35 Easy Low Fat Vegetarian Recipes You’ll Have on Repeat
If you’re trying to drop a few pounds or just cut back on your fat intake, these 35 low fat vegetarian recipes are exactly what you’ll need.
All less than 8g of fat per serving with less than 3g of that being saturated!
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Low-Fat, not No Fat
Choosing to make low fat plant based meals is a great idea. Too much of the nutrient in your diet could lead to high cholesterol levels which ups your risk of heart disease.
But it is important to remember though – fat is necessary for the healthy functioning of our body, boosting us with the energy it provides, enhancing our hormones and helping with the absorption of many vitamins.
And that’s the thing about fats; they’re complicated. We’ve got the good ones that do all those nice deeds above for us, and the nasty ones that hurt our heart’s health.
We would also say to take all of this with a pinch of salt, having ‘bad fats’ in your diet isn’t necessarily bad; it’s just all about moderation.
The Facts About Fats
So we’ve got saturated fats and unsaturated fats.
Unsaturated fats are the nice guys. Known as “good fat”, it’s a nutrient that’s found in plants, fruits like avocados, legumes like nuts and fish.
Saturated fats on the other hand? Not so much.
These “bad fats” are found in cream, butter, many meats, cakes, and biscuits, among other things. A diet with too much saturated fat increases the body’s production of bad cholesterol which is some fatty substance that increases the risk of a variety of heart related diseases.
That’s one reason why we found low fat vegetarian recipes with less than 3g saturated fat per serving, another being that on a gram for gram basis, fat contains over double the amount of calories compared to carbohydrates and protein.
So, if you cut out some fat from your diet, it would mean fewer calories and consuming low-calorie meals means you’re on the right track to reach your weight loss goals. Sounds like a heck of a great deal to me!
Want to learn more? Check out the NHS’s guidelines on fat consumption.
Tips for a Vegetarian Low Fat Diet
So, you’re looking to find some helpful tips and tricks to aid you on your low fat vegetarian meal plan (or maybe you need low fat vegan recipes instead!). Well, you might as well drop to your knees and thank your lucky stars because what we’ve got right here is the best of them.
Start off by avoiding some certain kinds of foods with high fat content (say bye bye to margarine and mayonnaise) and use low fat substitutes for them (say hello to canola, olive oil and many other vegetable oils).
For canned and packaged food, go through the ingredients or nutritional data label to know what type of fat is present there and the quantity too. This is super important as you have to limit the amount of trans and saturated fats.
Choose cheeses like ricotta and mozzarella cheese and limit the number of egg yolks you consume. Embrace leafy dark greens as well as whole grains and skip those pastries, junk and convenience foods.
Grilling, steaming or boiling your ingredients are much better alternatives to deep frying and using vegetable oil sprays or non-stick cooking sprays instead of dousing your pan in oil for sauteing.
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Healthy vegetarian recipes with low fat content
What ingredients used in these recipes would help maintain healthy levels of fats, you ask?
Well, you’ll find a lot of beans (like black beans and green beans) as well as lentils, as these are a great source of protein with a naturally low fat content.
You’ll also find lots of veggies, which are full of vitamins and fibre, meaning they keep you full for a long time and are low in calories.
There’s an endless variety of delicious meals you can have, take a look to see!
1. Curried Parsnip Soup
Bonus: tasty, easy, quick
Fat: 4g
Saturated fat: 1g
This curried parsnip soup is creamy yet vegan, spicy yet not overpoweringly so. It’s also incredibly easy to make – chop, chop cook!
2. Pea and Mint Soup
Bonus: consider some sour cream for a thicker soup
Fat: 8g
Saturated fat: 1g
On the search for a quick, tasty homemade soup recipe? This pea and mint soup is deliciously easy and vegan too!
3. Avocado Deviled Eggs
Bonus: low in carbs and high in protein!
Fat: 8g
Saturated fat: 2g
How do you want your deviled eggs? Check out our stuffed eggs recipe – complete with special taste boosters.
4. Vegan Lentil and Potato Salad
Bonus: try this fresh salad recipe out with sweet potatoes to make this a sweet potato salad
Fat: 8g
Saturated fat: 1g
This protein packed vegan lentil and potato salad is a perfect weight-loss vegetarian dish. It’s filling, healthy and nutritious, while still tasting amazing!
