completely unfit and needs to start exercising. Even those who are trying for what seem to be similar reasons might really have different motives altogether. For example, one person who wants to lose weight for health purposes might just want to feel better physically during the work day, while another might need to do it due to food allergies or overall body toxicity. Whatever your reason is, you’ll want to choose a program that caters specifically to people like you.

Know your body

There’s a reason that a program can work for one person and not another. People have different body types. Do you find yourself reacting well to portion reduction, or would you rather keep eating as usual, but burning off the calories with intense cardio exercise? Decide what it is that you’re best at, and choose a program that demands those commitments from you.

Find out what’s behind the weight

A truism for almost everyone trying to lose weight is that there’s usually an underlying reason the weight is there. There are psychological processes that cause a person to pick up the weight. For some, it is an internal guilt that they’re not perfect, which causes them to self-sabotage. They’ll benefit from a more nuanced approach to weight loss, including mindfulness, therapy, and so on. For others, it’s confusion about what’s best to eat that may cause them to just give up starting in the first place. They’ll benefit from nutritional education and a well-organized, step-by-step approach that gives them all the tools they need. And, of course, if the underlying reason is a health issue, you need to see a medical professional to get that sorted out.

Look at your lifestyle

Some people just never start changing their eating habits because they claim to be too busy to cook food themselves and end up eating out a lot or ordering loads of takeaways. Take note that even a restaurant salad can pack up to 1000 calories if it’s loaded with dressing, avocado, seeds, nuts, tempeh and other vegan foods – let alone non vegan ones! Others don’t believe there’s any food out there that’s healthy and delicious – so they prefer to stick with packaged foods

A weight loss program will only work if you’re fully dedicated to changing your eating and lifestyle habits and select what really works for you; something you can maintain for a lifetime, not just a ‘diet period’. You’ll have to incorporate exercise for sure, but this could simply be a half hour walk or bike ride a day.

If you eat from this list of low cal vegan recipes (which are all around 400 calories or under) for breakfast, lunch and dinner, watch your portions and do around 30 mins of exercise at least 3-4 times a week, the weight should fall off!

Low Cal Vegan Recipes For Losing Weight

1. Quinoa Fruit Salad

This is just such a gorgeous dish to start the day off with! And it’s got loads of raw goodness, as well as the deliciousness of nutty, protein packed quinoa. To make this vegan, just swap out the honey for agave syrup, obviously.

Get the recipe here.

2. Simple Tofu Scramble

This recipe may look really fattening, but never fear: it’s only around 400 calories, and it’s full of proteins, veggies, and good fats. Plus, a lot of dieticians say that we should eat our biggest meal in the morning, so fill up on this and eat smaller meals for the rest of the day.

Get the recipe here.

3. Carrot Sunshine Smoothie

Delicious and filling, this is really the only thing you need for a quick breakfast. Packed with vitamins, good fats and fruits and veggies, it’s a nice break from the typical green juice in the morning!

Get the recipe here.

4. Cacao Berry Bliss Bowl

If you like your breakfasts on the sweet side, this bowl is for you! Besides the beautiful berries, it uses cacao nibs, which offer all the flavour of chocolate, but without the sugar and milk.

Get the recipe here.

5. Garam Masala Soup

Get the recipe here.

6. Raw Vegan Noodle Salad

Full of flavour, texture, colour and crunch, this salad is a great main for lunch. It’s all about the dressing! This one is full of Asian spices, including tamari, miso and plenty of garlic. There are also a ton of fresh veggies, meaning this is basically a bowl of delish nutrish. Yum!

Get the recipe here.

7. Moroccan Soup With Kale

Feeling a bit hungry on your diet? Want something filling? This should do the trick! Meaty chickpeas and squash are the main ingredients of this delicately perfumed soup/stew. If you’re still thinking this won’t fill you up, try making some cauliflower rice, and adding it to your bowl.

Get the recipe here.

8. Vegan Low Cal Burrito Bowl

Love Mexican food? Then this burrito bowl is for you. Tangy, filling (thanks mainly to the beans) and great for lunch or dinner, the most amazing part of this filling recipe is that it’s under 300 calories per serving! The reason for that? The ‘rice’ is actually cauliflower!

Get the recipe here.

9. Spinach and Broccoli Patties

Crispy on the outside, soft and flavourful on the inside, these patties are a great alternative to burgers. Packed with spinach, broccoli and oats, these are pretty filling, but if you’re craving something more, why not serve them up with a salad? At only 40 calories each, you can eat half a dozen of these with a salad and still have a high-fibre, nutritious meal that’s under 300 calories.

