Master healthy plant-based meal prep with time-saving tips, recipe ideas, and expert hacks to eat well, save money, and stay nourished all week long.
Want to eat healthier, save money, and never wonder what’s for lunch or dinner again? It all starts with plant-based meal prep. Whether you’re new to prepping or looking to streamline your routine, this guide breaks down how to meal prep with smart tips, practical cooking ideas, and delicious plant-based recipes. Meal prepping isn’t just about portioning food—it’s about creating a system that supports your health, budget, and schedule. With a little planning, you’ll have healthy, ready-to-eat meals all week, without the daily stress of cooking from scratch.
Let’s face it: A focus on nourishing home cooking can take time. So, how can you renew your commitment to healthy meals at home without the stress? Say hello to meal prepping! Whether you work at home, commute everyday to the office, attend school, or have a hungry family awaiting you at the end of each day–meal prep mastery can do wonders for your life. Planning out and portioning meals means you can grab-and-go healthy, delicious foods just when you need them. Just a bit of pre-planning means you can focus on cozy, welcoming, nutritious meals to support your health goals and budget all week long.
What Is Meal Prepping?
Meal prepping may sound like some nouveau term (and, indeed it is!), but home cooks have been practicing this time-saving skill for decades. Every time you make a large recipe and heat up leftovers during the week, you’ve essentially meal prepped. Yet today’s version of meal prepping is a bit more organized, so that home prepared, healthy meals are neatly portioned and at your fingertips all week long. This comes in handy for office lunches, school lunch boxes, virtual workdays, and busy nights. No worries about getting healthy meals on the table on those exceptionally stressful days that can stretch from dawn until dusk. Just grab a pre-portioned container from the fridge and you’re set! No last-minute fast food pick-ups or mid-week trips to the supermarket, thank you very much. You’ll reduce your food dollars and food waste, and better achieve your health goals.
Step-by-Step Meal Prepping Guide
How do you meal prep? It may sound challenging, but it’s really not. It goes something like this.
1. Select One Day a Week to Prep Meals
Choose your easiest day of the week, when you have the opportunity to shop and spend a couple of hours in the kitchen. For many, that’s the weekend, after you’ve had a chance to go shopping at the farmers market or supermarket. I love to meal prep on Sunday afternoons, after my kitchen is stocked and I have time to invest in the week ahead.
2. Plan Ahead
Before you dig into meal prepping, do some pre-planning:
- Decide how many meals and recipes you want to prepare for the week. Are you meal prepping for yourself, or for your partner or kids too? How many recipes do you want to make? How much time do you have to meal prep? Answering these questions can guide you to the next step.
- Select recipes for meal prep. Look for recipes that are easy to prepare, store well in the fridge, are easily heated (or can be enjoyed cold), make at least four servings, and include a balance of healthy protein (think chickpeas, lentils, or tofu), starch/grains (sweet potatoes, brown rice, or quinoa), veggies (broccoli, kale, or cauliflower), and a healthy fat (vinaigrette, tahini, mushroom sauce) all in one pot or dish. Examples are grain bowls, kale salads, casseroles, skillet meals, pasta dishes, and stews. Recipes that are more fragile, such as iceberg lettuce salads or tacos with fresh ingredients may not hold up for long in the fridge. Consider favorite ingredients, as well as not so favorites. For example, if someone in the family doesn’t enjoy mushrooms or olives, look for recipes without those ingredients.
- Create a shopping list for the meal prep items, and purchase those ingredients, keeping seasonality in mind. Keep your pantry stocked with shelf-stable meal prep ingredients, such as whole grains, spices, nuts, and canned beans.
3. Get to Prepping
Prepare the chosen recipes and portion servings into individual microwave- or oven-ready containers with lids. I really love these rectangular glass meal prep containers, as they go from the fridge to the microwave lickety split! You can even store your meal prep containers in the freezer and take them out as you need them. Label with the recipe title and date. Store in the refrigerator for up to five days, or the freezer for up to three months. Remember: If you have any perishable items, such as raw vegetables (lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cilantro) or dressings (tahini sauce, salad dressing) that may wilt before you’ll enjoy the meal, store those toppings separately.
4. Grab and Go!
Now you’re all set to grab your meal and run to the office, school, or dinner table! Pack in an insulated bag with ice to keep your meals safe from spoiling in transit, and transfer to your onsite fridge when you arrive. Package your meal prep with reusable bamboo cutlery.
No-Recipe Meal Prep
You don’t even need to follow a recipe to do meal prep! Just use this formula:
Healthy protein (beans, tempeh, tofu) + cooked grain or starch (brown rice, sorghum, potatoes) + veggie (carrots, bell peppers, broccoli) + sauce (tahini sauce, vegan yogurt sauce, green goddess dressing)
Arrange this combo in meal prep containers and you’re all set!
Top 10 Perfect Plant-Based Meal Prep Recipes
Try these one-dish ideas for plant-based meal prep. For dinner, add a side salad or whole grain bread for heartier meals.
Black Beans and Rice Vegan Bowl
Penne with White Beans and Greens
Sesame Tempeh Grain Bowl
Orange Peanut Tempeh Stir Fry with Brown Rice
California Burrito Bowl
Easy Udon Noodle Bowl with Kimchi
Stir-Fried Thai Tofu with Sorghum
Easy Miso Green Bean & Tofu Stir-Fry
Korma Turmeric Rice Veggie Power Bowls
One Pot Vegan Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli
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