5. Sexy Vegan Lentil Stew
Bonus: have it alone or with some rice as the main course
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 1g
The sexiest lentil stew you have ever eaten. A nutritional powerhouse, this recipe is here to kickstart your year – and your health.
6. Fitness Lentil Bean Salad
Bonus: add some chopped garlic to give this salad more oomph
Fat: 3g
Saturated fat: 1g
This Fitness Lentil Bean Salad is a ridiculously high in protein post-workout salad – 40 grams of protein per bowl (this is one of our favorite plant-based protein salads)! Plus, it’s ready in only 7 minutes. Tasty and effective.
7. The Veggie King
Bonus: serve this main dish with some sour cream if you’d like
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 1g
So many vegetables, so little time to make. Hit your nutrient and vitamin count for the day with ease. No need to spend loads of time doing it, either.
8. Carrot and Ginger Soup
Bonus: have this soup with some wholegrain bread to make an even more wholesome delicious meal
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 1g
No complicated cooking steps means this refreshing carrot and ginger soup is ready in just ten easy minutes, and perfect for any weather. Take the stress out of cooking.
9. Vegan Potato Salad
Bonus: for best results, season the salad with some salt and black pepper (if you’d like) while it’s still warm
Fat: 2.1g
Saturated fat: 0.2g
Damn Delicious Vegan Potato Salad – take your BBQ to the next level without oil or mayo in this delicious animal friendly classic.
10. British Baked Beans (Heinz Copycat)
Bonus: a better homemade alternative to canned beans
Fat: 6g
Saturated fat: 1g
Vegetarian Baked Beans. Thick and full flavoured with a moreish tang. Low in calories, ready in 15 minutes and just as good as the ‘original’ from Heinz!
11. Avocado Hummus
Bonus: have it as it is or as a tasty dip
Fat: 8g
Saturated fat: 1g
Love guac? Love hummus? You’re about to meet your new favourite food – try our avocado hummus today! You won’t look back!
12. Moroccan Couscous Salad
Bonus: fresh, fragrant, fibrous
Fat: 6g
Saturated fat: 1g
Authentic Moroccan Couscous salad. An exotic blend of heady spices, fresh fruits, tangy veggies, and fluffy couscous. Exceptionally high in fiber and veggie goodness.
13. Smooching Mushrooms on Toast
Recipe by: HurryTheFoodUp
Bonus: comforting, filling, healthy
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 1g
Our delicious vegan take on the trendiest cafe food of the moment, Mushrooms on Toast. It’s perfect for everything from a savory breakfast to a light dinner.
14. Mushroom Stew
Protein: 6g
Calories: 114kcal
Ready in: 25 minutes
Recipe by: NourishPlate
Bonus: nourishing, healthy, filling
Fat: 4g
Saturated fat: 1g
This mushroom stew is a hearty, family-friendly, easy, one-pot meal that is ready in less than 30 minutes (and there’s more like this in our easy vegetarian stews roundup!). You can eat it all year round and it goes well with pasta, quinoa, rice, or mashed potatoes.
15. Lentil Veggie Nuggets
Protein: 11g in four nuggets
Calories: 179kcal in four nuggets
Ready in: 55 minutes
Recipe by: ThisHealthyKitchen
Bonus: packed with protein, crunchy, tasty
Fat: 1g
Saturated fat: 0g
Learn how to make this easy, baked veggie nuggets recipe for the picky toddler (or picky adult too) in your house (if you like the fast food vibe, try our veggie burger recipes too). These tasty bites have protein-dense lentils and tons of vegetables like zucchini, carrots, and peas.
16. Sweet Potato Casserole
Protein: 11g
Calories: 328kcal
Ready in: 45 minutes
Recipe by: HappyKitchenRocks
Bonus: comforting, hearty, filling
Fat: 6g
Saturated fat: 1g
Enjoy this savory, comforting, vegan sweet potato casserole with black beans, kale, quinoa, and roasted garlic sauce (and if you like this, why not try these delicious sweet potato bake recipes too?). It’s easy to assemble and perfect to make ahead.
17. Goi Cuon
Bonus: healthy, crunchy, colourful
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 1g
Gỏi cuốn – these summer rolls are easy, authentic, and require absolutely no cooking. We’ve even included two simple but to die-for sauces!
