Lower your carbon calories with these flavourful vegan recipes 

For more vegan inspiration, see our vegan hub, where we have healthy vegan dinners, high-protein vegan meals and a budget vegan meal plan.

Vegan paella

645 Carbon Calories

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Broad beans are a good source of vegetable protein and have a low amount of Carbon Calories per serving. You can achieve four of your 5-a-day with this vegan paella – it makes a satisfying yet low-calorie supper.

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Jackfruit bolognese with vegan parmesan

708 Carbon Calories

Cutting back on meat? Try jackfruit as a tasty meat alternative. This vegan bolognese not only tastes delicious but counts as a whopping five of your 5-a-day.

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Baked vegan korma

825 Carbon Calories

This recipe has a clear list of ingredients and equipment required, plus a step-by-step method designed for cooking with kids, so it makes a good focal point for thinking about your Carbon Calories.

Check out more vegan curry recipes.

Slow-cooker chickpea stew

1,076 Carbon Calories

Legumes such as chickpeas are low-impact and affordable. To lower the carbon footprint of this stew, leave out the tomatoes and make the base green by stirring in some spinach. This would give you a reduction of up to 28%.

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Mushroom tacos

855 Carbon Calories

The tacos in this recipe are made with chickpea flour, which has the lowest climate impact rating of A (E is the highest). Try it for a healthy vegan dinner that’s high in protein and fibre.

Browse more vegan Mexican-inspired recipes.

Goan-style vegetable curry with kitchari

1,228 Carbon Calories

This recipe contains all of your five-a-day. Keep it dairy-free for a better Carbon Calories outcome – coconut yogurt has, on average, a lower carbon footprint than dairy yogurt. This dish is healthy, gluten-free and provides vitamin C and iron too.

See the most popular vegan recipes for more meal inspiration.

Veggie tahini lentils

491 Carbon Calories

Choose this recipe when courgettes and peppers are in season (from June to September). What you eat and when you eat it is generally more significant to an ingredient’s carbon footprint than where it was grown, provided it wasn’t transported by air. This dish is quick, easy and packed with healthy veg, making it a great midweek meal.

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Asparagus & lemon spaghetti with peas

504 Carbon Calories

Eat this when asparagus is in season from April to June. Out of season, asparagus is likely to have been air-freighted, which adds considerably to the carbon footprint. Try this recipe out for a healthy vegan dinner that’s ready in under 20 minutes. It’s low-calorie and provides 3 of your 5-a-day along with fibre, vitamin C and iron too.

Check out more asparagus pasta recipes or find more spaghetti recipes here.

Sweet potato & cauliflower lentil bowl

Stick to seasonality with this recipe and you can lower the carbon footprint even more. You’ll see a reduction of up to 29% if you swap the cauliflower for cabbage, and up to 34% if you swap it for mushrooms. You can whip up this zingy vegan bowl in advance and keep in the fridge for quick, satisfying lunch. Each bowlful packs in four of your 5-a-day too.

Try out more healthy lentil recipes.