What To Take On The Ultimate Vegan Picnic
Vegan Sandwiches, Wraps, Crisps, and even a Vegan Mezze Board
As lockdown regulations start to ease in the UK and we enter the lovely spring weather, it’s time to dust off your picnic baskets and roll out your blankets for picnic season!
A picnic is a perfect way to reunite with friends and family post-lockdown whilst socially distancing and enjoying the gorgeous weather.
As far as picnics go, what are the essentials that you need for the ultimate vegan picnic? Let’s dive in!
Sandwiches
The quintessential picnic staple.
There are hundreds of sandwich fillings perfect for a spring or summer picnic but if you’re vegan the options can be limited but not to worry, we’ve picked out some of the best plant-based sandwich fillings for your ultimate vegan picnic experience.
Fake "BLT"
A vegan-friendly version of a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, featuring Tofurky’s Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh Strips.
These tempeh strips are tofu’s weird cousin, a plant-based alternative to bacon, that pairs perfectly with lettuce and tomatoes – and vegan mayo! – for a classic vegan-friendly BLT sandwich.
Really it should be called an ‘FLT’, since it’s ‘fakeon’ and not bacon we are using!
Ultimate Vegan Rainbow Sandwich
This colourful – and healthy – vegan sandwich is packed full of plant-based goodness.
Using smashed avocado, fresh tomato slices, grated carrot, yellow peppers and chopped red onion you are getting almost every colour of the rainbow in a deliciously nutritious sandwich.
Leave it completely plant-based or add in an optional extra like Quorn’s Vegan Chicken-Free slices.
Beetroot Salad Wrap
For a fresh vegan wrap look no further than our beetroot salad vegan wrap.
Grab a large flour tortilla wrap and spread a tablespoon – or two! – of Sacla’s vegan pesto.
Add some slices of beetroot, tomatoes and cucumber and your favourite salad leaves (I like rocket in my wraps), wrap it all up and enjoy.
For more vegan-friendly sandwich ideas check out our friend’s at The Vegan Society’s post on the best vegan sandwich fillings!
Mini Vegan BBQ Ideas
Taking a mini disposable bbq to your picnic? We’ve got you covered!
Skewers
This Isn’t Chicken Plant-Based Lemon & Herb Skewers are a plant-based alternative to chicken made from soy and pea protein on a kebab with peppers and onions marinated in a lemon and herb dressing. Great for cooking on the bbq.
Vegan Halloumi
Grilled vegan halloumi is the ideal accompaniment to a crispy side salad or mezze board – more on that later!
Violife’s Mediterranean Style Grill Me is the ultimate vegan alternative to halloumi and tastes great when grilled or bbq’ed.
Side thought: How do you stop halloumi (or vegan halloumi) from sticking to the bbq?
Top Tip – cut the cheese into thicker pieces to stop them from sliding down the grill slats.
Additionally, you can pop the vegan squeaky cheese into a small tin foil parcel and place it on the bbq to cook!
Spicy Corn On The Cob
We couldn’t recommend bbq food without mentioning corn-on-the-cob.
To spice up your corn-on-the-cob, drizzle a dash of olive oil and sprinkle over some mixed spices and chilli flakes. Wrap your cob in a tin foil parcel and grill on your bbq for 10-15 mins. Job done!
Snacks
Besides sandwiches, every picnic needs a selection of snacks!
Sausage Rolls
You can’t go wrong with a sausage roll at a picnic. Luckily, there are loads of vegan sausage rolls on the market right now!
Walls’ Vegan Jumbo Sausage Roll has been carefully crafted using meat-free mince and oats for a distinctive sausage roll taste.
Aldi has their own Vegan BBQ Jackfruit Jumbo Roll which offers up a pulled-pork-like texture using jackfruit and hickory-smoked BBQ sauce for a delicious summery picnic snack.
Wicked Kitchen’s All The Rage Rolls are a seasoned soya-based protein with kale and white mushrooms packed inside puff pastry and topped with black onion seeds to deliver a plant-based alternative to the classic sausage roll.
Crisps
Nothing says snacking in the sun like indulging in a share-size bag of crisps with your friends.
With help from the experts at Bosh!, Kettle Chips created the delicious ‘Sheese’ & Red Onion Vegan Hand-Cooked crisps which are completely plant-based.
Not only are these crisps vegan and vegetarian friendly but they’re also gluten-free!
Eat Real’s Kale, Tomato, Spinach & Potato Veggie Straws are nutritional, vegan and gluten-free. A light – yet crunchy – crisp that goes well with a nice houmous.
Fancy something a little different? Nudie Snacks’ Cauliflower Crisps are the perfect light bite for a picnic. The Nudie Snacks Katsu Curry crips are packed full of flavour and are made with 40% fresh cauliflower!
Vegan Mezze Board
What would a picnic be without an array of cheeses, meats, veggies and crackers to snack on? Here are some ideas for a vegan mezze board that would steal the spotlight at your ultimate vegan picnic!
Vegan Chesse
First up, everyone’s favourite – vegan cheese!
The vegan cheese market has exploded recently with some fantastic morsels that we couldn’t overlook as part of a vegan cheese board or mezze board.
Kinda Co.’s Cranberry block is a creamy and mild vegan cheese that has a slightly tangy cashew base with sweet cranberries.
