Helen Salter
Trying to reduce your carbon footprint can often feel like a minefield. To help clarify the impact of our food choices, we looked at Reewild, a carbon-tracking app that aims to make it easier to understand the carbon footprint of your food. Find out more about Reewild and how it works in our guide to understanding your food carbon footprint.
Data shows that if all UK households swapped a red-meat-based meal for a plant-based one just once a week, it would cut the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by a staggering 50 million tonnes. That’s the equivalent of taking 16 million cars off the road, or a reduction of up to 8.4% in the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
So, to help you feel inspired to cook more vegan meals, we’re sharing our favourite meat-free recipes, each with its ‘Carbon Calories’ result listed below. Carbon Calories have been devised to highlight the environmental impact of the food we eat, to help us make well-informed, mindful choices.
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
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.
Find more healthy vegan recipes.
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.
See more vegan pasta recipes.
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%.
Check out more vegan stew recipes.
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.
Try more vegan lentil recipes.
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.
