15 Simple Vegan Picnic Ideas – Become a Plant-Based Picnic Pro!

Last updated on December 4th, 2023

When I was looking online for the best vegan picnic ideas most of what I found were recipes and some fairly creative and complex ones at that.

Now, I don’t know if you’re like me, but having a picnic doesn’t mean spending hours before the outing preparing, cooking and packing an array of artsy and inspirational food to take with me.

There are some incredible-looking ideas out there and my shopping list is a lot longer this week. But, those recipes are for when I fancy putting in some effort and having a treat at home, not for my picnic.

So, this list is different from most.

You’ll find 15 simple vegan picnic ideas that you can easily throw together or eat just as they are. All you’ll need is plenty of food containers.

This may seem like a straightforward one, but hummus can do a million jobs. You can pick up an 80-pence tub and jazz it up with some chilli flakes or coriander and then you’ve got a fancy pants hummus for all your dipping needs.

Or if you want an even easier option you can buy all sorts of flavoured hummus: red pepper, smoked, caramelized onion, lemon and coriander, carrot and ginger, Moroccan style and the list goes on….and on.

So, once you’ve got some hummus you just need something for dipping. Pita bread, a crunchy baguette, carrots, peppers, celery, crackers, bread sticks, falafels, your fingers, or whatever you think goes with hummus.

If you want both simplicity and swank then you can get creative with toothpicks.

What can you put on them? Whatever you like!

But if you’re feeling uninspired here’s a bunch of ideas you just need to mix and match to make different delicious combinations.

• Vegan cheese
• Pineapple
• Olives
• Red and yellow peppers
• Grapes
• Cucumber
• Watermelon
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Seitan
• Tomato

There are no cocktail stick police, go wild!

Avocados are so simple, yet versatile. You can either just throw it in your picnic bag as it is, don’t forget to bring some kind of knife though, or you can make a dip and bring it along on your picnic. I usually mush up the avocado, add a little lemon juice, olive oil and a sprinkle of chilli flakes. Then I can spread it on a sandwich or use it as a dip.

Well, well, well, who doesn’t want a sandwich while picnicking?

Sandwiches can go from 1 to 100% effort just depending on what you’re after. So many people seem to struggle with how to make a good vegan sandwich once they make the change.

Well, I’m here to tell you… it’s all good! Vegan sandwiches can be as good as any, with an ounce of imagination.

If you’re into mock meats and cheeses then just throw a couple of slices of sandwich meat and vegan cheese like this Applewood in between a couple of slices of bread and add a little salad, like tomato, cucumber and lettuce and ta-da you have, one vegan sandwich.

And don’t worry if you’re a sauce fiend, like me, there are loads of great vegan sauces available including Hellmann’s vegan mayo.

But, if you’re not a fan of fake meats and cheeses, no problem either, sandwiches still don’t need to be a thing of the past.

You can use tofu, tempeh, seitan, avocado, chickpeas, jackfruit or mushrooms as your main filling. Then there’s a whole world of salad ingredients and finally add some vegan coleslaw, potato salad, hummus or guacamole to top it off.

I think sweetcorn is often overlooked. It’s a very simple food that packs so much flavour and because of the sweetness, it’s usually a popular choice for kids. So whether you want to go with corn on the cob or make a light sweetcorn salad it’s a simple but get vegan picnic idea.

If you’re going to bring along your hummus, avocado dip and any other dip you can get your hands on then you’ll need something crunchy to go scoop out that goodness. You can either make homemade nachos using tortillas (a certain fav of mine) or if you want the simple option for your vegan picnic you can grab a bag when you’re shopping. There are loads of vegan flavours, I even found some cheese ones recently.

There are so many options available when it comes to vegan sausages these days. There are several really great brands of both sausage rolls and cocktail sausages that you can pick up in most supermarkets in the UK. You’ve got the option to either buy ones you cook at home or just pick up some ready-to-eat ones.

Vegan coleslaw and potato salad certainly have their place in a vegan picnic. They can go on your sandwich, next to your sandwich, on your salad, next to your salad. You can dip things in them, or if you’re like me….eat them by the forkful.

Bean mix is quite a loose term. You can have a bean mix that comes in the form of refried beans and is perfect for dipping nachos or you can create a simple mixed bean salad by throwing a few of your favourite beans into a tub, adding some seasoning and mixing it together. However, you choose to do it, getting a selection of different beans, mixing them together and adding some extra flavour is a great idea for a vegan picnic.

I’m a big fan of vegetable rice, and I find that Mexican rice often has the most flavour. This can taste great hot or cold. So, you can either premake a big batch of rice and veggies or if you want to make the job super simple you can just go with a microwave bag of rice, there are so many types to choose from.

Cold pasta is almost as good as warm pasta, so that’s why it’s a winner for me at a picnic. You can either pick it up ready to eat from the deli bar in the supermarket or you can cook up a batch of it, eat it for dinner and bring the leftovers to your vegan picnic the next day.

Falafels are another very versatile option for a vegan picnic snack. They go with so many things. They go with rice, on the side of salad or dipped in anything you fancy. They’re filling and really easy to get your hands on. Most supermarkets near me sell packs of falafels ready to eat for only a couple of quid.

This is one of my favourite snacks whether I’m picnicking or not. It’s so easy to throw some dates, figs and dried apricots together. You end up with a sweet, delicious and healthy snack. Very easy to take to a picnic and is popular among vegans.

Dried fruit is great but fresh fruit is so refreshing. Again, there are no rules, chop your favourite fruits into pieces and mix them together. It’s that easy, and who doesn’t love a selection of fresh fruit mixed together?

Well, I say cupcakes because they’re often a favourite, but any and all vegan sweet treats go down well. Cupcakes, brownies, muffins, granola bars, cookies, doughnuts, anything your heart desires.

Don’t forget plenty of stuff for dipping. It’s easy to come up with ideas because the choices are endless: pita bread, bread rolls, crackers, bread sticks, nachos, carrots, celery, peppers, anything you can get your hands on.

I hope you found loads of great ideas that will make picnicking simple and stress-free so you can just enjoy some chilled-out time sitting around in nature all day taking in nature.

I love making your vegan life that bit easier. Here are a couple of other posts you might enjoy:

• Is Pasta Vegan? All You Need To Know To Find Vegan Pasta
• Best Vegan and Cruelty-Free Mascara for Volumising!

---

Meet the Author

Meet Sinead O’Carroll: Vegan explorer, sustainability advocate and the founder of The Wondering Wandering Vegan. Embracing veganism since 2018 and vegetarianism since 2005, Sinead is armed with a Vegan Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle qualification, and is on a mission to share her passion for cruelty-free living. 

With a taste for adventure and a heart for eco-conscious choices, she’s here to prove that vegans never miss out on flavour, fun or style. Join her in enjoying the delights of a vegan-friendly world! 🌱✈️🌍
Want to know more? Check out Sinead’s About page here.

---

Follow me on Instagram to see all the delicious vegan food I find, the vegan and cruelty-free products I use and what I get up to as a travelling vegan.

Know someone who'd be interested?