15 Healthy Plant-Based Recipes to Prevent Dry Skin and Eczema

The weather is getting colder and winter is approaching. Although this time of year is festive and wonderful, for many of us it can mean dry skin and eczema breakouts. Consuming nutrients such as vitamins A, B C, E, and zinc can prevent dryness, breakouts, and other skin issues. Fortunately, plant-based foods are full of nutrients that can help not only prevent but also treat dry skin and eczema. Foods such as pumpkin, avocado, sweet potatoes, walnuts, oats, and mangoes contain a range of vitamins beneficial for taking care of our skin.

We’ve put together a list of 15 recipes from our Food Monster App that include the best plant-based foods to prevent and treat the dry skin and eczema that winter brings.

1. Grilled Avocado With Roasted Tomatoes

Source: Grilled Avocado With Roasted Tomatoes

Avocado is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which ensures our skin retains its moisture and smoothness. This Grilled Avocado with Roasted Tomatoes by Carri Pattison makes a great side dish or a quick, light meal. This easy-to-make recipe is raw and will leave you full without feeling fatigued. If you aren’t into grilling, simply roast the avocados along with the tomatoes.

2. Avocado Pumpkin Panini With Caramelized Onions

Source: Avocado Pumpkin Panini With Caramelized Onions

Better than grilled cheese, Amy Height‘s ooey-gooey gluten-free Avocado Pumpkin Panini With Caramelized Onions is filling and delicious, thanks to the creamy pumpkin and avocado. Plus, don’t caramelized onions just make everything better?

3. Roasted Shiitake With Celeriac Potato Purée

Source: Roasted Shiitake With Celeriac Potato Puree

Shiitake mushrooms are high in vitamin B5 which produces the keratinocyte cells that keep our skin moisturized. In Courtney West‘s recipe, this delicious, creamy celeriac and potato purée is topped with earthy, meaty Shiitake mushrooms. The Roasted Shiitake With Celeriac Potato Puree is made extra creamy, thanks to coconut butter and a splash or two of non-dairy milk, and is seasoned with chopped chives and nutritional yeast, which adds a layer of cheesiness.

4. Comforting Shiitake and Kale Congee

Source: Comforting Shiitake and Kale Congee

Congee is a traditional rice porridge that is popular in many Asian countries. Because it’s easy on the stomach, it’s a perfect dish for children, sick people, and the elderly, but most everyone enjoys it as a side dish or with various toppings for a main meal. This particular Comforting Shiitake and Kale Congee by Annie Oliverio is made with nutritious ingredients such as brown rice, shiitake mushrooms, kale, and ginger. It’s nourishing, comforting, and a perfectly restorative meal to eat when you’re recovering from an illness or feeling particularly low on energy. This recipe is not only good for your skin during the winter, but also if you get a winter cold or flu.

5. Broccoli and Spinach Pâté Tart

Source: Broccoli and Spinach Pâté Tart

Spinach contains a high amount of zinc, a mineral that promotes the reproduction of skin cells and the healing of wounds. Deficiencies in zinc can lead to skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. Incorporate some zinc into your diet with Sophie Yotova‘s Broccoli and Spinach Pâté Tart. They are easy to whip, and their bright green color makes them especially great for the holidays. Serve these tarts with a sprinkle of festive red berries or any garnish of your choice.

6. Chickpea Spinach Stew With Lentils and Quinoa

Source: Chickpea Spinach Stew With Lentils and Quinoa

Richa Hingle‘s Chickpea Spinach Stew With Lentils and Quinoa is a one-pot meal with all the protein for the day. Serve with flatbread or crackers. Omit the cashews to make it nut-free.

7. Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Source: Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the body. They also have tryptophan, a calming amino acid that reduces stress which your skin benefits from as a result because stress causes acne, dry skin, and wrinkles. Gabrielle St. Claire‘s Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Brown Butter Sage Sauce is the perfect, warm homemade pasta dish to enjoy sweet potatoes in.

