Road trip food: Vegan meal & snack ideas

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Fill your cooler with this hearty & delicious vegan road trip food. With sandwiches, wraps, and salads, you’ll be well fed from the first mile to the last.

After more than a year of staying home, I’m cautiously optimistic about road trips in my plans for the summer. Maybe that will be a camping trip somewhere remote or a jaunt to a neighboring state.

As I fantasize about the future, of course, my mind wanders to food – the best part of any adventure. I’m dreaming of the vegan restaurants I’ll visit, as well as the road-trip snacks I’ll nosh on between stops.

As anyone who has checked Happy Cow in the Middle of Nowhere knows, some places are more vegan-friendly than others. So packing meals for a road trip is a good way to avoid those hangry feelings & save some cash.

With that in mind, here’s some road trip food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time too.

Breakfast

If you have time to pull over & eat, cereal & single servings of non-dairy milk make a quick & easy breakfast. If not, get your day started early by choosing one of these grab & go breakfasts.

Vegan quiche

Mini vegan quiche can be eaten hot, cold, or room temperature. They’re packed with protein & vegetables.

Cinnamon donuts

If you have a sweet tooth, cinnamon donuts go down easy with a steamy mug of coffee.

Sandwiches & wraps

Sandwiches and wraps are super convenient for road trips. They can either be made ahead of time, or you can keep the fillings & bread separate in the cooler.

Of course, the simplest option is to grab a package of vegan deli slices like Tofurky, and throw them into a cooler with mustard, chopped onions, and pickles. Here are some more ideas if you feel like branching out.

Spring roll tortilla wrap

Spring roll wraps have the flavors of a summer roll with the portability of a tortilla. They’re filled with crunchy vegetables and baked lime tofu. The wraps can either be dunked in spicy peanut sauce, or you can add a drizzle to the inside.

Vegan chicken salad sandwich

Vegan chicken salad sandwiches are so satisfying, thanks to the filling nature of seitan. It comes together quickly by processing seitan with celery, onions, pickles, seasonings, and eggless mayo in a food processor. Serve it on a bun, wrap it in a tortilla, or pile it on crackers.

Raw tacos with walnut filling

Crisp & flavorful raw tacos are made with walnut taco meat. Serve on romaine lettuce leaves instead of a corn tortilla. Or the walnut meat is great in a salad.

Vegan tuna salad sandwich

Swap out tuna for chickpeas in this quick & filling vegan tuna salad sandwich. It’s made by pulsing chickpeas with celery, eggless mayo, and herbs. Enjoy it on a sandwich or pile it on a green salad.

Vegan egg salad sandwich

Vegan egg salad sandwiches are so simple to make, and they don’t require any extra gadgetry. Just crumble firm tofu in a bowl with vegan mayo, pumpkin seeds, mustard, and kala namak. That’s what gives it that sulfurous flavor! Terrific in a sandwich or wrap!

Buffalo Soy Curls sandwich

While I usually eat buffalo Soy Curls sandwiches while they’re hot, they’re also delicious right out of the cooler. Toothsome Soy Curls are tossed in buffalo sauce and finished with vegan blue cheese dressing.

Vegetable sandwiches

Vegetable sandwiches are slathered with jalapeño cashew cheese. Then they’re filled with crunchy red bell pepper slices, onions, and spinach. So fresh & delicious!

Vegan bánh mì

Vegan bánh mì are great hot or cold. Filled with hearty slices of Field Roast, they’re loaded with fresh herbs and quick pickled vegetables.

Tortilla pinwheels

Tortilla pinwheels are dressed with buffalo hummus and fresh vegetables. Grab one or two as a snack, or blaze through several for lunch.

Salads

These salads can either be a side dish for your sandwiches, or some of them can be a full meal on their own.

Kale salad

Kale salad is hearty enough that it can really last in the cooler. It’s filled out with air fryer chickpeas for crunch & satiety.

