Vegan Meal Planning with AI: No Spreadsheets Required

Most meal planning apps treat "vegan" like a checkbox. Filter out animal products, show what's left. Problem solved.

Except it's not. Because vegan meal planning isn't about what you remove. It's about what you need to deliberately include.

Omnivores don't think about B12. They don't calculate iron absorption rates or wonder if they're getting enough omega-3s from plant sources with a 5-10% conversion rate. Vegans track seven nutrients that most people get passively from animal products:

Nutrient	Why It Matters for Vegans	Best Plant Sources
Vitamin B12	Cannot be obtained from plant foods at all	Fortified nutritional yeast, plant milks, supplements
Iron	Plant iron (non-heme) is less bioavailable	Lentils, chickpeas, spinach + vitamin C for absorption
Omega-3 (DHA/EPA)	ALA from plants converts at only 5-10%	Flaxseeds, chia, walnuts (ALA); algae supplements (DHA)
Calcium	No dairy; most vegans fall below 750mg/day	Fortified plant milk, calcium-set tofu, kale, bok choy
Zinc	Phytates in grains reduce absorption	Pumpkin seeds, cashews, chickpeas, oats
Iodine	No dairy or fish; variable in plant foods	Seaweed (variable), iodized salt
Vitamin D	Low across all diets, worse without dairy fortification	Sunlight, fortified foods, supplements

A 2025 systematic review in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association confirmed that vegans consistently run low on B12, zinc, calcium, iodine, and selenium. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' 2025 position paper agrees that vegan diets are nutritionally adequate, but adds a critical qualifier: "well-planned."

That qualifier is doing a lot of work. "Well-planned" means tracking nutrients most people have never heard of. And most meal planning apps don't help with that at all.

If you've tried using ChatGPT for vegan meal planning, you probably noticed it generates decent-looking plans. They read well. The recipes sound good.

The nutrition is often wrong.

Researchers at the University of Hohenheim and Max Rubner Institute in Germany tested ChatGPT and Gemini across 108 daily vegan meal plans, checking 29 nutritional parameters. The results:

• ChatGPT recommended B12 supplements in only 5 of 18 vegan plans (28%)
• Gemini never recommended B12 supplements across any vegan plan
• Gemini occasionally included dairy in plans labeled "vegan"
• Both generated plans with excessive protein but insufficient energy and carbohydrates
• Both showed low vitamin D and inadequate portion sizes

The researchers concluded that AI chatbots are "unsuitable substitutes for professional nutritional advice, particularly for restrictive diets like veganism."

This matters because ChatGPT forgets everything between sessions. Even if you correct it once ("I need B12 supplementation noted"), that correction vanishes next time you ask. A dedicated AI meal planner stores your dietary profile permanently. It knows you're vegan from the first conversation forward and tracks the nutrients that matter.

I built MealThinker partly because I was tired of managing my own vegan nutrition in spreadsheets. Here's what AI actually changes:

Nutrient pairing happens automatically

Iron from lentils absorbs better with vitamin C. Calcium-set tofu doubles as a calcium and protein source. Soaking grains reduces phytates that block zinc absorption. An AI that understands vegan nutrition builds these pairings into every meal suggestion without you thinking about it.

Variety beyond the beans-and-rice trap

Every vegan knows the trap. You find 5 meals that work, you rotate them endlessly, and by week three you're questioning your life choices. If you're just starting out, see easy vegan dinners for beginner cooks for simple recipes that actually taste good. Plant Based News nailed it: "What tastes fresh on Sunday can taste like a punishment by midweek."

AI introduces variety by drawing from global cuisines that are naturally plant-forward. Ethiopian injera with lentil stew. Japanese miso ramen with edamame. Thai coconut curry with tofu and sweet potato. Indian chana masala. Mexican black bean tacos. Instead of the same stir-fry every Tuesday, the AI rotates through dozens of cuisines while keeping nutrition on track.

Your kitchen is remembered

MealThinker tracks your pantry through conversation. Say "I just bought tempeh, rice noodles, and peanut butter" and your inventory updates. Next time you ask for dinner ideas, it builds around those ingredients. No re-entering your kitchen contents every session like ChatGPT requires. No barcode scanning. Just mention what you have.

This matters for vegans specifically because plant-based ingredients spoil fast. The bunch of cilantro you bought for Monday's recipe is wilting by Thursday. An AI that tracks what's expiring and prioritizes it prevents the waste cycle.

