Heading off on a piece journey or trip? Don’t neglect meals for the aircraft! With these vegan snacks, sandwiches, salads, and sides, you’ll be the envy of everybody subsisting on tiny pretzel packs till the aircraft touches down.

There’s nothing fairly like the enjoyment of journey. It’s one among my all-time favourite issues. I like sampling vegan meals in different cities, states, and international locations.
And whereas sunny seashores and fast-paced cities is usually a thrill, first you must deal with the airport.
Some massive airports supply a wealth of vegan riches. At others, the plant-based choices embody such highlights as potato chips and a banana. Womp, womp.
Once you’re touring by air, you by no means know what hiccups could occur alongside the way in which. So I pack for flights as if I’m occurring an extended journey, even when it’s speculated to be a fast jaunt.
I’d slightly be over ready with snacks I can eat at my vacation spot than ravenous and caught in a center seat with a grumbling abdomen.
If you happen to’d additionally wish to keep away from hangry emotions in your subsequent airplane trip, take a look at this round-up of vegan snacks, sandwiches, and salads to your subsequent journey.
(Don’t miss the FAQ on the backside of this submit, which covers a few of the commonest considerations about taking meals on a aircraft.)
Vegan airplane snack concepts
Oftentimes, flight attendants hand out packets of pretzels or Biscoff cookies, each of that are vegan. Pad out these snacks with a few of these simple treats stowed in your carry-on.
- Popcorn
- Dried fruit
- Bananas
- Apples
- Grapes
- Potato chips
- Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- Tortilla chips
- Vegan jerky
- Vegan pickle roll ups
- Kale chips
- Crackers
- Roasted chickpeas
- Noodle cups & oatmeal cups (Most airplanes have sizzling water obtainable)
- Onerous non-dairy cheese slices (Smooth cheeses could possibly be confiscated, as a result of they’re a paste. See the FAQ beneath for extra particulars.)
Vegan sandwiches & wraps
Once you’re making a sandwich for the journey, in fact you possibly can do one thing tremendous easy like store-bought vegan deli slices on wheat with mustard and pickles. Area Roast, Herbivorous Butcher, and Tofurky make some tasty vegan deli slices.
Listed here are some extra sandwich and wrap concepts.
Vegan tuna salad
Vegan chickpea tuna salad is made with chickpeas, vegan mayo, and pickles.
Serve it with a bag of potato chips, and it seems like an old style lunch from the 80’s.
Vegan egg salad sandwich

Go together with vegan egg salad, that includes tofu and black salt. This sandwich takes 5 minutes to make.
So even when you postpone packing till the final doable minute, you continue to have time to make this sandwich, and catch your flight.
Curried tofu salad
Talking of tofu salad, when you like a spicier combine, make curried tofu salad.
It may be placed on a sandwich, served with a salad, or eaten proper out of the bowl.
Vegetable sandwich
This flavorful vegetable sandwich isn’t only for hikes and picnic baskets alone! It additionally works properly for journey days with its spicy candy jalapeño cashew cheese unfold and a great deal of greens.
Double hummus wraps
It wouldn’t be a vegan journey line-up with out hummus wraps. This double hummus wrap contains each conventional chickpea and black bean hummus.
It has rice for endurance, and turnip pickles for a scrumptious, salty crunch.
Bagel sandwich with hummus & greens

This inviting bagel sandwich takes solely minutes to make.
It’s filled with a beneficiant unfold of hummus for protein, crunchy cucumber, pink bell pepper, and onion.
Vegan hen salad

Tortilla pinwheels

Tortilla pinwheels are made with buffalo hummus and veggies. Then they’re rolled up tight in a tortilla.
Be at liberty to switch the hummus with the unfold of your alternative, like vegan cream cheese.
Vegan salads
These hearty salads is usually a meal on their very own.
Keep in mind: If you happen to’re packing a salad in your carry-on, deliver a fork with you. Flatware might not be obtainable on the aircraft, until your flight contains dinner service.
Israeli couscous salad

