16 Southeast Asian Vegetarian Recipes

16 Southeast Asian Vegetarian Recipes for dinner, ranging from Thai to Filipino, that are packed with flavour.

Vegetarians in SouthEast Asia

In most of the world, a vegetarian diet is pretty straightforward: no meat or poultry +

• yes to dairy but no eggs and fish (lacto-vegetarian)
• yes to eggs but no dairy and fish (ovo-vegetarian)
• yes to eggs and dairy but no fish (lacto-ovo vegetarian)
• yes to fish but no dairy or eggs (pescatarian)

Note: vegan diets exclude all of the above and sometimes even plant-based products that are considered to be harmful to animals, such as avocado and almonds.

However, in Asia, there is another type of vegetarian diet, the Buddhist vegetarian diet, that doesn't allow for the consumption of pungent roots and alliums such as scallions, chives, leaks, onions and garlic, even though they're, strictly speaking, plants. (They're thought to increase one's libido when consumed raw.)

So, if you are inviting Buddhist vegetarians over for a meal, do make sure to check that they're good with these aromatics before planing your dishes!

Fun fact: India is the country with the largest number of vegetarians! For plant-based Indian dishes or a chutney recipe, click here

Filipino

If you're a fan of food from the Philippines, try this calamansi lime dipping sauce, which goes really well with siomai and meat! (Filipinos call it Toyomansi.)

Adobo

Vegan tofu adobo

I have a Filipino housemate whose family owns a pork adobo restaurant, and the recipe for this sauce is very similar to hers! Zardy Plants substituted pork with tofu , which is such a clever way of making the dish healthier and vegan!

Click here for the Vegan Adobo recipe.

Indonesian

Vegan Mi Goreng

Mi Goreng

This vegan noodle (also known as mi, mie or mee) is an Indonesian staple. You can buy it anywhere on the streets but it's also easy to make in under 15 minutes if you use this Vegan Punks' recipe.

Click here for the Indonesian noodles recipe.

Laos

Vegetable Larb

This makes a great vegetarian side dish.

For a vegetarian Laotian dish, try plant-based Larb- if travelling in Laos, do make sure fish sauce is not used, as the sauce is pretty ubiquitous in the food! You can say "Baw sai nâm pa" (No Fish sauce.)

Note: there is a similar Northern Thai dish.

Myanmar

Khao Suey

Try vegetarian Khao Suey for a Burmese plant-based dish. As with Larb, Northern Thailand has a similar dish "Khao Soi", which is 1 of my favourite Thai recipes! I used to eat it all the time when I travelled to North Thailand with a family friend who was born (and grew up) there.

Singaporean & Malaysian

The fight between Singapore and Malaysia regarding which produces the best food has been raging for years.

Whilst different people have different opinions- some swear by Singaporean and others love Malaysian- 1 thing we can't deny is that the 2 countries have many similar dishes so I'm grouping them both in the same category.

You can get by with English in Singaporea and Malaysia but just in case:

• tiada daging ("no meat" in Malay)
• wo chi su ("I eat vegetarian food" (我吃素) in Chinese- be careful not to say "wo chi chu" which means "I eat vinegar" aka "I'm jealous!)
• Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to say vegetarian in Tamil but I've never met an Indian person in Singapore and Malaysia that wasn't fluent in English!

For more Singaporean recipes, click here.

Potato curry puff (karipap)

Curry Puff Recipe (Potato)

A savory, flaky and crispy curry puff recipe with potato filling- easily made vegan or vegetarian- that uses cupboard staples. Delicious and perfect for meal prep as it tastes good hot and cold!

Check out this recipe

Note: in Singapore & Malaysia, there is a large Indian and South Asian population, so the 2 countries have many South Asian dishes as well. For vegan and vegetarian South Indian recipes, click here or check out some samosa dipping sauces here.

Muah chee

muah chee (steam)(fry)(microwave)(rice cooker) (vegetarian)

An easy recipe for this South Chinese street snack that can be steamed, fried, microwaved, air fried or made in a rice cooker!

Click here for the Chinese glutinous rice snack.

Desserts

Pandan kueh dadar without eggs

If you're a fan of pandan, you may be keen on sweet & savoury pandan recipes

Singapore kueh dadar pandan coconut pancake recipe (Vegan)

An easy kueh dadar recipe which doesn't require you to hunt down freshly grated coconut! Also my recipe for this Perankaan kueh has no eggs so perfect for vegans!

Click here for the Singaporean kueh dadar recipe.

Agar agar Jelly

Also known as Kanten Jelly, although Agar Agar is a Japanese jelly, it's something that almost every Singaporean and Malaysian kid grew up eating. In fact, it was 1 of the 1st recipes my cousins and I ever made!

The jelly is super refreshing in the tropical humidity, and it is full of fibre, so if you don't put in too much sugar, it's actually good for you as it helps to keep you full for longer.

Agar Agar Jelly (2-ingredient)

A naturally sweet jelly recipe that requires no added sweetener, not even honey or maple syrup!

Click here for the easy agar agar recipe.

Thai

If vegetarian in Thailand, you need to know the word "jay" which means no animal-based products.

Tofu wrap

Thai-inspired wrap

This XOXO Bella gluten-free tofu wrap goes really well with the creamy nutty sauce made from coconut and almond butter.

Click here for the vegan Thai recipe.

Green curry paste

DIY green curry paste

This Food Worth Feed vegan green curry paste gets its bright colour from a very unusual ingredient!

Click here for the vegetarian Thai curry paste.

Coconut noodle soup

Thai-inspired noodles in coconut soup

This Caramel Tinted Life zesty red curry noodles requires brown sugar- if you don't have any on hand, here's an easy recipe to make your own brown sugar.

Click here for the vegan coconut noodle recipe.

Vietnamese

In Vietnam, vegetarians would be looking for "chay" food.

Banh Mi

Vegan banh mi using tofu

Some dishes don't translate well into vegan versions, but this Home Cooked Roots banh mi is not one of them. Tofu soaks up sauce amazingly well, and you can't really tell the difference between a vegan and non-vegan banh mi! (Well except for the texture!)

Click here for the vegan Banh Mi recipe.

Lemongrass Tofu

If you end up with too much of this herb, here are 39 other ways to cook with lemongrass.

Vegan Vietnamese Lemongrass Tofu with Chilli

Vietnamese food is one of my favourites- it's so fresh, tangy and healthy, and all these flavours show to perfection in this Delightful Plate tofu recipe.

Click here for the vegetarian Vietnamese tofu recipe.

Vietnamese pho

Pho Chay

This Delightful Plate vegan Vietnamese Pho is quicker to make than beef pho but thanks to all the herbs, spices and umami ingredients, is no less delicious and comforting!

Click here for the vegan Vietnamese noodle recipe.

Deconstructed Vietnamese rolls

Vietnamese-inspired spring roll bowl

This The Fresh Fig veggie dish is colourful and delicious thanks to the flavourful peanut cilantro sauce (it has 15 reviews with an average of 4.9 stars.) Loaded with fresh vegetables, it's a perfect refreshing dish on a hot day.

Click here for the perfect vegetarian summer recipe.

Which of these SouthEast Asian vegetarian recipes is your favourite?

If you've enjoyed the collection of dishes, I'd be super grateful if you shared it on your social media!