Get the recipe here.

10. Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Carrots

Sometimes, you just want to eat something that feels like it’s sticking to your ribs. Something stodgy, thick and filling. And this recipe for mashed sweet potatoes and carrots fits the bill! It’s healthier and more slimming than mashed potatoes, but it’s just as satisfying! And at 63 calories per half cup serving, you can definitely eat more than just one!

Get the recipe here.

11. Simple Vegan Pesto Zoodles

When spaghetti pomodoro is off the menu, this is the next best thing! The Italian flavours of pesto are laid out over zucchini noodles, offering a ton of goodness but very few calories.

Get the recipe here.

12. Vegan Ramen Soup with Noodles

If you’re looking to cut back you can still enjoy your favourite recipes, such as ramen, you just need to healthify them a tad. Switch out stodgy pasta noodles for some spiralized veggies and you’re good to go!

Get the recipe here.

13. Vegan Tortilla Vegetable Pizza

Pizza doesn’t have to be laced with cheese and packed full of vegan ‘meats’. It can still be delicious with a simple tomato base and piled with veggies. You can choose whichever vegetables take your fancy, and even top it with something unusual if that’s your thing (confession: I LOVE adding pickled onion onto my pizza!)

Get the recipe here.

14. Tikka Cauliflower Rice

This is another recipe that doesn’t rely on grains or carbs to make it wholesome and delicious. Cauliflower is a super light alternative to rice and it’s still yummy! As an added bonus, it’s really easy to season – this tikka version is simply wonderful.

Get the recipe here.

15. Rice Paper Rolls with Mango & Mint

Rice paper wraps are a tasty and healthy lunch you can even take with you on the go. Stuff them to the brim with whichever veggies you love the most, and make a simple dipping sauce to go with them. These are so low in calories, you can eat these till you’re full and satisfied without worrying about them going to your thighs, ever!

Get the recipe here.

16. Creamy, Dreamy & Healthy Broccoli Soup

When you hear the term ‘creamy’ when it comes to food, you probably automatically think of your waistline. But this recipe uses no heavy dairy products; the creaminess comes from nut milk and cashews, and the garlic gives it so much flavour. At 200 calories per bowl, you can afford to have a nice slice of sourdough toast with this if you wish!

Get the recipe here.

17. Vegan Nacho Stuffed Portobellos

Nachos? On a diet? That are actually vegan? It doesn’t seem at all possible! Fried corn tortillas and cheese are not the most diet friendly foods, after all. But this recipe nixes the tortillas, and replaces them with mushrooms. These cheese, of course, becomes vegan, but there’s still plenty of guac and jalepeños for that Mexican flavour. And the best part? Each heavily stuffed mushie is under 300 calories.

Get the recipe here.

18. Vegan Seitan Steak

Some people feel they need something ‘meaty’ to fill them up, and if you’re vegan, and on a diet, that can be a tough thing to find! Until now, that is! Thanks to the magic of seitan, this recipe has a steak-like texture and even taste. It’s guaranteed to fill you up – just serve it up with a salad for some extra greenery, and be aware this recipe isn’t great for those who are gluten sensitive.

Get the recipe here.

19. Spanish Beans with Tomatoes

20 minutes to make. Around 120 calories per serving. Lots of flavour, fibre and nutrition. What’s not to love about this vegan diet recipe, with a Spanish twist? Serve it up with some bread for dipping. Yum!

Get the recipe here.

20. Chocolate Orange Muffins

It’s inevitable that you’ll crave something sweet at some point; you’re only human! Don’t look to sugar-free substitutes that could damage your health – instead, use agave nectar, as this recipe does. These muffins are just 100 calories each, and taste like they contain a lot more!

Get the recipe here.

21. Sugar Free Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

One of my favourite low cal vegan recipes happens to be a cookie recipe! This one has no added sugar, and relies instead on the fruit and chocolate for its sweetness. And these babies are only 66 calories each!

Get the recipe here.

22. Matcha Banana Ice Cream Cups

Just because you’re trying to lose weight doesn’t mean you need to deny yourself a bit of ice cream! This is actually made from bananas and has no sugar, so the calorie count is only around 150 per serving.

Get the recipe here.

Main image credit: vegan wraps with carrot noodles. Get the recipe here.

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