Emirates to introduce more vegan recipes as demand increases by 40%

Dubai: As global interest peaks in Veganuary, Emirates has noted a surge of 40% in customer demand for plant-based meals. To meet this demand in 2024, Emirates will introduce an array of new vegan dishes onboard and in lounges later this year, adding even more dishes to its ‘vegan vault’ of more than 300 curated plant-based recipes.

The airline plans to launch a selection of new vegan main courses, new vegan snacks such as fruit muffins and vegan pizza, and an array of delectable desserts including chocolate pecan cake, pistachio raspberry and raspberry tonka cake.

In 2023, Emirates has more than 300 vegan recipes in rotation across 140 destinations, up from 180 recipes in 2022. Last year, Emirates served more than 450,000 plant-based meals onboard, an increase from 280,000 plant-based meals served in 2022.

Vegan options are available to pre-order onboard and order directly in First Class, as well as in Emirates Lounges. Customers can request vegan meals on all Emirates flights and across all classes of travel up to 24 hours before departure. 

Emirates continues to elevate cuisine in the sky, with high quality products sourced from every corner of the globe. Some of the products used are plant-based proteins from California’s Beyond Meat, soybean protein from Singapore and UAE-based Arlene, Qian Ye pressed tofu from Japan, organic dark vegan chocolate from Linnolat in France, vegan margarine from MeisterMarken in Germany, vegan curry paste from Pantai in Thailand, Koita almond milk from Italy, amongst many others. Emirates also incorporates fresh locally grown kale and lettuce from Bustanica.

The airline has been serving vegan meals since the 1990’s. Initially, vegan requirements were focused on specific routes such Over recent years however, vegan dishes have been rapidly gaining popularity on US, Australian, some European and Asian routes, with Emirates noting a sizeable increase in interest in vegan dishes over the last decade. 

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