Qatar Airways vegan meal and food review – with photos

This review covers all the vegan meal options I was served on two Qatar Airways flights: one from Edinburgh to Doha, and another from Doha to Bangkok (approx. 7.5 hours each). This vegan menu overview is what I received as part of the Economy Class service.

UPDATE: This blog was originally written following a trip in December 2022. However, I made the same trip in January 2024. I made the same trip again in January 2024, and the Qatar Airways Economy Class vegan offering was exactly the same. The only difference: I wasn’t offered any small snack to replace the milk-based pretzels handed out post take-off.

If you find this guide helpful, I’d be so grateful for a ‘coffee’, which helps with hosting fees and future content!

My other airline food reviews: Air France vegan meal review and Finnair’s vegan meal service

Vegan snacks on my Qatar Airways flight

I’m afraid it didn’t get off to a good start for Qatar Airways. Our flight began with a drink and snack service. The snack? Sour cream and chive pretzels (which contain milk). There was no alternative. It was frustrating, especially since a simple salted option would likely have solved the problem, but hadn’t been considered.

Nil points Qatar Airways, nil points. My frustration grew when the stewardess I spoke to showed complete disinterest in whether there was an alternative. If there was, I never saw it.

On a festive plus, the team handed out Christmas candy canes on my return flight.

Vegan meal with Qatar Airways in December 2022

Qatar Airways is one of the few airlines I’ve flown with in the last ten years to serve special meals alongside the standard service, rather than earlier or later – a pleasant surprise, as it means you don’t need to wait to have your drink separately.

The service from Edinburgh to Doha included:

• Chow mein noodles with tofu and spring onion
• Small pepper and cucumber side salad (no dressing or seasoning)
• 1 bread roll and vegan margarine
• 1 pot of melon

Fruit for dessert – what a disappointment. While everyone else tucked into chocolate pudding pots, I glumly dug into yet another lazy excuse for a vegan dessert. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, “The 80s called, they want their menu back”.

On a plus, I really enjoyed the noodles. They were flavoursome and had little slithers of (what appeared to be) mushroom throughout. It was also unusual not to receive any basic seasoning, like salt or pepper – the raw salad really could have used it.

My second main (on the flight from Qatar to Bangkok) had a more Indian theme to it. Service included:

• Tomato-based curry
• What seemed to be a potato/polenta cube
• Spiced potato (?) rings. I had a really hard time identifying anything but the curry, but everything was tasty enough – if perhaps a little dry.

This meal included two curveballs: a rice pudding (that may or may not have had a soy base), and a croissant. Vegan croissants are hard to come by (even when you’re not 30,000 ft in the air), so I approached this option with a fair amount of cynicism. I was assured it was vegan – I’m still not convinced, but props to Qatar Airways if it was!

Vegan breakfast menu/second meal with Qatar Airways

Sandwiches were the go-to secondary meal for all passengers on the two 7-hour flights. The vegan option was a grilled vegetable offering, with pepper, aubergine, and salad. Underwhelming, but probably on par with what non-vegans received.

Tea and coffee service

For the second drinks service, guests were given little chocolate wafers to enjoy with their drinks. Still burned from the pretzel situation, I handed my packet back to the steward, convinced it wasn’t vegan (and the steward took it without comment). It was only as I passed it back that the passenger next to me pointed out that they were in fact vegan (noted with a little label on the back.)

DELIGHTED! But it was equally disappointing that the Qatar Airways team didn’t know this themselves — surely basic food service training is a must?
There was also no plant-based milk for hot drinks (sigh).

General points about Qatar Airways Economy Class Food

I see a lot of people asking about what is included in the price of a Qatar Airways Ecomony ticket. They offer an unlimited supply of snacks, which can be picked up from the flight attendant’s galley. However, it’s worth noting that (during both my recent flights in 2023 and 2024) …there were no snacks suitable for vegans – and the team seemed particularly disinterested in this.

During your flight, the flight team come round regularly with a range of complimentary refreshments (drinks). This includes alcohol.

Qatar Airways vegan food review summary

Overall rating: 3.5/5 – decent main dishes, poor snacks, and service that doesn’t quite match the airline’s reputation.

Qatar Airways continues to let itself down with a sadder-than-average approach to plant-based desserts. For an airline that boasts impeccable service, their team were flat and they really need to get on top if it. I’ve had better food service from other airlines that don’t boast to be at the top of their game. That said, I was pleased to be offered vegan spreads, some mini treats, and decent main dishes.

Also on the blog:

Air France vegan meal review – will they finally give us a decent dessert?
Finnair’s vegan offering – including a full meal breakdown with photos
The best of vegan Bangkok – if Bangkok is your final stop, don’t miss this guide