50 Vegan Side Dishes Everyone Will Love
Looking for healthy vegan side dishes? These carefully chosen recipes are perfect for dinner with the family, potlucks, holidays, and parties.
Healthy vegan side dishes can be way more than just a garden salad or bowl of fruit, and they don’t have to be difficult to make. This collection of popular plant-based sides includes everything from dairy-free mashed potatoes to garden spring rolls to healthy bean salads.
What to serve vegans
Believe it or not, it isn’t difficult to prepare delicious healthy dishes that your vegan friends and all types of eaters will enjoy. Some amazing examples are bean tacos, veggie pasta, and even vegetable soup.
Whether you are hosting a party or dinner, we have all the healthy party foods you could possibly need for meal planning for your vegan friends and family. Even if you need to prepare a meal for a vegan family in your church that is going through a sickness, we have the perfect ideas for you to take them a meal.
Occasions to serve vegan side dishes
Family and social get-togethers are the perfect time to serve vegan side dishes. Since my husband and I are vegan, we really appreciate it when we see plant-based healthy side dish options being served on occasions like these.
Creative vegetable sides
To entice your family or friends to try some new vegan side dishes that might be out of their comfort zone, make sure they are popping with beautiful colors because we all eat with our eyes before the food ever reaches our mouths.
Whether you are trying to eat vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, or just plain healthier, you’re going to find some new favorites with these colorful healthy side dishes even for the most reluctant eaters.
We’ve got everything from vegan gravy and vegan mashed potatoes to dairy-free mac and cheese!
Frequently Asked Questions
Protein-rich vegan side dishes include bean salads, kale dishes, and any recipe that includes greens and beans. These sides add a healthy protein boost to your meal.
Absolutely! Many vegan side dishes, such as grain salads, roasted veggies, and bean salads, can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, making them convenient for busy days.
Low-carb vegan side dishes include cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, grilled asparagus, roasted Brussels sprouts, and avocado cucumber salad. These sides are light and satisfying without the extra carbs.
Healthy Vegan Side Dishes
Looking to incorporate more vegetables into your diet? Look no further! These healthy, lower-calorie vegan side dishes are perfect for any occasion.
This gravy tastes like the stuff I grew up eating on my mashed potatoes as a kid, but it happens to be vegan and has zero artery clogging saturated animal fat.
This is a delicious classic! But with no dairy, and a fraction of the fat. Colorful, crunchy, creamy. No one will ever realize it's actually healthy!
This gluten-free vegan mac and cheese dish is one of my favorite dairy-free comfort foods! The cheese sauce can also be used in lots of other recipes and dishes as well.
These savory vegan baked beans are the perfect blend of sweet and smoky flavors. They make the perfect side dish and are great for taking to barbecues.
I've been making cornbread for decades because I grew up in the Carolinas where cornbread is a staple and necessity. This easy vegan cornbread is my favorite healthy cornbread because it's golden crispy on the outside and fluffy and tender on the inside.
This vegan potato salad is excellent for family gatherings and picnics. No one will ever realize it's a low-fat, healthier vegan version. I promise, if my family can't tell, yours won't either.
Creamy cheezy and amazingly delicious Vegan Scalloped Potatoes are the perfect side dish for any meal, especially for Thanksgiving and the holidays.
This classic mixed bean salad a perfect side dish for picnics and social gatherings. It's so versatile, it can be made with just about any type of beans you have on-hand.
Mexican Stuffed Peppers are an amazingly flavorful main dish at my house. Loaded with rice, beans, veggies, and warm seasonings, they are hearty and perfect for family dinners and even entertaining guests.
This delicious vegetable pasta dish is vegan, oil-free, and so super quick and easy to make that it makes the weekly rotation at our house all summer long! It can even be made with gluten-free pasta.
Roasting brings out the best in Brussels Sprouts. The high temperature gives them a crisp golden outside while keeping them tender inside.
These Garden Spring Rolls are one of our favorite recipes. Add a big bowl of steamed rice, and we've got dinner!
This Israeli Couscous Salad makes a delicious lunch, light dinner, or side dish. It can even be made ahead of time to allow the warm flavors of cinnamon and ginger time to deepen even more.
Wild rice is a deliciously nutty chewy whole grain that can be served as a healthy side dish or even used as a stuffing in roasted bell peppers and squash. The secret to making it perfect is the seasoning, and this Wild Rice Recipe is the best ever!
This raw vegan broccoli salad is so creamy and light, even broccoli haters will like it. Broccoli slaw salad lovers will never realize it has a fraction of the fat and calories of the traditional recipe they are used to.
Healthy homemade oil-free french fries are simple to make and absolutely delicious!
These Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms are a fabulous side dish or appetizer for any occasion. This is a simple and savory recipe that’s a snap to assemble and a real crowd-pleaser dish.
These easy Breakfast Potatoes make a savory and hearty breakfast that the entire family will enjoy and even be begging for more!
