Vegan Options on Amtrak Trains in 2025

As a big train fan, I’ve been excited to see Amtrak roll full steam ahead with vegan food in recent years. Amtrak now offers numerous vegan options on its café service and traditional dining menus on most trains.

This is great news for people who depend on Amtrak to get to far-flung places without airports and people like me who want to take a leisurely ride across the country to sightsee. I enjoyed a Beyond Burger while crossing the Rocky Mountains on the California Zephyr (billed as the country’s most scenic train route); savored an amazing vegan chili rolling through the Arizona desert on the Texas Eagle; and tried my first vegan tamale on a three-day train trek from Seattle to Chicago.

Here are some vegan options to look for on your next Amtrak train trip. Amtrak occasionally updates some of its menus and service offerings for specific routes, so check its website before you go.

Vegan Options in the Amtrak Café Car

Amtrak’s Café service, which is offered on most routes from morning to late night, serves numerous vegan options, including a vegan burger, tamale, and noodle bowl.

Asian Noodle Bowl
The Asian Noodle Bowl on Amtrak is vegan and consists of vermicelli noodles, carrots, red peppers, broccoli, purple cabbage, edamame, scallions, sesame seeds, and plum dressing.

Blue Corn Veggie Tamale
Amtrak’s Blue Corn Veggie Tamale is vegan and is made with squash, corn, green chile, tomato, and onion wrapped in blue corn masa.

Vegan BBQ Burger
Amtrak’s Vegan BBQ Burger features a vegan patty topped with barbecue sauce.

Vegan Options on Amtrak’s Traditional Dining Menu

Traditional dining is Amtrak’s table-service dining experience with chef-prepared meals on long-distance routes such as the Auto Train, California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, Floridian, Silver Meteor, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, and Texas Eagle. Amtrak’s traditional dining menu offers several options that can be made vegan on request, including the Beyond Burger, Chili Bowl, and Pasta Primavera.

Plant-Based Beyond Burger
Amtrak can make the Plant-Based Beyond Burger vegan on request, so it doesn’t come with cheese.

Savory Chili Bowl
You can order Amtrak’s chili bowl vegan—the chili itself is vegan—so it’s not topped with cheese, sour cream, and bacon.

Pasta Primavera
Amtrak’s pasta primavera is topped with vegan sauce, carrots, red bell peppers, leeks, and zucchini.

Vegan Options on Amtrak’s Flexible Dining Menu

Amtrak offers flexible dining for its passengers in private rooms on routes without traditional dining. Amtrak offers flexible dining on the Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, and Texas Eagle between San Antonio and Chicago. 

Oatmeal
Amtrak’s flexible dining menu has a continental breakfast option that often includes oatmeal. Ask the Amtrak attendant if they can prepare the oatmeal without stolen cows’ milk.

Pan-Asian Meatballs
Amtrak’s Pan-Asian Meatballs are vegan and are served with coconut curry Masala sauce over basmati rice with curried cauliflower, chickpeas, peppers, scallions, raisins, and cashews.

Bring Your Own Vegan Food on Amtrak

Amtrak allows passengers to bring their own food and beverages on its trains, whether in a coach seat or private room.

Amtrak may sell out of some vegan options during your trip, so consider bringing your own vegan food as a backup, particularly if you’re on a long-distance route. For example, on my three-day ride between Seattle and Chicago, the Café car almost sold out of vegan barbecue burgers as we got closer to Chicago.

How to Help Animals on Your Amtrak Trip

Amtrak trips are scenic and leisurely, but they can also have long periods without cell service or anything to do. Our free vegan starter kit makes for excellent reading material—order it now to have it ready for your fellow Amtrak passengers and leave them inspired!