Today I’m sharing tips for taking food on a plane. With these vegan sandwiches, salads, and sides, you’ll be the envy of everyone subsisting on tiny pretzel packs until the plane touches down.
And so we’ve come to that part of winter when the glistening beauty of white snow against twinkling Christmas lights is a memory, but the buds of spring are still at least a month away… (And where I live, probably more like two months.)
It’s at times like this that I’m hankering to hop on a plane with a suitcase full of tank tops, sundresses, and sandals.
I don’t seem to be alone in this feeling as so many of my friends are posting photos on Instagram of their feet sunken into sandy beaches, and palm trees against lapping ocean waves.
But before you can get from point A to point B, there’s the airport to contend with.
While some large airports offer a wealth of vegan riches, at others the vegan options include such highlights as potato chips and a banana. (Shout out to Cedar Rapids! Womp, womp.)
Better safe than sorry
Still, even if I’m going through a vegan-friendly airport, you never know when a delay will cause a tight connection that doesn’t allow for grabbing an overpriced burrito or bagel.
And of course, then there are times when a missed flight means you’re spending a whole lot more time at the airport than you’d planned – sometimes after hours when the restaurants have closed.
So I always like to pack for flights as if I’m going on a long adventure, even if it’s supposed to be a quick jaunt. I’d rather be over prepared with snacks I can eat at my destination than ravenous and stuck in a middle seat with a grumbling stomach and over-talkative seatmate.
(I can get cranky when I’m too hungry even in the best of times. Add to that travel stress and over-crowded planes, and it’s not a pretty sight.)
So today I’m rounding up vegan recipes & tips for taking food on a plane – just in time for your next flight.
Guidelines to remember
There’s a lot to think about when planning food for travel. You don’t want to break the liquid rule of going over 3.4 ounces. However, while you can’t bring a jar of vegan mayo on a trip, you can put a slathering on your sandwich without a problem.
(Remember that foods that resemble pastes follow the same liquid guideline. So big packages of guacamole, hummus, or vegan cream cheese are a no go, unless they’re slathered on a sandwich.)
When taking food on a plane, I like to include things that taste just as good at room temperature since heating isn’t usually an option.
(Wondering how to keep food cold on a plane? I have more information on that at the end of this post.)
Also, bring an empty reusable water bottle in your carry-on. While you can’t bring a filled water bottle through security, once you’ve been screened, you can add to it from a water fountain on the other side.
Vegan sandwiches & wraps
When you’re making a sandwich for the trip, of course you could do something super simple like store-bought vegan deli slices on wheat with mustard and pickles.
Field Roast and Herbivorous Butcher make some particularly delicious vegan deli slices. (That’s the Herbivorous Butcher pastrami above.)
Vegan tuna salad
Vegan tuna salad is made with chickpeas, vegan mayo, and pickles. Serve it with a bag of potato chips, and it feels like an old school lunch from the 80’s.
Vegan egg salad sandwich
Curried tofu salad
Speaking of tofu salad, if you like a spicier mix, make curried tofu salad. It can be put on a sandwich, served with a salad, or eaten right out of the bowl.
It was modeled after a cold deli salad that I like to get at my local co-op.
Vegetable sandwich
This flavorful vegetable sandwich isn’t just for hikes and picnic baskets alone! It also works well for travel days with its spicy sweet jalapeño cashew cheese spread and loads of vegetables.
Double hummus wraps
It wouldn’t be a vegan travel line-up without hummus wraps.
This double hummus wrap includes both traditional chickpea and black bean hummus. It has rice for staying power, and turnip pickles for a delicious, salty crunch.
Bagel sandwich with hummus & vegetables
This inviting bagel sandwich takes only minutes to make. It’s packed with a generous spread of hummus for protein, crunchy cucumber, red bell pepper, and onion.
Vegan salads
These hearty salads can be a meal on their own. Remember, if you’re packing a salad in your carry-on, bring a fork with you. I’ve had instances where I had a salad but no cutlery, and there was none to be had on the plane.
Israeli couscous salad
This Israeli couscous salad is packed with lots of flavor and some of my favorite ingredients – cucumbers, artichoke hearts, and olives. So much briny goodness!
