Planning a picnic? These vegan picnic recipes travel well, taste great cold and are perfect for sharing indoors for an indoor picnic if the weather is rotten.
From savoury pastries and wraps, to salads and sweet treats, there's something for every picnic basket.
The best vegan picnic food travels well, tastes good cold or at room temperature and can be made in advance.
Think sandwiches, wraps, salads, savoury pastries and homemade sweet treats. These are all excellent choices as they travel well and are good to share.
When planning a vegan picnic, it's a good idea to include a mixture of handheld food, fresh salads and something sweet for dessert.
Something for everyone to enjoy!
📋 A Simple Vegan Picnic Menu
Not sure what to pack? Here are the basics of an easy vegan picnic menu:
- Sandwich or wrap
- Puff pastry snack - or handheld savoury snack
- Salad with a tasty dressing
- Fresh fruit - berries are good
- A sweet treat
Choosing a selection of savoury and sweet food makes it more of a complete meal, and there's something everyone will enjoy. Lots of choice, but simple.
🥟 Vegan Handheld Picnic Foods
If you go down the route of using a fancy picnic basket, then you'll have plates, cutlery and probably napkins too, but some of the best picnics are simply a few things packed in a bag and taken with you to a park, the beach or up in the hills.
And then my friend, you want picnic food you can hold, as cutlery would just be a faff.
Here are a few of my favourite vegan handheld picnic foods:
🥧 Vegan Puff Pastry Snacks
Some easy vegan picnic snacks, but this time made with puff pastry, which is usually suitable for vegans as long as you avoid the 'all butter' options.
More Vegan Pastry Recipes
Jac's Top Tip
💭 Take a tablecloth
Take a tablecloth instead of a picnic rug or blanket. It will take up less space and will be lighter to carry. Then throw it in the washing machine when you get home.
🥗 Vegan Picnic Salads
The sun is shining, you are relaxing with friends or family, what better time to enjoy some summer salads?
More Vegan Salad Recipes
🥣 Easy Vegan Salad Dressings for Picnics
If you are taking salad for your picnic, even if it's a simple green salad, you need some dressing. Take some in a jar and add it just as you serve the salad.
For more easy vegan salad dressings, visit my Salad Recipes
Jac's Top Tip
💭 Chill it!
Instead of adding ice packs to your picnic basket or picnic bag, freeze some water bottles (still water not sparkling water) the night before. The frozen water bottles will keep everything cool, and by the time you eat, the water will have started to melt, so lovely iced water to cool you down too!
🥪 Vegan Picnic Sandwiches
Sandwiches can be quite elaborate with all the toppings, but for a picnic, it is really best to keep it simple.
Here are a few sandwiches I would suggest taking with you. For best results, make them fresh before you leave and not the night before and pop an ice pack beside them to keep them fresh.
🥪 Vegan Picnic Sandwich Fillers
To make your sandwiches even simpler, take some soft bread and slather it with vegan butter, vegan mayo or even vegan cream cheese and then add these tasty fillers. Nothing else required!
🌯 Easy Vegan Picnic Wraps
Filled wraps are great portable food for picnics too. Here are some of my favourite vegan lunch wraps:
More Vegan Wrap Recipes
Jac's Top Tip
💭 Take Baby Wipes & a Bin Bag
One to clean up faces, hands and spills and the other to clean up rubbish (trash).
🧁 Vegan Sweet Picnic Treats
It's good to finish off a picnic with something sweet. Here are a few of my recommendations:
More Vegan Sweet Treats
A vegan picnic can include sandwiches or wraps, a fresh salad, savoury snacks, fruit and a sweet treat. Including a variety of foods helps create a balanced and satisfying picnic meal that family and friends will enjoy.
Yes, many vegan picnic foods can be prepared the day before. Salads, sandwich fillings, wraps, pastries and traybakes are all excellent make-ahead options that save time on the day of your picnic.
Use an insulated picnic bag or cool box with ice packs or frozen water bottles. Keeping food chilled helps maintain freshness and is especially important during warm weather in the summer.
Flapjacks, cookies, traybakes, muffins and tiffin are all easy vegan picnic desserts. They can usually be made in advance, travel well and are perfect for sharing outdoors.
Whether you're heading to the park, beach or countryside, these vegan picnic ideas make outdoor dining easy and delicious. Enjoy that sunshine!
More Vegan Lunch Ideas
If you need more lunchtime recipes and ideas, check out Vegan Packed Lunch Ideas, Vegan School Lunch Ideas or you may need some Tips for Packing Lunch.
