Fat Free Vegan Recipes: The 4 Most Delicious And Simple (For Starter Vegans)

Vegan fat free recipes. Why do we need them?

Eating a fat free vegan diet is all about eating a diet that focuses on a plant-based diet and whole foods while at the same time omitting oil from your food plan.

For many vegans, removing oils from their diet can be difficult.

Cooking oils are such a core component of how we cook our foods.

Fat Free Vegan Recipes

Eliminating oil from your kitchen takes focus and a good understanding of why you’ve chosen to no longer include oils in your vegan diet.

Let’s take a closer look at what a fat free vegan diet is all about and why you don’t need to include oils in your food plan. With the fat free vegan recipes here you’ll be cooking great fat free meals in no time.

What is a Fat Free Vegan Diet?

Following a fat free vegan diet means that you don’t eat animal products or add any oil to your diet plan. There are lots of fat free vegan recipes that you can use in your diet. These are just some of the foods that are not allowed on a fat free vegan food plan:

  • Meat/fish/poultry
  • Eggs
  • Honey
  • Dairy products from animal sources including cheese, yogurt, milk, and cream
  • Oil products including olive, coconut, canola, and sunflower oils

Even plant foods that are high in fat are restricted on a fat free vegan diet and should only be eaten in limited amounts. This includes:

  • Nuts and nut butters
  • Seeds and seed butters
  • Coconut
  • Olives
  • Avocados
fat free vegan diet

A diet completely void of fats isn’t healthy. Some fat is necessary for certain functions in the body, such as helping the body to absorb vitamins A, D, and E. The reason for this is that these vitamins are fat soluble and can only be absorbed by the body when essential fatty acids are present.

All foods contain some levels of fat. Even when you’re restricting or eliminating fat from your diet, you’ll still be getting an adequate daily amount. If you’re concerned about getting enough fat to stay healthy, adding a handful of almonds or walnuts to your daily food plan will add enough fat to your day.

Why Fat Free Vegan?

Eating a diet that’s low in fat and animal protein, and high in fruit, vegetables, and legumes comes with several benefits:

  • Weight loss
  • Lower the risk of type 2 diabetes
  • Lower the risk of cancer
  • Lower cholesterol
  • Lower blood pressure

Why the Body Doesn’t Need Fat and Oil?

vegetarian diet

Oil is food that is highly refined and contains very few nutrients. Many diets promote oils that are “heart healthy”, such as coconut and olive oil.

But according to the nutrition facts for these oils, they don’t contain any significant amounts of nutrients. The reason for this is that oils are filtered and refined. At the end of these processes, there’s not a lot of nutrition left in any of these oils.

Another reason that many vegans are choosing to go fat free is that oil, even olive oil, is harmful to our arteries. Oils contain both saturated and monounsaturated fats, both which can damage the arteries and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Keep a note of these when deciding what recipes you use to plan your diet. Our favorite fat free vegan recipes don’t include many oils.

Oil is an unnecessary fat that our bodies doesn’t need. In fact, the fat we eat in whatever form is stored as body fat. Removing fat from your diet can help you lose weight and maintain a healthy body BMI. Weight loss is perhaps one of the top reasons for people choosing to eat fat free vegan diets.

By eliminating animal products, dairy, and oils from the diet, the body naturally starts to lose weight at a healthy rate of 1 to 2 pounds each week. Many health practitioners are recommending fat free vegan diets to their patients who need to lose a significant amount of weight.

More About Gluten Free Vegan Diet. What is it?

For people who have an intolerance to gluten, a gluten free vegan diet can be a little more challenging. Many of the foods we eat have gluten and/or animal source ingredients. As with a fat free vegan diet, with a gluten free vegan diet you’ll be buying most of your groceries from the produce section in your supermarket.

To be sure that you get enough protein, you’ll need to choose vegan sources that are also gluten-free. This includes gluten-free legumes, such as black beans and pinto beans, and gluten-free grains, such as quinoa, brown rice, polenta, and buckwheat.

Gluten free vegan diet

Planning Fat Free Meals

When you’re changing your diet to a fat free vegan plan, fat free meals may take a bit of time to plan. The following plan includes a wide selection of fat free food ideas to get you started.

In addition to a fat free vegan plan, make sure you use healthy cookware. This specially designed cookware will help prevent flu like symtoms in your food.

Foods to include each day:

  • At least 4 servings of fruit
  • Unlimited amounts of raw and cooked vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, kale, and zucchini.
  • At least one salad made with fresh greens, including cabbage, lettuce, and spinach.
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, or raw nuts.
  • At least one cup of cooked lentils or legumes.
  • ½ to 1 cup of cooked whole grains.

Foods to avoid:

  • Eggs and dairy.
  • Oils, including coconut, olive, and sunflower oil.
  • Margarine.
  • Sugars, including agave nectar and artificial sweeteners.
  • Bread, pasta, and other foods made with flour.

Oil Substitutions You May Not Have Heard Of Before

oil free vegetable

It may seem that you can’t cook or bake without oil but there are some easy things you can substitute in place of these oils. Instead of sautéing vegetables, try steaming them.

Not only will they be fat free, steamed vegetables taste better and retain more of their nutrients than vegetables that are boiled or sautéed.

Another alternative to sautéing vegetables in oil is to sauté them in a little water or vegetable broth.

When it comes to baking, replace the oil in a recipe with mashed bananas, mashed cooked sweet potatoes, or applesauce. All of these ingredients are good substitutions for oil and will still keep the recipe moist.

Fat Free Vegan Recipes — Our Favorites!

To get you started on your fat free vegan food plan, here’s a sampling of favorite four fat free vegan recipes.

