Vegan Camping Meals: Easy Plant-Based Recipes for One or Two Burners

You can eat brilliantly on a vegan camping trip with nothing more than a single gas burner, a tin opener and a store cupboard of dried and tinned staples. Tinned pulses, dried lentils, UHT plant milk, instant noodles and couscous do most of the heavy lifting, and none of it needs a fridge. The trick is to cook things that boil, simmer or scramble in one pan, and to pack enough protein, fat and calories to keep an active body going.

This guide sticks to real, doable plant-based recipes grouped by meal, with short ingredient lists and quick methods you can actually follow at a pitch. For fire technique, pans and heat control, read our guide to campfire cooking essentials first, then come back here for what to put in the pot.

It comes from Camping Sites in Britain, where you can find and compare campsites, caravan parks and glamping across the UK. If you eat vegetarian rather than strictly vegan, or you are cooking around a gluten allergy, we have separate guides linked further down.

The vegan camp store cupboard

Get the shopping right and every meal below falls into place. These are the items that keep without a cool box, pack small and turn into dinner fast.

• Tinned pulses and beans: chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, cannellini and lentils. Ready to eat, full of protein, and the base of most one-pot dinners.
• Dried red lentils: they cook in 15 to 20 minutes with no soaking, so they are the fastest fresh protein you can carry.
• UHT plant milk: long-life oat, soya or almond in a carton needs no fridge until opened. Soya has the most protein.
• Instant noodles and couscous: both just need boiling water and a lid, which makes them the quickest hot meal on the site.
• Nutritional yeast: a cheesy, savoury flake that lifts pasta, scrambles and soups, and adds B vitamins.
• Nuts, seeds and nut butter: dense calories and protein that survive a rucksack. Peanut butter doubles as a sauce base.
• Firm tofu: vacuum packs keep for weeks unopened and give you a proper protein hit for scrambles and stir-fries.
• Flavour: stock cubes, curry paste, tinned tomatoes, tinned coconut milk, garlic, an onion or two, and your favourite spices.

With that box packed, you are cooking real food rather than surviving on crisps. If you would rather build meals ahead of time and portion them out, our guide to how to make your own camping meals covers dehydrating, jars and packing.

Vegan camping breakfasts

Breakfast should be quick, warm and filling, and every one of these works on a single burner or needs no cooking at all.

Overnight oats

The night before, half fill a jar or lidded cup with porridge oats, top with UHT plant milk to cover, add a spoon of chia seeds, jam or peanut butter, and leave it sealed overnight. No cooking, no washing up, and it is ready when you crawl out of the tent.

Tofu scramble

Crumble half a block of firm tofu into a hot oiled pan, add a big pinch of turmeric for colour, a spoon of nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, and fry for four or five minutes. Throw in a handful of spinach or a chopped tomato near the end. It is the closest plant-based thing to scrambled eggs and packs proper protein.

Beans on toast

A tin of baked beans warmed in a pan over toast is vegan as standard, quick, cheap and reliable in any weather. Add a shake of chilli or some sliced mushrooms if you want to make more of it.

Fruit and nut porridge

Simmer oats in UHT plant milk for three or four minutes, stir through a handful of raisins or a chopped banana, and finish with nuts, seeds and a drizzle of maple syrup or peanut butter. Warming, filling and full of slow-release energy for a day on the trail.

Vegan camping lunches

Lunch on a trip is usually eaten cold, at a viewpoint or a bench, so these travel well and need little or no heat.

Hummus and roasted veg wraps

Spread a tortilla with hummus, add roasted peppers or courgette from a jar, a handful of rocket or grated carrot, and roll it tight. Hummus keeps a day or two out of the cool box and gives you chickpea protein without any cooking.

Couscous salad

Pour boiling water over couscous in a bowl, cover for five minutes, then fork through a tin of chickpeas, chopped cucumber, tomato, lemon juice and olive oil. It needs no pan and no fridge, and it is ready before your brew is cool enough to drink.

Peanut noodle pots

Cook a block of instant or rice noodles, drain, and stir through a sauce of peanut butter loosened with a splash of hot water, soy sauce and a squeeze of lime. Add frozen peas or shredded veg if you have them. Good hot at lunch or packed cold for later.

One-pot vegan dinners

These are the workhorses: everything goes in one pan, so you cook and wash up with minimal fuss on one or two burners. Here is how they compare for effort and store-cupboard friendliness.

Dinner	Cook time	Main protein	Fridge needed?
Red lentil dal	20 to 25 min	Dried red lentils	No
Chickpea and veg curry	20 min	Tinned chickpeas	No
Chilli sin carne	20 min	Tinned beans	No
Tomato veg pasta	15 min	Pasta and beans	No
Coconut noodle broth	12 min	Tofu and noodles	Tofu only

Red lentil dal

Fry an onion and a spoon of curry paste, add a mug of dried red lentils and two to three mugs of water with a stock cube, then simmer for 20 minutes until soft and thick. Finish with a squeeze of lemon. Cheap, filling and one of the best sources of hot protein you can carry dry.

