If you own a microwave oven, congratulations! Today is National Microwave Oven Day, and we’re celebrating with two dozen sweet and savory vegan microwave recipes that are easy, but not boring. If you’re only using your microwave oven to reheat food, you’re missing out! When used properly, this uncomplicated home appliance can save you time, effort, and a bunch of dirty dishes.
To show you everything it can do, we rounded up 24 different vegan recipes that will help you realize your microwave oven’s full potential! With recipes ranging from lasagna and shakshuka to french toast and even an entire cake (not to be confused with mug cakes, which we have included a couple of as well), we’re sure you’ll find a vegan microwave recipe for you on today’s list!
Savory Vegan Microwave Recipes
3 Ingredient, 3 Minute Microwave Queso by Six Vegan Sisters
What can be better than 5-ingredient vegan recipes? That’s right, 3-ingredient vegan recipes. Anything less wouldn’t probably count as a dish of its own, and this 3-ingredient / 3-minute vegan microwave recipe by Six Vegan Sisters sounds like a concept we’d like to try out! There’s no catch either: it’s literally just vegan cheese, plant milk, and some salsa, which make a perfectly shareable companion to chips. Click here for the full recipe.
Zero Waste/Low Waste Popcorn by Veggie Kins
What if we told you you could save some waste, energy, and trees while enjoying a vegan snack? That’s right, by using a reusable silicone sandwich bag to pop your corn kernels, you can do just that! Don’t forget to toss them with your favorite vegan butter and/or nooch for a delicious and easy low waste vegan snack! Click here for the full recipe.
More Savory Vegan Microwave Recipes
- Homemade Sweet Potato Chips in a Microwave by Rachel Cooks: Get your mandolines out, it’s time for some homemade sweet potato chips! This vegan microwave recipe is for another incredibly easy and satisfying snack that’s made in minutes with minimum ingredients (just sweet potato, oil, salt, and pepper!) Click here for the full recipe.
- Microwave Mushroom Cheung Fun (Vegan Rice Noodle Rolls) by The Foodie Takes Flight: Who knew it was possible to make some scrumptious, impressive-looking rice noodle rolls in the microwave? Now you do! Now, you do have to sautee the mushroom filling on the stovetop if you follow Jeeca’s recipe to a T, but the rest can (and should!) be made in the microwave. In case you don’t have one, however, (and yet for some reason are browsing through a roundup of vegan microwave recipes), there’re stovetop steaming instructions provided as well. Click here for the full recipe.
- Millet Four Ways by From the Comfort of My Bowl: If you’ve never tried millet, it’s this ancient grain that’s known for being naturally gluten-free and having a mildly sweet corn flavor. In her post, Jhanelle demonstrates four ways of cooking it: microwave, rice cooker, Instant Pot, and stovetop, so whatever your kitchen is equipped with, you’re ready to tackle this cool grain! Click here for the full recipe.
- Microwave Vegan Cauliflower Mash by The Veg Space: This vegan microwave recipe makes a great healthy dip or side dish that’s easy to make and appropriate for the holiday season! Best part? The smooth and ‘buttery’ flavor and texture of cauliflower after you cook it in the microwave and purée it with dairy-free cream and margarine. Yum! Click here for the full recipe.
- Easy 5-Minute Microwave Hummus by Minimalist Baker: This vegan microwave hummus recipe by Minimalist Baker demonstrates how a tried and true recipe can be taken to the next level with the use of the humble microwave oven! Click here for the full recipe.
- 2-in-1 Combo Microwave Meal: Creamy Vegan Rosemary Spinach Soup with Rosemary Infused Corn & Quinoa Salad by Animagus Eats: This is a low-cook meal, meaning that you just have to assemble a few ingredients together and let your home appliances (namely, your blender and, of course, the microwave oven) do all the work for you in mere minutes! To make this simple and nutritious 2-in-1 vegan microwave recipe from Animagus Eats, you’ll need mainly pantry-friendly ingredients and very little time, which is greatly appreciated! Click here for the full recipe.
- Vegan Microwave Mug Macaroni Cheese by Tinned Tomatoes: This 10-minute vegan microwave recipe from Tinned Tomatoes is a quick and comforting midweek meal that has all the creamy deliciousness of macaroni and cheese without the wait or piles of dirty dishes! Click here for the full recipe.
- Microwave Vegan Shakshuka for One by Mary’s Test Kitchen: This vegan microwave recipe not only makes a comforting and filling breakfast but is budget-friendly and made in minutes as well! Be sure to check out the post for a step-by-step video tutorial. Click here for the full recipe.
- Microwave Vegan Lasagna in a Mug by Vgn Bites: Low-effort hot dinner for one? You got it! If you don’t believe microwaved mug meals can actually be real meals made with good ingredients that will fuel you throughout your day, you have to try this easy & filling vegan lasagna recipe by Vgn Bites! Click here for the full recipe.
