30 Sustainable Earth Day Recipes for a Green Celebration

A collection of plant-based recipes designed to cut food and plastic waste. They’re good for you and better for the planet. Happy Earth Day!

Hey — still celebrating Earth Day here.

You may have seen my earlier post about sustainable swaps where I shared favorite products and habits that lower my carbon footprint.

Beyond reusable bags and cloth towels, one of the easiest ways to reduce waste is to bring less packaged food into your home.

Many convenience items come in single-use plastic. The good news: most of those products are simple to make yourself.

This Earth Day recipe roundup collects my favorite homemade options that help eliminate plastic packaging — nut butters, jams, granolas, dog treats, bars, bites, dips, drinks, and more.

You don’t need to make everything all the time; even replacing one or two packaged items each week adds up.

Try a couple of these vegan and gluten-free recipes and see which become staples in your kitchen.

Homemade Nut Butter

Making nut butter at home is quick, flavorful, and keeps another plastic jar out of circulation.

• 2-Ingredient Roasted Hazelnut Nutella: Roasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate combine for a lower-sugar, oil-free spread. Try with apple chips.
• Piña Colada Peanut Butter: Roasted peanuts, freeze-dried pineapple, and shredded coconut make a tropical, oil-free spread.
• 2-Ingredient Roasted Peanut-Cashew Butter: Simple, creamy nut butter with no added oils or sugars — great with banana chips.
• Raw Walnut Cashew Butter: A two-ingredient raw butter made super creamy in under 10 minutes.

More homemade nut butter recipes

Homemade Jam and Fruit Butters

Making jam at home lets you control sweetness and ingredients while avoiding plastic jars.

• Blueberry Butter (No-Sugar-Added): A two-ingredient blueberry butter ready in 30 minutes — a great no-sugar spread.
• Sweet & Spicy Tomato Jam: Cherry tomatoes transformed into a balanced sweet-and-spicy jam — versatile as a topping or condiment.
• Raspberry Chia Seed Jam: A sugar-free jam thickened with chia seeds and brightened with citrus — excellent for toast.
• Low Sugar Pumpkin Apple Butter: Five-ingredient pumpkin apple butter lightly sweetened with maple and apple juice — great for seasonal breakfasts and snacks.

More refined-sugar-free jam recipes

Homemade Granola

Skip multiple packaged bags and bake a big batch of granola for breakfasts and snacks all week.

• Triple Berry Granola (Oil-Free!): Oats, three kinds of berries, and SunButter make a fruity, oil-free granola perfect for meal prep.
• Chocolate Almond Butter Granola: Chunky granola with almond butter, cacao, and chocolate chunks — ideal for topping yogurt or eating by the handful.
• Strawberry Banana Almond Butter Granola: An oil-free option flavored with almond butter and maple syrup, gluten-free with a grain-free alternative.
• Oil-Free Chunky Tahini Granola: Tahini adds richness to this chunky oil-free granola; an optional chocolate twist makes it even more indulgent.
• Apple Cranberry Pecan Granola: Oats, pecans, applesauce, and maple syrup come together for a lightly sweet, crunchy granola.

More homemade granola recipes

Homemade Dog Treats

Make simple dog treats at home to avoid packaged options — your pup will thank you and so will the planet.

• 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Dog Treats: Oats, natural peanut butter, and banana make easy, human-friendly treats.
• Vegan Sweet Potato Dog Chews: One-ingredient sweet potato slices slow-baked into chewy, healthy chews.

More homemade dog treat ideas

Homemade Matcha

Make café-quality matcha at home and skip the disposable cup.

• Iced Almond Matcha Latte: A creamy iced matcha made with almond milk, coconut butter, and a touch of maple syrup.
• Cinnamon Almond Matcha Latte: A warming, sugar-free matcha latte with almond milk and cinnamon — ready in five minutes.

More cozy beverage recipes

Energy Bars & Bites

Homemade bars and bites are perfect for meal prep and avoid individual plastic wrappers.

• Grain-Free Apricot Almond Energy Bars: No-bake, five-ingredient bars made with dried apricots and almonds — gluten-free and vegan.
• 4-Ingredient Coconut Almond Rolled Dates: Quick homemade coconut-rolled dates ready in under ten minutes.
• Raw Almond Butter Superfood Bars: Raw bars packed with superfoods, protein, and antioxidants — a nutritious grab-and-go snack.
• No-Bake Tropical Protein Bars: Tropical fruit, cashews, coconut, and sunflower seed butter make naturally sweet, no-bake bars.

More energy bars & bites

Homemade Dips

Make creative dips at home to avoid tubs of store-bought dip and explore new flavors.

• Raw Carrot Hummus: Bright, oil-free hummus made creamy with tahini and lemon.
• Spicy Black Bean Hummus: A bold black bean hummus that pairs nicely with baked banana chips.
• Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Hummus: Oil-free hummus with concentrated tomato flavor — great with veggies and crackers.
• Sunny SunButter Hummus: Sunflower seed butter creates a creamy, nut-free hummus option.

More homemade dips

Homemade Candies

Ditch the plastic wrappers and make your own candies — often healthier and more delicious.

• Vegan Peanut Butter M&Ms: Gluten-free, refined-sugar-free peanut butter centers coated for a bite-sized treat.
• Vegan Ferrero Rocher Truffles: Hazelnut and dark chocolate truffles sweetened with maple for a decadent homemade candy.
• Vegan Peanut Butter Butterfingers: Date-sweetened, cereal-studded peanut butter bars with a dark chocolate coating.
• Easy Almond Butter Cups: Dark chocolate cups filled with creamy almond butter and a sprinkle of sea salt.
• Vegan Salted Snickers Bars: Almond flour and date nougat layered with peanuts and salted dark chocolate.

More homemade candy recipes