Easy Vegan Camping Food: Snacks and Meals for the Whole Family

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One of the best things about camping is the food, am I right?

After a long day of nature walks and outdoor activities, the smell of dinner cooking on the barbecue or over the open fire is divine. 

Or how about waking up in the morning after a snuggly night under the stars to the aroma of breakfast sizzling away on the camping stove?

Since those scents used to revolve around animal products like bacon, ground beef or hot dogs, our first camping trip as vegans posed a new challenge for us. 

What vegan food was good for camping?

What easy meals and snacks would satisfy the whole family?

We got to work in preparing a list of recipes we could make ahead and prepare on site. This was also our first camping trip with kids, so we started small with one night of beach camping. 

From breakfast to dinner, here’s the vegan camping food we packed for our family.

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Sweet and Savory Vegan Breakfast Food for Camping

On a normal day, we eat oatmeal for breakfast. We totally could have packed up the rolled oats and a pot, boiled some water and made oatmeal. 

But if you want the smell of breakfast cooking in the morning, oatmeal falls a little short. 
So, pancakes, Beyond Breakfast Sausage (the kids prefer the Classic flavor over the Spicy flavor) and fresh fruit sounded perfect.

What We Packed

Make the vegan pancakes before leaving and store them in the ice chest. Throw some Earth Balance butter into the ice chest to grease the skillet before cooking. 

Consider packing syrup too. Since we put chocolate chips in the pancakes, we didn’t need any extra sweetness and didn’t bring it.

Each package of Beyond Breakfast Sausages comes with 6 sausages. Two packages was enough for our family of 5. Store them in the ice chest. 

But, I advise putting the boxes in a plastic bag first. The sausages aren’t wrapped inside the box, and if the box gets soggy from the melted ice in the ice chest, so will the sausages.

Fruit should be a must on any list of vegan food for camping. Fruit that packs well include Mandarin oranges, apples, bananas and berries—which all pair nicely with this breakfast.

How We Prepared Breakfast

Using a portable stand-up propane grill or camp stove, heat two cast iron skillets.

Once heated, place some butter on one of the skillets so the pancakes won’t stick. The Beyond Breakfast Sausages have enough oil in them to prevent them from sticking.

We forgot to pack a large spoon (*sigh*) so we poured the pancake batter out of a corner of the bag instead, making several small, somewhat circular pancakes. 😉

Cook the sausages on the skillet according to the package directions until done. 

Place a couple pancakes and sausages alongside some fresh fruit, and voila! Vegan camping food for breakfast!

Since our cooktop space was limited for a family of 5, we ate in stages on a log overlooking the ocean. It was the best view I’ve ever had while eating my morning meal.

Hit-the-Spot Vegan Camping Food for Lunch

We make an array of vegan lunches for the kids, so we took an old favorite and packed it for lunch. 

You can make these bean, rice and cheese burritos onsite, but we knew we’d be on the sand all morning with the kids and decided to make these ahead instead. 

What We Packed

Grab a couple of cans of refried beans, freshly cooked brown rice, salsa, Follow Your Heart vegan cheese (affiliate link), and some large tortillas.

Laying the tortilla flat, spread a bit of vegan butter (or brush oil) on the outside to prevent it from sticking to the pan. It also helps seal the burrito in my experience. Next, scoop a large spoonful of beans into the center, top it with some rice, a bit of salsa and a few small pieces of cheese. 

Fold it up so no edges are exposed, and place it folded-side down on a heated skillet. Once cooked on the folded side, flip it over to cook on the other side. 

Let them cool, then place them in a storage container in the ice chest. 

Pack some fresh fruit and veggies to serve alongside the burritos, too.

How We Prepared Lunch

Fire up the portable barbecue, heat the cast iron skillets, and warm the vegan burritos until reheated. 

After a morning of outdoor activities around the camp group, you’re probably starving.

Serve these heated burritos next to celery sticks and fresh fruit and this protein-packed lunch is the perfect midday vegan camping food to keep you going until dinner. 

Make-Ahead Vegan Camping Food for Dinner

After a long day on the sand under the sun, we were exhausted. I was thankful I made dinner at home and now only had to worry about reheating it. 

Sure, I love the idea of cooking dinner at the campground, but our first camping trip with three kids was packed with excitement, and it was nice to soak it up and relax rather than leave the fun early to cook.

So, if I had to do it all over again, I’d definitely bring our family’s favorite vegan chili recipe on our next camping trip.

What We Packed

This vegan chili uses 10 ingredients and doesn’t take much work to complete. Follow the recipe to prepare onions, garlic, vegan sausage, Simply Organic Mild Chili Seasoning Mix, black and red kidney beans, lentils, corn, diced tomatoes and water to make the chili. 

After it cooks, let it cool, then store the amount needed in a container that won’t spill in the ice chest. 

Don’t forget to pack toppings if you’re feeling fancy! Consider vegan sour cream, tortilla chips, shredded vegan cheese, avocado or chives. 

How We Prepared Dinner

Fire up the barbecue, and pour the chili into a large pot. Since we packed light and didn’t bring a pot, we poured the chilled chili into the same cast iron skillet we used for breakfast and lunch. 

Cover the pot and warm it on medium to low heat until reheated. 

While it’s reheating, lay the toppings bar out on the picnic table. 

Since we didn’t have bowls (and we forgot our ladle), we used a cup to scoop the chili into other cups that we used for serving. This ended up being a perfect meal for the beach because there’s no cutting, so no need for forks or knives or even a table. We could carry our chili onto the sand and enjoy it while watching the sunset. 

Easily Packed Vegan Snack Foods for Camping

With so much activity around camp, we opted for snacks that could be thrown in a backpack or pocket for a beach walk, and easily eaten on the sand. 

Fruits like bananas, apples and Mandarin oranges were the first choice. Pre-cut celery was an accessible addition too.

Pack some plant-based granola bars and a treat for this family: Kettle Brand Chips. Which surprisingly, has several accidentally vegan flavors. 

Consider stashing a package of Oreos for dessert. They’re accidentally vegan and make for a yummy and practical dessert for camping. Of course most campers prefer to make the traditional s’mores, which we often do when we barbecue at home, but if you camp early in the season, you may not be able to get vegan marshmallows in time.

Is it Hard to Make Vegan Camping Food?

Just because you eat plant-based doesn’t mean you have to forgo the smell of (vegan) sausage sizzling in the morning as you leave your tent. Or pass up the opportunity to sit around the fire pit roasting (gelatin-free) marshmallows. 

Making vegan camping food is surprisingly easier than I thought, honestly. 

And it didn’t take me any longer to make our camping food vegan than it would have to make camping food according to our old diet. 

But I will do a few things differently next time:

• I’ll put reusable silverware, bowls, plates and cups in the camp box to cut down on waste.
• I’ll make s’mores for sure! (Assuming I can get my hands on some Dandies marshmallows in time!)
• I’ll try barbecuing Beyond Burgers or vegan sausages.
• I’ll remember to pack a serving spoon or ladle! 

Whether you’re camping solo, with friends or with kids, making your food vegan doesn’t have to be stressful or boring. 

If you have any other yummy vegan foods for camping, let me know in the comments below so I can try them out with our family!

Cheers!
~Chelsea