Skip to Content

5 Vegan Microwave Meals to Save the Day

I’m always fascinated by how people find my site through searching for various things online. The other day someone searched for ‘vegan microwave meals’, and it got me thinking.

Sometimes we find ourselves with a limited access to traditional kitchen appliances (say, in a hotel or a college dorm), or don’t want to fire up a stove on a hot summer day, etc.

Thankfully, if you have a microwave available, there are plenty of vegan microwave recipes to save the day – and the fact that microwave cooking is usually pretty quick is a nice bonus!

5 vegan microwave recipes: breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through my blog, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Some of us may scoff at my claim that cooking in a microwave can be healthy. But apparently, as Dr. Michael Greger suggests in this video on his NutritionFacts.org website, microwaving has been shown to be one of the best cooking methods for preserving nutrients in vegetables.

In some cases, microwaving even boosts the amounts of bioavailable nutrients in foods (Dr. Greger cites green beans as an example). The worst cooking method? You’ll have to watch the video to get the scoop.

Note: even that method is not so bad if it’s the only way that gets you to eat your veggies.

5 Vegan Microwave Recipes For Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

1. Instant oatmeal packets.

Instant oatmeal packets are a no-brainer breakfast option, especially if you don’t have a lot of time to  make breakfast in the morning (who does?), or if you’re traveling a lot.

Before you scoff at the thought of artificial ingredients that a lot of conventional brands add to their oatmeal flavoring, check out instant oatmeal varieties from brands like Dr. McDougall’s (yes, the Starch Solution guy!), EnviroKidz (this one’s also gluten-free), and Nature’s Path.

Take it to the next level: Oatmeal packets are oftentimes quite small. To make your bowl of oatmeal bigger and more filling, mix in a handful of plain rolled or instant oats before adding liquid. To take things even further, add some chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds, berries, cinnamon, etc.

My latest breakfast obsession has been a bowl of instant steel-cut oatmeal by Better Oats with almond milk and as many of these add-ins as I have on hand.

2. Quick veggie wrap with beans.

Veggie wraps with beans have been my go-to quick lunch options both at home and at work.

First, chop up some veggies – I like a mix of tomatoes, lettuce or kale, carrots, red onions, cilantro, olives, or a combination of whatever I can find in my fridge.

Second, microwave 1 cup of any cooked or canned beans you can find – chickpeas or black beans usually do it for me. Third, microwave a large tortilla for about 15 seconds (don’t overdo it!).

Assemble the wrap by putting the heated beans onto your tortilla, then topping the beans with chopped veggies. Roll up the bottom, fold the sides and enjoy!

Take it to the next level: For work, I just put all of the chopped veggies in a Tupperware container and top them with some Sriracha. Cooked beans go in another container, preferably a glass one for easy microwaving.

If you make these wraps often, you can keep a pack of tortillas at work and assemble everything as you go – otherwise just bring a single tortilla with you from home.

3. Loaded baked potato with beans and salsa.

I’m a sucker for potatoes (both regular and sweet) baked in the oven, but waiting an hour before they’re done can be excruciating. Microwave to the rescue!

Scrub your potato clean, pierce it with a fork in a few spots, and microwave it on high for about 3-4 minutes until it’s squishy.

Once the potato is cooked, CAREFULLY remove it from the microwave, cut it open lengthwise to make a ‘bowl’, and top with cooked beans/lentils, salsa, and anything else that strikes your fancy!

Chives, cilantro, your favorite vegan cheese shreds, vegan sour cream – sky’s the limit!

Take it to the next level: To speed up the cooking, wrap your potato in plastic wrap to create the effect of steaming. Don’t pierce the wrap with a fork though! Once the potato is done, remove the plastic carefully, and proceed with the rest of the steps above.

4. Chickpea & Spaghetti Squash Marinara.

Yes, you can still go all fancy with your dinner if you only have a microwave available! Cooking spaghetti squash in a microwave to make this chickpea and spaghetti squash marinara is surprisingly easy – some people prefer doing it this way instead of roasting because it’s quicker.

To microwave spaghetti squash, cut it lengthwise, scrub out the seeds, place both sides cut side down into a large microwave-safe dish (or use one half of the squash at a time if your microwave is small).

