Is It Challenging to Be Vegan in Singapore?
Singapore is a city that dazzles the senses. Amid the towering skyscrapers and lush gardens, walking through any hawker center feels like stepping straight into the beating heart of Southeast Asia. The clang of woks, the shimmer of smoke, the chatter of a dozen languages, and the hypnotic sizzle of oil meeting hot metal.
But amid all this glorious chaos, one question hovers prominently in a vegan traveler’s mind, “will there be anything here I can eat?”.
The short answer is yes. Plenty, in fact. But as with any place where meat, seafood, and dairy are deeply woven into local cuisine, it helps to know the lay of the land. Being vegan in Singapore isn’t impossible, far from it, but it does come with its own unique blend of joys and challenges.
Let’s dig in.
Finding Your Vegan Paradise in Singapore
Singapore’s culinary scene is as diverse as its people. Centuries of cultural mingling have woven together a tapestry of flavors drawn from Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Western traditions.
- Chinese Buddhist influence means you’ll often find vegetarian hawker stalls using tofu, mushrooms, mock meats, and heaps of greens
- South Indian heritage brings dosas, idli, sambar, and fragrant vegetable curries (many naturally vegan if you request no ghee)
- Malay dishes like nasi lemak and laksa can be veganized by skipping the ikan bilis (anchovies), egg, and shrimp paste
Top tip: Always have your trusty translator app by your side and don’t be shy about requesting “no egg, no milk, no fish sauce” when ordering. Most stallholders speak English, but clarity can save you from any nasty surprises.
The Rise of Vegan Restaurants and Cafés
A decade ago, finding vegan-only restaurants in Singapore meant digging around online forums. Today, they’re everywhere. From upscale plant-based fine dining to Instagram-ready smoothie bowl cafés, the scene is thriving.
You’ll find vegan menus at restaurants spanning cuisines from Japanese, Italian, modern Singaporean, and much more. There are even bakeries turning out flawless egg and dairy-free pastries. And many grocery stores now stock oat milk, dairy-free cheese, and even vegan ice cream.
Top tip: For all-vegan groceries and snacks, visit Everyday Vegan Grocer, it’s a local favorite with everything from tempeh to plant-based chocolate.
The Flip Side: Why It Can Still Be Tricky to Eat Vegan in Singapore
All that said, Singapore is not a vegan utopia. If you’re imagining endless hawker stalls dishing up tofu noodles, the reality might surprise you.
#1 The danger of hidden animal ingredients
Many hawker dishes contain sneaky non-vegan elements like fish sauce, dried shrimp, chicken stock, or egg. Even when dishes look plant-based, you must be careful. Fried rice, noodle soups, and stir-fried greens often hide these flavor bases.
As a much younger man on my travels through Southeast Asia, on a street corner in Singapore, I once bit into a dumpling boldly labeled “mushroom”. I realized instantly that there was something in my mouth that I really didn’t want to be there. The stallholder had assured me it was just mushroom, but it turned out to be mushroom and pork. I spat it out, felt very sick, and skipped food for the rest of the day.
Top tip: Always double-check ingredients, especially sauces and broths. A quick “no meat, no fish, no egg” before ordering can save you from surprises. I was not forceful enough and assumed the seller understood my English during the horrible dumpling experience.
#2 Language Barriers and Busy Stalls
Most Singaporeans speak excellent English, but hawker centers can be hectic. At peak times, stall owners may not have the bandwidth to discuss your dietary requirements, and requests can get lost in the rush. For us vegans (or any hungry customers), this can be frustrating. Be patient, or simply move on if you have a feeling your vegan needs might not be able to be met.
#3 Lack of Cheap Vegan Options
Hawker stalls are wonderfully cheap, $3 to $5 for a hearty meal, but vegan-specific hawker stalls are rare. Fully vegan meals are more often found in cafés and restaurants, which cost more (think $10 to $20+). So, while you can eat affordably, it takes effort to avoid blowing your budget.
Top tip: Mix and match. Have breakfast at a vegan café, then hunt down a vegetarian hawker stall for lunch, and finish with street fruit or plant-based snacks from grocery stores.
#4 Navigating Labels and “Plant-Based” Confusion
One of the trickiest parts of being vegan in Singapore isn’t the lack of choice, it’s the false sense of choice. Labeling can be inconsistent. “Plant-based” is often used loosely to mean “mostly plants” rather than fully vegan. Some vegetarian restaurants also use dairy, eggs, and even mock meats containing milk derivatives.
A vegan friend of mine on a recent trip to Singapore happily tucked into an Indian meal labeled “plant-based”, only to spend the night curled up in her hotel with stomach pain. The dishes were cooked in ghee and cream. She’d assumed “plant-based” meant vegan, it didn’t.
Top tip: Always check if a dish has milk, ghee, butter, egg, or fish sauce. This is especially important in Indian restaurants, which often rely on dairy.
Local Dishes Worth Trying (Veganized)
Despite the pitfalls, there are plenty of iconic Singaporean dishes you can enjoy as a vegan, especially if you know what to ask for.
