Lunch is a sticking point for many of us.
It’s in the middle of the day, so we’re either busy, out of the house or just not in the mindset to be prepping and cooking. We need something easy and portable! That’s why we often resort to lack-lustre sandwiches or soggy salads… if we even have a proper meal at all that is.
So many of us in the Learner Vegan community have to eat at our workspace, on the train, or in a work van. This means no heating facilities either, of course. I’ve been there plenty of times. When studying for my BSc at university, I spent a lot of time doing field research, or stuck in the lab all day. I’ve also had jobs where I worked long days at open air events, or driving from venue to venue. None of these are the best circumstances for an appealing lunch, and I’ve had my experience with soggy lettuce and cold tea. I don’t want to be in that situation again!
So what can we all eat for lunch that’s healthy, filling and doesn’t require a microwave? I got you! Here are my favourite vegan lunch ideas for on the go.
PS. If you do fancy hot food on the go, I have solutions for that right at the bottom of this post.
Sandwiches – The Most Common Vegan Lunch On The Go
Hang on, I just called sandwiches boring, right? Yes, but let’s go back to basics. They really don’t need to be droopy and unappetising! Here are some ways we can jazz them up:
- Consider the carbohydrate, first of all. We all love bread, but it doesn’t hurt to mix it up once in a while. Buy some wraps, bagels, pittas, and sandwich thins. They all freeze well and you can pull one out at a time to defrost. Or, get some crackers and have the below fillings with them as a salad combination. I also recommend whole grain or whole wheat versions of all of the above, to keep your health and fibre up.
- Filling ideas – peanut butter, almond butter, houmous, cream cheese, cheese, sandwich meat, scrambled tofu, soked tofu, burrito (beans), chickpea tuna, jackfruit, tempeh bacon, veggie sausage, shop-bought tunah, jam, falafel, pakoras, , kebab strips, pate.
- Extras – try combining the above fillings with other things! Different types of cheese such as cheddar, feta or Violife ‘halloumi’ is a great place to start. You’ll also want some salad, but it doesn’t just need to be lettuce and cucumber! Try out some olives, sundried tomatoes, sauerkraut, sweetcorn, beetroot, shredded carrot, coleslaw, roasted cauli or jalapenos. Finally, get a matching dressing or finish with mayonnaise or sriracha.
Note: if you’re making a salad bowl using the above, consider bulking it out with pasta, couscous, rice or quinoa.
If you mix and match the above, you can find some new and interesting combinations to keep your sandwich game on point! It’s also a useful list to refer back to when you’re feeling less creative, or just don’t have time to cook or prep something more sophisticated.
Other Vegan Lunch Ideas – On The Go
- Cold Pesto Pasta – you can also buy vegan pesto in the supermarket (try Tesco free-from section), making it even easier!
- Tofu and Vegetable Quiche – we love it and have it almost every week! Pair it with salad, new potatoes or couscous for a delicious vegan lunch on the go.
- Chickpea and Veg Hand Pies – another one you can make in bulk. Pastry is so comforting, and I recommend these for those cold winter days on the move.
- Healthy Pasta Salad – Who wants to make a beautiful, nutritious and filling lunch? This is quick to make, delicious warm or cold, and you can even add leftovers to it.
- Tenderstem and Peanut Noodles – this lunch is delicious cold, packed full of protein and filling too.
- Chunky Chickpea Quinoa Tabbouleh – a lovely Mediterranean dish where you just throw everything in a bowl.
- Loaded Sweet Potato – easy, delicious and healthy! Try different fillings to mix it up.
- Naked Green Spring Rolls – colourful and fun to assemble. I have to admit, it’s a little more time-intensive, but one of my favourite vegan lunch ideas on the go.
- Gazpacho Soup – just 20 minutes to prepare and gives you three servings. Simple!
- Olive and Artichoke Tart – a lovely egg-less quiche full of veggies.
- Easy Buddha Bowl – filling, colourful and full of nutrition – salads can be amazing if you do them right!
