6 Delicious Vegan Cheat Meals

1. Vegan Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
for 8 servings

CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup maple syrup
1 ½ cups almond milk, or milk substitute
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
FROSTING

1 cup vegan butter, or vegetable shortening
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup almond milk, or milk substitute

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder to a large mixing bowl and whisk to thoroughly incorporate, making sure there are no lumps.
Once, the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed together, create a small well in the middle and add in the coconut oil, maple syrup, and almond milk. Continue to whisk until a thick and lumpy batter forms.
Grease the inside of two 9-inch (23 cm) cake tins with coconut oil or nonstick baking spray, and add about 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder to dust the inside of the pan.
Pour half of the batter into each of the cake tins.
Bake them for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once cakes are finished, transfer them or a cooking rack for 5-10 minutes before removing the finished cakes from their tins.
While the cakes cool prepare the frosting. Add vegan butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and whisk using an electric hand-mixer until a smooth and glossy frosting forms.
Add almond milk and continue to mix until incorporated.
Choose which of the cakes will be the bottom of your finished cake and carefully level it off.
Place a small amount of the icing in the middle of your serving dish and place the cake on top.
Using about a cup (about 115g) of the icing, generously coat the bottom layer of the cake using a spatula.
Once the icing is spread out evenly, place the second cake on top and continue to frost the cake using the rest of the icing.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before serving.
Slice and serve.
Enjoy!

2. Vegan Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients
for 6 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups , fresh or canned
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 cups vegetable stock
½ cup vegan barbecue sauce
SERVING

6 vegan buns
vegan coleslaw

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
Oil a large knife and cut the jackfruit in half.
NOTE: If using fresh jackfruit, line your work surface with plastic wrap
Carefully remove the core of the jackfruit by cutting into it at an angle.
Pull each fruit out and remove its seeds and outer coating. Rinse the fruit thoroughly then dry.
NOTE: You can save the seeds to roast.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pan or Dutch oven.
Add the onions and garlic, and cook until translucent.
Add the jackfruit, spices, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke. Stir to coat evenly.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the fruit has broken down.
Spread the jackfruit on a prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 75 minutes, until the liquid has baked out and the jackfruit has a deeper brown color.
Pour the vegan barbecue sauce over the jackfruit.
Mix and return to the oven for 15 minutes.
Serve warm on vegan buns with vegan coleslaw.
Enjoy!

3. Curly Fries

Ingredients
for 2 servings

2 russet potatoes
3 tablespoons canola oil
½ tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon pepper
½ tablespoon paprika
½ tablespoon cumin
½ tablespoon garlic powder
½ tablespoon chili powder
ketchup, to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
Using a spiralizer, spiralize the potatoes.
Spread the potatoes evenly in one single layer on a baking sheet.
Drizzle the oil over the potatoes and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until crispy.
Serve with ketchup!
Enjoy!

4. Vegan Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients
for 12 servings

3 cups
2 tablespoons coconut oil
30 vegan chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
1 cup coconut cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
TOPPING

vegan chocolate sandwich cookie, optional

Preparation

In a bowl, soak cashews in boiling water for 1-2 hours.
Prepare the bottom of a 9-inch (23 cm) springform cake pan with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, blend 20 cookies for 30 seconds, then pour in coconut oil and continue blending until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Press the crumbs into the bottom of the cake pan to form an even layer.
Freeze for 1 hour, or until the filling is prepared and ready.
Scrape the filling from 10 sandwich cookies and reserve both the filling and cookies.
Drain cashews and add to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until nuts start to ball up and stick together, approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add coconut cream and cookie cream filling to the cashews and blend until fully incorporated, then add lemon juice and continue to blend until smooth. It will resemble slightly coarser hummus.
Once smooth, crumble in half of the reserved scraped cookies and pulse until incorporated, but not crushed.
Remove the crust from the freezer and smooth out half of the filling over the bottom. Crumble the remaining scraped cookies on top, then smooth out remaining filling over it. Decorate as desired.
Freeze for at least 1 hour before serving.
Enjoy!

5. Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients
for 4 servings

2 canned cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded
½ cup quick-cook oats
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
, we did not use vegan buns, but you can

Preparation

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Combine onions, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until onions are translucent.
Add carrots, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and cayenne pepper until carrots are tender. Remove pan from heat.
In a bowl, mash the beans and then add the contents of the pan along with the soy sauce and quick oats.
Mix and form four patties. Place in freezer for 30 minutes to set.
Cook patties on a pan coated in cooking spray over medium heat, flipping halfway.
Use patties to create your dream veggie burger.
Enjoy!

6. Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients
for 6 servings

4 russet potatoes
3 carrots
3 stalks celery
½ yellow onion
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh sage
4 cloves garlic
2 cups vegetable broth
⅓ cup red wine
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
soy milk, or rice milk, as needed
vegan butter, as needed
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Preparation

Peel, chop, and boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until soft.
Meanwhile, chop the carrots, celery, and onion, sauté in vegan butter or oil for a few minutes.
Add the mushrooms, and cook until the edges begin to darken. Add the garlic, and season with salt and pepper.
Add the tomato paste, flour, thyme, and sage.
Slowly add the veggie broth and wine, stirring continuously. Let simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
Mash the potatoes and add the soy milk and vegan butter. Add more if needed until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Lay the veggie filling into a baking dish, the spread the mashed potatoes over top. At this time you can get creative with designs and patterns for the top. The rougher the surface, the crispier it will turn out.
Spray the surface with cooking oil. Broil for 10-15 minutes, or until the top is crispy.
Enjoy!