Cambodia, like neighbours Thailand and Vietnam, has a delicious cuisine. The dishes are a lot less spicy than in Thailand but very flavorful due to the use of other spices. In this article Vegan in Cambodia, we talk about the tastiest vegan dishes and tricks to make sure a dish becomes vegan. Off to vegan in Cambodia!
Content of this blog:
The best vegan restaurants in Cambodia
There are many vegan (friendly) restaurants to be found in Cambodia. Below we list our favorites by destination!
Siem Reap
- Peace Café vegetarian restaurant – lots of tasty avocado toasts and smoothie bowls
- The Source Café – nice and cozy little place. Especially ‘the hungry vegan’ was a favorite with us
- Heybong the healthy secrets 100% vegan – this restaurant is in a cozy little garden, very atmospheric. The menu features delicious Asian dishes with special ingredients
Koh Rong
- White Rose restaurant – a very popular restaurant. There are many tofu dishes and tasty curries on the menu
- Coco’s restaurant & bar – what’s really fun here: you can also barbecue as a vegan! For $5, you get grilled tofu, salad, jacket potatoes, rice and vegetable sticks. Very tasty and fun
Kampot
- Simple Things – a cozy, all vegan restaurant. You can sit on swings here instead of chairs. Nicely decorated and good food. The portions are, by Cambodian standards, not that large
- Aroma house – a great Mediterranean restaurant with delicious falafel
- Curry mahal indian food – delicious Indian food as it should be. Lots of flavorful vegan curries
Phnom Penh
- Sacred Lotus Cafe – tasty Asian and Western vegan dishes. Many choices
- Namaste Indian – Indian food, always good. Very good curries and flavors at this restaurant
Vegan Cambodian curries
Surely, the by far most delicious dish in Cambodia is the Khmer curry. Khmer means modern-day Cambodia. Traditionally, Khmer curry is prepared with chicken or shrimp but fortunately you can ask everywhere to leave this out. In some places, you can even substitute it for tofu. The vegan Khmer curry is mild in flavor, with lots of vegetables and various spices.
In addition to the Khmer curry, the Amok curry is a Cambodian famous curry. Amok curry is traditionally prepared with fish. These days, vegan amok curry is also on the menu in more and more major cities.
Other Cambodian vegan dishes
In addition to curries, noodle soup and fried rice are often on the Cambodian menu. These are not special dishes, especially when only cooked vegetables are added. In a restaurant, always try to ask if tofu can be added to the dish. Can’t figure it out? Communicate via Google Translate in which you make it clear that you do not eat animal products.
In Cambodia, besides curries, we ate a fair amount of western food. After all, after several times of a boring fried rice with vegetables, you do crave some extra nutrients.
Vegan cooking course in Siem Reap
In Siem Reap, you can do a great vegan cooking course. You get to choose 3 dishes to learn how to make. We both chose the fresh spring rolls, amok curry and a passion fruit banana flambé. You will first be taken for a tour of the local market where you will be explained about the different vegetables. Be sure to walk past the meat and fish stalls here as well. If you can’t stand this then wait at the restaurant until the rest of the group returns.
After touring the local market, start cooking. You will be explained how to cut the vegetables and the techniques for making the curry paste. Very fun and educational. At the end, when you have made everything, sit down with the whole group. You enjoy your home-cooked food here. The Khmer cooking class can be booked through this website or by calling +855 77 624 327. Vegan ingredients are available but it is helpful to specify in advance.
Conclusion: is it easy to eat vegan in Cambodia?
It is fairly easy to eat vegan in Cambodia. In the larger cities, you will find many restaurants with vegan dishes on the menu. At street food stalls, it is a bit more difficult to eat vegan. Here you can often get a fried rice with vegetables. Furthermore, you really shouldn’t skip the Khmer and amok curry in Cambodia.
