How To Make Vegan Friends: A Complete Guide

One of the hardest parts of going vegan is not giving up certain foods, but finding vegan friends and a supportive community that understands you. As someone who went vegan over a decade ago without ever meeting another vegan, I know the struggle. Embracing a compassionate lifestyle — and in turn a plant-based diet — can feel daunting when done alone.

As vegans our core values are not reflected into the society that surrounds us; animal exploitation is woven into every part of human existence, from food to clothing, entertainment to sport. Being the only one to bear witness to the abuse, torture, and violence starts to wear on folks who don’t have anyone else to shoulder the awareness. Creating a vegan community is important to our mental health and emotional well-being.

With that in mind, I’ve created this guide on how to make vegan friends, or how to find vegan friends that already exist around you. Since I’m an avid traveler this guide will share tips for making vegan friends at home or while traveling. Let’s get started!

How To Make Vegan Friends

1. Support Vegan-Owned Businesses

Vegan-owned businesses can seem few and far between. In reality, there are vegan businesses all over the world. You just need to know how to find them!

Why: Supporting vegan-owned businesses in-person is top of the list as it puts you in a position to meet like-minded people.

How: Whether traveling or abroad, HappyCow is a fantastic resource to find vegan businesses near you. Their free map lists restaurants, cafes, food trucks, stores, and other vegan-owned services. You can also do a quick search in maps by searching “vegan” and see if anything comes up around you.

Remember that most vegans are looking for more vegan friends. If you connect with someone at a vegan business that seems like a potential friend, be open to exchanging contacts and putting in the effort to stay connected! If a vegan business near you doesn’t have a brick and mortar location, supporting them can still be a great way to open up conversation and the beginning of a relationship.

2. Join Vegan Facebook Groups

Virtual vegan friends are better than none. Maybe there are no vegan businesses around you, maybe you’re in an area that seems like a dead-zone when it comes to animal-friendly living. I get it. Joining a vegan Facebook group in your area is the first step in the right direction.

Why: Vegan Facebook groups exist for different cities, counties, states, and countries across the world. People often post there looking for new friends, sharing events, and asking people to support their vegan businesses.

How: Join the vegan Facebook group closest to you and see how you can get involved. (I know, social media sucks, especially Facebook and Meta apps owned by corrupt tech bros. We’re working with what we’ve got!) If you live in Asheville, North Carolina for example, you would search “vegan Asheville” and “vegan North Carolina” in Facebook groups. Once in, make a post and tell folks that you’re looking to build more community.

✈️ If you’re traveling, search for the countries and cities you’ll be visiting and join the groups ahead of time. From there you can ask locals for recommendations and express a desire to meet up while in town. They may invite you to join a march, gathering, or even host you and show you around their stomping grounds. There’s nothing better than an authentic guide to help you explore and making cherished vegan friends across the world!

3. Join A Vegan Group Tour

There are many vegan tour companies out there that organize ethical adventures. Companies cater to anyone from the budget backpacker to the luxury traveler and beyond!

Why: Joining a vegan group tour means that you don’t have to worry about food, animal experiences, and other challenges vegans often face while traveling abroad. Additionally, solo travelers join trips in hopes to make new friends. Travel is a perfect container for quick bonding through new shared experiences.

How: Unruly Travel vegan tours take travelers off the beaten path to support animal sanctuaries, rewilding projects, and incredible vegan food experiences. Learn more about vegan group tours and join an upcoming trip to the Amazon of Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, or Vietnam and make life-long vegan friends.

✈️ Maybe you’re already an avid traveler or live abroad. These tours are still for you! As an incredibly experienced budget backpacker for over a decade, I thought that going solo was always my best option. But after my first vegan group trip, I was hooked. Take a chance and experience the magic for yourself!

4. Volunteer At An Animal Sanctuary

Vegan animal sanctuaries provide homes and care for abused, neglected, and oppressed animals. Many of their rescues come from factory farms, breeders, petting zoos, and the food and entertainment industry at large and require immense care.

Why: Vegan animal rescuers are some of the most passionate people you’ll ever meet. They go beyond food choices, plunging into the dark underbelly of animal exploitation. It takes heart, drive, and consistency. Showing up for vegan animal sanctuaries is a sure way to connect with other vegans while lightening the work load.

How: Use this free guide to find a vegan animal sanctuary or rescue near you. Vegan Facebook groups are another great place to get the scoop on your local sanctuaries!

✈️ Maybe there are no vegan sanctuaries in your immediate area, but planning a trip around a sanctuary visit or seeking out sanctuaries while traveling can enhance your travels in thousands of ways. You can use this guide to find sanctuaries while traveling or check out VegVisits, which often highlights sanctuaries that offer tourist experiences and accommodation.

5. Join A Vegan Protest, Event, Or Direct Action

Veganism is not a diet. It’s a social justice movement dedicated to reducing harm to the beyond-human world, and that takes effort.

Why: There are so many ways to get active for the beyond-human community including: potlucks, outreach events, protests, street theatre, and direction action. Participating in these experiences builds trust with your community and strengthens individual friendships in addition to the movement.

How: Using the resources that we’ve already gone through, keep an eye out for upcoming vegan events. If you live in a big city, chances are already-established grassroots organizations or animal rights groups exist. Check out VegFest for vegan festivals across the US, the Animal Save Movement for activism opportunities, and the Animal Liberation Front for inspiration.

✈️  Joining activism while traveling has been one of the best decisions of my life. I’ve participated in a die-in in a California Costco with DxE, a PETA orca protest at SeaWorld in San Diego, and an animal rights march in Colombia, to name a few. Tap in to the local community as you travel and see how you can get involved.

6. Start Your Own Vegan Group

If you can’t find a grassroots organization to join, consider starting your own. Look around! There are no shortage of issues to organize around when it comes to animal rights.

Why: The world that we want for each other and fellow animals is going to take a lot of work. Organizing and coming together with a shared passion is where friendship and change beings.

How: Start a meeting, potluck, protest, mutual aid event, or social gathering. You don’t have to be an expert to be an organizer. Doing something new can be nerve-racking, but chances are everyone who joins in is just as nervous as you. Over time you can find your flow and slowly build your community. Spread your upcoming event through Meetup, Facebook groups, social media, and hang flyers around town.

If you’re having trouble finding locals to join your event, create a virtual vegan space. Maybe you’re a fan of queer fantasy books, or maybe you’re a mental health worker and want to provide a safe space for people to chat. Take inspiration from VINE Sanctuary’s virtual book club or APEX ADVOCACY’s virtual events and trainings.

More Vegan Resources

As a reminder, you’re not alone in the world as a vegan. I hope that these tools, ideas, and stories inspire you to carve out safe spaces and fuel your activism. If you’re looking for more free vegan resources, be sure to sign up for the free Unruly Email newsletter for alternative living, free vegan travel resources, and rebellious inspiration.

Looking for more? Tune into our vegan podcast or create your own adventure stories by joining a vegan group trip (join the trip newsletter here to effortlessly learn about upcoming trips).