8. Sweet Potato and Tomato Red Lentil Dal

Source: Sweet Potato and Tomato Red Lentil Dal

Tender sweet potatoes, tangy tomatoes, rich red lentils, and creamy coconut milk… this Sweet Potato and Tomato Red Lentil Dal by Ella Suihko is lush with flavor. Served over a bed of brown rice, it’s not only flavorful but hearty and filling.

9. Mushroom Stuffed Cannelloni With Sunflower Seed Cream

Source: Mushroom Stuffed Cannelloni With Sunflower Seed Cream

Sunflower seeds are rich in iron, folate, zinc, selenium, magnesium, copper, and manganese, as well as an excellent source of vitamin E and B vitamins. Try Lenia Patsi‘s Mushroom Stuffed Cannelloni With Sunflower Seed Cream which is topped with a simple sunflower seed cream and garnished with fresh dill. White Button and Porcini mushrooms are sautéed with aromatics, an anise-flavored liqueur, and cheesy nutritional yeast then blended then stuffed inside cannelloni.

10. Italian Sunflower Seed and Chickpea ‘Meatballs’

Source: Italian Sunflower Seed and Chickpea ‘Meatballs’

Natalie Yonan‘s Italian Sunflower Seed and Chickpea ‘Meatballs’ are deliciously packed with plenty of savory umami flavor even though they’re completely free from meat, egg, dairy, and gluten! They’re made from a base of chickpeas and sunflower seeds. Plus, they’re completely nut-free, which is a good thing if you have small kids or nut allergies in the family!

11. Mango Beet Sushi

Source: Mango Beet Sushi

Mangoes are very high in Vitamin C which helps our skin retain its moisture. Caroline Ginolfi‘s Mango Beet Sushi rolls are gorgeous, colorful, and full of health benefits! Beets are also an extremely heart-healthy food. Why not wrap this root veggie into a foodie favorite – sushi? Sweet mango, juicy cucumber, and creamy avocado are paired with beet to create a beautifully sweet, crunchy, and savory bite of sushi.

12. Cuban Black Bean Mango Bowl

Source: Cuban Black Bean Mango Bowl

Enjoy this Cuban-inspired Cuban Black Bean Mango Bowl by Tara Binder that features black beans, a refreshing mango salsa, and protein-packed quinoa. It is the ideal lunch or dinner choice if you are in a hurry or need to pack food to eat on the go.

13. Quinoa and Oat Breakfast Fruit Rolls

Source: Quinoa and Oat Breakfast Fruit Rolls

Oats are rich in fiber which by keeping waste moving through the body properly keeps your skin healthy as a result. Here is a new, fun way to enjoy fresh fruits and oats for breakfast! Lena Pfetzer‘s Quinoa and Oat Breakfast Fruit Rolls are holding all of your breakfast favorites: oatmeal, fruit, peanut butter, coconut flakes, and more.

14. Pumpkin Protein Smoothie

Source: Pumpkin Protein Smoothie

Karielyn Tillman‘s Pumpkin Protein Smoothie is a great way to get the comforting flavors of fall into a morning smoothie, and it’s also a nice change from the green smoothies. But it doesn’t have to be fall to add pumpkin to your daily smoothies because pumpkin is super high in vitamin A (280 percent daily value). And to make sure this smoothie is as healthy as can be, it has 17 grams of organic plant-based protein (a complete protein with 7 grams of sprouted grains, seeds, and legumes) and also provides 20 percent daily value of fiber. Add even more extra nutrition by sprinkling some raw pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds on top.

15. Pumpkin Coconut Soup With Walnut Gremolata

Source: Pumpkin Coconut Soup With Walnut Gremolata

This Pumpkin Coconut Soup With Walnut Gremolata by Victoria Radichkova is a delicious, heart-warming soup with a crunchy, garlicky topping of toasted walnuts and coconut. It’s a simple and quick recipe, with warm spices and a mildly sweet taste.

We hope you make these recipes and not only enjoy them but reap their full benefits for your skin. For dry skin remedies, check out our 3 DIY Food-Based Remedies to Treat Dry Skin.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects. 

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
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• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!