Add about 1/4 – 1/2 of an inch of water into the dish. Microwave on high for 10-15 minutes, checking the readiness with a sharp knife every 5 minutes or so.

If the knife slides in easily, your squash is ready. The overall cooking time will depend on your microwave and the size of your squash.

Once the squash is cooked, let it cool for 5-10 minutes, them use a fork to scrub out its flesh into a large bowl.

In the meantime, microwave 1-2 cups of pasta sauce (your favorite store-bought sauce will work fine) – place a piece of paper towel on top of the sauce container to prevent splashing.

Mix the heated sauce into the squash along with a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas. Your veggie-loaded dinner is ready!

My favorite way to serve this spaghetti squash marinara is to arrange it on a bed of polenta, a.k.a. grits. Instant grits can easily be found in most grocery stores or online.

Note: Some online guides suggest microwaving the spaghetti squash whole as long as it fits into your microwave. The downside is that it can accidentally explode!

So use common sense if you decide to go this route, and make sure to pierce the squash with a fork a few times to let the steam out. It’s likely that you’ll need more than 15 minutes to get it cooked through.

5. Instant soup.

This option may sound like a cop-out, but if you’re short on time, finances and/or access to a full kitchen, it may be just what you need.

Once again the name of Dr. McDougall comes up: the guy has a full line of instant soups in a cup, from black bean and rice to split pea and chicken-flavored ramen. Most soups are made just by adding boiling water, so if you don’t have a stove or a teapot, the good ol’ microwave will do in a pinch.

Take it to the next level: Got some fresh herbs? Mix them in!

Chopped green onions will make a nice addition to ramen, cilantro – to the black bean soup, and parsley – to minestrone. Fresh greens add a nice punch of micronutrients to any meal.

Bonus: Dessert!

6. Mug Cake.

If the only available kitchen appliance is a microwave, it doesn’t mean that having decadent cake for dessert is off-limits!

Mug cakes became all the rage in vegan blogosphere a few years ago (possibly the non-vegan too, but I don’t usually check that stuff). As a result, lots of amazing vegan mug cake recipes were born.

Now you can indulge in yummy flavors like chocolate chip-peanut butter, cinnamon roll, chocolate brownie, Almond Joy – sky (and Pinterest) is the limit!

Question for you: Do you know any easy microwave-friendly vegan recipes that I didn’t list here? Please share them in the comments so that all of us could enjoy them!

If you’ve enjoyed this post, share it with your friends on social media! And stick around for more awesomeness – subscribe to Vegan Runner Eats to receive the latest posts (I’ll send you a free copy of my vegan dinner recipe e-book as a thank you), or follow the blog on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

author avatar
Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats
Alina first made a switch to a vegan diet in 2013 to optimize her athletic performance as a marathon runner. Eventually she embraced veganism as a way to be kinder to fellow living beings and the environment. Alina hopes that this blog helps its readers on their path to becoming vegan and making this world a better place.

Deepa

Friday 12th of May 2017

My favorite no time to cook weeknight meal is to get one of those grocery store frozen steam in bag mixed veggie bags, steam, add tofu and a sauce of choosing (soy,ginger and rice vinegar, or tahini and lemon, etc), nuke again for a minute, and voila, instant veggie "stir fry" in 6 minutes!

Alina

Saturday 13th of May 2017

That sounds like a great idea, Deepa, thank you for chiming in!

Steven Nelson

Wednesday 10th of May 2017

Wow I have always been worried about microwaving meals because I've read so much negative info on it, but as I have gone through your post and see all the different creative, delicious dishes that you have presented it really makes me consider otherwise.

I am also very busy with my job and other priorities so this will save me tons of time! Thank you so much!

Alina

Wednesday 10th of May 2017

You're very welcome Steven, glad to be of help!

Sandy

Tuesday 18th of April 2017

I will definitely try the veggie wrap with beans. It looks so good! I have been re-tracing your post about oil free cooking to reinforce what I have been doing. I enjoy all your posts and look forward to more.

Alina

Wednesday 19th of April 2017

Thank you Sandy, I'm always glad to hear from you!