As we all know, breakfast is the day’s most important meal! But, what if you’re in the land of Haggis and meat pudding (who’s idea was it to take a delightful pudding and muck it up with meat)?
I initially thought that vegan breakfast in Edinburgh would be pretty underwhelming — porridge, toast — good old vegan standbys, but I was wrong! Edinburgh boasts a tempting array of vegan options to kick start your day – waffles, pancakes, and even a vegan Haggis (you really should try it, you won’t be disappointed)!
So, if you’re planning a trip to this Scottish gem, don’t skip the most important meal of the day and check out one (or all) of these delicious vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants for breakfast or brunch.
Where to Go For Vegan Breakfast or Brunch in Edinburgh
#1 Seeds for The Soul
167 Bruntsfield Pl, Edinburgh EH10 4DG
Breakfast is served every day until noon.
The future is vegan at this little café, and with one bite of their delicious breakfast lineup, you’ll agree too (well, that is if you hadn’t already)! The eclectic café serves breakfast daily, and with one look at these options, you might want to come more than once!
Their breakfast menu features loads of savory options — Eggs Benny (fried tofu, house-made yolk, and hollandaise sauces, house-made bacon, all on a toasted muffin) or a Brekkie Boss (bagel sandwich stuffed with sausage, bacon, tofu scramble, spinach, and house-made sauce). But if you’re a traditionalist and need something fluffy and sweet, check out their pancake stack (available gluten-free too).
#2 Holy Cow Lounge
1 Dundee St, Edinburgh EH3 9FP
Breakfast is served every day, all day.
If you take a gander at the Holy Cow menu online and think that would be a fantastic place for breakfast, you’re right! But only if you go to the correct location (I found this out the hard way, so you don’t have to).
There are two Holy Cow locations. If you’re interested in breakfast, use the above address! After a mad dash through town (I thought breakfast ended at noon; it doesn’t! It is all day), I was finally able to dig into a veganized traditional Scottish breakfast (that’s also gluten-free)!
Their breakfast menu is small but mighty — what more could you really need besides fluffy Biscoff pancakes or my glorious breakfast plate (just look at that photo)?
#3 Sly Fox
16 Henderson St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6BS, United Kingdom
Vegan Cafe
Being sly never tasted so good! This laid back vegan cafe serves up breakfast and brunch all week long (except Monday). There are so many things that you will want to try — you just might have to come more than once! For some good old fashion comfort food, don’t miss a stack of fluffy pancakes covered with coconut and Biscoff cream (OMG, am I right) or an order of thick-cut cinnamon French toast!
If you’re a more savory breakfast eater, no worries, they’ve got plenty for you! I’d recommend ordering the scrambled tofu complete with a couple slices of bac’n!
#4 Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch
65 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TG
Vegan-Friendly
This vegan-friendly cafe might have been one of the first to really upgrade its vegan breakfast offerings with a fun menu — they understand we want more than just toast! One more bonus, you can get breakfast here all day! Their menu features a savory mix of options — an all day breakfast platter loaded with potatoes, scramble, and more (they even have a GF option for this) or a vegan bac’n roll!
In addition to the menu, they also are home to Scotland’s first vegan deli — how cool is that?! You can find a variety of veggie meats like bac’n, sausage, Haggis, and much more.
#5 Chapter One Coffee Shop
107 Dalry Rd, Edinburgh EH11 2DR
Vegan Cafe
This lovely little vegan corner cafe is the perfect place to enjoy and oat milk latte and pastry with a book or go for a hearty veganized Scottish breakfast platter! Truly their breakfast lineup is a little overwhelming as you’re going to want one of everything — French toast, granola, fresh sourdough toast, smoothies, and much more! If you’ve been curious about traditional Scottish food but veganized, you can also try items like Haggis or black pudding here! Oh, and one more thing, this is also a great place to go for vegan cakes and treats in Edinburgh!
#6 Hula Juice Bar & Healthy Eatery
Two locations in Edinburgh
Vegan-Friendly
If you like your day to start on a super green foot, come here! This juice bar and cafe has a terrific lineup of veggie and berry-filled juices and smoothies to help get you going (I recommend Popeye — spinach, apple, lemon, and nutmeg). If that’s not quite enough for you, no worries, there’s more! The juice shop also has a tasty lineup of Scottish oats which can be made vegan by using almond milk or an antioxidant packed smoothie bowl with acai, coconut milk, bananas, and more.
#7 Loudons New Waverley
2 Sibbald Walk, Edinburgh EH8 8FT
Vegan-Friendly
This modern, vegan-friendly cafe is well known for its breakfast fare and lucky for us, their menu is super-well marked! Don’t you love when restaurants listen and do that? Everyday you can wander in here and stuff yourself silly with caramelized apple porridge, blueberry pancakes, superfood topped toast, and so much more! Once you look at the menu, you’ll notice many of the dishes can be made vegan which means, we’ve got a lot of options! Hooray!
More Vegan Travel Help!
Adding on other European cities to your Scottish adventure? Then you better check out these other vegan travel guides and articles!
The Best Vegan Travel Guide to London
A Complete Vegan Travel Guide to Paris
The Ultimate Zurich Vegan Travel Guide
The Best Berlin Vegan Travel Guide
The Best Vegan Restaurants in Glasgow
The Best Spots for Vegan and Gluten-Free Food in Brighton
The 12 Best Spots for Vegan and Gluten-Free Food in London
The Best Vegan & Vegan-Friendly Breakfast Spots in Dublin
