Morocco, a country known for its vibrant culture and rich culinary traditions, might seem challenging for vegan travelers. However, with a bit of planning and knowledge, you can enjoy a delightful plant-based journey through this beautiful country. This guide will explore vegan options in major cities like Casablanca, Marrakech, and Essaouira, providing tips, restaurant recommendations, and insights into traditional Moroccan cuisine.
Vegan Options in Casablanca
Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city and economic hub, blends tradition with modernity, reflected in its diverse food scene. While traditional Moroccan cuisine often includes lamb, chicken, and seafood, it also features plant-based dishes like vegetable couscous, lentil soups, and fresh salads.
Traditional Moroccan Dishes (Accidentally Vegan)
Before diving into modern vegan restaurants, let’s talk about the accidentally vegan traditional Moroccan dishes you should definitely try. These meals showcase how plant-based Moroccan food can be both comforting and super flavorful too!
- Vegetable Tagine: A slow-cooked stew made in a clay pot, filled with carrots, zucchini, potatoes, olives, and often flavored with cumin, saffron, and preserved lemon.
- Couscous with Vegetables: Served on Fridays across Morocco, this dish often comes with chickpeas, pumpkin, and seasonal vegetables. Just ask for it without meat broth!
- Harira Soup: A lentil and tomato-based soup that’s often eaten during Ramadan.
These dishes showcase how Moroccan cuisine doesn’t require meat to be rich and satisfying.
Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Casablanca
Now let’s explore the real gems: restaurants and cafes in Casablanca where vegans can eat happily.
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- Taste the Divine - Cloud Kitchen: One of only two fully vegan restaurants in Casablanca. Known for its high-protein, oil-free burgers, it offers taste, health, and cruelty-free options.
- NIYA: The other fully vegan restaurant in Casablanca which whilst small, is big on taste - pizzas, cakes and even "cheese" naans can be found here!
- Organic Kitchen: While not fully vegan, it offers some vegan options like cauliflower wings, quinoa sushi (vegan upon request), and falafel bowl. Double-check with your waiter to ensure dishes are vegan.
- L'Etoile Centrale: Is probably the most authentically Moroccan out of this list.
Berber Tagine (Vegan) / طاجين بالخضر
While Casablanca has many vegan-friendly restaurants, you might still encounter situations where menus lean heavily on meat and fish.
Vegan Options in Marrakech
Marrakech, known as the "Red City," offers a generous handful of places to eat as a vegan. While you’ll find a lot of meat-based dishes (mostly lamb, fish, beef, and chicken), many establishments cater to vegan preferences.
Traditional Moroccan Dishes (Accidentally Vegan)
- Tagine: The noun for a Moroccan clay pot, traditionally used to slow-cook the well-known Moroccan dish, ‘Tagine’, which is vegan. It’s a stew-like meal full of flavour, and vegetable combinations vary from chef to chef. Common ingredients include potatoes, carrots, parsnips and courgette with tomato, fresh herbs and lemon.
- Harira Soup: One of my favourites being the Harira soup which is made from chickpeas, tomato, beans and warm spices.
- Couscous Dishes: Couscous dishes are another famous staple of Morocco, made with similar vegetables you see in Tagines. If you’re gluten-free, you can always ask for rice instead of couscous.
- Moroccan Salads: Moroccan salads contain all kinds of vegetables such as courgette, aubergine, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cucumber, peppers and beans. Sometimes these ingredients are used alone or with others in combination. Seasoned with an assortment of spice and fresh herbs, they’re delightful.
- Moroccan Bread: If you haven’t got a problem with gluten, then you’ll be in carb heaven, because homemade Moroccan bread is an absolute must-have. Moroccon “khobz” are served with most meals and are typically made without egg and milk.
Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Marrakech
- Henna Art Café: There are lots of vegetarian and vegan options. I reckon they offer some of the best hummus in Marrakech - it was delicious. It’s a really cute little place with indoor and outdoor seating options. It’s a collaboration between Rachid Karkouch (a Moroccan Berber) and Lori K. Gordon (American artist and writer).
