Vegan Food in Bali: Find Practical Options

Vegan food in Bali is easy to find in the main visitor areas, especially Ubud and Canggu. The catch is that a dish which looks plant-based can still contain shrimp paste, fish sauce, meat stock or egg, so the best approach is to ask about the sauce and the broth as well as the vegetables.

The easiest vegan trips separate two kinds of venue. Dedicated vegan restaurants and cafés simplify ingredient checks, because the whole menu has been built around plant-based cooking. Mixed kitchens, including many warungs and local restaurants, can still provide good vegan meals, but they need precise questions about seasoning, stock and cooking oil before you order.

Eating vegan in Bali

Bali has a large plant-based dining scene, and the island’s own cooking gives vegans a strong base to build on. Tofu and tempeh appear in everyday Indonesian meals, and vegetables, rice, peanut sauce and coconut are common in many dishes. Tempeh, a firm cake of fermented soybeans, is associated with Java, and it is one of the most useful protein sources for a traveller who avoids animal products.

Indonesian dishes that are vegan or easily made so

Tempeh and tofu: look for tempe goreng (fried tempeh), tempe manis (sweet soy-glazed tempeh) and tahu goreng (fried tofu).
Gado-gado: steamed vegetables, tofu and tempeh with peanut sauce. Ask for no egg (tanpa telur) and check whether the sauce contains shrimp paste.
Tipat cantok: rice cakes and vegetables with a peanut dressing, which is widely eaten in Bali. Check the dressing as well as the greens.
Urap and sayur urab: blanched vegetables mixed with spiced grated coconut. The coconut is plant-based, but the seasoning may include terasi.
Cap cay: stir-fried mixed vegetables. Ask for no meat, oyster sauce or fish sauce.
Nasi campur: at a display counter, choose rice with the vegetable, tofu and tempeh dishes, and ask what each one is seasoned with.
Sayur lodeh: vegetables simmered in coconut milk. Confirm that the broth is not made with chicken or meat stock.

Hidden animal ingredients to ask about

Terasi (shrimp paste): used in many sambals and spice pastes, including Balinese base genep.
Fish sauce and oyster sauce: common in stir-fries and noodle dishes.
Kaldu (stock): chicken or beef stock in soups, and chicken stock powder in fried rice.
Egg: stirred into nasi goreng and mie goreng, or served on top.
Krupuk: the crackers served with many meals are often prawn-based, so ask before you eat them.

Useful phrases

Saya vegan: I am vegan. This is widely understood in tourist areas.
Tanpa daging, ayam, ikan: without meat, chicken or fish.
Tanpa telur: without egg. Tanpa susu: without milk.
Tanpa terasi: without shrimp paste.
Tidak pakai kaldu ayam: no chicken stock.

Where vegan food is easiest

Ubud: the strongest centre for plant-based eating, with many fully vegan and raw-food restaurants. Several cafés on Jalan Hanoman and in the Penestanan area have built their menus around vegan dishes, and the surrounding rice fields make a quiet setting for a long lunch.
Canggu: a busy café scene where many places mark vegan dishes on the menu. A label is a starting point, so still check the sauce and the bread.
Quieter areas: outside the main visitor areas there are fewer dedicated venues. Rely on warungs and the dishes above, and explain your needs clearly.

Balinese dishes that need careful questions

Plecing kangkung is a cold dish of blanched water spinach served with a chilli sambal. The sambal is often ground with shrimp paste, sometimes roasted, and some versions include kencur, a fragrant relative of ginger. The greens are naturally plant-based, so ask for the sambal to be made without terasi. Because it is served at room temperature, it is a practical side dish for a mixed group.

Lawar is the case that causes the most confusion. Red lawar contains blood, and most traditional lawar is built on meat, so it should be avoided. The plant-based option is jackfruit lawar, made from young jackfruit mixed with grated coconut, kaffir lime leaves and a spice paste of shallot, garlic, galangal, ginger, turmeric and lemongrass. Confirm that no minced meat or blood has been added, and that the spice paste does not contain shrimp paste.