1. Busy Professional Biscuit Vegan Fat Free Recipe

These vegan biscuits are made with no oil or butter. Probably the best vegan biscuit recipe we’ve come across.

 Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp dried herb mixture, such as oregano, rosemary, and chives
  • ¼ cup mashed cooked sweet potato or mashed cooked potato, chilled for at least two hours
  • ½ cup non dairy milk, such as soy or almond milk
  • 2 tsp lime juice
Fat Free Vegan Biscuit Recipe

 Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • 2. To make the filling, snip off the ends of the figs and add to the food processor along with the dates and almonds. Process into a coarse paste. Stir in the vanilla, maple syrup, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger. Process in the food processor just until mixed.
  • 3. To make the crust: grind 1 cup of oats in a blender until a fine powder. In a large bowl add the ground oats and the remaining 1 cup of oats, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Stir in the apple juice, maple syrup, and water. Mix well.
  • 4. Press half of the crust mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper. Use a wooden spoon and press well to the edges and into the corners.
  • 5. Spread the fig mixture over the crust.
  • 6. Spread the remainder of the crust mixture over the figs.
  • 7. Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

 Recipe makes 10 biscuits.

These biscuits are easy to freeze before baking. Place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze for at least one hour. When frozen, store in a bag or container and pull out biscuits to bake as needed. Add 3 to 5 minutes longer of baking time if you’re baking the biscuits right out of the freezer.

2. Super Savory Fat Free Vegan Lentil Soup

This fat free vegan lentil soup goes perfectly with vegan biscuits.

 Ingredients

  • 2 cups uncooked brown or green lentils
  • 8 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 1 ½ pounds of large red potatoes, cut into medium sized cubes
  • 8 ounces of mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried crushed rosemary
  • ½ tsp sage
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Fat Free Vegan Lentil Soup

 Instructions

  • 1. Rinse lentils well. Put onto a large pot along with the vegetable stock. Cover and cook over medium heat while you chop the vegetables.
  • 2. Chop vegetables and place into a large bowl.
  • 3. When lentils are almost at a boil, carefully add the chopped vegetables and herbs. Season with a small amount of salt and pepper, adding more to taste once soup is done.
  • 4. Bring to a boil and simmer until the lentils are tender, about one hour.
  • 5. Sprinkle with chopped, fresh parsley.

 Recipe serves 10.

3. Muscle Protein Fat Free Quinoa and Corn Chili

This is a great vegan recipe, packed with protein.

 Ingredients

  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 1 large red pepper, chopped
  • 1 large green pepper, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound dried black-eyed peas that have been soaked overnight
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 ½ tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika powder
  • ¼ tsp hot smoked paprika powder, or chipotle powder
  • 2 – 15 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
  • 1 ½ cups frozen corn
  • 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Lime wedges and avocado slices
Fat Free Quinoa and Corn Chili

 Instructions

  • 1. Add one cup of vegetable broth to a large potCook over medium heat and add chopped onions, chopped red and green peppers, and minced garlic cloves. Sauté vegetables in broth for 10 minutes.
  • 2. Add the rest of the vegetable broth, spices and cocoa powder, and diced tomatoes to the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until the black-eyed peas are almost tender.
  • 3. Add frozen corn and rinsed quinoa. Bring back to a boil and simmer just until the quinoa is tender.
  • 4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • 5. Serve in bowls with a squeeze of lime juice and slices of avocado on top.

 Recipe serves 8.

4. Twice Satisfied Fat Free Baked Fig Bars

When you’re in the mood for something sweet, these fat free vegan fig bars are perfect.

 Filling Ingredients

  • 8 ounces of dried figs
  • 4 ounces of dates, pitted
  • 2 tbsp chopped almonds, optional
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger
Fat Free Baked Fig Bars

 Crust Ingredients

  • 2 cups quick or regular oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 4 ounces unsweetened apple juice
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • ¼ cup water
Fat Free Baked Fig Bars

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • 2. To make the filling, snip off the ends of the figs and add to the food processor along with the dates and almonds. Process into a coarse paste. Stir in the vanilla, maple syrup, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger. Process in the food processor just until mixed.
  • 3. To make the crust: grind 1 cup of oats in a blender until a fine powder. In a large bowl add the ground oats and the remaining 1 cup of oats, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Stir in the apple juice, maple syrup, and water. Mix well.
  • 4. Press half of the crust mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper. Use a wooden spoon and press well to the edges and into the corners.
  • 5. Spread the fig mixture over the crust.
  • 6. Spread the remainder of the crust mixture over the figs.
  • 7. Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Optional: mix 3 tbsp of powdered sugar with a small amount of water or apple juice, until just a bit runny. Add a drop of vanilla extract to taste. Drizzle over the top of the fig bars before cutting.

Recipe makes 16 bars.

These fat free vegan recipes are just the beginning. Once you’ve learned what a fat free vegan diet is all about and decided that this food plan is right for you, you’ll be able to adapt vegan recipes on your own to make them fat free.

The Bottom Line

There you have it.

Our four favorite fat free vegan recipes. It’s no secret why they are our favorites. Low in oils, high in veggies and busting with nutrients. (Did we also mention they are delicious? 🙂 )

What’s the one thing you can do today? Pick one recipe and try it out. Modify it to your own needs. When you’re ready for more, try a different one above.

It’s all about starting, never about crossing the finish line.

To become even more healthier, take a look at our fat free butter alternatives.

About the author 

Nate Lau

Nate is an aspiring chef, and father of two. He is always on the lookout to try new healthy recipes and kitchen gadgets. He has a passion for cooking delicious miso black cod and enjoys a nice sip of pinot on occasion.

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