This amazingly simple vegan Lettuce Wrap recipe is shared by Ann & Jane Esselstyn from their book, The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook. In just minutes, you can have a healthy meal on the table that everyone is going to love!
The absolute best way to roast asparagus is in an air fryer because it’s super quick and the asparagus is perfectly tender and crisp!
This delicious oil-free blooming onion is baked to crispy perfection and drizzled with amazing vegan chipotle sauce.
These Asian Green Beans are slightly crisp and full of flavor. They are a perfect vegan side dish and are a breeze to make in minutes!
We love Vegan Sushi, but it can be so expensive to buy in restaurants. The good news is that it’s easy to make at home, and you can customize it to include all the stuffings you like best!
This Kale Quinoa Salad with Orange Miso Dressing is crazy delicious and so easy to make. An amazing nutrition powerhouse salad of kale, quinoa, mandarin oranges, and so much more!
When I need a quick crowd-pleasing dish that doesn't require any cooking, my first go-to is this simple Black Bean and Corn Salad recipe.
These collard green vegan wraps with creamy peanut sauce offer a fresh, healthy main dish or appetizer that is bursting with vibrant color and loads of nutrition. Checkout out my cooking demo video of this recipe
An acorn squash's natural shape is perfect for adding stuffing. This delicious Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe is packed with beta carotene and fiber, and makes a beautiful table display for the holidays!
Hands down, this is the best vegan potato recipe you'll ever try. These loaded potatoes are the perfect snack or appetizer for family and social gatherings or game day. Not only do they make a beautiful display, but they also taste AMAZING!
This Asian Cabbage Salad with wasabi mayo dressing is light, colorful, and bursting with flavor which makes it a perfect side dish for many other dishes!
Potato chips CAN be healthy! This wonderful little potato chip maker comes with a potato slicer and costs less than $10. I never would have believed it, until I tried it for myself. It's true! We eat delicious, oil-free chips on our healthy diet all the time, and it only takes about 7-8 minutes in the microwave!
I love to make these Caramelized Grilled Leeks on the grill or in the oven. They have such a unique and sweet flavor and go well with rice, corn on the cob, and any other veggies and starch.
Dessert, snack, or whatever you want to call it, these chocolatey stuffed sweet potatoes made with bananas, peanut butter, cocoa, and walnuts are going to rock your world!
This is one of our favorite cooked kale recipes, and it’s very easy to make! Braised kale is delicious and power-packed with protein and calcium.
If you didn't grow up eating artichokes, they can seem like strange and intimidating creatures. If you've ever wondered how the heck to cook and eat the crazy-looking things, here's how I do it.
Making Instant Pot chickpeas is super simple, and these step-by-step directions will show you how to go from raw beans to cooked in less than an hour!
When we are going to a social gathering and I really want to make a big impression about how good eating healthy and plant-based can be, these Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are a dish I love to make.
This Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any time of the year. It’s made with whole-food plant-based ingredients and sweetened perfectly with pure maple syrup or date paste.
No-fail and no fuss is what this Instant Pot brown rice cooking method is. Make the perfect rice every time without even needing to stir the pot.
Salad anyone? Kale Yeah! This massaged kale salad has an earthy, balanced flavor and super-nutritious profile.
The vibrantly beautiful and nutritious Okinawan sweet potato is loaded with antioxidants, phytonutrients, and health-promoting fiber. It is touted as one of the reasons Okinawans are living active disease-free lives past the age of 100.
I live in North Carolina where cole slaw is a staple. This recipe is not our traditional creamy cole slaw, but boast a sweet and sour vinegary flavor with a punch of heat.
These cheesy vegan mashed potatoes are going to rock your world. They are warm, creamy, healthy, and amazingly delicious. Serve them for any meal of the day and they will be a huge hit with everyone!
I frequently share my mashed potatoes with friends and relatives, and they don't even realize that they have a fraction of the fat without butter and traditional mayonnaise. So delicious!
Greens and beans! They are an excellent source of calcium and trump anything that cow's milk could provide. This fresh kale salad is a terrific way to add more calcium to your diet and enjoy every bite! Recipe from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
These air-fried potato wedges make a perfect side dish because they are crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. They are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and deliciously healthy!
Bursting with savory flavor, this classic holiday dish will be a hit any time of the year. Vegan green bean casserole is loaded with wholesome ingredients and so delicious that even the kids will eat it.
Casseroles just make things easier! I can make this vegan broccoli casserole recipe a day ahead and just pop it in the oven Sunday morning without all of the fuss, rushing around, and clean up.
Cucumber tomato salad is one of the most popular summer salads, and with good reason. It's light, refreshing, and the perfect side dish for any meal.
Mexican corn on the cob is a common Mexican street food that also goes by the name Elote. It's a simply delicious way to enjoy corn as a side dish or snack.
I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring this list of healthy vegan side dish recipes and found some inspiring ideas to try! These dishes are delicious, nutritious, and make perfect accompaniments to any meal.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…