Top 5 Vegan Dining Hall Dishes at Some American Universities

By Lucia Rivera, VRG Intern

Here are the top five vegan dish favorites of some VRG interns attending different universities in the USA. We interviewed one of our interns at each school. 

At Cornell University (located in Ithaca, New York):

1. Tofu stir-fries
2. Vegetarian sushi
3. Burrito nights (rice, beans, and guacamole)
4. Lentil and potato stew
5. Poke bowls

At Iowa State University (located in Ames, Iowa):

1. At Heaping Plato: Build your own bowl with turmeric rice, falafel, and toppings
2. At Heaping Plato: Build your own entrée with Pita, spicy falafel, and toppings
3. At Clydes: Vegan falafel burger
4. At The Roasterie: Sesame Tofu Wrap
5. At Clydes: Plain bagel with peanut butter and a fruit cup

At Johns Hopkins University (located in Baltimore, Maryland):

1. Fruit and SunButter
2. Veggie burger with salad
3. Vegan stir-fry noodles
4. Customizable salad bar (faro, mixed greens, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, and olives).

At North Carolina State University (located in Raleigh, North Carolina):

1. Fresh Sweetened Peanut Butter with Banana on Toast
2. Cereal with Soy Milk
3. Mushroom Portabella Burger
4. Red Lentil Dal
5. Black Bean Soup

At University of North Carolina Chapel Hill:

1. Beyond Burger with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onion, and ketchup with fries on the side
2. Build Your Own Burrito Station (Rice, beans, lettuce, tomato, salsa, avocado, and chips)
3. Rainbow Vegetable Curry with basmati rice (with added tofu)
4. Roasted sweet potato with black beans, tomato, and hummus
5. Falafel wrap with pita, falafel, lettuce, tomato with Greek salad and hummus side

Clare Broud, a student at UNC Chapel Hill advises about variety as a vegan college student. “The biggest tip for any college student eating at a dining hall is to find ways to have variety.  If you’re eating in the dining hall all year, no matter [what] your diet, you will get tired of the food; that’s just how dining hall food works. But changing up what you eat can help curb the monotony. At some schools, students also are able to make their own vegan dishes, or find great options at restaurants on campus!” Broud said.

For example, here are some options to make yourself, as one college student did at the University of Maryland (located in College Park, Maryland):

1. Refried beans (sautéed mashed beans with spices) and vegetables in a wrap
2. Lentil/chickpea pasta with sauce and veggies
3. Overnight oats with fruit and nut butter
4. Big salad with homemade Caesar salad dressing
5. Tofu veggie stir-fry

At the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, restaurants on campus serve these vegan options:

1. At Mim’s Cafe: Falafel sandwich—pita wrap with crispy fresh falafel, hummus, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickled red cabbage
2. At Mim’s Cafe: Falafel Plate—Hot crispy falafel with your choice of toppings, rice or hummus or fresh french fries
3. At Teahouse: Kung pao tofu—crispy tofu lightly covered in a chili sauce with bell peppers, peanuts, onions, and rice on the side
4. At the Afro deli: Sambusa vegetarian—seasoned potatoes wrapped in a dough and fried to crisp

At North Carolina State University even the library serves vegan cinnamon almond cookies! Whether it be through a dining hall meal plan, on-campus restaurants, or a personal kitchen, college students are fully able to pursue their academic passions while enjoying a variety of vegan dishes.

Here are some past opinions of college students.

https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2013issue1/2013_issue1_college_survey.php