It can work as a meal on its own or a side dish to a sandwich.
Cold peanut noodle salad
Cold peanut noodle salad includes filling pasta and crisp vegetables in a creamy peanut sauce. Add cubed tofu for an extra punch of satiating protein.
Bowtie pasta salad
In a similar vein, this bowtie pasta salad is delicious hot or cold and filled with vegetables, roasted chickpeas, and chewy farfalle pasta.
Sesame kale
If you want to make sure you eat your greens while traveling the friendly skies, this sesame kale is the way to do it. Because it’s steamed first, the kale softens and shrinks, and you get a whole lot of kale with every bite.
Protein-packed sides
Marinated lentils
This marinated lentils recipe offers another good, substantive option that can be served with a salad or eaten on its own.
It’s fairly easy at airports to find a vegan-friendly side salad, but finding something protein-dense can be more elusive. By bringing along marinated lentils, I know I’ll stay full until I land.
Lemon rosemary tofu
Pasta salad is great with a slab of cold tofu on the side – like my baked tofu recipe with lemon & rosemary or a baked option from the store like I put on my vegan avocado toast.
What about on the return flight?
Return flights can be a little trickier for packing, since you don’t always have access to a kitchen at your destination. In those instances, I like to grab an extra meal at my final restaurant stop. Or visit a natural grocery store to get a vegan to-go item.
Other vegan airplane snack ideas:
Popcorn, dried fruit, bananas, apples, grapes, potato chips, tortilla chips, vegan jerky, kale chips, crackers, noodle & oatmeal cups (most airplanes have hot water available), and hard non-dairy cheese slices.
How to keep food cold on a plane
One lucky thing about vegan food is that by design it doesn’t include several of the biggest offenders people worry about when it comes to food safety. (There’s a reason people are wary about a non-vegan potato salad at the 4th of July picnic.)
But since vegan food already leaves out meat, eggs, and dairy, you’re one step ahead out of the gate.
However, just like packing a lunch for work or school, you’ll want to use common sense for keeping foods cold & within safety standards. Using an insulated lunch bag is an obvious first step.
According to the TSA guidelines, an ice pack can go through the TSA checkpoint as long as it is frozen solid during screening. If the pack has started to melt, is slushy, or has left behind liquid at the bottom of the container, it will have to meet the 3-1-1 liquid requirements, or else it won’t be permitted.
To keep things cold, freeze your ice packs well ahead of time, and don’t put them into your insulated container until you are heading out the door. Adding a frozen element, like frozen grapes, can also help to keep things cool.
Vegan food in the airport
If you run out of time to plan taking food on a plane or life has other ideas, check out these vegan airport options:
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport has several vegan options.
- So does the Denver International Airport, which includes labeled vegan options at Root Down.
And once you get to the hotel, I also have some ideas for keeping your mini fridge well stocked in this post titled, How to eat vegan while traveling.
Happy travels!
Becky Striepe
Ooh this is handy! I have a certain very exciting trip coming up in less than two WEEKS! Usually I just pack a bag of cashews and some kind of dried fruit, but this time I’m going to try to get it together to pack a to-go salad or sandwich situation, too!
Cadry
Yes, I am SO EXCITED!! That’s definitely what got the ball rolling on this post. I’m glad you’ll be well fed by the time we see each other! 😀
James Permana
Thank you for this! I can’t tell you how many times my meal is messed up on long flights – particularly when the operating airline isn’t the airline with my profile/food requests. The last time I packed 4 bags of nut/fruit mix just in case. Thankfully, I only ended up using one. I am only consoled by the fact that nearly no one likes their airline food regardless of dietary needs.
Cadry
I’m so glad it’s useful, James! That’s a good point that no one is excited about airplane meals – regardless of diet. As often as you travel, I hope this round-up will come in handy for many trips to come!