Jukut ares is a soup made from the tender core of the banana stem, cooked in base genep. The broth is usually built on bones, most often pork or chicken, so the traditional bowl is not vegan. Some kitchens will make a vegetable-stock version if asked, but that is not the standard recipe, so ask before you order.

Spice pastes and sauces that often contain shrimp

Base genep is the foundation of much Balinese cooking, and every household has its own version. Many recipes include terasi, so a dish can look entirely plant-based and still carry a seafood ingredient. The same is true of many sambals. Before ordering anything with a deep red or yellow sauce, ask whether terasi went into the spice paste. A kitchen that can answer that question plainly is the better choice for a strict diet.

Sambal matah is a raw relish of thinly sliced shallot, lemongrass, chilli, kaffir lime leaf and lime. Some versions include shrimp paste, but a plant-only version is possible because the lemongrass and lime carry most of the flavour. Sambal matah is best eaten fresh, so ask for it on the side and check the ingredients before it goes onto your plate.

Tempeh and tofu at the table

Tempeh is the most useful protein for a plant-based traveller in Bali. Its firm texture holds up to frying, grilling and simmering, and many cooks fry it with garlic and turmeric or sweeten it with palm sugar and soy. The starter culture behind tempeh shapes the final product, and the page on ragi starter cultures explains how the moulds and yeasts work.

Tofu is made by setting soy milk into curd. The page on tofu coagulants explains how that curd forms, which helps you judge the texture of what a cook serves. Soft tofu is usually fried gently or added to soups, while firmer tofu takes a hard fry and holds its shape in a sauce. Check the batter and the frying oil, because a piece of tofu may have been fried in the same oil as meat or seafood.

When a kitchen cannot answer your questions, the safe choice is a plate of rice with fresh or steamed vegetables, a sambal you have seen made, and fried tempeh or tofu. Every ingredient on that plate can be seen before it is served.

Sweets and snacks that are often plant-based

Several traditional Balinese cakes are built from rice flour, coconut and palm sugar, which makes them a natural choice for vegan travellers. Jaje laklak, a thin rice-flour pancake rolled around grated coconut and palm sugar, is one of them, and it has its own page on this site: jaje laklak. Banana fritters are usually made from flour, water and banana, but some stalls add egg to the batter, so ask before you eat them.

Food prepared for temple ceremonies is offered rather than sold. The simple rule for a visitor is to eat only the food a stall sells openly, and to leave offerings where you find them.

Allergies, gluten and vegan diets

Vegan does not mean nut-free, gluten-free or free of shared surfaces. Peanut sauce appears in several dishes, and a fryer or grill may be used for both plant and animal food. If you have an allergy, name the ingredient plainly and explain that even a small amount or a shared utensil matters. A kitchen that can describe its preparation process is a safer choice than one that simply says a dish is vegetarian.

Frequently asked questions about vegan food in Bali

Is traditional Balinese food vegan-friendly?

Much ceremonial Balinese cooking centres on pork, duck and chicken, and many spice pastes include shrimp paste. Everyday vegetable, tofu and tempeh dishes are widely available, and kitchens in tourist areas will often prepare them without terasi if you ask.

Can vegans eat at local warungs?

Yes, with questions. Choose a warung where the dishes are displayed so you can see what you are choosing, and ask about shrimp paste and stock before you order.

Is it safe to assume a vegetable dish is vegan?

No. A vegetable dish can still be cooked with stock, fish sauce or shrimp paste. Ask about the seasoning, not just the vegetables.

Planning vegan meals around your day

A useful plan is to combine a plant-based café for breakfast or lunch with one or two deliberate dinners at a restaurant that can answer questions easily. Local rice plates work well for midday meals when the seasoning is confirmed. Premium vegan cafés often use imported products and speciality coffee, so they can cost more than a warung. Local plant-based ingredients such as tofu, tempeh and vegetables are generally good value when you eat where locals eat. Choose the area first, then the meal, so that eating does not add a long journey to your day.

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Vegan Food in Bali