Living La Vida Vegana: Your Complete Guide To Finding Plant-Based Food In Ecuador
“It’s impossible to be vegan in South America!” is something that I’ve heard multiple times in my life as I’ve traversed different countries like Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil while living in Chile for a year. At the time I was a newbie vegan and while it didn’t feel impossible or even difficult to be vegan while living and traveling in South America, it felt hard.
But it didn’t feel hard because there was “nothing to eat”. No, it felt hard because at that point I didn’t know how to stand up for myself, ethics, and my beliefs… let alone in a different language. Fast forward to now and my vegan travel skills (and Spanish skills, thankfully) have improved vastly. In addition to all of those countries that I visited during my year living abroad, I’ve now spent a good bit of time in Guatemala, Mexico, and most recently Ecuador.
So while this guide will focus more specifically on how to find plant-based food and vegan-friendly activities in Ecuador, the tips and advice you read here can be more broadly applied to South and Central America as well.
First, What Is Veganism?
Before we dive in, let’s take a moment to talk about what veganism is. Many people wrongly assume that veganism is a diet, but it is actually a social justice movement that compels you to change your diet. People who practice veganism don’t eat the flesh of nonhuman animals, or consume anything stolen from nonhuman individuals; they don’t consume animal-based dairy products or eggs. They don’t wear leather, wool, or fur. They avoid products tested on animals.
To sum it up, they’re actually enacting the values that (theoretically) everyone has in the USA, as we are a self-proclaimed nation of “animal lovers”. This includes the practice of honoring the bodily autonomy of others’, supporting their right to live freely, and also peruse one’s own agency. They also may be looking to protect the environment, uphold worker’s rights, or improve human health and wellbeing. There are endless reasons to live vegan, and many people often choose to practice veganism for multiple ones.
Is Vegan Travel Hard In Latin America?
Now that you know more about what veganism is, let’s ask some practical questions like, is it hard to travel as a vegan through Latin America? To be honest, I was onto something in those early days. Everyone told me that vegan travel was hard (even though they had no idea what they were talking about), but to me the finding of food never felt like the hard part, as they said it would be. What was hard was traveling through a nonvegan world; a world that generally accepts violence, mutilation, and stripping living beings of their autonomy of the norm.
And admittedly, having close to 0 language skills in a foreign country made that separation feel even greater; I couldn’t answer people’s questions that they had as to why I was vegan, so people didn’t always take my dietary needs seriously and sometimes fed me animal products, telling me after words that there was just “a little milk” in the dish I had just consumed.
But not to fear, I’m here to let you in on what I’ve learned about vegan travel and living in Latin America! If you’re a newer vegan or newer to traveling as a vegan, please don’t listen to the opinions of people who don’t understand what veganism is or even know what a plant-based diet consists of. Just stay focused on the joy of finding delicious, satisfying, and incredibly flavorful plant-based food all over the world!
How To Find Vegan-Friendly Food In Ecuador (Or Central/South America)
Finding plant-based foods in Ecuador (or Central and South America, for that matter) is not the hard part. Beans, legumes, grains, vegetables, and fruit are abundant and accessible, even for those traveling on a budget. So just know up front that while you may not have as many options as others or your comfort foods as frequently as you would like them, you will have delicious, simple, and filling ones that promote health for your body, the planet, and the animals.
How To Find Vegan-Friendly Food In Big Cities
Whenever I touch down I a big city in South or Central America I rejoice because I know that I’m going to get to try an abundance of delicious plant-based foods at a variety of different restaurants, and Quito (the capital of Ecuador) is no exception. While we’ll discuss words that you should know in a later part of this guide, it’s helpful to understand that many fully vegan restaurants in big cities have staff that understand English or have their menu in English and Spanish. (That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to learn the language.)
Use The HappyCow App & Website
Like the very very vegan vegans that we are, we planned our days in Quito around vegan food spots that we wanted to try that we found via HappyCow. And that brings me to my first tip: take advantage of the HappyCow app and website. They instantly locate awesome vegan restaurants and food options all over the world, so when you hit a big city tons of options usually pop up. For example, in Quito it says that there are currently 8 completely vegan restaurants, but you can use the “Vegetarian” or “Veg-Options” filters to expand your findings. Be sure to leave reviews on restaurants that you visit and list new veg spots that you find along the way!
If you want to see my review of over 6 different vegan restaurants in Quito, Ecuador be sure to check out this article were my favorites are divided into helpful categories.
Simply Search “Vegan” Near You
If you’re in a pinch and don’t have time to look through HappyCow or you just need to find something close to your location with vegan-friendly options, simply search “vegan” in whatever map application that you use on your phone. I’ve done this with Apple Maps and Google maps and they’ve always pulled up solid results.