Which of these takes your fancy?
Preparing Lunch Items In Bulk
The following are things you can prepare in bulk, on your day off, and keep in the fridge for at least 3 days. Doing this saves on prep time every single day, and they’re easy to add to salads, sandwiches and other dishes.
- Roasted chilli chickpeas
- Sweet or regular potato roasties
- Cooking off a pot of quinoa or couscous (keeps for 3 days)
- Slicing lettuce, cucumber, spring onion and grating carrot for salads (keeps for 2 days)
- Baked tofu
- Chopping, cooking and freezing veg for any roast dinners
- A pot of soup
- Overnight oats in a jar
- Cooking off pasta
Snacks On The Go
The little things that keep us going throughout the day! I always recommend taking a snack or two out with you for an 8 hour day, in addition to your lunch. Here are some ideas that will last:
- Fruit – those with inedible skins, or harder fruit such as apples, tend to last better
- Nuts or trail mix
- Raisins, dried apricots or cranberries
- Chopped veggies
- Roasted chickpeas
- Baked tofu
- Healthy snack bars such as Nakd or Deliciously Ella
- Homemade protein balls
- Savoury muffins
- Rice cakes, crackers, or pretzels
- Dark chocolate
- Vegetable crisps
- Vegetable samosas
- Cheese scones
Recommended Buys
Electric Heating Lunch Box – This heated box plugs into your car jack, so it’s really useful for long days out when a flask just won’t keep your food hot enough. It also means you can take out a wider range of meals to eat, such as dinner leftovers, stews, soups and anything else you prefer to keep hot. Perfect for cold winter days, and bringing your vegan lunch ideas on the go, into fruition!
Thermos Food Flask – if you can’t use the heated lunch box above, try a Thermos for food! This keeps food hot for 9 hours, so perfect for the average work shift. I’ve used it for soups, stews and casseroles. It also keeps food cold for 14 hours, so you can pop in chopped fruit, avocado, smoothies, or anything at risk of going brown.
Bento Box – pretty much a lunch box with sealed compartments! You can keep different lunch items separate, and this particular box comes with cutlery.
Extra Tips For Vegan Lunch Ideas On The Go
- Try out a smoothie! They’re perfect as a snack and you can make them more filling using my smoothie guide.
- Make extra if possible. You can then freeze in portions, and pull it out to defrost when you’re busy or feeling lazy. That way you have your very own homemade ready meal!
- Be creative in re-purposing leftovers. That chilli and rice you made last night? Pop it in tacos with salad and mayo. You have a whole new meal. What else could you reuse? Think sandwich fillings and salad ingredients.
Now you’re armed to make the best vegan lunch on the go – do let me know what you make! What kind of lunches do you take to work?
PS. Before you go, have you joined the community? We have a private Facebook group designed to help moms reach their health goals. It’s a positive, non-judgmental safe space where all questions are welcome. We have plenty of meal ideas and brainstorming, too!
You should also grab my FREE Action Plan: ‘From Junk Food Mom To Nourished Vegan!’ It includes 5 steps I took to ditch the junk food from my diet, lose 28lb and gain energy.
There are 45 comments on this post
I can never cook in the mornings..so i prefer to cook the previous night and keep my lunch ready beforehand.. 😊😊
Same! I do all of our lunches the night before. What kind of thing do you prep?
Nice post💖
Guess I really need to learn how to cook 😏
Haha, well it's always good to know the basics :)
These are some delicious sounding lunch and snack ideas. I’m always looking for new recipes to try outside of my usual veggie wraps. Thanks for sharing these.
I’ve started eating almost completely vegan, and I really needed some new inspiration for foods to take with me on the go that isn’t completely boring. This post helped so much!
Oh excellent! How long have you been transitioning over for? Hope you try some of these and find them tasty!
These are some brilliant vegan lunch ideas! I do occasional vegan days, and I'm always up a creek when it comes to lunchtime. There are some amazing (and delicious!) looking suggestions here...especially that tofu and vegetable quiche, OMG! Thanks for this!
