The Most Vegan-Friendly Universities in the UK

Cardiff University

Cardiff University

As part of its Sustainable Food Action Plan, the university is working towards a 55% reduction in meat and dairy options across campus. The university has promoted World Vegan Month with events, including cookery demonstrations, vegan food giveaways, and a three-course dinner. Meat-free eateries on campus include Green Shoots Café, bubble tea and dessert shop Boba Time, and The Falafel House, each of which has delicious vegan fare. What’s more, a fully vegan fast food spot has landed in the student’s union. Vegan Filth serves burgers, loaded fries, and churros. Ensure this is a regular food stop though, as its menu is always changing.

Sustainability Café

Falmouth University

Falmouth University shares its students’ union, as well as the Penryn campus, with the University of Exeter, and the joint union voted to transition to fully vegan catering in 2024. The aptly named Sustainability Café serves only vegan and vegetarian options. The menu features tasty breakfast options like Belgian waffles, plant-based yoghurts, and sweet treats like chocolate orange cake and coconut chocolate tart. Head to Koofi for vegan pizza or the Stannary Kitchen for a plethora of tasty dishes. Vegan delights on the rotating menu include a Chinese tofu curry, a kebab, aubergine and courgette shawarma, and the Moving Mountains burger.

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Goldsmiths, University of London

Goldsmiths’ decision in 2019 to remove all cow flesh from catering services across campus as part of its efforts to help the planet inspired other UK universities to cut the meat they offer – and to up their vegan game! University eateries present vegan food first on their counters to help reduce meat consumption. Hot vegan lunches are available from The Balcony, and sandwiches, cakes, and hot drinks are available at the Students’ Union Café.

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Imperial College London

A survey showed that 85% of students at Imperial College London have considered the impact of their food on the environment. That’s why the college catering services provide a wide variety of vegan food. Its innovative café Plantworks is fully vegan, and plant-based eats are available across campus: try the nachos or vegetable gyoza at The Works, or explore the vegan offerings at the SCR Restaurant or The Loud Bird. In its Sustainable Food and Drink Policy, the university has pledged to increase vegan options by at least 50%, make vegetarian the default option for event catering, and provide non-dairy milk at no extra charge. In 2024, the university removed all cow flesh from its menus.

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King’s College London

Roots Café in Bush House is fully vegan and serves Fairtrade coffee. It offers rotating menus of hot lunches inspired by cuisine from around the world. Dishes have included tteokbokki (Korean rice cake) and Nepalese sweet potato and pea curry, with new delights on the menu daily. The Shack, also in Bush House, offers vegan snacks. As part of the university’s Sustainable Food Policy, sandwiches at all meetings and hospitality events are vegan or vegetarian by default, at least one plant-based option is on the menu at eateries daily, and cow flesh is not served at restaurants and outlets.

Lancaster University

Lancaster University

Students voted – with a 95% majority – in favour of a transition to fully plant-based catering by 2027. The university recognises the growing demand for vegan food, which, along with plant-based milk, is now available at all its outlets and prioritised on menus. The Pendle Brew café and bar serves exclusively vegan or vegetarian food, and the menu includes cauliflower spicy buffalo bites, vegan chicken and bacon wrap, and nachos with vegan cheese sauce. HIVE also has a wealth of options, such as a smoothie pot and a vegan bacon breakfast roll.

London Metropolitan University

London Metropolitan University

In the spring of 2023, the students’ union voted in favour of transitioning to a plant-based campus. The current target is for 60% of options to be vegan and for this to increase by 10% annually. The university recognises the health, environmental, and wellbeing benefits of eating less animal-derived food, and vegan choices are available by default at eateries and catered events across campus.

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London School of Economics and Political Science

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) voted to ban beef on environmental and ethical grounds, thanks to the hard work of PETA campus rep Phoebe Woodruff. The university catering service is working to prioritise sustainability. Campus restaurant The Garrick no longer serves beef or lamb, plant-based dishes are displayed first on serving counters, and the university promotes vegan eating via awareness campaigns. The meat-free Shaw Café offers a range of vegan soups, cakes, and smoothies, and plant-based milk is served as standard – you can choose from oat, almond, coconut, or soya milk for your ethically sourced coffee.