This Israeli couscous salad is filled with a lot of taste and a few of my favourite elements – cucumbers, artichoke hearts, and olives. A lot briny goodness!
It could actually work as a meal by itself or a facet dish to a sandwich.
Bowtie pasta salad
Bowtie pasta salad is scrumptious sizzling or chilly. It’s full of greens, roasted chickpeas, and chewy farfalle pasta.
Sesame kale
If you wish to be sure to eat your greens whereas touring the pleasant skies, this sesame kale is the way in which to do it.
As a result of it’s steamed first, the kale softens and shrinks. You get an entire lot of kale with each chew.
Pasta salad

Vegan pasta salad is made with toothsome noodles & crunchy veggies. Then it’s tossed in an eggless mayo dressing.
For an additional bump of protein, add diced vegan deli meat & strips of non-dairy cheese.
Protein-packed sides
These filling, protein-packed sides are tremendous satiating. They make a hearty addition to your meal.
Marinated lentils
This marinated lentils recipe presents one other good, substantive choice that may be served with a salad or eaten by itself.
It’s pretty simple at airports to discover a vegan-friendly facet salad, however discovering one thing protein-dense might be extra elusive. By bringing alongside marinated lentils, you’ll keep full till you land.
Lemon rosemary tofu

Baked tofu with lemon & rosemary is scrumptious, even when served chilly. It’s substantive and filling. Plus, it pairs properly with any facet dish.
FAQ
In response to the Transportation Safety Administration, each passenger is allowed one quart-sized bag of liquids, gels, lotions, or pastes of their carry-on. The containers can’t exceed 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters). The three-1-1 rule contains any meals that qualify as liquids.
Together with your packed meal, you don’t need to break the liquid rule by going over 3.4 ounces. Nonetheless, whilst you can’t deliver a jar of vegan mayo on a visit, you’ll be able to put a slathering in your sandwich and not using a downside.
Do not forget that meals that resemble pastes observe the identical liquid guideline. So huge packages of guacamole, hummus, or vegan cream cheese are a no go, until they’re slathered on a sandwich.
Additionally, depart the bottled water at residence. As an alternative, deliver an empty reusable water bottle in your carry-on. When you can’t deliver a stuffed water bottle by way of safety, when you’ve been screened, you’ll be able to add to it from a water fountain on the opposite facet.
Similar to packing a lunch for work or faculty, you’ll need to use widespread sense for holding meals chilly & inside security requirements.
Utilizing an insulated lunch bag is an apparent first step. In response to the TSA guidelines, an ice pack can undergo the TSA checkpoint so long as it’s frozen stable throughout screening.
If the pack has began to soften, is slushy, or has left behind liquid on the backside of the container, it should meet the 3-1-1 liquid necessities, or else it gained’t be permitted.
To maintain issues chilly, freeze your ice packs properly forward of time. Don’t put them into your insulated container till you might be heading out the door. Including a frozen aspect, like frozen grapes, also can assist to maintain issues cool.
If you happen to neglect to pack meals for a visit, many airports do supply vegan choices, together with fast snacks like nuts, pretzels, and potato chips, in addition to vegan fast food options.
Chances are you’ll luck out with bean tacos at Qdoba, a falafel rice bowl at Garbanzo, a hummus bagel at Einstein Bros. or a fruit smoothie at Jamba. Even some airport eating places have dishes like vegetarian burritos (maintain the cheese and bitter cream) and stir-fried greens.
Tip: If you happen to occur to be flying by way of the Denver Worldwide Airport, take a look at my Denver Airport vegan guide.
I positive do! Preserve your mini fridge properly stocked utilizing ideas from this submit, “How to eat vegan while traveling.”
Return flights is usually a little trickier for packing, because you don’t at all times have entry to a kitchen at your vacation spot. In these situations, I wish to seize an additional meal at my ultimate restaurant cease. Or go to a pure grocery retailer to get a vegan to-go merchandise.
Content material and pictures up to date November 9, 2024. Initially revealed February 19, 2018.