As a life-long vegetarian, I’ve only ever eaten vegan and vegetarian food while camping. And since people are always asking what I eat, here’s a list of my top vegan and vegetarian camping meals to help you plan for your next camping trip.
Not only is eating a more plant-based diet much healthier, but there’s the added benefit of not having to worry about cross-contamination from meats in your cooler or on your cutting boards while camping!
It also makes cleanup a lot easier because there’s no messy bear attracting bacon grease to dispose of.
These easy vegan and vegetarian camping meal ideas are simple to prepare in your camp kitchen. Most importantly, they’re what we – my vegetarian-wannabe-vegan self and my omnivore husband, Michael – actually eat while traveling and car camping full-time in our SUV (#SUVlife).
All of these vegan and vegetarian camp food ideas are tried and true!
Camp Kitchen Tools & Prep
First off, it’s important to have the right camp kitchen gear for preparing vegan and vegetarian meals outdoors.
Check out our Guide to Essential Camp Kitchen Gear for details on what you need to pack.
Since we’re currently living full-time on the road and car camping, we don’t have a home kitchen to pre-prep our meals and cook everything at our campsite on our Everest stove and roll up table.
That means that I try to keep prepping to a minimum. But if you have the time, you can do a lot of the washing vegetables and chopping at home and just store the prepped veggies in reusable containers so they’re ready to throw into the pan.
Some of these meals (like burritos) can be made at home and brought along for a quick no-cook and no-cleanup meal. Perfect after a long hiking or kayaking session!
Vegan and Vegetarian Camping Food Ideas
This list of vegan and vegetarian camping meal ideas has all the meals and snacks we eat the most.
As you can quickly tell after a glance over the meal ideas, we try to stick to healthier options and we love Mexican food. Afterall, I am a California-Mexican and a Certified Health Coach!
So a lot of the recipes here are Mexican-inspired and healthy with both vegan and vegetarian versions.
We’re currently working on writing up posts with my recipes and photos. I’ll link to more detailed recipes as those are published.
For now, these are meant to simply provide ideas and inspiration to make it easier to pack for your camping trips because I don’t have the exact measurements for the ingredients quite yet. Coming soon!
Our favorite one-stop-shop for vegan and vegetarian camping food is Trader Joe’s (also our favorite grocery store), but you can also find some of the more specialty ingredients at your local grocery store or Whole Foods.
Breakfast
Oatmeal
Quick-cook oatmeal with dairy-free vanilla milk, freeze dried strawberries , diced dates, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Add some protein powder for an extra boost of protein!
Chilaquiles
Forget about pancakes! This traditional Mexican breakfast is our favorite Sunday morning meal.
The traditional recipe calls for freshly fried tortillas and homemade salsa, but our super efficient camping version uses a bag of tortilla chips and jarred salsa instead.
To make camping chilaquiles, simmer a jar of red or green (tomatillo) salsa in a pan. Then, pour in half a bag of unsalted tortilla chips and mix until the chips are evenly covered in sauce.
Next, sprinkle shredded vegan cheese (these vegan mozzarella shreds are my favorite) or regular shredded pepper jack on top, and heat covered on low until it melts.
Serve the chilaquiles topped with avocado, cilantro, onion, a squeeze of lime, and a side of canned refried beans.
Yogurt or Chia Pudding with Fruit
For a healthier option, we love a simple breakfast of fresh local fruit and yogurt. Kite Hill makes the best vegan greek yogurt!
You can also prep some simple chia pudding the night before by mixing up chia seeds and vanilla dairy-free milk. Top with nuts, granola, and/or amaranth.
Chorizo Breakfast Burrito
These potato and soy chorizo breakfast burritos are perfect for making ahead of time to take on road trips or picnics. They’re also delicious!
Heat oil and diced potatoes until soft, add some onions, and then stir in half a package of soy chorizo (Trader Joe’s makes a good one). Warm up whole wheat tortillas and add the papas and chorizo filling and sliced avocado. Then roll up and enjoy!
Mexican Tofu Scramble
Drain extra firm tofu and mash with the back of a fork until somewhat crumbled. Sauté chopped veggies like onions, jalapeño, red bell peppers, and spinach. Stir in tofu to heat.
Add spices and herbs like turmeric, paprika, oregano, cumin, and black pepper. Sprinkle in some nutritional yeast and top with avocado, tomatoes, and cilantro. You can also use this scramble as a burrito or taco filling or on top of avocado toast.
Rice Cake “Toast”
When we’re in a hurry, we put together a quick rice cake “toast”. Rice cakes and these thin rice cakes are great for camping because they won’t get smashed in transit, like bread does.
We usually take a couple of brown rice cakes, slather on plenty of peanut or almond butter, and top with some fruit like sliced apples, blueberries, or bananas. A sprinkle of cinnamon gives it a nice touch!
You can also make a savory version using hummus, sliced cucumber and avocado, and a sprinkle of paprika.
Lunch & Dinner
Cleaning up the camp kitchen and washing dishes is our least favorite part of camping. Because of that, we try to keep our meals simple to make and easy to clean up after.
We also like to have a few options for super quick meals on hand for those times when we want to spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time cooking.
Garbanzo Salad Sandwich
Garbanzo (aka chickpea) salad is the vegan version of tuna salad. It’s easy to make, there’s little cleanup, and you can store it for later (or prep at home the day before your trip) to make a quick sandwich on the spot.
