Everyone struggles with packing a lunch for work (or for school). We don’t bring one and then we end up paying too much and eating too much (too unhealthy) food.

If you’re also trying to eat vegan, this might mean that you end up falling off the vegan wagon more frequently than you’d like – hey, sometimes vegan lunch is hard to come by.

It helps improve our odds of bringing a lunch when we have easy options to take out the door. Here are 5 vegan sandwich ideas to get you started on your path to thrifty, healthy lunches.

1. Chickpea Salad

This creation works great between two slices of bread or dipped into with pita chips (or potato chips!). You’ll make this up according to how much mayo and veggies you like but you might as well make up a whole can of chickpeas to last you 2-3 lunches. Also, Just Mayo is even sold at Target these days so you should have no problem getting your hands on a jar.

Chickpeas – 15 oz. can

Just Mayo, Vegenaise, or any vegan mayo

Celery or Carrot

Sweet Paprika

Salt & Pepper

Drain and rinse your chickpeas Mash up the chickpeas in a bowl with the back of a fork. They don’t have to be all broken up, this just helps with texture and so you don’t have a bunch of rolly polly beans on your sandwich. Dice a stalk or two of celery and/or a carrot or two. Depending on what veggies you have and what your texture preferences are, you can do more or less or even sub in something else like cucumber. Add a dollop (or two) of mayo. Mix the chickpeas, veggies and mayo. Add more mayo if the mixture seems too dry. Season with sweet paprika or whatever spice suits you. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread on bread, put in a pita or place in a dish for scooping!

2. Baked Tofu and Hummus

You can find baked tofu all over the place these days. The flavor is usually soy sauce but it can come in sriracha or teriyaki (among others), also. Baked tofu serves as a great hearty base for a sandwich.

Packaged Baked Tofu

Hummus

Tomato, Lettuce, Cucumber, Avocado, etc.

Slice the baked tofu to make more narrow sheets – the blocks are often pretty thick. You should be able to get 2-3 slices from one block. Thinly slice veggies that you like. Spread some hummus of whatever flavor you prefer onto your bread and top one side with veggies and the other with tofu. Add some salt and pepper if you like!

3. Avocado and Veggies

Avocado is often added to sandwiches as if it were just a slice of tomato but the truth is, it’s a main event. To boost the nutrition of this sandwich, you can add on some chia seeds, which pack protein as well as other vitamins and minerals.

1 Avocado

Olive Oil

Veggies & other toppings you like – tomato, cucumber, sprouts, spinach, onion, black olives, etc.

Chia Seeds (optional)

Salt & Pepper

Slice and distribute the avocado along your bread. If you like, you can mash up the avocado in a bowl with the back of a fork before spreading it. Drizzle olive oil over the avocado, if you like. This can be skipped or you can substitute some hummus or mayo to spread on the other piece of bread. Slice and add the veggies you like. Salt and pepper, add chia seeds (if you wish) and enjoy!

4. BLT (or TLT)

“What? BLT?! You know there’s a “B” in BLT, right?”

Alright, it’s really TLT – tempeh bacon, lettuce and tomato. This is a really great quick sandwich. Prepared, marinated tempeh bacon strips are sold in the same section of your local grocer as the baked tofu and provide that easy, nutritious hearty core of this sandwich.

Packaged Tempeh Bacon

Tomato

Lettuce

Mayo (vegan version, of course – Just Mayo, Vegenaise, etc.)

Salt & Pepper

Spread mayo on both sides of bread. Distribute enough tempeh strips to your liking. Add sliced tomatoes and lettuce. Pull it all together with salt and pepper.

5. Nut Butter and Something Sweet

Nothing revolutionary here except now, in addition to peanut, favorite butters to spread include almond, cashew and sunflower seed.

Peanut, almond, sunflower seed or cashew butter.

Jelly or Jam flavor of your choosing. Or fresh or dried fruit like fig, date, raisin, etc.

Spread the butter. Spread the sweet (or distribute the slice fruit). Enjoy!

Don’t forget a side of chips, dried fruit, fresh fruit or veggies!

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