WendyHT
Great post!! Thank you. I wonder if the airlines would accept hummus spread on celery sticks? I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in early May 2017 and use only diet and exercise to manage my blood glucose levels. Fall was suddenly a challenge, because in addition to bread and corn being off limits, lentils and root veggies also caused my blood glucose to spike WAY up. Celery and cucumber have become my bread substitute. My “go to” lunch is homemade black bean hummus with c/c/c (raw carrot, 3″ cucumber, 1 stick celery), as my blood glucose levels are always within a good range when I’ve had that. So, when I spend a day travelling locally to teach my harp students and singing students, I just keep these items on hand, with a few almonds and apple slices for a snack on the return drive. But I’d like to be a bit more adventurous! Ditto for when I travel across Canada to teach Educational and Specialized Kinesiology classes! So, I’ll be checking out some of your recipes from this post – even if I have to put the on celery and cucumber ;-)). Yours in Gratitude
Cadry
That’s a great question, Wendy! It seems like it would be fine, but I imagine it would depend on the TSA agent if they’d allow hummus on celery to pass through. I had friends who took a vegan cheesecake slice through security in Chicago, and I was worried it wouldn’t pass since cheesecake is basically a paste. However, they got it through without a problem. And I flew out of LAX once with pasta lightly covered in spaghetti sauce in a thermos, and they did let me through with it. Although, spaghetti sauce is recommended against, and they did give it a thorough look over. But then I had a different friend who was forced to throw away Miyoko’s vegan cheese. So I guess if you brought along some other things as well, you could take your chances on the celery with hummus. It’s too bad that we have to worry about these things! I’m glad you’re finding ways of managing your type 2 diabetes. I hope you continue to find options that work for you!
Nicole Dawson
So many great ideas Cadry. I always carry vegan snacks (like jerky and bars) but never think about making food to bring with.
Cadry
Thanks, Nicole! It’s always good to be prepared. 😀
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
I always try to be prepared since like you said, some airports have very few vegan options. LGB (Long Beach, CA) has a nice salad bar. I like the options you provided.
Cadry
That’s great that LGB has a nice salad bar. I always really appreciate it when there are some vegan options in airports, since you’re sometimes stuck there for longer than you’d planned. Plus, it’s not as if you can easily leave and go elsewhere for options.
Don
Wow, these are fantastic ideas for my lunches in the truck I drive daily in KC for our food bank. Great thing is that I don’t have to worry about security or special rules! I make my own rules in my truck 🙂
Thank you.
Cadry
Oh, that’s terrific, Don! I hadn’t thought about that angle. I’m glad this round-up will be useful for you!
Susan
I’ve done a lot of long trips, often with no vegan options on the plane. I pack a tonne of assorted snack bars and jerkies, nuts, noodle and oat cups (most planes will have hot water you can use to fill them), as well as a sandwich or pastry and some fruit or veggies, but I have to make sure I eat them before the plane lands.
Cadry
What great ideas, Susan! I’m going to add those noodle & oat cups to the list. Very smart!
Mary Ellen | VNutrition
This is so awesome Cadry! I didn’t think about foods that resemble pastes follow the same liquid guidelines! Good to know!
I love all of your suggestions, I never thought to made sandwich ahead of time – totally doing that next time!
Cadry
Thanks, Mary Ellen! For a mode of transportation that basically involves being a passenger, flying always takes a lot out of me! It’s good to prepared with plenty of fuel for the day.
Jasmin / VeeatCookBake
So many great ideas. Thank you for this. I didn’t know we can bring homemade good food onto plane. That would be perfect. We will fly often from US to Germany. Thank you. Thank you
Cadry
I’m so glad this post was helpful! You’ll be much happier on a long haul flight like one from the US to Germany with some good, homemade food in your carry-on. Safe travels!
Barb
Great tips! I have 3 trips coming up in the next 2 months (NYC, Houston, and France/Switzerland) so I might be utilizing some of these ideas for sure 🙂
Cadry
Oh, my goodness! Lucky you! Those sound like some amazing adventures. I can’t wait to read all about them on your blog.
Mel | avirtualvegan.com
Good timing as I’m flying to the conference next week. I have to arrive at my local airport at 2.30am and nothing opens until 5am when my first flight leaves. I wont even be able to get a coffee. I will be bringing snacks though as no-one wants a hangry me on the plane. I have ordered a vegan meal but who knows what it will be!!!
