Is Thailand Vegetarian/Vegan friendly?

I'm a food psychopath. There, I said it. 😂

Before I travel anywhere, food is always one of the first things on my mind.

And Thailand? Oh, Thailand had my attention long before I even arrived.

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Yes! Thailand can be a wonderful destination for vegetarian and vegan travellers, but there is one important thing to know: not every vegetable-based Thai dish is vegetarian.

Thailand is famous for its food culture, fresh ingredients, diverse herbs, coconut curries, rice dishes, noodles, and street markets.

If you don't eat meat or dairy, you'll find plenty to enjoy.

However, Thai cuisine uses fish sauce, oyster sauce, shrimp paste, and meat stock in many traditional recipes. So, although a dish might look completely plant-based, it's always worth checking how it's prepared.

What can you eat in Thailand?

Pad Thai with tofu or without

For someone who doesn't know Pad Thai isn't originally Thai, but for sure is well recognized and famous around tourists. Trust me you can find so much more interesting food than Pad Thai. Pad Thai is a classic noodle dish with tofu, bean sprouts, peanuts, and lime.

Pad See Ew with tofu or without

Personally I found Pad See Ew taster than Pad Thai. Pad Thai to my liking is too sweet for me.

Pad See Ew is made from wide, flat, chewy rice noodles.

Morning Glory

This is my obsession. The morning glory vegetable is most commonly called water spinach in English. Is a very simple option and you can have it with rice.

Green Curry

It took me some time before I finally ordered Green Curry, but once I tried I couldn't stop eat it. Thai green curry is made from a base of green curry paste and coconut milk, combined with herbs, protein, and vegetables

Red Curry

A Thai red curry is a rich, aromatic dish made from a base of red curry paste, coconut milk, veggies and proteins. It is generally less sweet than green curry.

Yellow Curry

I ate this dish on one of the islands, and it absolutely blew me away. I was practically crying over my plate because of the perfect combination of flavours and textures. Yellow Curry is a rich, mildly spiced, coconut-based dish influenced by both traditional Thai herbs and Indian-style spices.

Som Tam - Thai Papaya Salad

Som Tam is so simple but it gives you an explosion of flavours in your mouth. Is made from shredded green papaya tossed in a spicy, sour, salty, and sweet dressing.

Mango Sticky Rice

Rice, fresh mango and coconut milk. One of the best combinations ever. I tried two times and that would be all, I'm not impressed by it. Always it was extremely sweet and barely I could taste coconut. Still, is a must to try in Thailand and is absolutely vegan.

Fresh Fruit Smoothies

The best smoothies are when they use a fresh fruits not frozen ones. I had some super delicious smoothies and you can find them everywhere but mostly at the street markets. My favourite one is of course mango smoothie. If you try to avoid sugar ask always without additional sugar.

Kanom Krok

That dish stole my soul. They are rice mini pancakes filled with soft, custardy coconut.

Not every street food market has them so if you see them - take it right away!

Sa La Bao - Bao Buns

I know, I know this dish doesn't belong to Thailand but to China. But before you throw stones at me, hear me out. You really don't want to miss it. Everywhere I went to eat Bao they had vegetarian and vegan options. And believe me the taste stays with you forever. My favourite one was with black seed paste feeling. I would recommend to eat it for breakfast.

Smoothie Bowl

You have a smoothies so why not to eat smoothie bowl?

Completely vegan, refreshing and fulfilling. You can add peanut butter for extra energy.

Check for smoothie bowls in the coffee shops.

Thai Roti

Is a popular street food flatbread. Is definitely not vegan as it contains egg. Brought to Thailand by Indian and Muslim communities. You have sweet and savory roti. Usually filled with sliced bananas and an egg, folded into a square, fried, and cut into a grid.

Pancakes

Yes, I ate pancakes in Thailand. And I will tell you something else - I ate them plenty, no regret whatsoever 😂

Definitely vegetarian and most of the places made it vegan. Or if you ask gently they can change milk to plant based.

Again look for them in coffee shops or brunch restaurants.

Street Food Market

I visited nearly every day different street food markets. And maybe twice I couldn't find vegetarian food. But you always find some rice and veggies or even fresh fruits.

You just need to be open minded.

Remember always look for solution not problems.

Tofu dishes

Tofu in Thailand is really popular. Even when you see a dish which has meat ask if you can replace it with tofu. Most of the time it works very well and it was delicious. I even found in one of the islands dishes only with tofu - madness.

Pennywort Salad

Some places in Thailand have Myanmar (Burmese) restaurants. In every one of them, I found something vegetarian that I could try, and it was always delicious. This cuisine truly transported me to another dimension of culinary experience.

Coco max Pandan

I found that drink in 7 - Eleven. And let me tell you something, that was a life saver and. Super refreshing, naturally sweet and unique.

Pandan is a tropical plant which brings that sweet taste of vanilla notes to the drink.

Remember that bottle - it has to be exactly that one!

Coffee

Thailand is a coffee heaven. Thanks to a unique transition from opium cultivation to the production of specialty-grade coffee, ideal high-altitude growing conditions, and a rapidly evolving local café culture.

Basically everywhere you go you will find a great coffee without even trying. Most of places will have alternative milk but not all of them.

Important!

I have likely eaten something containing fish or oyster sauce more than once. I have tried to pay attention to what is added to my food, but frankly I haven’t always succeeded.

It is important to communicate clearly. It will be very helpful if you could have some useful Thai phrases, because especially at the street food they do not speak English.

Ask for no fish or oyster sauce, dried shrimp, or egg if needed, and confirm the sauce ingredients.

Always make sure about spicy level because they like when is hot.

And again when you drink smoothie ask for no additional sugar.

Thai phrases that may be helpful :

English	Thai phrase
I eat vegan-style food	Kin weegaen
No fish sauce	Mai sai nam pla
No oyster sauce	Mai sai nam man hoi
No egg	Mai sai khai
Tofu	Tao hu
No meat	Mai sai nuea-sat
No milk / dairy	Mai sai nom
Soy milk	Nom tua luang

Travel freely. Explore simply. Be inspired to wander.