Vegan Cuisine Guide: Plant-Based Foods Worldwide (2024)

Vegan Cuisine Guide: Plant-Based Foods Worldwide (1)

One of the best ways to explore vegan cooking is to hop from one cuisine to the next. This will expose you to an incredible variety of dishes, relying on all manner of ingredients, cooking techniques, and seasonings.

Vegan Cuisine Possibilities

Vegans don’t gravitate to a single cuisine, since they’ve got so many standout choices. But some parts of the world are far more vegan-friendly than others. If you’re already vegan or you lean in that direction, it’s helpful to know which cuisines offer the most satisfying plant-based meals.

To help you on your way, check out my guides below. They’ll acquaint you with the most exciting and reliably vegan dining options. You’ll also discover some of the most popular international dishes to cook at home.

Vegan Cuisine Guide: Plant-Based Foods Worldwide (2)

Top Cuisines for Cooking Plant-Based Meals at Home

If you want to step up your cooking skills, there’s no better way to do it than to explore new cuisines. They’ll expose you to all sorts of new dishes and cooking techniques. You’ll reap big rewards from stepping outside your culture and your comfort zone.

Consider starting with Mexican food. It offers a vast assortment of delicious and healthy plant-based dishes, and most are remarkably easy to prepare.

When you’re ready to branch out to try other cuisines, you have countless enticing possibilities. See the Cuisines from Around the World section of our cookbooks page for 20 different recommendations. And if you want a “greatest hits” collection of international recipes packed into a single cookbook, pick up Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romano.

Finding Vegan-Friendly Restaurant Food

When dining out, Middle Eastern restaurants offer the most consistently vegan-friendly menus. Nearly everything that isn’t meat is commonly vegan, especially falafel, hummus, tahini dressing, tabbouleh salad, and lavash bread or pita. Many Middle Eastern restaurants also accompany your dish with an assortment of fresh vegetables, plus vegetarian dolmas, Kalamata olives, and pickled turnips.

My How to Go Vegan guide offers detailed coverage of the most vegan-friendly restaurant cuisines. Exploring these menu offerings pays off in all sorts of ways, and enables you to take your vegan diet to the next level.

For further reading please see our introduction to vegan cookingand our guide to the best vegan foods.

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Vegan Cuisine Guide: Plant-Based Foods Worldwide (2024)

FAQs

Vegan Cuisine Guide: Plant-Based Foods Worldwide? ›

Nearly everything that isn't meat is commonly vegan, especially falafel, hummus, tahini dressing, tabbouleh salad, and lavash bread or pita. Many Middle Eastern restaurants also accompany your dish with an assortment of fresh vegetables, plus vegetarian dolmas, Kalamata olives, and pickled turnips.

Which country is #1 for vegans? ›

India. Three of India's major religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism — teach the practice of ahimsa, or non-violence towards all beings. Because of this religious tradition, India has the highest percentage of vegetarians out of all the countries in the world.

What cuisine is the most vegan friendly? ›

8 Global Cuisines That Are Super Vegan-Friendly
  • Ethiopian. If you're looking for a culinary adventure, start with Ethiopian. ...
  • South Indian. Hold the ghee and meat, and bring on the rice and dosas! ...
  • Mediterranean. ...
  • Mexican. ...
  • Korean. ...
  • Southern Italian. ...
  • Burmese. ...
  • Chinese Hot Pot.
Jan 14, 2019

What is the difference between plant-based and vegan? ›

Both meal plans have made headlines for their health benefits in recent years, and while they are similar, there are some key differences: Vegan diets eliminate all animal products, while plant-based diets do not necessarily eliminate animal products but focus on eating mostly plants, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, ...

What culture has the most vegan food? ›

Are there any noteworthy cultures that have thrived on a vegan diet? Chinese Buddhist cuisine is almost entirely vegan (sort of by default; it is vegetarian and does not include eggs, and Chinese cuisine in general does not use dairy).

What is the vegan capital of the world? ›

In fact, Tel Aviv is known as the vegan capital of the world with 400 vegan and vegan-friendly kitchens catering to Israel's veggie loving citizens.

Which country is 100% non-vegetarian? ›

Which Country is 100% Non Vegetarian? As per our findings, there's no country where 100% of the population is non-vegetarian. However, some countries have a higher consumption of meat because of cultural or religious factors, i.e., China, Brazil, and the USA, among others.

What is surprisingly not vegan? ›

Beer and Wine

Isinglass, a gelatin-based substance derived from fish, is used as a clarifying agent in some beer and wine. Other non-vegan ingredients sometimes used are casein (from milk) and egg whites.

What does Gordon Ramsay think of vegan food? ›

Chef Gordon Ramsay, who has been known for teasing vegans, confessed on TV that he actually "loves" plant-based food. The British TV personality and the world-famous chef made his vegan confession on the US series of Masterchef: Back to Win.

What is the most eaten vegan food? ›

Some of the most widely enjoyed vegan foods are legumes, nuts and seeds, chickpeas, and black beans. Nuts and nut butters are packed with nutrients. Airheads, Cracker Jack, Cinnamon Life Cereal, Fritos, and Fruit By the Foot are also vegan foods that are widely enjoyed.

What alcohol can vegan drink? ›

Distilled spirits like gin, whisky and vodka are usually vegan, according to the Vegan Society. They also recommend a website called barnivore.com which has a directory of products that have been checked with manufacturers.

Can vegans eat pasta? ›

Most packaged pasta—including spaghetti, penne, and more—is vegan. It's worth checking the label to be sure, as some pasta contains eggs, but most of the pasta you see on the supermarket shelves is 100% vegan!

Which country is fully vegan? ›

Israel: This country's capital city, Tel Aviv, is titled the “vegan capital of the world”. Apart from Tel Aviv, you'll find vegan alternatives and markets in lots of different small towns of Israel serving superb vegan fare. You can pick out from 700+ vegan eating places in Israel, currently.

What race is majority vegan? ›

The vegan population encompasses a rich tapestry of racial and cultural backgrounds. While outdated stereotypes equate veganism with Whiteness, veganism's fastest growing demographic is Black Americans. Black Americans are almost three times more likely to be vegan than the general population.

What religion are most vegans? ›

Pure vegetarianism or veganism is Indic in origin and is still practiced in India by some adherents of Dharmic religions such as Jainism and in the case of Hinduism, lacto-vegetarianism with the additional abstention of pungent or fetid vegetables.

Who has the most vegans in the world? ›

India is the leading nation by share of vegans. A total of eleven percent of the Indian population are vegans. In even the most developed Western markets, this figure only reaches two to three percent, while in many countries in Europe only around one or two percent of the population is vegan.

Where is the biggest vegan community? ›

Mumbai, India. Vegans, you can feel right at home in Mumbai where the world's biggest vegetarian community means there's no shortage of plant-based delights. Brimming with wonderful flavors and fresh produce there's no better place to try out sizzling veg skewers, lentil dals, and traditional curries.

Which country is pure vegetarian? ›

No other country or part of the world has anywhere close to the number of vegetarian people as India, either in percentage of the population or in total number. India is the unique outlier. Going by percentage of the population, Mexico is the second most vegetarian country, at 19%, then Brazil and Taiwan at 14%.

How much of the USA is vegan? ›

About four percent of the U.S. population follows a vegan diet. It is noteworthy that the number of vegans is so small, that surveys have a hard time clearly showing how many vegans there are.

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