Vegan-Friendly Snacks For When You're Watching The Big Game

When watching big sporting events, we often have our own traditions like gathering with friends, wearing our team's apparel, and preparing snacks to enjoy during the action. One of the biggest events for these types of activities is the Super Bowl, when as many as 100 million Americans tune in to see who will be crowned champions that year.

This year, Oddschecker currently has the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs as the two favorite teams to win, but fans of all teams and casual enthusiasts will also be taking part in the traditions. No matter what sport you're watching, whether it's the English FA Cup Final, the Indy 500 or the Super Bowl, being vegan needn't stop you from enjoying delicious snacks.

Here are some great vegan-friendly snacks you can enjoy while watching the big game.

Chips and Dip

A fan favourite for years, chips and dip go perfectly with watching sports with friends. You don’t have to do much to change these to be vegan either. As long as you have some form of chip or cracker, you can mix it with dips like salsa and guacamole and you’ll have yourself a vegan snack that no one will even notice.

Of course, you can improve the health qualities of this fan favourite by swapping traditional chips to wholegrain crackers and use either homemade guacamole or pre-made ones that don’t have added sugar or salt.

Trail Mix

Many non-vegans may not immediately think of it as a vegan snack, but the contents of trail mix is almost always exclusively derived from plants. The ingredients can vary from brand to brand, or you can, of course, make your own. However, they typically contain a mix of nuts, dried fruit, and seeds; all foods that are great for a plant-based diet.

If you make your own, you can be sure that you get the foods you like to eat, and that there are no added salts, sugars, or oils. You can also add a few additions like whole grains, or a bit of vegan chocolate if you’re feeling adventurous.

Hummus and Vegetables

Another food that may fly under the radar as a vegan snack is hummus with vegetables. A slightly different take on the chips and dip snack, hummus goes great with carrots, cucumber, celery, or any other raw vegetable that you like.

You can choose to make your own hummus using chickpeas, oil, garlic, tahini (sesame seed paste), and lemon juice. Or if you’d rather save the time and hassle you can also buy it from most supermarkets.

As well as tasting great, this snack is packed with healthy fats, fibre, and vitamins B and C.

Popcorn

Popcorn is an American favourite: a light and moreish snack enjoyed at movie theatres and events for decades. Traditional flavors like salty, sweet, or toffee can taste great, but they negate some of popcorn’s health benefits.

Popcorn is low in fat, low in sugar, and high in fibre. The best way to maximize these benefits whilst keeping it tasty is by choosing a different flavour. Examples include nutritional yeast or paprika, both of which help to add some flavour without increasing the salt or sugar content.

Many vegans love nutritional yeast as a way to add flavour to their cooking and also get their B vitamins. It has a look, smell and taste that’s similar to Parmesan cheese, so adds a savory flavor to foods.

Fruit and Vegetable Smoothies

Of course, all these snacks will need a drink to be washed down with. While you may wish to stay with sodas or other traditional drinks served at sporting events, you may wish to make something a little different.

Smoothies are a great way to increase your fruit and vegetable intake and can also be delicious.

To make them, you can mix whatever fruits and/or vegetables you like in a blender. However, if you’re feeling a little more adventurous try one of these recipes that use flowers, roots and leaves.

No matter who you’re supporting in the big game, veganism shouldn’t get in your way. Enjoy these vegan snacks without feeling guilty.