Newcastle University

Newcastle University

The Student Council at Newcastle University joins the growing list of other student bodies that have voted in favour of a fully vegan campus. The university continues to expand its plant-based provisions, and the menu for event catering offers delicious choices such as vegetable samosas, bhajis, and a sticky BBQ jackfruit pizza. Sweet treats include a banana and cinnamon cake and lemon zest cookies. At the university’s food outlets, you’ll find mouthwatering vegan burgers at Chicken Shack, tasty vegan choices among the sandwiches and light lunches at Bites, and hot paninis and sweet treats at the Daysh Café.

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Nottingham Trent University

Students at Nottingham Trent University will find plenty of vegan options at campus eateries, and 63% of all freshly prepared dishes are vegetarian or vegan. Indulge in a full English breakfast at the Refectory featuring Linda McCartney sausages, hash browns, herby potatoes, beans, tomatoes, and toast. Vegan mains include all your comfort food favourites like pies, Bolognaise, and bangers and mash. The university has regular vegan street food pop-ups on campus, and its Campaign for COP26 climate crisis event had fully vegan catering.

Queen Mary University of London

Queen Mary University of London

The students’ union passed a motion to see its catering transition entirely plant-based by 2029. In the meantime, it is working towards 60% of food being vegan by the 2024–2025 academic year. The university provides a minimum of two plant-based options at lunch and dinner. It sets out in its Sustainable Catering Policy that it will increase the availability of dishes made up of fruit, vegetables, pulses, and nuts while reducing the use of animal-derived foods. Popular eatery Drapers Bar & Kitchen offers options like a vegan quarterpounder and katsu curry with a Quorn vegan buttermilk style burger.

Swansea University

Swansea University

At the students’ union shop, Root, you’ll find many delicious vegan dishes at the hot lunch counter and salad bar, including soups, chillies, and curries as well as sweet treats such as cakes. The zero-waste shop on Singleton Campus has refill stations where you can stock up on vegan essentials like pasta and pulses, and at bar Tafarn Tawe, you can grab a hot drink with dairy-free milk at no extra cost. In 2021, the students’ union ran its first-ever “Veganuary” campaign, with a line-up of activities including a talk by PETA.

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University College London (UCL)

The students’ union passed a motion in 2023 urging the university to transition to offering only vegan food on campus. The Students’ Union catering services aim to be 60% plant-based by the 2024–2025 academic year. UCL has regular vegan street food pop-ups, a dedicated vegan hot food counter, and special World Vegan Month menus. As of 2022, its hospitality catering is vegan or vegetarian, and plant-based options are offered as standard for event catering. At least half of the food on campus is meat-free, vegan food is always cheaper than meat, and oat milk is offered at the same price as dairy.

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University of Aberdeen

Crisp, in the students’ union building, specialises in vegan and vegetarian food, and its evening menu is updated weekly. Across the four Aberbean Cafes, a wide variety of vegan delights are showcased and there is no extra cost for plant milk options. At RockSalt Food Court, over half of the dishes are vegan and vegetarian, and from April 2023, the university pledged to remove all red meat from Food Court menus and gradually increase the number of vegan and meat-free options.

bath.ac.uk

University of Bath

Students can indulge in the many vegan options across campus, including at vegan café Parade, located at the centre of the campus, where you can enjoy stunning views across the lake while tucking into a hot lunch or a pastry or cake. The university aims to reduce meat consumption as part of its Sustainable Food Commitment, recognising that it is “the single largest action” the institution can take to reduce its carbon footprint.

University of Birmingham

University of Birmingham

In 2023, the Guild of Students voted in favour of a transition to offering only vegan food at the university. As part of its Net Zero Carbon plan, the university has expanded its vegan options and is working towards dairy-free becoming “the norm” on campus – one initiative it trialed to encourage this was to serve oat milk by default at one of its cafés. On campus, there is an abundance of plant-based food choices. At Metro, you can build your vegan salad or sandwich, and at the Cantina, you can make your own plant-based burrito or nachos. You’ll find a range of sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads at Fellows Coffee Shop. And Café 1902 in the Business School has vegan sushi and Japanese curries.

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University of Brighton

Plant-based meals are available as standard across the university’s Food Hubs. Try the vegan chicken katsu or a choice of burgers at Westlain, a grilled vegetable pizza at Mezz, or a vegan Cornish pasty at Megabytes. The university actively promotes the consumption of plant-based meals and the reduction of meat and dairy and supports students in making compassionate decisions by offering delicious and convenient choices, such as a hearty breakfast including vegan sausages, sandwiches for on-the-go lunches, and hot meals and dessert options at dinner service.

