Vegan Camping Meals To Keep You Fueled and Happy

In the past, traditional camping meals may have been dominated by animal products (think: hot dogs and hamburgers), but today there are so many great options for vegetarian or vegan eaters.

Whether you’re camping in an RV or a tent, we hope this guide will inspire you to enjoy delicious vegan camping meals.

With a little bit of preparation, camping and eating vegan can go together like peanut butter and jelly (one of our favorite go-tos for vegan camping lunches, by the way).

As with any camping meals, simplicity and convenience are always a priority.  Plus, you want to choose foods that transport well and will last the duration of your trip.

With these things in mind, let’s get started with how to prepare for your trip.

Prepare In Advance for Your Trip

Especially for vegans, it’s important to stock up on essential items before your trip.  If you’re camping in a remote area, it’s unlikely you’ll find tofu or soy milk at the corner store.

If you have the luxury of space, bring more than you need, particularly with these harder-to-find vegan staples.  You don’t want to run out part way through your trip and not be able to restock nearby.

But before you run off to the store, be sure to do some meal planning.  Map out what meals you’ll be cooking so you can buy accordingly and pack the right amount of everything you need.

For us, it typically works best to do our grocery shopping a few days prior to traveling. This is not only so we have time to realize we forgot something, but also so we have all the supplies to pre-make some snacks.

ADVANCE MEAL PREP IDEAS

That’s because we like to have DIY fruit leathers and granola bars on-hand for travel days and hiking snacks.

If you’ve never made your own granola bars before, we love this peanut butter granola bar recipe from Forks Over Knives.

Another version of something similar is an energy ball, similarly easy to make and convenient to have on-hand in those emergency hunger pang moments.  Try these super simple energy balls from the Veggie Vagabonds.

And if you really want an A+ in your camping meal prep, you can wash and chop your veggies in advance, prep overnight oats, and pre-portion trail mix before departing for your outdoor adventure.

Sometimes when we try to do so much before our trip, it feels rushed and stressful getting out the door.  But then it’s even more relaxing when we get to camp, so I try to do as much prep as possible.

Some days, getting to the campsite can be half the battle.  Maybe you have a long day (or two) of driving to get to your camp spot.

Truck stops and fast food are not very vegan-friendly, so we try to avoid them altogether. If you can prep food in advance for your travel days, your whole crew can stay properly fed and happy.  

Breakfast burritos make for a quick breakfast on travel days.  We like this recipe for vegan breakfast burritos from No Sweat Vegan because they have tater tots in them.  Plus, they’re freezer friendly, so you can make them in advance and just reheat when it’s time to hit the road.

If we have time before we leave, we like to freeze homemade veggie burgers or tacos for a quick and easy dinner after a long travel day.

This vegan veggie burger recipe from Cotter Crunch is freezer friendly too. We like these because they don’t fall apart when its time to throw them on the grill.

For even more travel day food inspiration, check out these healthy vegan snacks for road trips from Running on Real Food.

As with most camping cuisine, the name of the game is simple, not complicated.  We have better things to be doing, right?

KEEP IT SIMPLE AT CAMP

Enjoy being surrounded by nature, play games with the family and friends you’re traveling with, and go for a hike or a swim. None of us want to spend our whole day cooking or cleaning while we’re camping.

So keep it simple, and use as few dishes as possible to save on the cleanup. If you’re camping somewhere for the surrounding adventures, you’re probably going to make a hearty breakfast and a big supper on the fire.

We like to keep lunch easy to make and easy to eat. Think about sandwiches, granola bars, and fresh fruit.

Hopefully you’re cooking over a campfire, but maybe you’re in an RV with propane cooktop.  Either way, a cast-iron skillet will be your super-tool for camp cooking.

This one item may be able to do all the cooking, which is super helpful when it comes to not over-packing.

We may be getting ahead of ourselves by starting with dessert, but we can’t think of cast-iron camp cooking without thinking of this delicious no-bake apple crisp from Fresh Off The Grid.

If that sounds good, let’s move on to some real meals and dive into vegan camping recipes for breakfast and dinner.

Vegan Camping Breakfast Ideas

Pancakes and maple syrup are on our vegan camping pantry staples list because it’s an easy breakfast that generally makes everyone happy.  We always have pancake mix in our camping tote.

Often we’ll get to the last day of a long camping trip and we’re just eating whatever is left for breakfast (pancakes).  

Pancakes are a real champion for their longevity, so we keep them on-hand and save them for the end of the trip when the rest of our food may be near the end of its shelf life.

If you want to take a step up from pancakes, this vegan coconut french toast from Fresh Off The Grid is on a whole new level.

Another simple camping breakfast is the good old instant oatmeal. This camping staple is highly portable, shelf-stable, warm and hearty, and vegan.

If you do a bit of easy prep before your camping trip, you can enjoy an elevated version of oatmeal for breakfast. We like these homemade instant oatmeal packets from The Yummy Life. 

Vegan Camping Dinner Recipes

After a full-day of adventures you’re probably ready for a big supper around the campfire. Dinner while camping must be both warm and filling, and also easy to prepare with minimal mess.

All of these recipes tick all the boxes, so let’s dive in to the top three vegan camping meals.

GRILLED SWEET POTATO FAJITAS

First up is grilled sweet potato fajitas from Fresh Off The Grid. We love this recipe because the sweet potato steaks on the grill are absolutely delicious.

Grilled sweet potato is an excellent meat replacement because it grills well and can provide some bulk to any meal.  Sweet potatoes are a great vegetable to take camping because they last a long time and hold up well to rolling around in your trunk.

VEGETABLE FOIL PACKETS

This next recipe wins for convenience when camping because it produces no dirty dishes.  Check out these vegetable foil packets from Happy Foods Tube.

You can make vegetable foil packets with any type of vegetable and can cook them over a campfire, a grill, or even a stove.  Either way, we recommend following Happy Foods’ seasoning advice in the recipe as it really elevates the flavor.

BUDDHA BOWL

Last but not least, this simple healthy buddha bowl from Yvette’s Healthy Kitchen is a nutritious and crowd-pleasing dinner.  If you have pre-cooked rice, this recipe requires almost no cooking.

In fact, you could make it without cooking anything (besides the rice).  But to do it properly, you will need a few minutes on a hot grill for the vegetables.  Still, it’s so quick and easy, and produces nearly no dirty dishes.

That’s it.  A perfect long weekend of recipes for your next camping trip!

Whether you’re camping with fellow vegans or not, we think your whole tribe will enjoy these dishes. There’s nothing better than sharing stories of the day around the campfire with these tasty vegan meals.

Which Vegan Camping Meals Will Be Your Go-To Favorite?

Hopefully one of these recipes caught your attention and you’re excited to try it on your next camping adventure.

Eating healthy and vegan on the road is easier than ever thanks to all the options on our grocery store shelves.  Just remember that you may not have access to the vegan foods you prefer when camping in remote areas, so plan ahead and pack a little extra.

Happy camping and happy cooking!