- Earth Café: Featured on the Happy Cow app, Earth Café is one of Marrakech’s renowned vegan go-to’s. The branch offers predominantly vegetarian and vegan foods with some fish dishes too. The food gets made using seasonal and local ingredients from the owner’s farm, which is a lovely sentiment.
- Kui-Zin: They serve a mixed menu of traditional Moroccan food to a high standard with freshly baked bread every day. Vegan options include tagines, vegetable soups and an array of sides. It sits in the heart of the Medina, with some wonderful souks nearby to explore. It’s neighbours with a beautiful boutique fashion shop called Max & Jan.
- Zeitoun Café: It had loads of fresh and fragrant salads, vegetable and bean soups, tagines, couscous dishes and sides.
- Corner café: Corner café is smaller, cosier and I enjoyed a lovely falafel dish with fries and a homemade smoothie juice - the presentation of which was fab!
- BlackChich Café: The food we enjoyed was INSANE! My favourite being their Arabic Mezze, which was an array of tapenades like hummus, baba ghanoush sprinkled with pomegranate. Their hummus was so good with peppery, smoky and nutty flavours.
- Cafe Clock: They market themselves as a vegan-friendly restaurant, and all staff understand what vegan means, and can point out suitable options on the menu. Its popularity rests on its packed calendar of cultural performances, which attract locals and tourists alike.
- Kosybar: Kosybar operates as a bar and restaurant which is tucked away in the corner of the Place des Ferblantiers. Its dark, seductive hallways and elegant interiors create an urban welcome. However, head up to eat in either their middle-floor saloons or top floor roof terraces if the weather’s good. It gets popular with tourists at night as the place comes alive with music and entertainment. Their weekend live singer gets the party going with his crowd-pleasing set of sing-along favourites.
- Nomad: A modern Moroccan restaurant with a few delicious vegan and gluten-free menu options, Nomad is set in an incredible location with rooftop dining. All vegetarian and vegan dishes are clearly highlighted on the menu making it easy for plant-based travellers to order. The raspberry rose sorbet for dessert is also vegan!
- World Storytelling Cafe: Hidden away in the Marrakech Medina, this vegetarian gem has a range of healthy, vegan, gluten-free options. A 100% plant-based cafe is a dream for vegan travellers, and the World Storytelling Cafe does not disappoint! Enjoy falafel, hummus, lentil stew, tomato salad, and plenty of bread and olive oil. The best part is the welcoming and friendly atmosphere; it’s a great spot to meet other travellers.
Vegan Options in Essaouira
Essaouira, a warm, windy, and colorful seaside town, offers unique vegan experiences. Despite being smaller than Marrakech, it provides delightful plant-based choices.
Vegan-Friendly Riads
If you ever have the chance to visit Essaouira, I would 100% recommend Riad Chems Bleu. Once you find it (not an easy feat, get some location help if you can), you’ll be so glad you picked this riad. The staff speak English (not always a given in Essaouira) and they truly go above and beyond to introduce you to the city and make you feel welcome. Plus, the breakfast is delicious - the staff understand the concept of “vegan” and offer a selection of fruit, jams, juice and Moroccan pancakes and fritters made without eggs. And a full pot of coffee every morning - what more could you ask for?
Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Essaouira
- Mandala Society: I have a vegan buddha bowl - fresh, colourful and full of veggies and quinoa. It’s not the cheapest place in town, but I would recommend.
- Tagnaouit: The warm decor and homely atmosphere entices us, and before long we’re having a delightful mint tea inside, waiting for our lentil soup followed by a vegetable tagine. The vegetable tagine is flavourful and inviting - but also the unique in-house entertainment. A group of local musicians play local Gnaoua music, using traditional instruments such as the gimbri. Enjoying the hearty food while listening to this music really is an unforgettable experience.
- Shyadma’s Vegan Food: One of my favourite tagines, the one you see in the photo above - chickpea, almond and fig. It’s sheer delight - I marvel at how easy it is for me to eat sizzling stews in the almost 30-degree heat. Somehow, it’s exactly right. We also love being served olives and Moroccan bread before every meal.
