News Emirates Airlines’ vegan meal options take flight

Emirates Airlines’ vegan meals just got an upgrade! Discover the expanded plant-based menu and how to request a delicious in-flight meal.

Plant-based frequent fliers, we have good news – Emirates Airlines have introduced vegan meals! With global demand for vegan meals continuing to gain altitude, Emirates Airlines has just launched a significantly expanded menu of plant-based dishes across all cabin classes and airport lounges – making it easier than ever for passengers to enjoy kind and sustainable food on their travels.

According to the airline’s statement: 

“Refined vegan cuisine is an important consideration at Emirates, as numbers of vegan customers continue to rise globally, and many non-vegan customers opt for vegan cuisine when flying, as a lighter option considered easier to digest.”

The Dubai-based carrier also reports that more than 30,000 monthly passengers request dairy-free milk in their coffee and tea after the option was recently introduced to Economy and Premium Economy classes. 

Emirates serves as many as 400,000 vegan meals annually on flights to 140 locations worldwide. Even before the recent expansion, their in-flight menu included more than 300 unique plant-based options. 

“Last year, vegan meal consumption grew in line with passenger volumes, but in some regions, consumption has exceeded passenger volume growth – such as Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.”

And it’s not just passengers who love their vegan meals: Emirates has offered plant-based options for the cabin crew for nearly a decade, and many crew members are reported to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. 

Now, with the airline’s commitment to sustainable dining reaching new heights, passengers and crew alike will have even more vegan options to choose from!

Emirates’ chefs mark Veganuary by introducing Emirates Airlines’ vegan meal

Emirates says their vision for vegan customers centres on “culinary excellence” and the cutting-edge use of “innovative ingredients” in their recipes. 

To celebrate Veganuary in 2025, Emirates’ chefs convened at the Emirates Flight Catering Concept Development Kitchen to experiment with up-and-coming plant-based ingredients and workshop new dishes.

During the event, they developed specially made pastry sheets for a savoury vegan cannelloni and introduced a lookalike vegan egg substitute (made entirely from legumes) to the menu atop a spicy plant-based shakshuka. 

Emirates Airlines also sources a wide range of popular plant-based ingredients from international suppliers, making every meal a round-the-world trip for your tastebuds! 

Some of these ingredients include: 

• Beyond Meat proteins from California 
• Arlene soybean protein from UAE & Singapore 
• Linnolat organic dark vegan chocolate from France 
• Qian Ye tofu from Japan
• Koita almond milk from Italy

The airline also uses fresh produce from the world’s largest hydroponic vertical farm, Bustanica – a joint venture with Emirates Flight Catering that supplies their kitchens with “pesticide and chemical-free leafy greens like lettuce, arugula, mixed salad greens, and spinach”.

A first-class feast for all plant-based travellers (including little ones)

Emirates Airlines first started serving vegan in-flight meals in 2022. Initially, these were only available for passengers travelling in First Class, but by 2023, a 154% increase in demand saw the airline roll out vegan options across all classes. 

“Emirates continues to expand its portfolio of vegan cuisine by workshopping new dishes made with innovative ingredients … as well as adding curated vegan meals for children, and new dishes onboard and in lounges.”

Here’s a taste of the diverse vegan meals now on offer:  

Kids’ Menu

• Vegan pizza
• Cauliflower bites with sweet sauce 
• Sweet and sour vegetable casserole 
• Vegetable fajitas 
• Vegan muffins
• Vegan chocolate pudding 
• Strawberry crumble

Economy Class

• Crepes with sautéed carrots and peppers, roasted potatoes, and tomato concasse
• Curried vegetable puffs
• Chocolate mousse cake with chocolate sauce and blackberry crumble

Premium Economy Class

• Braised mushrooms with five-spice soy sauce, jasmine rice, and pak choi
• Chocolate tart with apricot compote
• Raspberry tonka mousse cake

Business Class 

• Thai red curry tofu with eggplant, beans, mushrooms, taro, and jasmine rice
• Tropical coconut pineapple cake
• Chocolate pecan cake

First Class

• Creamy polenta cake with thyme mushroom ragout and root vegetable jus 
• Eggplant curry with charred rice and turmeric potatoes
• Rhubarb and strawberry charlotte
• Chantilly cream and raspberry tuile
• Warm chocolate fondant with salted caramel sauce and whipped cashew cream

Airport Lounges

• A range of a la carte breakfast options and salads
• Soya and flaxseed burger with a signature sauce and pickled cucumbers
• Baharat and turmeric-spiced koftas in coconut gravy
• Soya and pea protein crispy pops

How to request a vegetarian or vegan meal on Emirates 

Isn’t it amazing to see so many tasty options on the menu? With Emirates’ expanded new range of vegan meals, plant-based dining is officially cleared for take-off.

Travellers can request these mouthwatering vegan meals up to 24 hours before departure for any Emirates Airlines flight. They are also available as main menu options on some high-demand routes. 

(Personally, we think it’s always best to pre-order your meal anyway to ensure a smooth vegan dining experience 😉✈️)

Bon voyage and bon appétit, friends!

Header image: © Emirates