Mash a can of drained garbanzo beans with the back of a fork. Stir in two heaping spoonfuls of vegan mayo or a mashed avocado, diced celery and red onion, mustard, lemon juice, dried dill or diced pickles (or both!), paprika, and black pepper.
Kale & White Bean Salad
Kale is perfect for camping salads because you can prep it the day before and it won’t get soggy. I actually think it gets better the day after you make it!
This recipe is based on one by Dr. Weil that uses breadcrumbs and Pecorino cheese. Our veganized and gluten-free version replaces those with sliced almonds and nutritional yeast flakes or this vegan parmesan wedge.
We also like to add a can of drained cannellini beans (navy beans work, too) for a protein boost.
Slice up a head of lacinato (Italian) kale – or get a pre-chopped bag at Trader Joe’s – and put in a bowl with the sliced almonds, cannellini beans, and nutritional yeast or cheese.
To make the dressing, add 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, juice from 1 lemon, 2-3 minced garlic cloves to a jar. Add red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste, screw on the lid tightly and shake it.
Mix the dressing into the salad and serve!
Za’atar Garbanzo Salad
This salad is super easy to make and the addition of za’atar makes it so addicting! Za’atar spice mix is a flavor-packed blend of spices and herbs used in the Middle East.
Place a drained can of garbanzos in a large bowl. Add a drained can of sliced black or kalamata olives, chopped bell pepper, chopped cucumber, and chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.
Season with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, za’atar spice blend and black pepper.
This salad makes the perfect filling for whole wheat pitas or tortilla wraps topped with feta (Violife makes a delicious vegan feta).
Bean and Cheese Burrito
A one pan burrito is another of our quick camping meals with easy cleanup. It’s usually what we make when I’m getting hangry (hungry + angry) and we’re too tired to cleanup after.
Heat a whole wheat tortilla in a pan. Add a good amount of canned refried pinto beans in a line down the middle. Top the beans with vegan pepper jack cheese or regular pepper jack.
Roll up the tortilla and heat the burrito until the beans are hot and the cheese has melted. Open it back up and add in sliced avocado or guacamole, fresh cilantro, salsa, and any other toppings you like on burritos.
Campfire Baked Sweet Potato with Chili
If I may say so myself, this is one of the best vegan and vegetarian camping meal ideas I’ve had to date. It’s hearty comfort food that warms you up on chilly camping nights and it’s absolutely delicious!
We usually split one large sweet potato and one can of vegan chili between the two of us, but you can serve one potato per person if they’re small.
Pierce a sweet potato all over with a fork. Wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place it on a bed of hot coals (not directly on the fire). Use metal tongs to turn them and make sure all the sides bake evenly. Cook for about 45 minutes or until tender.
Heat the vegan chili in a cast iron skillet over the fire. We like to stir in some chopped kale or spinach for added nutrition.
Once done, slice the potato in half lengthwise and stuff with shredded vegan or regular cheddar cheese and vegan chili. Top with chopped red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeños.
Oh, and sliced avocado, of course!
Grilled Vegetable Tofu Kebabs
You’ll definitely need some metal skewers to grill these veggie kebabs over the campfire.
Cut bell pepper and red onion into large square-like pieces. Leave cherry tomatoes and mushrooms whole. Cut extra firm tofu into cubes.
Put everything into a bowl and marinate for at least an hour in a dressing made from olive oil, lime juice, oregano, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper.
Fill skewers with veggies and tofu and grill over campfire.
Hot Dogs with Baked Beans
Michael and I love to treat ourselves to the vegan version of this camping classic!
The great thing about vegan hot dogs is that you can just throw them in boiling water and they’re ready in literally 2 minutes, so this also makes for a quick, easy cleanup dinner if you can’t get your campfire going.
Grill some vegan hot dogs, or try these vegan brats (we haven’t tried them yet, so please let us know below if you like them), over the campfire and serve on whole wheat hot dog buns. Top with mustard, ketchup, relish, sauerkraut, and pickled jalapeños.
Serve with a side of canned vegan baked beans.
Snacks
- Trail Mix
- Tortilla Chips and Salsa
- Hummus and Veggies
- Jicama and Cucumber Sticks with Chile Lime Seasoning
- Popcorn
- Peanut Butter and Sliced Apples
Dessert
S’mores
Michael absolutely loves s’mores! Thankfully, you can find vegan marshmallows at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods for veggie-friendly s’mores.
Don’t forget the graham crackers, chocolate bar, and marshmallow roasting sticks.
Campfire Baked Apples
Another easy to make campfire dessert, is baked apples. Most people stuff them with butter and sugar. But a healthier way of preparing these is coring some apples, filling the hole with diced dates and cinnamon, and then wrapping them in aluminum foil.
Place the wrapped apples on hot coals for about 5 to 10 minutes until baked. Top with walnuts and a splash of maple syrup.
Vegan Backpacking Meals
If you’d rather skip the cooking all together, we highly recommend getting some vegan or vegetarian backpacking meals.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with these, they’re complete pre-packaged dehydrated meals that you just add hot water to and eat. We bring these along for dinner on our backpacking trips along with plenty of other mostly plant-based foods. But, we’ll get into vegan and vegetarian backpacking specifics in another post.
Our favorite meals so far are this vegan mushroom risotto and this vegan pad thai.
Vegetarian & Vegan Camping Meals
That’s it for now! Again, we’ll add more photos and detailed recipes as we go.
We hope you found this list of vegan and vegetarian camping food ideas helpful!
Do you have any favorite veggie camping meals? Share them in the comments below and we might just add them to this post.
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