Vegan-Friendly Guide to College Tailgating

Posted by Calvin on August 19, 2024

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.

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.

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.

Brownies

Follow the cookie rule here, too—buy or bake brownies without eggs or dairy for a delish game-day dessert. 😋

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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: