4 nutritious recipes for vegan pregnant women 2026

As veganism tends to become more and more popular, it is normal for many women to choose to eat this way, even when they are pregnant.

As you surely know, the vegan diet excludes all products of animal origin, in addition to emphasizing, especially, following a diet rich in whole, fresh and natural foods, such as vegetables, fruits and legumes.

Amazon Essentials by Sofia Grainge - Summer 2026 Promotion

As different scientific studies have shown, at different times, following a vegan diet alone provides unique health benefits, including, for example, a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, among others.

Of course, it is normal for many pregnant mothers to be concerned that a vegan diet may cause nutrient deficiencies, which could become especially dangerous during pregnancy.

And part of this concern is motivated because vegan diets have been historically criticized for decades for lacking nutrients, and for being supposedly “inappropriate” in certain more sensitive stages of life, such as pregnancy.

That's mainly because a vegan diet usually naturally contains less of certain nutrients, such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium, iodine, zinc and omega-3 fats, which are especially important during pregnancy. In fact, a low intake of these nutrients could cause a nutrient deficiency, pregnancy complications and poor health, not only for the mother but also for the child.

However, a vegan diet that does provide adequate amounts of these nutrients appears, according to studies, to be as healthy as a conventional diet that includes foods of animal origin such as meat, eggs or dairy products.

We can mention, for example, a study published in 2015, which suggested that women who followed a vegan diet generally did not have a higher risk of pregnancy complications than those who did not follow it. Of course, they even had a lower risk of cesarean delivery, maternal or infant mortality, or postpartum depression.

If you follow a vegan diet, below we propose a deliciously interesting series of nutritious recipes especially designed for pregnant vegans. And, as Julio Basulto states in his book Mama Eats Healthy, "the fact of following a vegetarian diet (which excludes meat and fish - or their derivatives -) or vegan (also excludes any other animal derivative, such as dairy products or eggs) is compatible with a good state of health at all stages of the life cycle, as long as it is well planned."

Crispy chickpeas: the ideal appetizer

Ingredients:

• 1 can of 140 g of chickpeas (drained, rinsed and dried)
• 1 cup chickpea flour
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• iodized salt
• 3 cups extra virgin olive oil (for frying)

Step by step:

In a large saucepan, add the extra virgin olive oil and begin to heat it. We cover a plate with absorbent paper napkins (to drain excess oil).

In a bowl, mix the drained and dried chickpeas with the cumin and coriander. Once combined, add the flour and stir until the chickpeas are properly coated. We pass them through a sieve and remove excess flour.

Add a third of the chickpeas at a time to the hot oil and fry them, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and crispy (it will take approximately 5 to 8 minutes). With the help of a slotted spoon, we transfer them to the deep plate with the napkins, and sprinkle with iodized salt on top.

We continue frying the rest of the chickpeas, between several batches, until finished. Finally, we let them cool and transfer them to an appetizer bowl.

Three-grain cereal with dates and cinnamon: a delicious breakfast

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup quinoa
• iodized salt
• A pinch of cinnamon
• water

Step by step:

In a medium saucepan we add water, sprinkle a little iodized salt, add the pearled barley and cook over moderate heat for 30 minutes, until tender. We drain it in a colander, and shake it well in order to reduce excess water.

Meanwhile, in a slightly smaller saucepan, combine the quinoa, ½ cup of water and a pinch of iodized salt, and let it boil. Then, cover and continue cooking over low heat until the water has been absorbed (about 15 minutes).

In a small, heatproof bowl, cover the dates with boiling water and let them sit for 2 minutes. We drain them (being careful not to burn ourselves) in a colander, and let them cool. Once cold, we peel them, bone them and chop them into pieces.

Now, in another medium saucepan, add 2 cups of water and heat it over heat until it boils. Add the oats, a pinch of iodized salt, and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes at most (it is essential to stir constantly). Next, add the cooked barley and quinoa, ground cinnamon and half of the chopped dates, cooking and stirring constantly until thickened (about 3 minutes).

To finish, we pour the cooked cereal into several small bowls, add the dates, and serve as desired.

Vegetarian tahini lentils

Ingredients:

• 50g tahini
• 200 g green beans, cut in half
• 1 zucchini cut into pieces
• 100g grated kale
• 250 g precooked jaspuy lentils
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove of crushed garlic
• 1 yellow bell pepper cut into thin slices
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 50 ml cold water

Step by step:

In a large bowl, we proceed to mix the tahini with the lemon zest and juice with the cold water, in order to make a rather liquid dressing. Season to taste with the help of iodized salt, and set aside.

In a wok (or large frying pan) heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, carefully add the red onion along with a pinch of iodized salt, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until it begins to soften and color. Now add the garlic, green beans, pepper and zucchini, and fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the lentils, kale and tahini dressing, keeping the wok or pan on the heat for a couple of minutes, stirring everything well until the kale has softened.

Nut and fruit energy bars: for snacks

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of walnuts
• 1 cup oat flakes
• ½ cup toasted cashews
• 5 dried figs (stems removed and quartered)
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• ½ cup agave syrup
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon

Step by step:

We will start by preheating the oven to 170 ºC. We cover an oven tray with baking paper. In a food processor, pulse the oat flakes, walnuts, cashews, agave syrup, peanut butter, flax seeds, figs, extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest until they are properly chopped.

Now add the blueberries and coconut flakes, and process them again until they are well incorporated.

Pour this mixture into a large bowl and stir again. We form the mixture into 12 bars, 2 centimeters thick, and carefully place them on the baking tray, leaving half a centimeter of distance between them.

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges. Finally, we remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before serving them.

They can be stored perfectly in an airtight container for up to 5 days.