Student Veganuary: Easy Vegan Recipes You Can Cook in Your Shared Flat

It’s that time of the year folks, Veganuary! Many of you will already be familiar with this 31-day challenge, others may not be, so we’re here to give you the deets.

Since 2014, Veganuary has inspired and supported more than a million people in 192 different countries to try vegan food in January, pretty cool right?

Vegan food may seem a little daunting to us, but we’re hoping this blog will give you some inspo for simple vegan recipes that are super affordable.

Get ready to impress your mates in your cosy student accommodation, because after this, you’ll be cooking up a storm!

Vegetarian vs Vegan

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between vegetarian and vegan? We’ve got the answers!

The main difference is the fact that vegans eat no animal products and vegetarians may eat products that come from them (such as eggs and milk.)

Vegans choose their diet for moral reasons, their care for animal welfare may lead them to avoid wearing fabrics made from animals, such as leather and suede.

There are a few different types of vegetarianism to look out for:

Lacto: vegetarians that eat dairy products but no seafood, poultry or eggs.
Pesco: (or pescatarians) eat fish and other seafood, but no meat or poultry.
Ovo: vegetarians eat eggs but no dairy products, meat, seafood or poultry.

What Is Veganuary?

January is deffo the month to try out vegan food, the concept was launched in 2014 and has proven extremely popular!

Since it started, the participation has more than doubled each year and it’ll no doubt be incredibly popular this year too.

Over 400,000 people took place in 2020, all the more reason to give it a bash with your pals.

The non-profit organisation encourages people and businesses alike worldwide to try veganism for January as a way of protecting the environment, prevent animal suffering and improve health.

When Did Veganuary Start?

Veganuary started in 2014, the concept was started by Jane Land and her husband Matthew Glover in York in their kitchen!

The registered charity estimated that 1.3 million people took place in Veganuary last year, pretty cool right?

Best Easy Vegan Recipes Everyone Will Love!

Without further ado, let’s crack on with some deliciously easy recipes everyone will love, whether you’re vegan or not, these dishes are definite crowd pleasers!

1. Salad

We know what you’re thinking…”a salad at number one?!” but trust us, this vegan no-cook chickpea salad is bursting with flavours, perfect as a vegan side or a main.

All you’ll need is:

• A can of chickpeas
• Coriander
• Parsley
• 1 red onion
• 2 large tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp harissa
• Lemon juice

This salad can serve up to 6 people, so get ready to impress your uni mates with this super simple yet effective dish!

The best part? It only takes 10-minutes to make, so you don’t have to stress about it taking ages.

Click here for the full recipe! If chickpeas aren’t your thing, why not rustle up a vegan potato salad for your carb fix?

2.  Vegan Hotpot

This is an amazing student staple that is so affordable to make, guaranteed to satisfy a rumbling belly!

The veggie bake is packed with soft lentils, plenty of veggies and a scrumptious tomato sauce.

With a crispy melty cheese potato crust, this vegan hotpot will deffo make your mouth water!

Ingredients:

• Garlic
• Onions
• Carrots
• Red pepper
• Mushrooms
• Green lentils
• Potatoes
• Balsamic vinegar
• English or wholegrain mustard
• Tomato puree
• Baby spinach
• Dairyfree margarine
• Dairyfree mozzarella

For full measurements of ingredients and the full recipe, click here. Prep takes about 15-minutes and you’ll need to bake it for 40-minutes.

Perfect for a chilly winters evening snuggled up in your PJ’s, the vegan hotpot is a simple vegan recipe that you can cook in your shared flat for your pals.

3. Pizza

Everybody loves pizza, right? It’s always a popular choice for students, filled with flavour and so easy to make.

You don’t have to miss out on the classic Margherita recipe, this yummy Italian dish uses plant-based substitutes.

Ingredients:

• White bread flour
• Yeast
• Caster sugar
• Olive oil
• Passata
• Fresh basil
• Garlic clove
• Vegan mozzarella cheese
• Tomatoes
• Basil

Not only is this a fab meal to tuck into with your mates on a Friday night, but it’s also really fun to make!

