Last updated on September 17th, 2021 at 07:24 pm
When traveling in the Philippines sometimes it can be challenging to find vegetarian Filipino dishes and vegan Filipino food. But today we will write a list of Filipino vegetable dishes to try in your next trip. You will find them in local restaurant and as street food for affordable prices.
Is it possible to survive as vegetarian in the Philippines? Can you survive as a vegan in the Philippines? Well it will not be easy since most of the Filipino food has meat but it’s not impossible. There is vegetarian food in the Philippines, tasty fruits and a few vegan food in the Philippines. Keep reading below.
Read here our favorite Filipino breakfast, Filipino desserts, Philippine fruits, Filipino snacks, Filipino drinks and Filipino street food
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Vegetarian Filipino Dishes And Vegan Filipino Food
Are there Filipino vegetable dishes in the Philippines? Of course there are but vegetarian Filipino food and even vegan Filipino food. We will tell you below vegetarian food in the Philippines and some vegan food in the Philippines..
1. PANCIT
You can find pancit as one of the most popular vegetable Filipino dishes. Noodles mixed with vegetables like carrots and mushrooms and calamnsi. Sometimes they can add pork and chicken but we will keep vegetarian. It’s served for breakfast and usually served at parties, too. Prices are from $0.5-1 USD.
2. PINAKBET
Pinakbet is a popular Ilocano vegetable dish in the Philippines. It is a vegetable stew made with tomatoes, eggplant, string beans, okra, and bitter gourd. The dish might have different version all over the country and it is really a must try!
3. LAING
Laing is the most popular vegetarian food in the Philippines made with mixed vegetables, specifically the dried leaves of gabi or taro, and coconut milk, served with garlic. It is usually made with chili, which adds a kick to its flavor.
4. VEGETARIAN LUMPIANG
Vegetarian Lumpiang is one of the most popular vegetarian Filipino dishes. This is a famous food not just in the Philippines but other Southeast Asian countries as well.
It is influenced by Chinese cuisine. Lumpiang Shanghai is Filipino spring roll– carrot, and spices covered in a thin Lumpia wrapper. You can dip it in sweet sauce to maximize the flavor.
5. TORTANG TALONG
A simple dish like Torta made from eggplant, cooked with fried egg is so delicious! It´s very typical in Visayas region, or overall in the Philippines, as local food. We found it more in Visayas though, than in Luzon. Prices start from 20 PHP ($ 0.40) in local carinderias. One of our favorite vegetable FIlipino dishes.
6. CHOP SUEY
This dish is known to be influenced by the Chinese Cuisine and Filipinos love it. It has vegetables, quail eggs and a little bit of thick brown sauce. You can even keep as one of the most popular vegan dishes if you don’t add egg.
7. Sizzling Tofu
Sizzling Tofu is fried tofu and it’s considered vegetarian Filipino food. It’s easy to prepare adding chilli peppers and rice as side dish. One of Rachel’s favorite in the list!
8. Ginataang Langka
Ginataang Langka is young jackfruit mixed in coconut milk. It’s creamy and it can be spicy. It’s usually eaten with rice and very common in local carinderias and it’s so delicious. Price is around 40-50 PHP.
Vegetarian Filipino Dishes And Vegan Filipino Dishes
9. Ginataang Gulay
Ginataang Gulay is a delicious vegetarian Filipino food. It’s cooked with green beans and squad with coconut milk. The dish is served with rice.
10. Ensaladang Mangga
Ensaladang Mangga can be fried or fresh. It’s green mango salad and it can be eaten with salty egg and white rice. It’s usually served with fish sauce but of course you can avoid it. I would say from the list of Filipino vegetable dishes is Rachel’s favorite one.
11. Bicol Express
Bicol Express is a vegan Filipino food. It’s made of tofu with green beans and it’s creamy and spicy. It can be cooked with coconut milk. Bicol Express is in my bucket list.
12. PACO SALAD
Paco Salad, Ensaladang Pako, or Fiddlehead Fern Salad, is a common appetizer served in restaurants in Pampanga. This will surely make your tummy happy, with its tasty ingredients such as ferns (the right kind and edible ones), tomatoes, onions, and salted eggs. It’s usually spiced with salt and pepper and dressed in vinegar. Crunchy and yummy!
13. Miso
Miso is made with mushroom, zucchini and broccoli mixed with miso sauce made from butter, water and ginger. It’s a very healthy vegetarian Filipino food.
14. SUPAS
Supas is a perfect vegetarian to eat in rainy season. It is a rice dish cooked in turmeric pulp (yellow ginger) that’s often mixed with garlic. Price of the soups were 75 PHP.
15. Arroz Caldo
Arroz Caldo is another Filipino dish perfect for rainy days. This is the Filipino version of porridge or congee, made with sticky rice, carrot, ginger, and seasonings.
16. UBE
Ube is a purple yam that is very common in the Philippines as a standalone dessert or an ingredient of another dessert. Actually, most of the purple desserts you’ll ever taste maybe has ube in it. It has a very gentle flavor, that’s why it blends well with other sweet ingredients.
17. SUMAN
A typical dessert in Batanes called Suman. It is made from sticky rice, a sweet and delicious treat! Suman is usually topped with latik, a sweet sauce made from coconut.
18. BIBINGKA
Bibingka is another popular Filipino street food mostly eaten during Christmas season. This egg based dessert is eaten alongside. It’s usually served on a banana leaf.
19. CHAMPORADO
Champorado is a delicious chocolate rice porridge in the Philippines, usually eaten for breakfast or as snack. It’s served with evaporated or condensed milk. A weird trivia about Champorado is that Filipinos sometimes also eat it with tuyo, or dried fish. You have to taste it when you go to the Philippines!
20. HALO-HALO
It’s the most popular dessert in the Philippines. The ingredients are kidney beans, sugar palm, coconut, ice cream, purple yam and evaporated milk. Prices are from $1-2.
21. PUTO BUMBONG
Puto Bumbong is one of the traditional Christmas foods in the Philippines. It’s sticky rice with a purple color. It’s served with butter or margarine and you can add coconut grains on top, mixed with sugar. Price for Puto Bumbong is $0.5 (25 pesos).
22. KUTSINTA
Kutsinta is cake made of steamed rice cake. It’s a mix of rice flour and brown sugar. You can find them as Filipino street food 5 PHP.
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Which one in the list of vegetarian Filipino dishes and vegan Filipino dishes is your favorite? Did you know there are as many vegetarian food in the Philippines? What about vegan food in the Philippines are there more dishes to write about? Let us know in the comments below.
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Happy Travels!
Ruben Arribas is a Spanish traveler who has traveled more than 70+ countries around the world. Now based in the Philippines!