Cadry
Yikes! That really is the crack of dawn. From your Instagram Stories, it looked like the airline did a fair job of keeping you well fed at least!
Katherine D Emerson
All these ideas are awesome BUT what about keeping the food cold until you eat it? You haven’t mentioned food safety as regards keeping the foods at safe temperatures. Do you pack all your ingredients and foods in with ice packs or how to keep them cold? This is an important consideration. Thank you.
Cadry
Hi Katherine,
I’ve added a section on how to keep foods cold for a plane at the end of this post. I hope it’s helpful!
Katherine D Emerson
That’s awesome additional information!! Thanks so much 🙂
Sarah
I love all these tips and great sandwich ideas! I’ve got some long plane rides coming up in the next couple of months so I will keep these ideas close by when I’m preparing for the trips. Thanks!
Cadry
That’s great, Sarah! Safe travels!
Katherine Emerson
Those are ALL great ideas BUT what about keeping the food safe? You can’t pack all this stuff in a bag and leave it for hours on end, until you have boarded and decide to eat. What are you using to keep the food at a safe temperature (below 40 °F)?? Food should be stored below 40 °F and consumed within two hours. Are you packing the food in ice packs or how are you transporting it and storing it until you eat it?? Thank you.
(I posted this question earlier and it seems to have disappeared but I think this is an important consderation and something many of us would be concerned about and love to learn about for these food items) 🙂
Sarah De la Cruz
These are such great ideas Cadry! We tend to eat on the go often, even if we’re not traveling by plane, so these tips and recipes will come in handy!!! Especially with a kiddo with allergies, it is key for us to pack our own safe foods!
Cadry
Thanks, Sarah! I can only imagine how important it is to always be prepared with the combination of kids plus food allergies.
Shell
There are so many great ideas in this post! We like to use Pack-its to keep school lunches cold and I’ve always wondered if I could bring one on a plane. It sounds like as long as it is frozen I would be ok. When we travel as a family, we always manage to get pulled aside for one reason or another, so it wouldn’t be anything new if they stopped me for my Pack-it.
Cadry
Aw, that’s too bad that you always get pulled aside for one reason or another. It adds an extra layer of travel stress trying to do everything right & quickly as you head through the line. I can only imagine how much more stressful that must be with two kids! I recently got the TSA pre-check, so that I can go through the expedited line and don’t have to remove shoes or liquids from my bag. It’s so much faster & a lot less stressful!
Cap'n Dave
This November will be the first time I’ve flown commercially since 9-11. I’ll be heading up to Sea-Tac from San Francisco – not a long trip, but of course, you have to show up X amount of time before the flight, and the departure may be delayed, and then de-planing (and the drive to my folks in Olympia), so what should only be a 2½-hour adventure is likely to take closer to 5 or more.
I’ll definitely be heeding your advice here! I’m thinking a TLT (tempeh, lettuce, and tomato) with my “N’egg Salad” and a bag of chips, but my question to you is concerning unprepared food that can be brought along.
This will be a trip for Thanksgiving, and I’m the only vegan in my family. There’s a market nearby my parents’ home that has SOME items I’ll be needing, as well as a Trader Joe’s, but that’s about it. Do you think that bringing something like a frozen Tofurky Holiday Roast, for example (sealed in original packaging, of course), would get through TSA screening?
Cadry
Yes, it seems like there’s no such thing as a short trip anymore, especially around the holidays. You won’t have any problem at all bringing on a Tofurky roast. The only things to worry about are liquids, pastes, and gels. A holiday roast isn’t any of those things, so you’ll be fine. Safe travels, Cap’n Dave!
Donald
Um… You can’t get through security with food. You have the option to buy once through security only.
Cadry
Good news, Donald! You 100% CAN get through security with food – as long as it doesn’t break any of the liquid/paste rules, as I mentioned in this post. Here’s more information on the specifics around food on the TSA website. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/food
Cap'n Dave
It depends on what that food is and how much. I checked with the TSA and they were perfectly fine with some things and said no-go on others.