How to start eating vegan (UK): the simple, realistic way

Last updated: 14 October 2026

Step 1: pick a starting point

Choose one of these and keep it up for two weeks before you add more.

• Vegan breakfasts and lunches: the easiest start, because most people eat the same few things for both.
• Two vegan dinners a week: a good fit if dinner is where you usually fall back on meat or cheese.
• Vegan Monday to Friday: a fixed rule for the week, with the weekend left flexible.

Step 2: build meals from three parts

Most filling vegan meals have a protein, a carb and something that gives them flavour. The NHS also suggests basing meals on starchy carbohydrates and eating some beans, pulses and other proteins.

• Protein: tofu, tempeh, lentils, chickpeas, beans, edamame, vegan mince or seitan.
• Carb: rice, noodles, pasta, potatoes, wraps, couscous or bread.
• Flavour: curry paste, tahini, soy sauce, miso, peanut butter, chilli oil, garlic, smoked paprika or nutritional yeast.

A starter shopping list to start eating vegan

With these at home, you can make every meal in the next section without a special shop.

Cupboard staples

• Rice, pasta, noodles and wraps
• Tinned tomatoes and coconut milk
• Tinned chickpeas, lentils and beans
• Stock cubes, checking the label says vegan

Protein

• Firm tofu, which is the easiest kind to cook with
• Frozen edamame or mixed beans
• Vegan mince or burgers, for familiar dinners such as spaghetti bolognese

Flavour

• Soy sauce, miso and curry paste
• Peanut butter and tahini
• Smoked paprika, cumin and chilli flakes

Fresh food

• Onions, garlic and ginger
• Lemons or limes
• Broccoli, cabbage or kale
• A fortified, unsweetened soya or oat drink

Five easy vegan meals

• Chickpea curry: chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, curry paste and coconut milk, with rice.
• Tofu stir fry: tofu, frozen veg and soy sauce, with noodles or rice.
• Lentil bolognese: lentils, tinned tomatoes and garlic, with pasta.
• Bean chilli: mixed beans, tomatoes and cumin, with rice.
• Hummus wrap: hummus, salad, pickles and hot sauce.

Once you have five meals you like, rotate them. Meanwhile, keep a few freezer standbys such as frozen veg and vegan burgers, so a tired evening does not end in a takeaway.

The nutrients to plan for

The NHS guide to the vegan diet says a varied vegan diet can give you all the nutrients you need. Without planning, though, you could miss out on calcium, iron, vitamin B12, iodine and selenium. So the NHS recommends fortified foods or supplements for vitamin D, vitamin B12, iodine, selenium and calcium.

Vitamin B12

Most new vegans deal with B12 first, through fortified foods or a supplement. The Vegan Society's B12 advice lists the options.

Calcium

Good vegan sources include fortified unsweetened soya, pea and oat drinks, calcium-set tofu, sesame seeds and tahini, pulses, and green vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage. In the UK, calcium is also added to white and brown flour by law, so ordinary bread helps.

Omega-3

The NHS suggests eating nuts and seeds rich in omega-3, such as walnuts, every day.

This is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are bringing up a child on a vegan diet, speak to your GP or a dietitian first.

Help with planning: vegan meal kits

If deciding what to cook every week is the problem, a vegan meal kit sends recipes and pre-portioned ingredients. That way you learn new dishes without buying a jar of something you use once. Our vegan meal kit comparison covers the UK options, and Is Grubby worth it? works through the cost of one of them.

Compare vegan meal kits

FAQs

Do I need to start eating vegan overnight?

No. Starting with a few meals a week, then adding more once those are routine, is easier to keep up.

Will I be hungry on a vegan diet?

Not if each meal has a protein such as beans, lentils or tofu, a carb such as rice or potatoes, and enough fat and flavour to fill you up.

What is the easiest vegan swap?

Breakfasts and lunches. Most people repeat them, so one swap covers a lot of meals.

Is eating vegan expensive in the UK?

Beans, lentils, rice, pasta and seasonal veg keep it cheap. Branded meat and cheese substitutes push the cost up.

Do vegans need supplements?

The NHS recommends fortified foods or supplements for vitamin D, vitamin B12, iodine, selenium and calcium, because they are harder to get from a vegan diet.

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