Nutritional gaps get flagged

If you've been low on iron all week, the AI suggests an iron-rich dinner. If you haven't had omega-3 sources in days, chia pudding or walnuts show up in tomorrow's breakfast. MealThinker's nutrition tracking handles all seven vegan-critical nutrients across every meal. Here's what that looks like in practice with a full 138g protein day planned automatically.

Here's every option a vegan has right now, from free to premium.

Option	Price	AI	Vegan-Specific	Tracks Vegan Nutrients	Pantry Aware	Notes
Spreadsheet/pen	Free	No	You decide	You track manually	No	Works if you have the discipline and nutrition knowledge
Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen	Free	No	Yes (WFPB)	Checklist only	No	Tracks food group servings, not a meal planner
Mealime Free	Free	No	Vegan filter	No	No	Recipe picker, no AI. Limited vegan depth.
ChatGPT	Free/$20	Yes	Filter only	No (often wrong)	No	Misses B12 in 72% of vegan plans. Forgets between sessions.
Eat This Much	$5-15/mo	Partial	Vegan mode	Macro targets only	Rough	Auto-generates but repetitive recipes
Plan to Eat	$6/mo	No	Manual	Basic daily totals	Removed	Great recipe organizer. You do all the planning.
MealThinker	$15/mo	Yes	Learns your diet	Yes (all 7 nutrients)	Yes	AI that remembers your kitchen and tracks vegan nutrition
Forks Over Knives	$20/mo	No	Yes (WFPB)	No	No	3,000+ curated WFPB recipes. No AI, no metric system, most expensive.

The gap is clear. Vegan-specific apps like Forks Over Knives have great recipes but no intelligence. General AI apps have intelligence but treat vegan as a checkbox. MealThinker sits at the intersection: AI that understands vegan nutrition as a first-class concern, not an afterthought.

"Going vegan is expensive" is one of those things everyone believes and nobody has checked.

The data says the opposite. A study from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found that a vegan diet reduces grocery bills by 16%, saving over $500 per year. A separate PCRM study showed low-fat vegan diets cut food costs by $1.80 per day compared to the standard American diet.

The confusion comes from processed alternatives. Beyond Burgers, vegan cheese, oat milk ice cream. Those are expensive. But the staples of vegan cooking, beans, lentils, rice, tofu, frozen vegetables, are among the cheapest foods in any grocery store.

Despite this, over 60% of Americans incorrectly believe plant-based eating costs more. AI meal planning makes the savings even bigger by building meals around what you already have instead of generating a full shopping list every week.

If you're vegan and spending more than you should, the problem isn't your diet. It's buying specialty products when whole foods do the same job for a fraction of the price. An AI that knows your budget and your pantry can steer you toward the $2 block of tofu instead of the $8 vegan sausage when the nutrition is the same.

Can AI meal planners track B12 and other vegan nutrients?

Most general AI meal planners don't track vegan-specific nutrients. They handle calories and macros (protein, carbs, fat) but ignore B12, iron absorption, omega-3 conversion, zinc, iodine, and calcium. MealThinker tracks all of these because vegan nutrition was a design priority, not an afterthought. ChatGPT misses B12 supplementation in most vegan plans according to peer-reviewed research.

Is there a free vegan meal planning app?

Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen is free but it's a checklist, not a meal planner. Mealime has a free tier with a vegan filter, but no AI and limited nutrition info. ChatGPT is free but proven unreliable for vegan nutrition. For AI-powered vegan meal planning with proper nutrient tracking, MealThinker offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required.

How do AI meal planners handle mixed vegan/non-vegan households?

This is one of the hardest real-world challenges for vegans. The best approach is modular meals: a shared base (tacos, grain bowls, stir-fries) where the vegan version uses tofu or tempeh while others add their own protein. MealThinker can plan meals this way by knowing which household members are vegan and suggesting recipes with swappable components. For more on this, see meal planning for couples with different diets.

Do I still need supplements with an AI meal planner?

Yes. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends B12 supplementation for all vegans regardless of how well-planned the diet is, because B12 simply cannot be obtained reliably from plant foods. Algae-based DHA/EPA supplements are also recommended since plant omega-3 (ALA) converts at only 5-10%. An AI meal planner optimizes everything else, but these two supplements remain non-negotiable.

What's the best meal planning approach for new vegans?

Start with an AI meal planner that tracks your nutrition automatically. The biggest risk for new vegans isn't finding recipes. It's developing nutrient deficiencies in the first few months before you learn which foods cover which nutrients. An AI that flags "you haven't had a B12 source today" or "your iron intake has been low this week" acts as a nutritional safety net while you build your plant-based cooking skills. Try MealThinker free for 7 days.