Potato salad

Who doesn’t love vegan potato salad? It’s made with big chunks of Russet potatoes, tossed in eggless mayo, and prepared with plenty of crunchy dill pickles.

Cold peanut noodle salad

Cold peanut noodle salad can be a full meal in a bowl, especially if you add baked tofu to the mix. It’s packed with radishes, carrots, and cilantro.

Vegan pasta salad

Vegan pasta salad is a fresh & flavorful side dish. It’s loaded with thinly sliced carrots, cucumbers, radishes, and chopped bell pepper. Then it’s tossed in a creamy mayo dressing. 

To push it into meal territory, stir in chopped vegan deli slices like Tofurky and diced non-dairy cheddar.

Curried tofu salad

Curried tofu salad can be enjoyed on its own, or added to a wrap. It’s made with super firm tofu, eggless mayo, curry powder, shredded carrots, raisins, and nuts. A tasty mix of sweet & savory!

Israeli couscous salad

Israeli couscous salad can be enjoyed as a side dish or eaten as a full meal with roasted chickpeas. It’s filled with pearl couscous, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. Vegan feta cheese would be a nice addition too!

Marinated lentil salad

This tangy lentil salad is a protein-packed side dish or addition to a green salad. The flavors meld beautifully while it waits to be eaten. It’s finished with red wine vinegar & Dijon mustard.

Sesame kale

Here’s a great way to eat a lot of kale in one go! Sesame kale is made by steaming greens and tossing them with sesame oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, and garlic.

Coleslaw

Vegan coleslaw is a tasty sandwich topper as well as a crunchy side dish. It’s so convenient to make, thanks to bagged shredded cabbage mix.

Snacks

If you get a little peckish on your drive, it’s nice to have some snacks on hand between mealtimes. Road trip food like bananas, apples, oranges, and berries go down easy in the summer. For salty snacks, pretzels, potato chips, and candied pecans or other nuts are nice to have on hand.

Make a batch of pineapple salsa or peach salsa to snack on with tortilla chips. Enjoy olive tapenade with crackers or pita chips.

Sliced vegetables like bell peppers, celery, and carrot sticks pair well with baba ganoush or hummus. Go plain or have sun-dried tomato, kalamata olive, or buffalo hummus.

Dessert

If you like to finish your meal with a sugary treat (or if your snacking skews sweet over savory), here are some vegan dessert options.

Banana bread cookies

Banana bread cookies have all of the flavor of banana bread with the convenience of cookies. They’re also a great way to use up any bananas that are starting to brown.

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies combine the chewiness of oatmeal with the nuttiness of PB. Plus, they can be made gluten-free.

Chocolate & peanut butter popcorn

Grab a handful of peanut butter & chocolate popcorn for a delightful mix of salty & sweet.

Rice crispy treats

Rice crispy treats are an old school classic that really satisfy! Crispy & light rice cereal is coated in melted marshmallows. A guaranteed crowd pleaser with adult & kids alike.

Other road trip food necessities:

For easy road trip dining, it’s handy to have these other items on hand:

• Stainless steel or glass water bottle for refilling
• Swiss army knife for slicing avocados, opening wine & packages, and random emergencies
• Stainless steel food containers, bowls, and plates for salads, cereal, and sandwiches
• Bamboo forks & spoons
• Chip clips to seal bags of nuts, spinach, crackers, etcetera

Gas station snack options

Even the best-laid plans bring surprises. If you find yourself on the road longer than planned & your rations have run empty, you may need to pick up food at a gas station or convenience store.

Consider these easy options:

• Cereal & non-dairy milk
• Nuts & seeds
• Tortilla chips & jarred salsa
• Bananas, oranges, and apples

More vegan travel tips

While you’re on the road, here are some more vegan travel tips that may come in handy:

• Vegan fast food options
• Vegan hotel tips
• Vegan tips for taking food on a plane
• How to get vegan meals at non-vegan restaurants
• Vegan options at the Denver Airport

Content and photos updated April 16, 2021. Originally posted September 9, 2010.