You can add as many toppings as you like and really make this pizza your own if you fancy adding a bit of pizzazz.

Click here for the full recipe and get your chef hats on folks!

4. Sunday Roast

Just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you have to miss out a mighty Sunday roast, the ultimate hangover cure!

Why not rustle up an amazing mushroom wellington as a beef alternative, a nice hearty dish bound to impress everyone.

Roasties are always a 10/10 accompaniment to a roast, which is why you deffo need to give these herb-infused roast potatoes a whirl.

Alternatively, you could bake a harissa roast cauliflower with roasties, Yorkshire puddings, gravy and of course roast veggies.

This particular dish will take around 2 hours to make including prep time, but it’ll be well worth the wait!

Check out the full recipe here.

5. Chilli Con Carne

There’s nothing like a cheeky chilli con carne to warm you up on a winters evening, and this vegan alternative is a delish alternative.

For this sweet potato, black bean and chickpea chilli you’ll need:

• Sweet potato
• Red pepper
• Chopped tomatoes
• Black beans (canned)
• Onion
• Garlic
• Coriander
• Cumin
• Cinnamon
• Apple cider vinegar
• Limes
• Cocoa powder
• Caster sugar
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Thankfully all these ingredients are pretty standard for a uni cupboard, and if you haven’t got them, you won’t have to take out a second mortgage to buy them!

Just pop to your local supermarket and they’ll have everything you need for your culinary masterpiece 😉

For this dish, you’ve basically gotta chuck everything into a large saucepan so you can’t really go wrong!

Check out the steps here and dust off your oven gloves.

6. Thai Green Curry

Oh yes, everybody loves a good curry, and this recipe is a super easy vegan recipe you can cook for you and your flatmates!

This classic curry is ready in under half an hour with a whole bunch of wonderfully fresh, healthy ingredients.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to pop in your shopping basket:

• Brown rice
• Asparagus
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Thai green curry paste
• Light coconut milk
• Aubergine
• Courgette
• Edamame beans
• Reduced-salt soy sauce
• Lime
• Tofu
• Chilli
• Basil leaves

Follow the full recipe here and don’t forget to keep an eye on your veggies when you’re roasting them, we don’t want any accidents!

7. Butternut Squash And Chickpea Curry

Yeah so it’s another curry, but can you blame us? Curry’s are the absolute best!

This one-pot butternut squash and chickpea curry is a perfect recipe for Veganuary, simple, easy and delish.

Ingredients:

• Coriander seeds
• Vegetable oil
• Garam masala
• Turmeric
• Chilli powder
• Dried chilli
• Curry leaves
• Cinnamon stick
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Butternut squash
• Coconut milk
• Vegetable stock
• Chickpeas

Flaked almonds

Granted, these ingredients sound a little #extra, but they’re actually not expensive at all, and well worth including in your dish.

Obv ingredients like flaked almonds aren’t essential, so if you can’t find them in your local supermarket, don’t panic too much!

Take a look at the full recipe here and prepare for a taste sensation, because vegan food is always totally jam-packed with flavours.

8. Indian Chickpea And Vegetable Soup

This is a healthy, low-cost student Veganuary recipe, perfect for those who want a quick, easy meal to warm their cockles.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil
• Onion
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Garam masala
• Vegetable stock
• Carrots
• Chickpeas
• Green beans

Remember, you’ll need a blender for this dish, you can grab a cheap hand blender on Amazon that won’t cost much if you split it with your mates.

This soup is a great dish to heat up after a long day at uni, or you could put it in a flask for a quick warming meal throughout the day on the go.

Check out the full recipe here!

We hope you found this blog totes inspiring for Veganuary, a vegan diet is packed full of flavoursome, healthy ingredients. You can sign up for Veganuary here and use our blog as a guide, good luck everyone! If you’re studying in Sheffield and unsure where to get your Vegan takeaway fix after a heavy night out, check out our latest blog here.