18. Tom Yum Fried Rice
Protein: 5g
Calories: 187kcal
Ready in: 20 minutes
Recipe by: MyPlantifulCooking
Bonus: tasty, healthy, easy to make
Fat: 1g
Saturated fat: 1g
This tom yum fried rice is packed full of flavors and utterly delicious ! Super easy to make, happens to be vegan & can be made gluten-free.
Low fat sweet treats
I know what you’re pondering, and the answer is yes; you can indulge on a low fat diet!
A hack I discovered while researching low fat vegetarian recipes is using Weetabix.
Yep, that’s right! The wheat biscuit cereal that any Brit reading this would have almost definitely suffered through for breakfast as a child!
These weetabix cake and weetabix muffin recipes use the cereal to make healthy, low fat, filling sweet treats!
Besides that, Oats and bananas are staples of low fat baking as bananas lend a natural sweetness while being full of nutrients and even acting as a binding agent while oats are used in many low fat vegetarian recipes for sweet treats, because they are low in fat, high in fibre and super energising.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? See for yourself below!
19. Banana Oatmeal Fitness Cookies
Bonus: healthy, sweet, energising
Fat: 1g
Saturated fat: 1g
2 Ingredient Cookies. Just mix bananas and oats and bake them for 15 minutes. Perfect for when you need an energy boost on the go. Enjoy!
20. Spicy Kiwi Banana Smoothie
Bonus: adding some honey right before whirling this in the blender is a great way to make it sweeter
Fat: 3g
Saturated fat: 1g
Spicy Kiwi Banana Smoothie. A super simple and super healthy green and white spicy kiwi banana breakfast smoothie. High in vitamin C, fiber and potassium. Delicious and tasty.
21. Chia Fresca Drink
Bonus: instead of lime juice, try it out with an alternative citrus like lemon juice
Fat: 8g
Looking for a healthy refreshment to fuel your run? Perfected by the Tarahumara Indians, this chia fresca/iskiate is just what you’ll need!
22. Smashed Cucumber & Edamame
Bonus: a quick and delicious low calorie vegan snack
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 1g
Try this oriental-inspired smashed cucumber and edamame recipe, a quick high-protein snack to have at home or on the go. One of my favourite healthy vegan recipes!
23. Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats
Bonus: an easy and quick low fat breakfast recipe
Fat: 8g
Saturated fat: 2g
A beautiful mix of bananas, cacao powder and peanut butter for this oatmeal. All three ingredients are known for their “affinity” to each other.
24. Chia Breakfast Pudding
Bonus: sure to be your new favourite vegan breakfast
Fat: 5g
Saturated fat: 0.6g
Chia breakfast pudding packs a lot of healthy goodness into a small package! Meet tomorrow’s breakfast!
25. Healthy Oatmeal Banana Pancakes
Bonus: a tasty breakfast that’s high in fiber and protein too
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 2g
After a healthy breakfast recipe you can rustle up quickly? Try our oatmeal banana pancakes, served with blueberry syrup!
26. Moist Almond Flour Muffins
Bonus: an effortlessly easy low-fat snack
Fat: 6g
Saturated fat: 1g
These almond flour muffins stay soft and succulent – and only need five minutes to prep! Bung them in the oven and you’re good to go!
27. Blueberry Overnight Oats
Bonus: the perfect morning boost to welcome you to the new day
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 1g
Try out this delish Overnight Oats combo of blueberries, lemon, yogurt and maple syrup. You won’t be disappointed!
28. Delicious Date Smoothie
Bonus: a naturally sweet, vegan smoothie
Fat: 7g
Delicious Date Smoothie – take your dates to the next level with this impressively tasty and animal friendly smoothie that’s packed with omega 3s!
29. Skin Saving Mango Lassi
Bonus: a refreshing 3-ingredient drink
Fat: 0.5g
Mango Lassi. One of the best tasting smoothies around. Simply delicious, and simply quick.
30. Pineapple Mint Sorbet
Bonus: a sweet, tasty and refreshing 2-ingredient treat. A healthy choice for dessert!
Fat: 0.5g
Pineapple Sorbet with Mint. A refreshing summer sorbet full of fruity goodness, made from just 2 ingredients and ready in 5 minutes. Stacked with vitamins A, C, B6 and no cholesterol!