I hope you try some out and enjoy! There are some fantastic vegan recipes out there.
Thanks for all of the great lunch ideas. ❤️
Chickpeas and Veg hand pie .... Yummy !!!
Love these tips and ideas. Will be keeping these handy for some work food inspo.
I'm so glad! The pie is definite comfort food.
Wow, these are all great ideas! I usually just pack leftovers from the night before and end up eating boring sandwiches if I have nothing to pack. Some of these ideas look really easy! Will definitely try some of these. :)
Brilliant! Sometimes it's nice to spice it up a bit - let me know if you try any.
I've been eating a lot of rice and veggies lately and this gives me so much inspiration. I've been seeing jackfruit used a lot in plant based or vegan recipes. I've never used it before and I'm a little intrigued...
Jackfruit is good as it can be flavoured so many ways. I always see it BBQ flavour in the shop which isn't my favourite! But it has a good meaty texture.
These are all such great lunch ideas. They all sound so delicious. I totally agree that a sandwich is the best and easiest meal to bring. You can prepare it in a few minutes and can eat it anywhere and anytime xx
I love the idea of repurposing leftovers! Such a good idea that I’ve been trying to do more of by creating yummy Buddha bowls.
Yes! It saves so much time. Especially with bolognese and fillings.
These are some delicious tips and I love the bento lunch box!!
me too - my daughter takes one to school :)
This post is very helpful! I have a hard time coming up with things to eat for lunch and these are some wonderful ideas!
So many yummy options here!
I’m vegetarian and have been since I was 9 but your recipes Look so tasty I’m
Considering becoming vegan. Thank you for sharing
You definitely should! Incorporate some of these meals and vegan foods into your diet and you'd be surprised how good they are.
This is absolutely brilliant. As a new vegan, this is so helpful! Thank you
No problem! Do let me know if you need any help :)
Sandwiches are one of the best things you can enjoy while vegan. I have been a vegetarian for over half of my life, but I was a vegan for three years. With an array of alternatives, you can transform every classic sandwich into something even more extravagant when it is plant-based. I love eating vegan bagels and adding avocado, veganaise (the chipotle flavor is one of my favorites), red onion, tomatoes, sprouts, mushrooms, green pepper, black olives, and pickles on it. Soooo good. Amazing blog and very vital for many who are considering the plant-based lifestyle or are currently eating and have run out of ideas.
Thanks so much for the feedback! Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I love veganaise too - so good
So many great ideas! I’ve never tried baked tofu but it sounds delicious!
I love tofu, it's very versatile and soaks up any flavour. Give it a go! :)
So many great ideas! I’ve never tried baked halloumi before but it sounds delicious.
Ooh, I love the list for some snacks on the go! Bookmarking :)
Soup and roasted chickpeas are my absolute favorite! Lots of great ideas here!
These are some great options. I looked at some of the recipes and definitely want to try them. It's easy to get in a rut of eating the same 'ol things! Thanks for sharing!
I love anything regarding meal prepping and setting yourself for a great week of eating! Unfortunately vegan would limit my diet (allergic to nuts), but I love how many options you had in there that were allergy free!
I'm so glad! Meal prepping is such a great time saver.
Love this article! I include more and more vegan meals into my diet and this really proves that there are a lot of delicious options!💚
I'm currently a vegetarian but trying to add more vegan meals into my week. Thanks for the ideas. The heated lunch box is really cool too! Would be great for my husband to have for construction job sites.
My friend who dog walks and house sits has one and finds it really useful!
I enjoy cooking! There's a lot I can experiment with my vegan recipes now. Thanks a lot!
Some really great recipe ideas here. I am looking at meal prepping and this is the avenue to go down
Great list and useful tips!
As I travel a lot it's always very important to take something with me! Especially on road trips!
And as more new recipes I discover, as better!
Great list and useful tips!
As I travel a lot it's always very important to take something with me!
Especially on road trips!