Hawaiian-Inspired Vegan Meal Prep

Today’s meal prep blog features 4 delicious Hawaiian-inspired vegan recipes that are ridiculously tasty and easy to make! Make sure to watch the video below for visual references and don’t forget to scroll down for the written !recipes OR grab the FREE printable PDF version!

Why Should You Meal Prep?

Meal prepping is a great way to help you save time cooking in the kitchen during the week, it can save you money and prevent you from ordering take out 8 times in a week– which can help your wallet and also with weight loss! Cooking nutritious, balanced meals at home means you know exactly what’s going into your food, and you’re more likely to eat food that you’ve lovingly prepared instead of let it go to waste.

Also, if you’re new to eating plant-based, meal-prepping can help you stick to a plant-based diet! From tangy and sweet Hawaiian BBQ Chik’n to refreshing macaroni salad, this spread will bring the taste of Hawaii right to your kitchen—perfect for those wanting to keep meals high-protein, plant-based, and easy to prep!

Taste Of The Tropics

In one of my latest Community Post polls on YouTube I asked you, my audience, what kind of meal prep videos you wanted to see next on the channel this fall, and many of you voted for Hawaiian… so here you go! And because I love fresh tropical flavours I thought why not share some Hawaiian-inspired recipes in this vegan meal prep?

This Hawaiian-themed vegan meal prep has all the sweet, savoury, and tangy notes to transport you to a tropical paradise—all while staying high-protein, plant-based, and meal-prep friendly! Let’s dive into this week’s meal plan featuring Hawaiian Fried Rice Casserole, Crispy Hawaiian Garlic Tempeh, Sheet Pan Hawaiian BBQ Chick’n, and a lightened-up Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.

What’s on the Menu?

Here’s a quick rundown of the easy breezy recipes you’ll be prepping:

• Hawaiian Fried Rice Casserole: This easy, oven-baked dish brings all the classic flavors of fried rice but with a tropical twist. The jasmine rice is mixed with savoury soy sauce, mirin, aromatic Chinese 5 spice, and juicy pineapple for a burst of sweetness. Combined with protein-rich tofu scramble and peas, this casserole is the perfect balance of flavors and textures.
• Crispy Hawaiian Garlic Tempeh: For a protein-packed dish with a little kick, try this crispy tempeh coated in a garlic-ginger pineapple sauce. The air-fried tempeh comes out golden and crispy, then it’s tossed in a tangy, sweet, and slightly spicy sauce for kick-you-in-the-tastebuds flavour experience.
• Sheet Pan Hawaiian BBQ Chick’n: This one-pan dish features soy curls, veggies, and pineapple for a hearty yet easy Hawaiian BBQ meal. Coated in a tangy pineapple sauce, it’s great served over rice or as-is.
• Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Lightened-Up): No Hawaiian-inspired meal is complete without macaroni salad! This version uses a homemade silken tofu mayo for a creamy, lightened-up option. Tossed with crunchy carrots, celery, and a touch of paprika and turmeric, it’s the perfect cooling side dish.

Shopping List

You’ll need a blend of fresh produce, pantry staples, and plant-based protein sources to pull this off. Here’s your complete shopping list:

• Proteins: 1 block silken tofu, 1 block extra firm tofu (for tofu scramble), 2 blocks tempeh
• Fresh Produce: Frozen peas, green onions, 1 jalapeño pepper, 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk, 2 onions, red & green bell pepper, garlic cloves, 1 lemon
• Canned Goods: 2 20 oz cans of pineapple chunks in juice
• Grains: jasmine/basmati rice
• Pantry Staples: Sugar/granulated sweetener, dry macaroni noodles, apple cider vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, coconut sugar, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, veggie broth, cornstarch, 1 bag of soy curls
• Spices: Smoked paprika, garlic powder, turmeric powder, black salt, ground ginger, red chili flakes, Chinese 5 spice

Order of Prep

1. Wash all veggies needed for all recipes
2. Make the fried rice casserole
3. In the meantime, air fry the crispy tempeh and make garlic sauce
4. Air fry soy curls & make Hawaiian BBQ sauce, toss with veg & bake
5. Make tofu mayo, cook macaroni noodles and make Hawaiian macaroni salad
6. Store all recipes in food storage containers and refrigerate

Hawaiian Fried Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups jasmine rice
• 2 cups veg broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ¾ tsp Chinese 5 spice
• 1 cups frozen peas
• 1 540ml can diced pineapple, strained
• 1 batch tofu scramble (recipe here in this YouTube short)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• Black pepper to taste
• Chopped green onion for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Mix together all ingredients in the casserole dish except the green onions. Press the rice underneath the liquid, cover with foil or lid and bake for 40 mins.
3. Check rice for doneness, if al dente cover again and bake for 5 to 7 minutes more.
4. Remove from oven, uncover and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve in bowls, garnish with green onion and enjoy!

Crispy Garlic Tempeh

Ingredients:

1. Preheat air fryer to 400°F and chop tempeh into 1” cubes, and slice the jalapeño into coins. Toss the tempeh and jalapeño in a large bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp salt. Transfer to air fryer basket and air fryer for 20 minutes until golden and crispy.
2. In a small saucepan whisk together all the sauce ingredients, minus the cornstarch slurry, and bring to a low simmer, until just hot and steaming. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and stir to combine until it begins to thicken, about 3 minutes or so.
3. Toss in the air fried tempeh and jalapeños until evenly coated.

Sheet Pan Hawaiian BBQ Chik’n

Ingredients:

1. Put 8 oz. of Soy Curls into a bowl and cover with hot water–let soak for about 10 minutes.  Drain well. In  the same bowl toss the soy curls in the nutritional yeast, and soy sauce, transfer to an air fryer basket and air fry for 10 minutes at 400°F, until slightly browned.
2. Chop the onion and peppers.  Drain the pineapple juice into a bowl and set the juice aside for the sauce.  
3. In a small saute pan mix the ingredients for the sauce, except the cornstarch. Bring to a low simmer until hot and steaming, then make a cornstarch slurry and mix into the sauce, stirring frequently until in thickens. Turn off heat and cover. 
4. Preheat oven to 375°F and to a large baking tray add the chopped onion, chopped peppers, and pineapple chunks then add in the cooked Soy Curls to the vegetable mixture. 
5. Pour the sauce directly over the veggies and soy curls, toss to combine, then roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the veggies are softened and the soy curls are browned. Serve on its own or over rice.

Lightened Up Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

1. Make the oil-free mayo: Add all the mayo ingredients to a food processor blender and blend on high speed for 15 to 30 seconds until combined and creamy. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge.
2. Cook the macaroni noodles according to package directions. Then drain and rinse with cold water.
3. While the noodles cook, prep the onion and carrots. Once the noodles are rinsed, add to a large mixing bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar, carrot, onion, mayo(s), sugar, salt and pepper and stir well to combine. Transfer to a food storage container and chill in the fridge for 2 hours, but overnight is best.

Aloha! 🤙🏻

If you digged any of these Hawaiian-inspired plant-based recipes you might love some of my other meal prep blogs like my Lebanese-Inpired Vegan Meal Prep, Greek-Inspired High-Protein Meal Prep, or my Plant-Based Proteins Meal Prep!

Lastly, if you made any of these recipes and decide to share them on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVegan and use hashtag #SteamyVegan! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up! Plus make sure to check me out on YouTube — I have HUNDREDS of videos to give you limitless plant-based inspiration!