31. Weetabix Apple Muffins
Ready in: 40 minutes
Recipe by: AFatRainbow
Bonus: sweet, tasty, lean
Fat: 2.4g
Saturated fat: 0g
Weetabix Apple Muffins are for you if you need a low-calorie sweet treat for your late-night cravings or sweet breakfast, these super fluffy. Oil-free and weight-loss friendly too. Vegan option included.
32. Cornmeal Porridge
Bonus: natural sugars, energising, tasty
Fat: 4g
Saturated fat: 1g
A classic homemade Jamaican breakfast made vegan and more nutritious – and bursting with the same sweet and scrumptiously savoury taste!
33. Weetabix Cake
Protein: 4.4g
Calories: 192kcal
Ready in: 1 hour 10 minutes (prep time 10 minutes)
Recipe by: GreedyGourmet
Bonus: healthy, hearty, tasty
Fat: 1g
Saturated fat: 0g
This Weetabix cake is an excellent choice if you want to satisfy your taste buds and still continue on your weight loss journey. Weetabix biscuits are one of the main ingredients to make this recipe. They contain a lot of health benefits. This is a great vegetarian recipe for weight loss.
34. Baked Pears with Walnuts
Bonus: warm, delicious, easy
Fat: 5g
Saturated fat: 1g
Cinnamon Baked Pears. They are super simple to make, take only five minutes of preparation, 25 minutes of baking, and always turn out great.
35. Bulgur Porridge
Bonus: healthy, filling, versatile
Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 1g
Bulgur porridge completely revitalises the morning rush – with a naturally sweet (and incredibly tasty) whole-grain breakfast – it’s vegan, too!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Give the bulgur a quick rinse, then add it together with salt and milk into a pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 10 minutes until the bulgur is nice and fluffy.⅓ cup bulgur, 1 pinch salt, ⅔ cup oat milk
- Peel and mash the banana and chop the peanuts.1 ripe banana, 2 tbsp peanuts
- Dice the mango or peach.1 mango
- Once the bulgur is ready, stir in the mashed banana.
- Now spoon into a breakfast bowl, sprinkle over some peanuts and mango/peach.
- Pour in milk to create a lovely castle moat and enjoy!
NOTES
Nutrition
FAQs for low fat vegetarian recipes
How do vegeterians eat low fat?
A vegetarian can follow a low fat diet by consuming low-fat foods and meals that contain low fat ingredients. Many fruits and vegetables are low fat foods that are good for your health, helping you control your intake of the nutrient and maintain a healthy diet!
What vegetarian meals are good for weight loss?
There are tons of vegetarian weight loss recipes that are good and will most definitely aid in helping you drop a few. If you’re having trouble finding which to include in your food menu, here’s a 7-day vegetarian weight loss meal plan that should help you out.
How do I cook on a low fat diet?
Many cooking techniques have proven to be more fitting for a low fat diet than others (these low fat snacks bear testament to that!). For instance, grilling, steaming and boiling your food are more preferable methods to cooking than deep frying and using non-stick cooking spray on a pan to saute food helps in cutting back on your butter and oil intake.
Hopefully, you now know how to prepare some delicious low-fat vegetarian recipes (and you can also try some low calorie veggie breakfasts too!). Let us know in the comments which of these recipes was your favourite!
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
This article has been medically reviewed by James LeBaigue MSc Learn More
James LeBaigue MSc
James has a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Human Nutrition.
He loves combining his scientific knowledge along with food in the real world, and these recipes are the result.
He’s on top of all the latest evidence and guidelines to make sure our nutrition advice on the website is as accurate as it can be.
By day he works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in a busy NHS GP Practice.
Each recipe is tested and then eaten (much to James’ delight), many times before it is deemed worthy to be published. Bon appetit!
Comments
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4 comments
What an amazing recipe collection! I kept scrolling and scrolling, thinking … “I wanna make that! And that! And THAT, too!” So many ideas, it’s hard to know where to start lol! Thanks for all the inspiration!
Haha thanks Shelley! Glad you like the look
This is one amazing collection of fantastic looking recipes! I’m excited to try some of them. Thanks so much for including my Southwestern Quinoa Salad.
Thanks for letting us share it, Colleen! Delicious!!