The Ultimate Vegan Guide To Mexico
Mexico is an absolute foodie heaven destination, and you’ll be pleased to know that’s no different for vegans too. I was so blown away by the food there, that I had to create this ultimate vegan guide to Mexico to ensure you are armed with all the knowledge you need to ensure you don’t miss out on the delicious food available to you.
Sure, I’m no ‘proper vegan’ – I’m a vegetarian who eats no dairy aside from cheese and the occasional egg but the majority of my diet is vegan and I was seriously astounded to discover the amount of delicious food I can eat there.
Some may rave about Mexico for their unique North American Latin culture, others for it’s dazzling beaches… but for me, the food will always come out top. It was such a huge contrast to my experience of Filipino cuisine, which scarred me a little bit. Being hangry for 3 weeks, doesn’t make for a great holiday experience you might be surprised to hear and has now resulted in me doing some very thorough restaurant research on Happy Cow before I even book my flights anywhere in the world!
Vegan Guide To Mexico
I visited Playa del Carmen which is a popular tourist hotspot in Mexico. One of the larger beachside towns and thanks to it’s popularity and rise in tourism, this has likely influenced the amount of vegan options that have become available there. I hear other Mexican destinations that are great for vegan cuisine are Tulum, Mexico City and Cancun – Yucatan, not so much though. This vegan guide to Mexico should help regardless of where you travel to.
Though, we spent a week at a fabulous all-inclusive resort with incredible food, we didn’t feel the need to dine out at all during our time there which has quite literally never happened to me before. Usually you get bored of eating the same old food at an all-inclusive place, right?
Not in Mexico!
The food at the hotel was outstanding – to the point where, just when you think it can’t get any better than breakfast, you’re hit with something even better for dinner. There was simply no need to venture out to other restaurants.
It wasn’t just ‘food I can eat’ it had all the flavour and spice you could ever want to enhance the taste of each meal.
Key Phrases To Learn For Vegans In Mexico
Even if you don’t speak Spanish, it’s worth learning some key travel phrases to ensure you are understood when ordering vegan food in Mexico.
- Soy vegano: I am vegan
- Sin carne: without meat
- Sin leche: without milk
- Sin queso: without cheese
- Sin huevos: without eggs
- Sin pescado: without fish
- Sin pollo: without chicken
Fyi, the Spanish word for vegan is vegano.
One thing to note is that in some parts of Mexico if you say you don’t eat meat it may still be assumed you eat fish, chicken or eggs, so you might have to make that clear to them when you order.
Local Vegan Meals To Eat In Mexico
Mexican food is extremely easy to make vegan and more often than not, it’s the vegetarian option minus the cheese. Many street food taco trucks for example serve simple tacos with meat, onion, tomato and salsa – and because an onion-tomato taco isn’t what you came to Mexico for, these trucks are often not great options for vegan food in Mexico.
Naturally vegan Mexican meals include veggie burritos, fajitas, nachos (chips) and guacamole as much of the traditional cuisine includes meat and cheese – or both.
However, here are some easy local vegan options you can find throughout Mexico.
Vegan Mexican Food: Starters
- Guacamole and chips: Made with avocado, lime, and tomato, guacamole is a staple in Mexican cuisine and is often served with nachos (or chips as they are called there) or as a side dish.
- Pico de Gallo: A popular Mexican salsa made with fresh chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, and lime juice. It is often served as a condiment with a lot of Mexican dishes.
- Nachos: ‘Chips’ covered in a cheese sauce – likely to be something you’ll only find vegan at a specialty restaurant where they have vegan cheese available.
Vegan Mexican Food: Mains
- Chilaquiles: A popular Mexican breakfast (it was my favourite) – baked tortilla chips with either salsa verde (green) or salsa roja (red). While this dish often comes with meat, egg and cream, it’s common to find a vegan option with soy meat or to simply ask for no meat, egg and dairy.
- Veggie Tamales: Corn dough filled with vegetables, wrapped in a corn husk and steamed. Meat tamales are common too, so be sure you’re ordering a vegan one by using one of the key phrases above.
- Nopales: A delicious vegan staple in Mexico, and you can find them just about anywhere, including in places off the beaten track. Nopal is cactus that is traditionally cooked with onion and tomato and used as filling for tacos, but you will also find it as a salad ingredient too.
- Vegan burrito: A classic Mexican burrito built with beans, rice, guacamole and sometimes cactus.
- Molletes: Open-faced sandwiches that are traditionally served with beans, cheese and salsa, although you’ll often find them available with other toppings too. You can order them without the cheese and in larger cities you can find delicious vegan molletes with a variety of roasted veg too.
- Soy meat or frijole tacos: Soy meat is becoming popular in Mexico, especially in the bigger cities.
- Sopa Azteca: A traditional soup made with vegetables, tortilla strips, and tomato-based broth.
- Enchiladas verdes: These enchiladas are made with a green tomato-based sauce and typically filled with beans or vegetables.
- Chiles en nogada: This is a seasonal dish made with poblano peppers filled with a mixture of fruits, nuts and spices, topped with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds.
- Vegan Flautas: Small rolled-up tortillas that are filled with potato, beans or mock meat. These are deep-fried and served crispy.
Vegan Mexican Street Food
- Elotes: Grilled corn on the cob with chilli powder – be mindful that butter, mayonnaise or cheese is sometimes added to this.
- Churros: A sweet fried dough pastry dusted with cinnamon sugar. Pretty sure we’re all familiar with these delights by now.
- Tostadas de Coyoacán: A popular street food, consisting of a tostada topped with refried beans, lettuce and salsa. It often comes with cream and cheese, so make sure to order them without.
Meat may be a huge part of the Mexican diet, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of delicious vegan and vegetarian options available there too. It is one of the best cuisines for vegans because it’s so easy to adapt or veganise with the use of beans, rice and veggies.
Mexico’s tropical climate makes it perfect for growing a ton of juicy fruit and a variety of unique vegetables. I ate fruit and veg here that I’ve never tried before, including jicama and chayote – both delicious! Fruit out here is another level of deliciousness, particularly the papaya, watermelon and rambutan. Add a squeeze of fresh lime to your papaya and thank me later!
I was surprised to find that even basic ingredients like jalapeños in Mexico taste so different to the stuff we buy in jars here in England. Often spicier but most importantly crunchier too – they were so good, I was obsessed and had them with virtually every meal including breakfast.
While Mexican food is generally vegan-friendly, Mexico as a nation is still a way off veganism from a cultural standpoint. Vegan options tend to be more widely available in tourist hotspots, like many other countries, reserved for foreigners rather than the people themselves.
Travelling As A Vegan in Mexico
One of the best parts of travelling anywhere is enjoying the authentic local cuisine. As vegans, we are often forced to sacrifice more cultural experiences when restaurants have limited vegan options.
Luckily, you shouldn’t have this problem in Mexico at all, which is what makes it so great. In the larger cities mentioned above, there are so many delicious vegan renditions of traditional Mexican food, not to mention being spoilt for a choice of restaurants too, so you can have a wonderful cruelty-free cultural experience.
In smaller towns, you might have to get a bit creative and adapt your own dishes using the culinary staples they have on hand (rice, avocado, beans, etc). I know I’ve had to ask for this a few times and most people are happy to oblige.
Hopefully you found this vegan guide to Mexico useful – let me know in the comments below!
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