Chickpea and veg curry

Soften an onion, stir in curry paste, then add a tin of chickpeas, a tin of chopped tomatoes and any veg you have. Simmer for 15 minutes and serve with rice or flatbread. A tin of coconut milk instead of tomatoes makes it richer.

Chilli sin carne

Fry onion and garlic, add a tin of kidney beans, a tin of black beans, a tin of tomatoes, chilli powder and cumin, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Two tins of beans give you a genuinely hearty, protein-heavy dinner with no need for a mince substitute.

Tomato veg pasta

Cook pasta, and in the last few minutes stir a tin of tomatoes, some garlic and a handful of frozen or tinned veg through it. A spoon of nutritional yeast and a tin of cannellini beans turn a plain bowl of pasta into a proper meal.

Coconut noodle broth

Simmer a tin of coconut milk with a mug of water, a spoon of curry paste and a stock cube, add cubed tofu and any veg, then drop in noodles for the last three minutes. Light, warming and quick, and ideal on a cold evening when you want something soupy.

Snacks and puddings

Snacks matter more when you are active, because they keep the calories and energy topped up between meals.

• Trail mix: nuts, seeds, raisins and a few chunks of dark chocolate. Dense, packable calories that need no cooking and never spoil.
• Dark chocolate and fruit: most dark chocolate is dairy-free, and an apple or a handful of dates alongside makes an easy pudding.
• Toasted vegan marshmallows: many supermarket marshmallows are now made without gelatine, so a bag by the fire is fair game. Check the packet for gelatine before you buy.

For more campfire treats and cooking ideas across diets, our guide to vegetarian campfire recipes has plenty that happen to be vegan or easily made so.

Getting enough protein, calories and B12

An active camping trip burns more than a day at home, so you need to eat more, not less. Aim to build every main meal around a protein: tofu, beans, lentils, chickpeas or nuts. Two tins of beans in a chilli, or a mug of red lentils in a dal, will keep you full and steady far better than plain rice or pasta on their own.

Calories come easily from fat, so lean on nut butter, olive oil, nuts, seeds and coconut milk. They pack small, survive a rucksack and turn a thin meal into a filling one. A spoon of peanut butter stirred into porridge or noodles is one of the simplest ways to bump up the energy in a dish.

The one nutrient a vegan diet cannot reliably provide from food is vitamin B12, which is why the NHS advises vegans to get it from fortified foods or a daily supplement (NHS, the vegan diet). Pack your usual supplement, and choose fortified plant milks and nutritional yeast where you can. A trip is no time to skip it.

Where to cook it all

All of this works on a two-ring stove at a serviced pitch or a single burner on a wild spot. If you want somewhere with a proper picnic bench and space to cook comfortably, browse and compare sites through the Camping Sites in Britain directory and filter for the facilities you need.

Cooking around a gluten allergy as well? Our guide to gluten-free camping meals covers the swaps, since couscous, standard noodles and wraps are off the menu there.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest vegan camping meal?

A chilli sin carne is hard to beat: fry an onion, tip in two tins of beans and a tin of tomatoes with chilli and cumin, and simmer for 20 minutes. One pan, no fridge, and plenty of protein for an active day.

How do vegans get enough protein while camping?

Build every meal around tinned beans, dried lentils, chickpeas, tofu or nuts. Two tins of beans in a dinner, a block of tofu at breakfast, or a mug of red lentils in a dal all deliver serious protein with no fridge required.

Do I need a cool box for vegan camping food?

Not for most of it. Tinned pulses, dried lentils, UHT plant milk, couscous, noodles, nuts and jarred veg all keep at room temperature. Only fresh tofu, opened plant milk and any fresh produce need a cool box.

Should I take a B12 supplement camping?

Yes. Vitamin B12 is the one nutrient a vegan diet cannot reliably get from food, and the NHS advises fortified foods or a daily supplement. Pack your usual supplement so a few days away does not break the habit.

Can I make vegan camping meals on a single burner?

Easily. Dal, curry, chilli, tomato pasta and coconut broth all cook in one pot, and overnight oats, couscous salad and wraps need no heat at all. One ring is plenty for a week of good food.

Are marshmallows vegan?

Standard marshmallows contain gelatine, which is not vegan, but several UK supermarkets now sell gelatine-free versions that toast just as well. Check the ingredients on the packet before you buy.

The short version

Vegan camping food is genuinely easy once your box holds tinned beans, dried lentils, UHT plant milk, couscous and noodles. Cook one-pot dals, curries and chillis for dinner, keep breakfasts and lunches simple, and pack your B12 and plenty of calories for an active trip. For the fire skills and pans behind it all, head back to our guide to campfire cooking essentials.