25 Delicious Anti-Inflammatory Diet Recipes

If you don’t know, food can be used to either heal the body or inflame the body. If you deal with puffiness, aches and pains, bad joint health, bloating, and/or skin issues, it’s a sign that your body is inflamed! The good news is you can easily fix it with anti-inflammatory recipes. This diet emphasizes the consumption of foods that have anti-inflammatory properties while avoiding those that may contribute to inflammation. Key principles of an anti-inflammatory diet include focusing on fruits, vegetables, omega-3s, healthy fats, whole grains, lean protein, and certain spices and herbs. Two food groups that are avoided on an anti-inflammatory diet are processed foods and dairy. These anti-inflammatory recipes showcase delicious meals that follow each of these guidelines. 

These anti-inflammatory recipes will show you just how tasty healthy eating can be. This list contains plenty of ideas for cooking fresh fish, and hearty vegetables, and will also teach you how to incorporate spices or herbs to help decrease inflammation. Let’s dive right in! 

1. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Salmon with Avocado Sauce

Salmon is a great go-to fish when you want a quick, healthy protein source. It can be cooked in under 20 minutes, and it’s high in omega 3s. This avocado sauce compliments the salmon so well and gives you a healthy fat source at the same time. You can pair it with your favorite veggie or whole grain like quinoa. 

2. Roasted Veggie Winter Bliss Bowl

Veggies are an amazing anti-inflammatory agent, but they don’t always taste that great. This recipe highlights how to make veggies taste amazing. Roast them in olive oil and salt for about 30 minutes. They soften, caramelize, char, and develop so much flavor that they don’t need any other seasoning. And keeping the veggies seasonal will aid in flavor as well. 

3. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Turmeric Chickpea Buddha Bowl

Turmeric is a well-known anti-inflammatory spice, but you may not know how to cook with it. This Buddha bowl combines turmeric with delicious, hearty ingredients so you can fully enjoy a flavorful lunch or dinner. The chickpeas are seasoned with turmeric, which gives them a great taste and color. 

4. Cauliflower Chicken, Veggie, Avocado and Rice Bowls

California Chicken, Veggie, Avocado, and Rice Bowls are an easy, healthy chicken and rice dinner bowl that can easily double as a delicious packed lunch the following day. And just look at how beautiful it is! This meal is perfect for meal prep because you can make six servings in just 35 minutes. 

5. Sweet Potato Taco Bowl

Sweet Potato taco bowls are another great meal prep recipe. Four servings can be done in less than 30 minutes. And you won’t miss the cheese (since dairy is an inflammatory food). This taco bowl is well-spiced, full of flavor, and easy to adjust to the toppings that you prefer. 

6. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl

Sweetgreen is a fast-casual restaurant that serves healthy salads and grain bowls. Their harvest bowl is very popular, and this copycat recipe will show you how to make it right at home in about an hour. It’s full of healthy ingredients like chicken, apples, brussels sprouts, pecans, and sweet potatoes. It’s perfect for the fall and winter months. 

7. Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Red Pepper Hummus Dressing

Quinoa chickpea salad with red pepper hummus dressing is a superfood salad. Packed with amazing ingredients, you’ll love how tasty and healthy this dish is. You can keep it vegetarian, or add some lean chicken or fish to increase the protein and balance out the meal a bit more. Either way, it’s delicious! 

8. Asian-Inspired Grain Bowl with Sesame Ginger Sauce

If you love Asian flavors, this filling grain bowl is for you. The sesame ginger sauce not only brings all the flavors together, it adds some anti-inflammatory ingredients like ginger. Edamame is used as the main protein source in this dish, but you could also add some shredded, rotisserie chicken if you prefer. 

9. Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl

This blueberry oatmeal breakfast bowl will energize you for a busy day ahead. And it only takes 10 minutes to make. Fresh fruit is used for flavor, as well as a bit of maple syrup. And you can add your favorite superfood toppings like chia seeds or flaxseeds. This recipe uses steel-cut oats because compared to other oats, they have higher fiber content and are great for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol management.

10. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Blueberry Smoothie

If you don’t have time for a bowl of oats, you can make this quick blueberry smoothie instead. Or maybe it’s summer and you want something refreshing for an afternoon snack. Berries are excellent for anti-inflammation due to their antioxidants. This recipe also adds a kick of cayenne and cinnamon to the smoothie for anti-inflammation, but don’t worry – you can’t taste it. You’ll just have a wonderful blueberry smoothie. 

11. Quinoa Egg Breakfast Bowl

For people who like savory breakfasts, this is the recipe you’ll want to try. This quinoa breakfast bowl is light and refreshing, packed with protein, and perfect for meal prepping! This dish includes fluffy quinoa, sautéed kale, creamy avocado, dairy-free pesto, and a perfect soft-boiled egg. The balance of whole grains, healthy fat, and lean protien is perfect to fuel your day.