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University of Bristol

Bristol is one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the UK, and the University of Bristol was the first in the country to declare a climate emergency. In its catered residences, the university runs Meat Free Mondays, is introducing Flexitarian Fridays, and holds a Plant-Based Week each year. Senate House Marketplace offers tempting vegan meals such as sticky tofu with coconut rice and vegan pizza. Since 2020, the university has removed cow flesh from its “Grab and Go” ranges across cafés on campus, and as of 2022, 66% of on-campus menus are vegan.

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University of Cambridge

In 2016, the university’s catering service significantly reduced its use of beef and lamb, replacing it with plant-based foods across its 14 outlets and 1,500 annual events. This has spared the lives of many cows and lambs and has also helped the university cut its food-related carbon emissions by one-third. In 2023 and 2024, the students’ union voted to serve only vegan food across the university to help combat the climate and biodiversity crises, and Darwin College has become the first to adopt a vegan menu for its May Ball. The university also states in its Sustainable Food Policy that it is working to reduce the consumption of dairy products while promoting plant-based foods.

University of Edinburgh

University of Edinburgh

Currently, 50% of meal options in campus outlets are meat-free, and the university is working towards offering a greater variety of plant-based foods. Canopy Kitchen & Courtyard offers vegan options like grilled sourdough topped with smashed avocado, tomato, and salsa, porcini mushroom pâté, and roast Moroccan spiced cauliflower with harissa couscous. For dessert, try the sticky toffee pudding or chocolate truffle torte. At Element, customise a salad and top it with a plant-based protein. Residential catering has exciting dishes, including vegan meatballs and stuffed portobello mushrooms with ratatouille and vegan cheese.

University of Exeter

University of Exeter

Students at this university voted for fully plant-based campus catering in 2024. Food outlets are expanding their vegan offering by swapping animal flesh for ingredients like pulses and grains. Over 30% of the menu is meat-free, with a plan to reach 50%. The variety of choices at the university’s food outlets includes a Quorn sausage breakfast butty, and katsu smoked tofu burger at La Touche Café and an aubergine and chickpea dopiaza with Bombay potatoes at Super Savour Kitchen. At The Ram Bar, you can choose from nachos, a southern-fried Quorn wrap, and a plant-based brunch. Head to iSCA Eats for BBQ Quorn wings, Keralan tofu curry, and burgers oozing with Applewood smoked vegan cheese and the diner’s signature burger sauce.

University of Huddersfield

University of Huddersfield

The University of Huddersfield opened its first meat-free café in 2019 and launched Eco Eats in 2023 to offer low-cost vegan and vegetarian food. At Café Central, there is a delicious selection of vegan sandwiches, paninis, and toasties. As part of its Sustainable Food Policy, the university is working to promote the consumption of plant-based foods and offer a greater variety of options. Most of the eateries across the university have stopped serving cow flesh.

Uni Kent

University of Kent

Students voted in favour of university catering outlets switching to fully plant-based menus in 2023, and the transition aims to be completed by 2028. In the meantime, students can find yummy burgers and fries at Mungo’s, and all its classic shakes can be made vegan on request – we recommend the Lotus Biscoff shake. Share some plant-based nachos at Gulbenkian, or their all-day vegan breakfast. Stop by Hut 8 for a vegan pizza or Dolche Vita for a jacket potato filled with vegan cheese or tofu katsu curry! Order great vegan options from Silence of the Yams on the university’s Grab & Go delivery service. There is an inspiring plant-based loyalty scheme that offers a free meal for every 9 vegan meals purchased.

University of Leicester

University of Leicester

There’s a vegetarian café at the University of Leicester: SKVP (located in Campus Kitchen), which offers authentic Indian dishes for under £5. Meals include samosa pav with piquant chutneys and fried chilli, a vegetable-grilled sandwich drizzled with green chutney, and an aloo tikka chaat. Head to Queens Pizza and Pasta for one of its hand-stretched pizzas such as the Hot and Spicy with vegan chicken pieces and mozzarella. If African- or Caribbean-inspired food is what you’re looking for, Soul offers a jerk “chicken” flatbread topped with salad, salsa, and Reggae Reggae sauce.

