15 Vegan One-Pot Meals for Lazy Nights

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: dairy free, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Hot take: "Jarred chickpeas are much tastier than [canned]," according to recipe creator Theo Randall. "Sweet in flavor, they're always perfectly cooked already, so treat them carefully, otherwise they can become too soft and mushy." You can find jarred chickpeas at specialty Italian groceries, but canned will work in a pinch. (Or, if you have the time, start from dried.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, high fiber
• Serves: 6 to 8

This recipe calls for golden lentils, caramelized onions and toasty spices, turning a notoriously underrated dish into something truly luxurious. Skip the yogurt garnish or sub coconut yogurt to keep it vegan. (Go wild with the cilantro and smoked paprika though.)

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, dairy free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Think of this vegan one-pot meal as a blueprint and riff however you'd like based on what you have on hand. Any of the produce can be swapped for alternatives of your choice: broccoli instead of cauliflower, snap peas instead of bell pepper, green curry paste instead of red and so on. The crisper drawer is your oyster.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

"The caramelized vegetables and miso in this soup give it depth of flavor, and the crunch, texture," recipe creator Aran Goyoaga writes. "Be sure to cook the vegetables down enough that they begin to stick to the pan slightly without burning. The goal is to really toast those natural sugars in the carrots, fennel and miso."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, Instant Pot recipe, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

Harissa is a spicy chile paste that hails from the Maghreb. Give it a go, and you'll want to put it on everything—you've been warned. "Many harissa recipes use tomatoes or peppers," recipe creator Urvashi Pitre writes. "I prefer my paste to be straight-up spice. Taste it once, and you will find a million different uses for this lovely, spicy, versatile mix."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, gluten free
• Serves: 6

The Spanish staple typically stars seafood, but this one swaps clams and company for spring produce. "You can use jarred or frozen artichoke hearts, but fresh baby artichokes are extra delicious when you can procure them," recipe creator Cara Mangini says. "Fava beans or English peas make fine additions, too."

• Time Commitment: 7 hours and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 8

Coconut milk keeps the broth as luxurious as possible without the help of dairy. But the real star, IMO, is all the fresh herbs, ranging from basil to mint to cilantro. Add marinated tofu to the mix or a legume, along with the spinach and glass noodles toward the end of cooking, to boost the protein.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 2

"Oatmeal for breakfast is certainly nothing new, but it can be quite hard for your body to digest grains in the morning," recipe creator Radhi Devlukia-Shetty writes. "Digestion-stoking chai spices and rich, fatty [plant-based] milk make oatmeal much gentler on the body—and even more delicious."

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: Instant Pot recipe, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Risotto? Sans cheese or butter? Yup, I can pinch you. The recipe calls for using whole-grain farro instead of traditional Arborio, and it gets a cheese-like flavor from white bean purée loaded with funky nutritional yeast. You can thank me later, friend.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, one pan
• Serves: 4

I'm counting this brunch essential as a vegan one-pot meal, even though it's technically prepared in one pan. The salsa gets just enough heat from a whole serrano pepper, while avocado and crumbled tofu make the tortilla chip tower legitimately satiating.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: Instant Pot recipe, gluten free, dairy free
• Serves: 4

Crowned with coconut yogurt, scallions, roasted peanuts and sesame seeds, this vegan one-pot meal might be the prettiest soup you ever make from scratch. A word to the wise: Microwaving the squash for three minutes will soften it and make it easier to cut (or you can save yourself the work and buy pre-cut butternut).

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, one pot, dairy free
• Serves: 4

"In this pasta, the sweet, juicy corn kernels paired with the 'milk' from the cobs become a perfect cream sauce without using actual cream," recipe creator Jeanine Donofrio says. "Cashews add richness, lemon (of course) adds some zing and smoked paprika adds a smoky depth of flavor." Well, I'm sold.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, high protein, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Vegan butter, curry paste, protein powder and coconut milk keep this number filling, flavorful and plant-based. Teeming with traditional additions of scallion and cilantro, the dish is loaded with healthy vegetables (zucchini! carrot! bell pepper!) and tender cubed tofu to boot. I'll turn away in case you want to lick the bowl.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, one pot, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

This vegan one-pot gem is as flexible as it is scrumptious. "Have extra peppers? Add them!" recipe creator Julia Turshen urges. "Have a bunch of tomatoes? Chop them up and throw them in. Dice some eggplant, roast it and fold it in at the end. Add vegetable stock to this and call it soup. Skip the grain or pasta and use the mixture to fill quesadillas."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: dairy free, special occasion-worthy, Instant Pot recipe
• Serves: 4

Traditionally prepared pho broth simmers for hours before hitting the table, but thanks to the handy pressure cooker, you can be sipping this soul-soother in a fraction of the time. Don't be shy with the oil when charring the onions and ginger, or you'll have a mess to scrape up after dinner. Tear the fresh herbs on top by hand for maximum flavor, too.