Emirates adds several recipes to "vegan vault"
Emirates' vegan burger
Emirates is meeting global demand for plant-based dining options this “Veganuary” with additions to its existing plant-based menu. Currently, there are more than 300 curated vegan recipes on rotation in all Emirates classes, with the airline noting a 40 percent surge in demand among passengers for plant-based meals.
To meet the growing demand for vegan meal options in 2024, Emirates is adding more dishes to what it calls the “vegan vault”. The airline already added 120 plant-based recipes to its roster in 2023, bringing the number of recipes in the vault from 180 in 2022 to 300.
In 2023, Emirates reportedly served more than 450,000 plant-based meals onboard, an increase from 280,000 plant-based meals in the previous year. The airline also reported that vegan meal consumption has exceeded passenger volume growth in some regions, such as Africa (an additional 4 percent increase), Southeast Asia (an additional five percent increase) and the Middle East (an additional 34 percent increase).
While demand for plant-based meals exists across all airline classes, Emirates saw the biggest increase in consumption of vegan meals in Economy Class. Notably, significant increases occurred on the airline’s routes to China, Japan and the Philippines.
Emirates introduced vegan meals for its cabin crew in 2018, allowing many crew members to embrace a plant-based diet while onboard.
Plant-based recipes for every airline class
Passengers travelling in Emirates’ Economy Class in 2024 can look forward to moreish dishes like chickpea crepes stuffed with carrots, peppers, mushrooms and tomato concasse or textured pumpkin frittata. Tofu tikka masala and chickpea kale stew with parsley pilaf rice will also appear on the menu, along with vegan desserts like coconut mousse with mango compote and banana cake with chocolate crumble.
In Premium Economy Class, Emirates’ passengers will be able to choose from nutritious dishes like jackfruit curry with basmati rice or squash chestnut stew. For dessert, they’ll enjoy chocolate tofu cheesecake or a raspberry parfait with orange compote.
Passengers journeying on Emirates’ Business Class will have access to a variety of elegant vegan dishes this year, including roasted cauliflower with ancient grains, caramelized pear and lovage pesto, or tofu and shitake mushrooms with glass noodles. For dessert, travellers can choose from tropical coconut pineapple cake or chocolate cheesecake with a dark chocolate cigar and strawberry compote.
Those travelling in Emirates’ First Class will receive elevated vegan cuisine such as creamy polenta cake with thyme mushroom ragout and sautéed spinach drizzled in a rich root vegetable jus.
The menu will also feature an aubergine curry with charred rice and turmeric potato, with a hint of coconut and mint chutney. Desserts in First Class will include rhubarb tempered with strawberry charlotte, Chantilly cream and raspberry tuille, or a warm chocolate fondant, dashed with salted caramel sauce and whipped cashew cream.
Vegan menu options to expand throughout 2024
Later this year, Emirates plans to launch an updated selection of vegan main courses, vegan snacks and desserts. The snack selection will feature fruit muffins and vegan pizza, while the updated dessert menu will include chocolate pecan cake, pistachio raspberry and raspberry tonka cake.
Passengers can pre-order vegan menu options for their flight. They can also order directly while travelling in First Class or when in the Emirates Lounges. Vegan meals can be requested in all classes up to 24 hours before departure.