University of Nottingham

University of Nottingham

In its Sustainable Living Guide, the university recommends that students eat less meat and dairy to help the planet, and it has launched a Campus Vegan Menu. You can try the jerk burger and salsa with tater tots at Mango Bay. There’s a range of breakfast items at the Club House, like the blueberry or raspberry-filled croissant or the vegan sausage bap. Hops offers hearty dishes, including a three-bean chilli and a butternut squash, spinach, and lentil curry. Or if you’re in the mood for Italian food, try the vegan pasta bake or the Vegan Stuffed Crust Bac’n and Mushroom pizza at Vesper.

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University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is working to expand its range of plant-based foods, and currently, the menus at most of its cafés managed by Compass (around three-quarters of the university’s food services) are 50% meat-free and vegan, and a plant-based option is offered daily at dinner service in the halls of residence. It has also committed to serving vegan or vegetarian food by default at catered events. The students’ union promotes plant-based eating: it runs an annual “Veggie Pledge”, encouraging students to ditch meat and/or all animal-derived products, and in 2020, it voted for a university-wide ban on cow and lamb flesh sales in order to reduce the university’s greenhouse gas emissions.

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University of Plymouth

A tranquil environment with impressive vegan options, the meat-free Reservoir Café is a top spot among students. There, you’ll find delicious salads, wraps, jacket potatoes, and bagels – everything needed to fuel students with vegan power. Head to Loafers Deli for a vegan meatball salsa sandwich or vegan ranch chicken sandwich, Portland’s Pizzeria to try its plant-based meatball marinara pizza, or Library Café for a vegan red Thai pasty. Across campus cafés, 50% of fare is vegan or vegetarian, and 75% of main dishes are now meat-free.

University of Portsmouth

University of Portsmouth

The University of Portsmouth is expanding its vegan options on campus in response to demand from staff and students and to combat the climate catastrophe. About 40% of food served on campus is plant-based, which is often the cheaper option, and thanks to the university’s loyalty scheme, vegan eating is even more budget friendly: for every six vegan meals purchased, you’re entitled to a seventh on the house! The university has also switched to vegan mayonnaise, and all the salad counters are vegan.

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University of Stirling

Stirling University is committed to increasing the offer of more vegan options in catering outlets. SUP’s V-go vegan deli bar has conquered the hearts and stomachs of Stirling students with its range of sweet treats, snacks, loaded baked potatoes, homemade soups, and grab-and-go items. The impressive vegan menu includes blueberry croissants, mac ‘n’ cheese, and peppered steak-less pasties. You’ll also find a hearty club sandwich at Nourish, a vegan pizza, and a beetroot and quinoa burger at Refresh Sports Bar.

University of Sussex

University of Sussex

The Veg Bowl @ Dhaba is a vegetarian café which offers loaded vegan salads, veggie poke bowls, báhn mì sandwiches, and noodle soups. The outlet’s hydroponic farm wall provides fresh produce for its delicious vegan dishes. Across the university, half of the meals on offer are currently meat-free, and vegan options are encouraged by showcasing them at the top of menus. The institution also provides £2 plant-based meals during lunch hours, making vegan eating even more accessible, and is even delivering free monthly plant-based cooking lessons that encourage students to reduce their meat intake.

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University of the Arts London

The caterers at the Central Saint Martins campus have removed red meat from the canteen and are increasing the amount of meat-free and plant-based dishes on offer. Across the university’s six colleges, 70% of food served is either vegan or vegetarian, and there are vegan options at all outlets.

University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol

University of the West of England Bristol

In 2023, students at UWE Bristol voted for university catering to go 75% vegan. Positive change is underway: in 2022-23, food offered on campus was 57% plant-based, and the caterers plan to expand it to 60% by 2026. Enjoy delicious, sustainable food on campus at Wild Kitchen, the university’s first fully vegan café. Try the signature dish, the Iskender Kebab, made with “chicken” strips and served with rice, tomato sauce, garlic, and grilled peppers. Head to The Atrium for a Moving Mountains hot dog or a vegan cheese and beans jacket potato.

University of Winchester

University of Winchester

In a first for a UK university, the University of Winchester marked World Vegan Day on 1 November 2019 by offering all-vegan food across campus. Various vegan options are always available across its outlets, such as Cyber Italia’s vegan salami pizza. Ethical Earth offers a variety of plant-based milks, and the Food Hall has vegan bakes, snacks, and sides. The university encourages people to eat compassionately and consider animals exploited on farms, the planet, and personal well-being when making food choices. They are replacing products with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, animal-derived foods, with vegan upgrades.