Vegan Food in Bali: Cafés, Warung Phrases and Prices

The short answer: is Bali good for vegans?

Bali is one of the easiest places in Asia to eat vegan. Ubud and Canggu have dozens of fully plant-based cafés, from raw-food salad bars to vegan tasting menus, and everyday Indonesian food is built on tofu, tempeh, rice, vegetables and coconut. The one thing to watch is terasi, the fermented shrimp paste that flavors many spice pastes and sambals, along with fish sauce, egg and chicken stock. Learn a few phrases, and you can eat vegan at local warungs for IDR 20,000 to 40,000 (about US$1.10 to $2.20) a plate.

Why Bali works so well for plant-based travelers

Two things come together here. The first is Indonesian food itself. Tempeh, the fermented soybean cake now sold in health shops worldwide, comes from Java and is a daily staple, as is tahu (tofu). Vegetable dishes dressed with grated coconut, peanut sauce or chili are on almost every menu.

The second is the wellness scene. Over the past two decades, Ubud's yoga and healing community has driven a wave of vegetarian, raw and vegan cafés, and Canggu followed with a younger, brunch-loving version. Many cafés label every dish with V, VG or GF, and staff in these areas understand what vegan means.

Balinese ceremonial food is a different story. Dishes like babi guling and lawar are built around pork, duck or chicken, so a temple festival feast is rarely vegan. But daily home cooking is far more vegetable-heavy than visitors expect.

Vegan-friendly Indonesian and Balinese dishes

These are naturally plant-based or easy to adapt, once you ask about terasi, egg and fish sauce:

• Tempe manis or tempe goreng: sweet-glazed or fried tempeh, a fixture of any nasi campur cabinet.
• Tahu goreng and tahu tek: fried tofu, the latter with peanut sauce.
• Gado-gado: blanched vegetables, tofu and tempeh with peanut sauce. Ask for it without egg, prawn crackers and shrimp paste in the sauce.
• Sayur urab (jukut urab): steamed vegetables with spiced grated coconut, a Balinese favorite.
• Tipat cantok: Balinese rice cakes and vegetables in a peanut and chili dressing.
• Plecing kangkung: water spinach with a fiery tomato sambal, which often contains terasi, so ask.
• Sayur lodeh and vegetable curry: coconut milk stews, sometimes made with stock.
• Jaja Bali: many Balinese sweets, such as klepon and dadar gulung, are made with rice flour, coconut and palm sugar.

How to order vegan at a warung

Most warung cooks are happy to adapt, but a "vegetarian" label is no guarantee that a dish has no shrimp paste or fish sauce. Keep these phrases handy:

• Saya vegan. I am vegan. In local warungs, it helps to add the next line.
• Saya tidak makan daging, ikan, telur. I do not eat meat, fish or egg.
• Tanpa daging. Without meat.
• Tanpa telur. Without egg.
• Tidak pakai terasi. Do not use shrimp paste.
• Tanpa saus ikan. Without fish sauce.
• Ada terasi? Is there shrimp paste in it?
• Sayur saja. Only vegetables.

Two more things to watch: kerupuk, the crackers served with many meals, are often made from prawn (kerupuk udang), and soups and fried rice may be cooked with chicken stock (kaldu ayam) or seasoning cubes. At a nasi campur warung, pointing at the tofu, tempeh, vegetables and rice in the cabinet and asking about the sambal is usually the simplest approach.

Well-known vegan cafés in Ubud

Ubud has the highest concentration of plant-based restaurants on the island.

• Alchemy, in Penestanan, is a long-running 100 percent raw vegan café, known for its build-your-own salad bar and raw desserts.
• Zest, on Jalan Raya Penestanan Kelod, is a fully plant-based restaurant with jackfruit rendang, tempeh burgers, plant-based sushi rolls and smoothie bowls.
• Herbivore, from the team behind Locavore, serves plant-based tasting menus on Jalan Dewi Sita. Book ahead.
• Sayuri Healing Food in Peliatan mixes raw and cooked vegan dishes and runs plant-based classes.
• Sawobali in Peliatan is a fully vegan Indonesian buffet where a plate has cost under US$5, a good reality check after the café prices.

Vegan cafés in Canggu, Seminyak and Sanur

• I Am Vegan Babe, on Jalan Pantai Berawa in Canggu, is fully vegan, with brunch plates, tacos and desserts.
• The Shady Shack, on Jalan Tanah Barak, is a long-standing Canggu favorite for vegans and vegetarians, with Buddha bowls, jackfruit tacos and burgers.
• KYND Community, in Seminyak and Canggu, is a vegan café with comfort dishes such as pesto pasta, curry and cauliflower wings.
• The Cure in Berawa is fully plant-based, with big portions and plenty of takeaway.
• KooD in Sanur is a 100 percent plant-based spot with a bakery and dishes from around IDR 25,000.

Cafés change fast in Bali, so check recent reviews or HappyCow before you go. If you want to learn to cook it yourself, several Ubud schools run vegan classes; see our Bali cooking classes guide.

What vegan food costs in Bali

• Warung plate of rice, tempeh, tofu and vegetables: around IDR 20,000 to 40,000 (US$1.10 to $2.20).
• Vegan buffets such as Sawobali in Ubud: often under US$5 a plate.
• Café meal in Canggu or Ubud: a smoothie bowl and coffee runs around IDR 120,000 to 180,000 (US$7 to $10), and a main course is often similar.
• Tasting menus at places like Herbivore: priced like fine dining, so check current rates when booking.

Mixing the two worlds is the smart way to do it: warung lunches with tempeh and urab, and a café dinner when you want something familiar. For a full sense of what things cost, see is Bali expensive. And if you want to understand why some food is set aside as offerings rather than eaten, our guide to canang sari explains the ritual.