- Vegan Mug Pizza by Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen: Have you ever been in a situation where you crave pizza really badly but the idea of waiting for one was even worse than the craving? We know it can’t be just us, so a vegan mug pizza recipe like this one by Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen must come in handy at times like this! Click here for the full recipe.
Sweet Vegan Microwave Recipes
Vegan Cookie Mug Cake by Plant Based RD
Making mug cakes in the microwave is nothing new, yet this hot sweet treat is just as enjoyable to make and devour as it was when mug cakes just came into fashion years ago. They’re often pantry-friendly, which is a plus, but the best part about mug cakes has got to be the fact that they’re “baked” in a microwave for as little as one minute (1.5 minutes in this particular case) instead of the unbearable 30 minutes to an hour that cakes typically require in a regular oven. Click here for the full recipe.
Vegan Blueberry Mug Cake by Pick Up Limes
Imagine how good it would feel to have a fluffy, warm, bakery-style blueberry muffin to go with your morning coffee or afternoon tea… With this vegan microwave recipe by Pick Up Limes, you can have something as close to that as possible in mere minutes. Top it with some vegan whipped cream and enjoy! Click here for the full recipe.
The Best Oil Free Vegan Chocolate Microwave Cake by Murielle Banackissa
Making a mug cake without oil has got to be a challenge, but Murielle Banackissa pulled it off and came through with a fudgy, rich, chocolatey, nutty vegan mug cake that’s as decadent as a microwave cake could ever dream to be. Click here for the full recipe.
High Protein Vegan Microwave Mug Cake (GF) by Vegamelon
This easy 10-ingredient high-protein gluten-free mug cake will definitely make a great start to your day! Unlike other recipes on today’s list, it uses chia seeds as the egg replacement, and if you’d like to see more of those chia seeds in action (beyond the ubiquitous pudding), click here. Click here for the full recipe.
More Sweet Vegan Microwave Recipes
- Vegan Mochi Ice Cream by Chez Jorge: Finally, we take a step back from all the mug cakes to share an incredible vegan dessert recipe that also heavily relies on the microwave – mochi ice cream! Making sticky rice mochi dough in the microwave makes the process much easier, and you’ll need that saved energy in the second half of the recipe, where you’ll have to quickly stuff ice cream balls into the rolled dough and wrap them quickly! Click here for the full recipe.
- Vegan Microwave Chocolate Cupcakes for Two by Love Is in My Tummy: Most vegan microwave recipes come in single-serving sizes, but if you’d like to share your enthusiasm for microwave cooking with someone else, try this recipe for microwave chocolate cupcakes for two by Love Is in My Tummy! Click here for the full recipe.
- Easy Vegan Microwave Peanut Brittle by The Sassy Life: This is a pretty straightforward vegan microwave recipe for peanut brittle that’s made without a candy thermometer or other fancy equipment and is ready to eat in less than 30 minutes! And it’s made with just 6 pantry-friendly ingredients, too. Click here for the full recipe.
- Breakfast Sweet Potato by Kroll’s Korner: If you’ve never tried microwaving a sweet potato before… This is a great reason to do it! With this vegan microwave recipe by Kroll’s Korner, you’ll be able to explore sweet potato’s instant breakfast potential (of course, the “instant” part is relative to how long baking a sweet potato takes). Topped with cinnamon, peanut butter, and sliced banana for extra flavor, it’s a warm and nutritious meal that’s sweet and healthy at the same time! Click here for the full recipe.
- Easy Vegan French Toast In a Mug by Lemons + Zest: This is probably the most low-effort vegan French toast recipe out there! It cooks in a mug within just a couple of minutes with some cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup, flax meal, and almond milk. What a treat! Click here for the full recipe.
- Vegan Microwave Apple Berry Crisp (GF) by Healthy Nibbles: This recipe for apple berry crisp takes breakfast (and oats) to the next level. If you need comfort and you need it fast, this vegan microwave recipe by Healthy Nibbles will be perfect for you! It’s made with wholesome ingredients, is gluten-free, and makes an absolutely delicious breakfast for those who prefer theirs sweet. Click here for the full recipe.
- Epic Microwave Chocolate Cake by SO VEGAN: We didn’t realize it was possible until we found this recipe by SO VEGAN. Yes. You read the title right. It’s a full-on vegan cake that’s entirely made in a microwave (including the silky ganache which we use that covers the entire thing)! Besides saving the hassle of heating up the oven, it’s truly an impressive thing to pull off and share with others! Click here for the full recipe.
- Cinnamon Roll in a Mug by A Virtual Vegan: What if we told you that you could have a steaming hot delicious single-serve cinnamon roll magically appear in your kitchen in under 15 minutes? And all you’d need were a mug, a microwave & a spoon? You know where we’re going with this. A Virtual Vegan’s recipe is a must-try for those times when you want a cinnamon roll and you want it NOW! Click here for the full recipe.
