22 Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day

Every year, I search for Earth Day recipes to get some healthy ideas. But most of what I find is food tinted with green and blue food dye! I thought it was time to celebrate with sustainable recipes that don’t look like the earth, but instead, benefit the earth.

For starters, all of these sustainable recipes are dairy-free and plant-based. These two aspects alone can account for some major earth-friendly points. Dairy milk has a carbon footprint that is more than 20 times greater than almond milk, and there is an even bigger disparity with coconut milk. And an abundance of data shows the positive environmental impact of making plant-based swaps.

But this isn’t just a list of vegan eats. These sustainable recipes go a step further with nutritious ingredient choices and other eco-friendly benefits.

Savory Sustainable Recipes

Roasted Veggie & Wild Rice Buddha Bowl with Creamy Lemon Herb Sauce

Dubbed her “Earth Day Bowl”, Sophia makes this dish by roasting up leftover vegetable scraps in her crisper. Consequently, she avoids precious produce waste at the end of the week.

Rosemary Mashed Root Vegetables

This dish is a great way to use up any sad looking root vegetables rolling around your fridge!

Grilled Tofu with Lemon and Rosemary

Cadry’s recipe is packed with plant-based protein and is quick to prepare. Plus, rosemary is easy to grow in the home.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad

Go green with greens! This flavorful salad is loaded with minerals and vitamins, and it is rich in ingredients with a low carbon footprint.

Mango Tomato Salsa

It doesn’t get much more Earth friendly than a recipe made purely of plants.

Marinated Mushroom Bowls

This comforting bowl is high in plant-based protein thanks to the mushrooms and lentils. Plus it contains many more nutrient-rich ingredients.

Gazpacho Soup

This vibrant soup is full of garden fresh ingredients that can usually be purchased locally or even grown in your backyard.

Raw Pesto Zucchini Roll Ups

Raw recipes save on energy and preserve nutrients. These roll ups are a simple and light party appetizer or nutritious snack.

Carrot Top Mint Pesto

Save the carrot tops! Pesto is a great way to use up just about any type of green.

Nutritious Creamy Pasta Primavera

This plant-based meal uses minimally processed ingredients and seasonal vegetables. It packs a punch of all natural nutrients. Keep it sustainable by using whichever vegetables are in season and local.

Garden Veggie Burgers

Made with fresh herbs, black eyed peas, and carrot tops, these burgers are a great way to enjoy summer produce. Plus, the recipe is easy to customize depending on what you have on hand.

Sweet Sustainable Recipes

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Caramel Sauce

Not only are these pancakes a great way to use up leftover sweet potato and reduce food waste, they are also made with spelt flour. Spelt is one of the few flours that doesn’t require pesticides to grow. The recipe also uses coconut sugar, which was named the most sustainable sweetener by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

Hippie Breakfast Bowl

With hippie in the name, of course this recipe is Earth friendly! It features hemp seeds, which come from the multi-use and low-impact hemp plant.

Banana-Oat Trail Mix Bars

These hearty muffins are made from whole foods and are a great way to use up whatever nuts, seeds, or dried fruit you have in your pantry.

Chia Pudding Dirt Cups

Now these are some fun, healthy, and kid-friendly Earth Day treats!

Strawberry Basil Creamsicles

Just four simple ingredients are needed for these flavorful frozen treats. They’re also naturally sweetened!

“Nicer” Krispie Squares

This no bake snack is a childhood favorite made au natural. These tasty treats are made with minimally processed ingredients like brown rice cereal and macadamia butter.

Almond Nectarine Crepes

These crepes are made from buckwheat and oats, both of which are sustainable and even benefit the environment. Buckwheat grows quickly, so it typically requires no chemical help. And oats are a great for soil conservation!

Sippable Sustainable Recipes

Seasonal Sustainable Smoothies

This post contains not one, but four seasonal and sustainable smoothies! The recipes use the lowest carbon footprint options that are widely available for the spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Homemade Green Apple Juice

Homemade juice is cost-effective and a great way to avoid plastic bottles, but the pulp is usually tossed. But not with this green juice! Even the apple peel is used up.

Homemade Maple Hemp Milk

Making your own dairy-free milk is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Plus, this hemp milk can be made in large or single-serve batches to help avoid waste.

Gut-Healing Vegetable Broth

You can use up leftover vegetables and kitchen scraps with this plant-based variation of trendy bone broth.

Eat Dirt Chocolate Protein Shake

I highly recommend eating dirt if it’s in the form of this nutrient-dense chocolate smoothie!

More Great Earth-Friendly Posts

The Best Earth Day Books for Food Lovers

20 Easy Ways to Conserve Everyday (including your Diet!)

Earth Day Resolutions that Save You Money