12. Banana Breakfast Muffins

Anti-inflammatory banana muffins can be used to fuel your morning or as an afternoon pick-me-up snack. It’s got a range of superfood ingredients such as coconut oil, bananas, steel-cut oats, chia seeds, flaxseeds, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. All fantastic anti-inflammatory ingredients. They also keep well, so you can make a large batch and keep them stocked in the freezer. 

13. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Turmeric Chicken Sheet Pan

We know turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory agent, so why not use it when cooking chicken and veggies?! As long as you don’t add too much, it’s got a great flavor and brings out a beautiful color to the roasted chicken. This is a good recipe to use up any leftover veggies in the fridge that need to go. 

14. Sheet Pan Salmon and Veggies

If you’re tired of chicken dishes, make this sheet pan salmon instead. It works just as well as the chicken and veggie sheet pan. You can use any veggies you like, and you’ll end up with meals for your lunches for the week, or a dinner large enough to feed quite a few people. It’s quick and easy too! 

15. Butternut Squash Ginger Chicken

Take advantage of seasonal ingredients like butternut squash! Paired with ginger chicken, it’s decadent and makes a weeknight dinner seem fancy and upscale. It doesn’t require much effort though as the entire thing is cooked in one skillet. It makes for easy cleanup! One serving has almost 40 grams of protein! 

16. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Ground Turkey Skillet

Another quick and easy, one-pan dish is this ground turkey skillet. A 30-Minute Ground Turkey Skillet with vegetables is a nutritious dinner recipe perfect for any weeknight! It’s AIP, Whole30, paleo, keto compliant, and easy on the gut for good digestion. The radishes are an unexpected ingredient that brings a lot of freshness to the dish. 

17. Warm Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash

This beautiful, flavorful salad will actually remind you of comfort food! I know it’s hard to think of a salad as a comfort dish, but this warm entree features hearty ingredients like butternut squash and balsamic chicken. It uses pre-made dressings, so it’s actually quite easy to make. It’s perfect for entertaining in the winter months too. 

18. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Vegetable Soup with Turmeric

This anti-inflammatory vegetable soup with turmeric will warm you up! The ingredients in this healthy soup include olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, turmeric, and vegetable broth. It’s vegan, gluten-free, paleo, and Whole30 compatible, which makes it full of anti-inflammatory ingredients. It’s one delicious way to get in your veggies! 

19. Immune Boosting Lentil Soup

This cozy immune-boosting soup is packed with vegetables, greens, turmeric, ginger, and garlic. It’s a comforting hug in a bowl you’ll crave all winter. The lentils add a meaty texture and make this soup very hearty. You could add meat though, if you prefer. That’s the good thing about soups- they’re so versatile. 

20. Vegetable Quinoa Soup

Using a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or stovetop method, you can make this Vegetable Quinoa Soup that is oil-free and packed with hearty vegetables, protein-rich quinoa, and beans! If you’ve never had it, you should definitely try quinoa in a soup. It adds a heartiness to it that you’d normally use pasta or potatoes for. 

21. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Chicken Soup

Anti-inflammatory chicken soup is the meal you need when it’s cold and rainy, and your body just needs a boost of nutrition. It’s just a few ingredients too. With just a few veggies and some lean chicken, you can whip up this savory soup in under an hour. It feeds a crowd too, so you can share with the family or freeze some for later. 

22. Lemon Rosemary White Bean Soup

You probably already have the ingredients to make this easy white bean soup with lemon, vegetables, rosemary, thyme, and tahini! It’s healthy, delicious, and packed with nutrients! It is vegan since the main source of nutrients comes from white beans and carrots, but all the ingredients would pair well with chicken or turkey. Adding some meat will bulk it up and balance it well. 

23. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Spiced Hot Cocoa

Yes, you can make hot chocolate and have it be good for you! This cup of nutrition starts with powdered cacao which is a powerhouse itself. Then, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cumin, and a bit of cayenne are used to spice it up as well as add the anti-inflammatory benefits. If you sweeten it with raw sugar or honey, you get a delicious cup of hot cocoa that boosts your health at the same time. 

24. Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potato

This hearty Mediterranean sweet potato is not just stuffed with flavor. It’s stuffed with nutritious ingredients as well! Chickpeas add protein, kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes add a punch of flavor, and quinoa adds some healthy grains. It makes a fantastic meal prep lunch or quick weeknight dinner. It’s also a comfort food that will warm you up during the cold months. 

25. Anti-Inflammatory Recipes: Cucumber Pineapple Mango Smoothie

The cucumber pineapple mango smoothie looks healthy with its bright green color, but it tastes absolutely amazing. The pineapple and mango add tropical sweetness, while the cucumber keeps it refreshing. This smoothie is great to have year-round. Non-fat Greek yogurt adds protein to this healthy smoothie and keeps the texture ultra creamy and smooth. 

Overall, adopting an anti-inflammatory diet can contribute to better overall health and a reduced risk of chronic diseases by promoting a balanced and nutritious way of eating. So grab your pen and paper, and start making your grocery list! 

And I will leave you with my air fryer salmon bites recipe.