Vegan-Friendly Guide to College Tailgating
Tailgating outside college sports games is a tried-and-true tradition—but nothing kills the vibe faster than seeing dead animals’ flesh being cooked around you. 😰 Thankfully, there are many vegan foods that match up perfectly with tailgating. Try these tasty options from our vegan tailgating guide:
Lemonade
This timeless drink is part lemons, part sugar, part water, and no parts animal-derived ingredients. 🍋
Dips
Dips for chips, pita bread, veggies, pretzels, and other foods can easily be made vegan. Try vegan dips from Kite Hill, Violife, or Trader Joe’s—or stick with good ol’ hummus.
Chips and Guac
This classic combo is usually already vegan—just make sure your guac doesn’t contain dairy, which comes from cows who were confined, torn away from their babies, and killed once they were no longer seen as “profitable.”
Nachos
Melted vegan cheese on chips? 😍 Yes, please. Any of the brands on our list have vegan cheese choices that work great for nachos.
Sandwiches
Grab some bread—made without eggs or dairy—and any vegan ingredients you like and serve up some savory sandwiches. Vegan turkey or ham and cheese, hummus and veggies, and vegan meatballs and marinara sauce are just a few options.
Grilled Veggies
Grill up some corn, asparagus, and similar veggies for a healthy snack or side.
![Image from Unsplash for the vegan tailgating article](https://www.peta2.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/vegan-tailgating-1-1024x803.jpg)
Chili
Beans, tomatoes, and most other typical chili ingredients are vegan. To help spare cows the cruelty of the dairy industry, just replace any meat with vegan meat and top it off with vegan cheese and nondairy sour cream.
Burgers
Whether they’re made using beans, soy, or veggies, vegan burgers slap hard. Even the most hardcore meat-eaters may be shocked at how good a burger from Beyond Meat or Dr. Praeger’s tastes.
Tacos
If you haven’t tried vegan tacos, you’re missing out. 😩 Don’t let the FOMO get the best of you—put some beans, vegan meat, vegan cheese, salsa, lettuce, and other toppings in a shell and dig in.
![](https://www.peta2.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Tacos-al-pastor.jpg)
Hot Dogs
Vegan sausage + vegan bun + vegan toppings = vegan hot dog heaven. If you want to go all out, channel The Bear by making an authentic vegan Chicago-style hot dog.
Vegan Chicken Wings
Chickens are arguably the most abused animals on the planet—billions are killed for their flesh every year. But you can help save them by swapping out chicken flesh for vegan chicken wings from Daring.
Cookies
Bring some vegan cookies, made without eggs or dairy, to sweeten up your tailgating. Triple-check the ingredients label on any cookies you buy—or make them from scratch by following our sugar cookie recipe.
![](https://www.peta2.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sugar-cookies-1-1024x903.jpg)
Brownies
Follow the cookie rule here, too—buy or bake brownies without eggs or dairy for a delish game-day dessert. 😋
![](https://www.peta2.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Brownie-Sriracha-Peanut-Butter.jpg)
*****
Now you can have an animal-friendly time outside the stadium—but your school’s live-animal mascot may be in distress inside that stadium. Here’s how to help animals avoid the nightmare of being a mascot:
Text peta2 to 30933 for ways to help animals, tips on compassionate living, and more!
![heart illustration](https://www.peta2.com/wp-content/themes/peta2-foundation/assets/img/Hearts@2x.png)
Terms for automated texts/calls from peta2: http://peta.vg/txt. Text STOP to end, HELP for more info. Msg/data rates may apply. U.S. only.