The Most Vegan-Friendly Airline In The World Offers Over 300 Impressive Options

Airlines are far from perfect, but surprisingly, some of them have been stepping up their game when it comes to giving passengers what they want — or at least making them forget about all the ways flying can be miserable. United Airlines, for instance, is modernizing in-flight tech with seatback TVs and free Wi-Fi. Southwest, on the other hand, wins over passengers with big seats, simple rules, and tons of nonstop flights. And then there's Emirates, proving that miracles do happen by excelling at something airlines usually fail at: airplane food. Specifically, vegan airplane food.

Everyone and their mother know that most in-flight meals are an insult to taste buds. Even Gordon Ramsay, who's literally designed menus for airlines, refuses to eat airplane food. Now imagine how much harder it is for vegans, whose options are usually some variation of a sad piece of fruit and a mystery grain. But Emirates is determined to change that. In January 2025, the Dubai-based airline announced a massive upgrade to its vegan menu, collaborating with top chefs to create plant-based dishes that even non-vegans might actually want to eat. "Emirates continues to expand its portfolio of vegan cuisine by workshopping new dishes made with innovative ingredients, such as a lookalike solid egg substitute made entirely from legumes, which packs a tasty and nutritional punch for Emirates customers, as well as adding curated vegan meals for children, and new dishes onboard and in lounges," they said in a press release.

They've nearly doubled their plant-based offerings — from 180 dishes in 2022 to over 300, served on rotation across 140 destinations. And the best part? This expanded menu is available across all classes. Who knows, maybe one day, airplane food won't just be tolerable — it might actually be good.

Emirates is rolling out its biggest vegan menu yet in 2025, but the airline has actually been catering to plant-based passengers since the 1990s — just on a much smaller scale and limited to select routes. Now, it's taking things up a notch, aiming to expand its vegan offerings across all routes and cabins. Yes, that means even economy passengers get in on the action.

In Economy, travelers can dig into dishes like sautéed carrots and peppers, mushrooms with tomato concassé, and curried vegetable puffs. Premium Economy steps it up with braised mushrooms and a raspberry tonka mousse cake drizzled with berry coulis. Business Class? Expect even fancier plant-based plates like Thai red curry tofu, chocolate pecan cake, and tropical coconut pineapple cake. And for those in First Class, the menu gets downright indulgent, featuring aubergine curry, creamy polenta cake, sautéed spinach, and rich chocolate fondant. Even kids with vegan dietary needs aren't left out — they can enjoy options like vegan pizza, sweet and sour vegetable casserole, vegetable fajitas, cauliflower bites, and vegan muffins. Oh, and if snacks are on offer during your flight, you can also get your hands on treats like fruit muffins, chocolate pecan cake, and raspberry tonka cake.

To pull this off, Emirates says it sources ingredients from across the globe — plant-based proteins from California, vegan curry paste from Thailand, and almond milk from Italy, to name a few. Vegan meals can be pre-ordered up to 24 hours before your flight or snagged onboard. And if you have lounge access? You'll find vegan options there, too.