- Beach & Friends : A seaside eatery where we have our only cocktail of the trip, a mojito. We have a pizza there that’s quite unremarkable, but we also eat a falafel salad platter that’s amazing and even David, who isn’t a big falafel fan, is hooked.
Tips for Vegan Travel in Morocco
Traveling to a foreign country might seem complicated if you are vegan. Here are some essential tips to help you navigate the Moroccan food scene:
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- Learn Key Phrases: Knowing a few key phrases in Arabic can be helpful when communicating with locals and restaurant staff. Learn how to say "I'm vegan" (Ana nabati), "no meat" (Lahm ma feeha), and "no dairy" (Halib ma feeha).
- Explain Your Situation: People probably won’t understand the word “vegan” in Morocco. Although veganism is becoming more popular in other parts of the world, most Moroccans will not have heard of it. Be ready to ask about specific ingredients as a way of determining what is in the food.
- Most Moroccan Bread is Vegan: It is served at almost every meal and usually is not cooked with milk or eggs. However, if you want to be extra careful, ask your guide/driver to talk to the restaurant/hotel staff.
- There is an Abundance of Fresh Fruit in Morocco! There is a lot of variety in the fruits offered in Morocco and they are all delicious. You will be able to eat fruit whenever you would like in Morocco. At every restaurant you visit, there will be an option of fresh seasonal fruit for dessert.
- Plenty of Vegan Snacks: Dried fruit will be available at many little stalls around the cities: from figs to apricots to the famous Moroccan dates. There are also lots of nuts available at little shops, called hanuts, which are everywhere.
- No Vegan Main Meal Options Available at a Restaurant? Make a sandwich with Moroccan bread filled with salad, olives and vegetables.
- Moroccan Mint Tea - Berber Whiskey: Moroccan mint tea is delicious and will probably be one of your favorite things that you taste on your trip. However, sometimes it will be sweetened with honey. Order it sugar-free to be safe and add your own sugar!
- Pack Some Snacks: Pack Clif bars or any other packable on-the-go vegan snack for both the airport portion of your trip to Morocco and the stay.
Foods that are Vegan in Morocco
- Couscous: Couscous is a staple food in Morocco, and it's usually served with vegetables, like carrots, zucchini, and turnips. Make sure you check if there is any butter in the dish, and if there isn't, It's vegan-friendly, and you can find it in most restaurants and cafes.
- Tajine: Tajine is another traditional Moroccan dish that's usually made with meat, but there are also vegan versions available. It's a slow-cooked stew that's served with vegetables and spices. You probably won't see the word "vegan tajine" on a menu. But you will see "vegetarian tajine". As long as they haven't added any cheese or butter, this is usually vegan. Also, make sure to ask if animal stock is used.
- Harira: Harira is a soup that's typically served during Ramadan, but it's available all year round. It's made with lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, and spices, and it's a great vegan option.
- Pastilla: Pastilla is a savoury pie that's usually made with meat, but there are also vegan versions available. It's made with phyllo dough and vegetables all wrapped up in a delicious parcel.
- Moroccan Salads: Moroccan salads are usually made with fresh vegetables and herbs, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and mint. They're vegan-friendly, and they're a great option for a light meal or a side dish.
- Khobz: Khobz is a traditional Moroccan bread that's vegan-friendly. It's usually served with olives and olive oil, and it's a great option for breakfast or as a snack.
- Falafel: You'll find a lot of falafel in Morocco, much to my delight. It's mostly incredible (had a couple of bland ones but typically the standard is high), it comes with hummus and salad usually and is always a nice safe vegan option.
- Mint Tea: Not food I know but if you're in Morocco you will end up trying a mint tea. Most hotels, riads, and some hostels serve it on arrival as part of the traditional Moroccan hospitality. If you are not into sweet things, ask for it without sugar, because the tea can sometimes be extremely sweet. Its also worth noting that they occasionally use honey instead of sugar, so be careful with that
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