11 Meatless Ethiopian Recipes for Weeknight Dinners

Ethiopian cuisine is a fantastic choice for vegetarians. It’s a traditional cuisine full of bold, spicy stews and simple stir-fries that can easily be made with or without meat. These flavorful dishes are made with pantry staples like onions, garlic, potatoes, leafy greens, and spices. Here are some of our top meatless Ethiopian recipes to try for your next meal!

Injera (Ethiopian Teff Flatbread)

Ethiopian food is not just tasty, it's also interactive! The star of the meal is injera, a thin, spongy flatbread that's used as both a plate and an eating utensil. Pile your stews and veggies on top, then tear pieces of injera to scoop up bites. Buckwheat Queen shares this recipe for homemade injera: "This naturally fermented, gluten-free flatbread made from teff flour and water is leavened using wild yeast over a couple of days. It's then cooked like a crepe, becoming a tangy, flavorful bread perfect for serving with Ethiopian dishes. The fermentation process can take 2-3 days depending on your climate. Traditionally, injera is served with vegetables or meat on top, where it doubles as an eating utensil."

Ethiopian Cabbage Stew

To prepare this vibrant dish, simply sauté onions, carrots, cabbage, and potatoes in olive oil, seasoning with cumin and turmeric. For extra flavor, add a touch of ginger and garlic. stamarex shares, "My Ethiopian friend brought this to a potluck, and I've been making it ever since. It's healthy and so tasty. Don't add any liquid—cabbage and potatoes release plenty of moisture on their own."

Key Sir Alicha (Ethiopian Beets and Potatoes)

"I absolutely fell in love with this dish," says sanzoe, "The sweetness of the beets blends perfectly with the potatoes. It will definitely become a regular in my kitchen." Leftover Inspired, who submitted the recipe, suggests serving it "hot over injera with the sauce to soak up."

Gomen Wat

To make this classic Ethiopian dish, simmer chopped collard greens until tender, then mix with sautéed onions, garlic, and green bell peppers, all seasoned with turmeric, paprika, allspice, ginger, and a squeeze of lemon juice. "This traditional Ethiopian vegetarian dish has been lightened up with less oil and enhanced with different spices to complement the collards," says hidinginahoodie.

Tikil Gomen (Ethiopian Cabbage)

"This is just one of many Ethiopian dishes that are commonly served alongside other dishes on injera," says Leftover Inspired. "It's very simple but so flavorful. There are countless variations—sometimes it's just cabbage, sometimes with carrots and potatoes, and sometimes with meat added in."

Red Lentils with Veggies

Masoor dal (red lentils) are simmered with sautéed onions and garlic, then seasoned with berbere powder and cooked in tomato sauce with carrots and zucchini. "This is a variation of the Ethiopian dish misser wat," says jojo. "It has a bit of a kick. Serve it with injera, naan, or rice."

Ethiopian Cheese

Making homemade Ethiopian cheese is incredibly easy. Simply heat a bit of salted distilled white vinegar, then add milk and simmer until the milk curdles. Strain the curds through cheesecloth and refrigerate. "This is a very simple homemade cheese," says munit.

Ethiopian Cabbage and Potato Dish (Atkilt)

"This is my favorite Ethiopian vegetable dish," says Twin Cities. "I came up with it by combining several different recipes I found. I hope you enjoy it! Serve it as a side with injera and other Ethiopian dishes. I recommend pairing it with Doro Wat, a traditional Ethiopian chicken dish."

Kik Wat (Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew)

Red lentils are both filling and affordable, with a long shelf life, making them a pantry staple for Ethiopian cooking. To prepare this hearty stew, sauté garlic and yellow and red onions, then season with berbere. Add crushed tomatoes, red lentils, and a little water, simmering until the lentils are tender. Be warned, this dish is spicy, so adjust the amount of berbere to your heat preference.

Ethiopian Vegetable Bowl

Onions, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage are cooked with a blend of ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cloves, fenugreek, garlic, and tomato puree. "A delicious mix of flavors," says Shanda. "Comforting and incredibly aromatic."

Ethiopian Spiced Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is spiced and combined with spinach, sautéed onions, ginger, green chile peppers, and garlic. "This unique fusion of wilted greens and spiced cottage cheese creates a flavorful and satisfying appetizer," says Clark Brown.