Emirates to Shift Vegan Offerings Away from Plant-Based Meat, Embrace Whole Foods
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During ‘Veganuary,’ Emirates has announced it is developing new concepts for the vegan food offerings both on board and in its lounges to reflect the growing health and wellness trend focused on consuming minimally processed ingredients. The dishes in question will be available to passengers from 2027.
In its 2024 and 2025 Veganuary news releases, Emirates highlighted “plant-based proteins from Beyond Meat in California” and “soybean protein from UAE and Singapore brand Arlene” at the top of its list of “high-quality plant-based products sourced from global suppliers.” But this year, its chefs are steering their attention towards “farm-to-fork” ingredients.
“Instead of replicating meat, we want to draw from cuisines that have always been plant-forward.”
– Doxis Bekris, Emirates
Emirates VP Food & Beverage Design Doxis Bekris explained, “Our focus now is on legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, and seasonal vegetables as the heroes of the plate. These ingredients offer natural depth of flavour, texture, and nutrition without relying on ultra-processed alternatives. Instead of replicating meat, we want to draw from cuisines that have always been plant-forward like Mediterranean mezze, Levantine grain salads, Asian noodle bowls, and African stews. In our view this approach feels genuine and culturally rich.
“Although there are many commendable lab-based alternatives available, real food aligns with our sustainability goals and guest expectations for health-conscious choices,” Bekris continued. “It’s about transparency for our customers who want to know what they’re eating, as well as have confidence that it’s good for them and the planet. We want to shift from substitutes to a celebration of plants, where it’s not about what’s missing, but instead what is gained in authenticity, flavour, and creativity.”
The carrier continues to significantly increase its vegan meal offerings, claiming that vegan meal consumption is increasing in line with passenger volumes. Emirates now has 488 vegan recipes in rotation across 140 destinations, representing a 60 per cent increase in total recipes compared to 2024, when it declared it used over 300 vegan recipes across its network.
Emirates currently serves half a million vegan meals each year. According to the airline, in 2025 the top destination for passengers ordering vegan meals was London, followed by Sydney, Bangkok, Melbourne, Frankfurt, Manchester, Mumbai, Bali and Singapore. However, the carrier attributes some of the demand to non-vegan customers opting for vegan cuisine when flying because it is lighter and therefore easier to digest.
Vegan meals are available across all classes in addition to complimentary vegan milk. Passengers can pre-order vegan options until up to 24 hours before their flight, but on high-demand routes there are also plant-based meals on offer as part of the main menu.
Emirates also offers a range of vegan options in its lounges at Dubai International Airport. This year, the airline said its ‘Emirates Green Burger,’ a soya and flax seed green burger with a signature sauce and pickled cucumbers, continues to be the most in demand vegan dish in the lounges, just as it was in 2025.