Here are a few worth seeking out:
- Thunder tea rice (lei cha fan) – a hearty Hakka dish of rice, greens, nuts, and an herby tea broth (often fully vegan by default)
- Popiah – fresh spring rolls filled with veggies, turnip, and tofu (ask to skip the egg)
- Rojak – a sweet-sour fruit and veg salad (just make sure they omit the shrimp paste)
- Vegetarian laksa – coconut curry noodle soup (check the broth is veg-based and no fish cakes are added)
- Mee goreng – spicy fried noodles (ask for no egg and no meat)
Top tip: Look for Buddhist vegetarian food stalls, often marked with the character 素 (sù). These are your safest bet for fully plant-based hawker meals.
Where to Eat: Vegan Hotspots in Singapore
If you’re craving something fuss-free and reliably plant-based, here are a few standout spots to pin on your map. Some are fully vegan, while others are 99% there, and all are vegetarian. Either way, you’ll be spoiled for choice (and your taste buds will thank you).
- Whole Earth – elegant Peranakan-Thai dishes like mushroom rendang, olive rice, and Penang-style curries. Polished and flavor-packed
- Warung Ijo – cozy vegetarian café with Indonesian-style flavors. Try the plant-based rendang, nasi lemak, and satay skewers
- Bodhi Deli – casual and comforting. Great for quick local-style rice and noodle dishes that won’t break the bank
- The Boneless Kitchen – plant-based Korean favorites like bibimbap, pancakes, and spicy stir-fries. Warm and homely
- Makan Vegan – bustling food court-style eatery. Local classics like laksa, nasi lemak, and thunder tea rice (all vegan)
- WellSmoocht – bright and modern. Comfort food like waffles, pasta, and house-made vegan ice cream
Top tip: Search “vegan” on Google Maps before heading out, it works surprisingly well in Singapore, and many restaurants proudly tag themselves as vegan-friendly. Make sure you also save the spots on your map to make them easier to find when you’re out and about.
Grocery Stores and Self-Catering
If you’re staying in Singapore for a while, stocking up on basics is easy. Grocery stores like FairPrice, Cold Storage, and Little Farms all carry dairy-free milks, plant proteins, tofu, tempeh, nuts, and vegan snacks. But there are also specialty stores like Everyday Vegan Grocer, which is fully vegan and ideal if you’re after specific products like nutritional yeast, vegan cheese, or mock meats.
Top tip: Singapore’s grocery stores clearly label vegan products in English, just scan the ingredients for dairy, egg, and fish sauce to be safe.
Budgeting as a Vegan Traveler in Singapore
A common myth is that being vegan in Singapore means spending a fortune. While it can be pricey if you stick to cafés, it doesn’t have to be.
With some planning, you can eat on a budget.
- Breakfast: grab a steaming cup of kopi-o kosong (black coffee, no sugar) and a flaky roti prata made without ghee, or snack on tropical fruit like dragon fruit, papaya, or rambutan from a wet market stall (juicy, vibrant, and often just $1–2)
- Lunch: hit up a vegetarian hawker stall for a generous plate of economic rice. You pick from trays of stir-fried tofu, greens, sambal eggplant, and crunchy bean sprouts, all piled over rice for about $4–5
- Dinner: settle into a breezy Buddhist canteen for thunder tea rice, a colorful bowl of grains, herbs, and nuts served with a fragrant basil-green tea broth. Or slurp down a bowl of spicy mee goreng (ask for no egg) at a casual kopitiam.
Top tip: If you’re staying near a hawker center, find out which stalls have vegetarian options and become a regular, they’ll often customize dishes for you once they know you.
So… Is It Challenging to Be Vegan in Singapore?
Yes, but only at first. The hardest part is the learning curve and understanding which dishes are safe, how to communicate your needs, and where to find your staples. Once you’ve cracked that, Singapore can be an incredibly rewarding place to eat vegan.
Singapore is one of Asia’s most multicultural cities, and that diversity spills over beautifully into its food. You might be enjoying thunder tea rice in a quiet temple canteen one day and vegan ice cream on Orchard Road the next.
With a bit of curiosity and preparation, being vegan here isn’t just possible. It’s delicious, vibrant, and surprisingly easy.
Stress-Free Vegan Travel in Singapore
If the idea of hunting down vegan-friendly hawker stalls and figuring out what to do in Singapore feels a little overwhelming, you don’t have to go it alone. At Veggies Abroad, we create tailor-made itineraries designed to take all the stress out of your adventure. And it’s not just the food side of things, but the whole experience.
From knowing exactly where to find that hidden Buddhist canteen tucked behind a temple, to planning vibrant walking tours through heritage districts, gardens, and markets. We handle the details so you can simply relax and soak it all in.
Whether you want a laid-back foodie escape or an action-packed city break, we’ll curate your days around incredible vegan meals, unforgettable activities, and handpicked sights. All that’s left is to worry is which dish to try next.
Top tip: If you’ve ever dreamed of exploring new places without the usual “vegan travel stress,” letting someone else do the planning can turn the whole trip from tricky to effortless.
Travel Inspiration
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