Last January, an astonishing 125,000 people pledged to eat only plant-based food for the first month of the year, a trend that continued throughout 2022. Here at Milk Topz, we respect the lifestyle choices people make, and are happy to bang the drum for all kinds of milk (check out our blog on dairy-free alternatives here), so we thought we’d look at some delicious and easy plant-based recipes.
Not only are these tasty vegan dishes straightforward, but we think they’re also accessible, family-friendly options that will fit seamlessly into your menu plan. So, that said, let’s take a look at five of our favourite vegan recipes with plant-based milk!
Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
It might be a cliché that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but studies show that it’s true. Eating breakfast regularly has been shown to kick-start your metabolism and boost your energy and concentration. Thanks to their simplicity, nutrition and tastiness, these Peanut Butter Overnight Oats from the Minimalist Baker are one of our top plant-based vegan milk recipes.
With only five core ingredients (unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, natural peanut butter, maple syrup and rolled oats), this recipe couldn’t be simpler to put together. The preparation process is also super simple and only takes around five minutes before the oat mixture is left to set in the fridge overnight.
The simple, healthy ingredients and quick prep time make this recipe a fabulous choice for busy professionals and the hustle and bustle of family life. The combination of chia seeds, peanut butter, and maple syrup makes this recipe a sweet and salty flavour base for all sorts of exciting and fun toppings. For a healthy start to the day, we recommend sliced bananas or blueberries, while those with a sweet tooth might prefer flakes of vegan dark chocolate.
Either way, this convenient breakfast option is a great way to use plant-based milk in your day-to-day cooking with only a small investment of time and energy!
Picture Credit: The Minimalist Baker
Vegan Waffles
Continuing with the breakfast theme, we think this vegan waffle recipe by Jessica Hylton is the perfect choice for a lazy weekend morning.
Not only does this recipe give you the crispiest, fluffiest vegan waffles around, but it also makes use of those ingredients that most people have in their kitchen cupboard, as well as some vegan staples.
By combining soy milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice, you create a great vegan alternative to buttermilk, which combines with sifted flour, baking powder, salt and melted vegan butter to form a thick, scoopable batter.
Make sure you don’t overmix your batter, as this might make it lumpy. Sifting your ingredients and weighing them carefully, instead of using measuring cups, can also go a long way to giving you a smooth, fluffy mixture. Letting your soy milk warm up to room temperature before adding it makes mixing much easier.
Like the overnight oats, this recipe is easy to prepare and cook, taking about 30 minutes and provides an excellent backdrop for whichever plant-based toppings take your fancy.
With full marks for simplicity, flavour and fun, this recipe is a shoo-in for our top five vegan recipes using plant-based milk.
Image Credit: Jessica in the Kitchen
Vegan Leek & Potato Soup
Studies show that skipping lunch is becoming increasingly common, with the expense and lack of variety scoring highly on why people aren’t bothering with their midday meal.
Here at Milk Topz, we’re advocates for healthy lifestyles, and this habit of skipping lunch can be bad for your physical and mental health. We’ve spoken before about the health benefits of milk, including plant-based alternatives, so we thought we’d include a great lunchtime option that’s perfect for the colder months.
Leek and potato soup is a classic, but we love Sara Buenfeld’s vegan option on BBC Good Food. With only a handful of low-cost ingredients, including oil, garlic, leeks, potatoes, vegan stock and unsweetened almond milk, as well as your favourite crusty bread to serve, this winter warmer is a cheap and cheerful recipe that’s great to batch cook for a quick, midweek lunch.
Its easy method and rich, hearty flavours also make this dish an accessible way for would-be vegans to introduce plant-based milk to their diet, quickly making it one of our favourite vegan recipes using almond milk.
Image Credit: BBC Good Food
Easy Vegan Curry
For those vegans looking to add a little spice to their lives, this easy vegan curry from Nora Cooks provides a 30-minute plant-based choice packed with flavour and nutrition.
Boasting a medley of colourful veg set against a creamy, fragrant base (courtesy of 800ml of coconut milk), this recipe might initially seem intimidating with its wide range of ingredients. However, the process is simple and intuitive, revolving around building layers of texture and flavour in four easy-to-follow steps.
While the recipe suggests sweet potato, cauliflower, carrot and broccoli, any leftover veg you have to hand can work just as well, as can tofu or other meat alternatives.
For its fragrant spice, easy process and wow factor, this freezable Thai-inspired curry is definitely one of our favourite vegan recipes with plant-based milk.
Image Credit: Nora Cooks
Vegan Strawberry Muffins
What better way to finish off this list of our favourite plant-based vegan milk recipes than with a sweet, fruity treat? Julie over at The Simple Veganista has a 45-minute recipe for these healthy but luxurious strawberry muffins that we can’t get enough of.
It uses sugar, olive oil, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, salt, strawberries and, of course, your choice of non-dairy milk to conjure up a dozen moist, fluffy muffins that are perfect for desserts or afternoon snacks.
With antioxidant-loaded strawberries and dairy-alternative milk, this recipe is a healthy way to sate your sweet tooth. Its easy process and one-bowl preparation mean it’s quick to make and even quicker to clean up.
As family-friendly plant-based recipes go, we think this is as good as it gets. A tasty, healthy treat perfect for all ages to bake and, of course, to eat!
Image Credit: The Simple Veganista
Want to keep your plant-based milk fresh for these quick and easy recipes?
Milk Topz are environmentally-friendly silicone milk bottle tops designed to be reusable and sustainable. They’re perfect for keeping your plant-based milk choices fresh for use and are great for maximising fridge space, as their leak-proof design lets you arrange your bottles at any angle.
Head over to our store page to take a look at our Milk Topz packs, and check out the blogs below for more great ideas for using milk.