Also from Kinda Co. is the Sour Creme + Chive Spread which is a smooth, plant-based cheese spread perfect for topping a cracker or with vegetables.
Palace Culture’s Old West Smokey is a semi-soft cheese that is similar to a cheddar style but smoked in whisky oak. Made using cashews and Cornish sea salt, this creamy vegan cheese is definitely a stand-out on any cheese board with its rich and strong smokey chipotle chilli flavour.
Violife offers up some incredible vegan cheeses that complete the cheese portion of our vegan mezze board.
Their Epic Mature Cheddar Flavour Block is great for cutting into cubes and enjoying alongside crackers, veggies and hummus. Deliciously crumbly and 100% vegan.
The Violife Slices with Tomato and Basil deliver a fresh Mediterranean twist which is ideal for a nice spring or summer picnic vibe.
Finally, the Violife Creamy with Hot Peppers packs a punch that will spice up your mezze platter, perfect for spreading on crackers.
Vegan "Meat" Pieces
Squeaky Bean’s Tikka Marinated Pieces are tasty and ready-to-eat plant-based chicken alternatives that are a great sidekick in our vegan mezze board.
Made from wheat and pea protein, they are 100% vegan.
Quorn’s Vegan Pepperoni Slices pair great with cheese and are rich in a smokey flavour that sits excellently in our vegan mezze board.
Crackers
What would a mezze board be without crackers for your delicious vegan cheese?
Asda’s Rosemary Crackers are crisp and savoury and are excellent with vegan cheese and meat alternatives.
Also from Asda are these Salt and Pepper crackers that offer a deliciously savoury and crisp base for your vegan cheeses.
Both of these crackers are entirely vegan-friendly.
Falafel
Cauldron’s Vegan Moroccan Falafels fit perfectly in sharing platters and a vegan picnic mezze board and are full of flavours from chickpeas, agave, apricots and a touch of chilli and spices.
Gosh’s Beetroot Falafel with red pepper and chilli brings a unique flavour full of lively spices and chickpeas to our vegan mezze board.
Perfect for sharing!
Houmous
Finally, what would a mezze board be without some houmous?
Sainsbury’s So Organic Houmous is rich and creamy and vegan-friendly.
For a little twist on flavour, Tesco’s Caramelised Onion Houmous offers a blend of caramelised onion for a fresh addition to our vegan mezze board.
If you’re looking for something with a hint of sweetness then Asda’s Red Pepper Houmous may be more your style. Featuring red peppers, this vegan houmous packs a sweeter flavour perfect with veggies.
Don’t forget to take some peppers, carrots, cucumber and your favourite fruits!
Sweet Treats
After enjoying a range of savoury food, there is nothing better than indulging in a sweet treat as you relax in the sun (we are being optimistic here!).
Check out our article on The Top 10 UK Sweets You Will Be Surprised Are Vegan that features some iconic favourites for any vegan with a sweet tooth such as Skittles and Starburst which are a fab addition to our ultimate vegan picnic.
If you’d prefer chocolate then look no further!
Vegan Chocolate
NOMO’s creamy vegan chocolate is perfect for chocolate lovers living a vegan lifestyle. With no dairy, gluten, eggs or nuts, NOMO chocolate offers a solution for all chocolate lovers.
Their creamy choc bar is definitely one to share with your friends – that’s if you can resist eating the entire bar yourself!
Raw Halo’s Mylk & Vanilla Organic Raw Chocolate is 100% Organic, Vegan, Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free. Ethically sourced and perfect for sharing! With a hint of vanilla and deliciously creamy, this chocolate is ideal for snacking on in the sun.
Galaxy Vegan Crumbled Cookie Chocolate is perfect for sharing with friends and is deliciously vegan. Made with rich cocoa, cookie crumble pieces and a smooth and creamy hazelnut paste.
This chocolate is made to a vegan recipe and has been regarded as vegan-friendly by The Vegan Society but is not suitable for those with a milk allergy as it is manufactured in a facility that uses milk.
Drinks
Finally, you’ll need something to drink whilst you indulge in your incredible vegan picnic!
If you’re like me and quite like something fruity and healthy when out in the sun then a smoothie may be the perfect drink for your vegan picnic.
Innocent has a whole range of smoothies and super-juices that are vegan friendly.
One, in particular, is the mangoes, passionfruits and apples smoothie. A tropical blend of fruits that screams ‘summer!’ Zesty, fresh and delicious.
If you like having a cheeky beer when having a picnic then Brewdog’s Vagabond Pale Ale is the one for you. Not only does it have a fun blend of citrus and tropical hop flavours with a light caramel malt base but it is also vegan friendly and gluten-free!
If beer is not your thing then grab yourself a mini prosecco and a splash of fresh orange juice for the ultimate refreshing, fizzy and summery mimosa.
I hope this has given you some inspiration for what you can take on the ultimate vegan picnic when lockdown regulations ease up and we can all enjoy each other’s company in the sun again.
Is there anything in this list that we’ve missed that you think is the perfect addition to the ultimate vegan picnic? Let us know!
Looking for some other ideas to enjoy food in the summer? Check out this post.
RELATED POST: Best Vegan & Allergy Friendly BBQ Ideas
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