The maps will either highlight places with “vegan” in the names, or they’ll sort through reviews of restaurants and pull up whichever ones mention the word “vegan”. I’ve also relied on using map apps like this when all of the vegan restaurants on HappyCow are closed and I need something that is open later. If you find a local gem (or even just a place with veg-friendly options) be sure to leave it a review on the map app and list what options are vegan so that the plant people who come to the area after you have an easier time finding food.
Budget Tip For Vegan Lunches
If you’re in a place with vegan or even vegetarian restaurants, do not skip out on almuerzo! Almuerzo translates to lunch, and almuerzos in Ecuador were always affordable (coming in at around $3 per plate), yummy, and super filling. If you order an almuerzo expect to receive a fresh juice or tea, hearty soup, and main dish loaded with rice, veggies, and probably even some mock meats. And oh yeah, save room for dessert, because that’s soon to follow!
How To Find Vegan-Friendly Food In Towns/Rural Areas
If you whip out your phone and check out the HappyCow site in a smaller town or rural area, you may quickly realize that few places or nothing is showing up. Your first reaction may be to panic, but don’t! Just because there are no listings doesn’t mean that the local people don’t eat plants too.
When I’m outside of big cities and looking for a place to eat, I usually do the following steps, in order: 1) Check out the options on HappyCow and if nothing comes up I 2) Search “vegan” in my map application to find already existing options there, and if that doesn’t work I 3) I follow this guide at a non-vegan restaurants.
It’s also important to keep in mind that many people are selling fresh fruits and veggies on the street, as well as roasted plantain or corn (yum!) and no matter how local or small the restaurant, they probably have arroz (corn), papas (potatoes), yuca, fresh juice, avocados, and verduras (vegetables) on their menu. You may have to ask for some minor adjustments to the dishes that they have, but people are usually happy to accommodate.
Here are some things to look for on menus in that are either already vegan-friendly or can easily be made vegan:
- Smoothies: Ask for them to be made with plant-based milk instead of dairy milk/yogurt. If they don’t have any plant-based milk, opt for water in your smoothie in replace of the dairy milk.
- Juices: There is so much fresh juice in Ecuador that is extremely affordable! Take advantage and try all types of different fruits that burst with flavor when spun into a juice. I didn’t come across any juices in Ecuador that weren’t already vegan.
- Veggie Dishes: Be sure to confirm that their veggies are not cooked in butter. An easy swap for animal-based butter is vegetable oil, which many restaurants were happy to use instead.
- Falafel Dishes: Make sure that there is no yogurt in any of the sauces. Sometimes there are and it is easy to exclude them, as most restaurants in Ecuador make their food on the spot.
- Pasta: Ordering pasta with veggies can be a simple but delicious choice. Check to make sure there are no eggs/milk in the pasta.
- Salads: Picking a big salad from the menu can easily be modified by removing any animal products and replacing them with avocado, seeds, nuts, or other fruits and veggies. Ask if there is milk in the dressing. If there is, ask for oil and vinegar instead, or a dairy-free dressing.
- Traditional Dishes: In many places in Ecuador they offered fried yuca, yuca bread, potatoes, roasted corn, and even ceviche made from heart of palm. All of these dishes are usually vegan-friendly.
Vegan Words & Phrases To Know
In order to ask if places have plant-based dishes, or if they can make some changes to make the dishes vegan-friendly, you’ll need to know the following phrases and words:
- Leche = milk
- Queso = cheese
- Yogurt = yogur
- Lactose = lactosa
- Huevos = eggs
- Carne = meat
- Mariscos = seafood
- Pescado = fish
- Yo no come carne. / I don’t eat meat.
- Yo no come huevos. / I don’t eat eggs.
- I don’t drink milk. / Yo no tomo leche.
- I don’t eat fish. / Yo no como pescado.
- Does this dish contain meat? / Este plato continue carne?
- Does this bread have milk or eggs in it? / Este pan tine leche o huevos?
- I am vegan. (Feminine + masculine) / Soy vegana. Soy vegano.
- We are vegan. / Somos veganos. Somos veganas.
- Without milk, cheese, yogurt, whey, casein, or lactose, please. / Sin leche, queso, yogur, suero de leche, caseína, o lactosa, por favor.
What Do I Do If I Don’t Speak Spanish?
If you’re just leaning Spanish or don’t speak the language well enough to say these phrases, don’t fret! Google Translate might just become your best friend (you can download the app & a bunch of words/phrases so that they work even when you don’t have wifi) and there is another incredible solution that can be applied well beyond Ecuador or even South America.
Before you set off on your adventure, print off the Vegan Meal Cards from the Max Learning website. Page 92 is full of words and phrases that you’ll either need to know how to say or show to somebody when it comes to eating vegan in Spanish. They’re free to download and print, easy to slip into your bag, and so helpful for those learning how to speak Spanish!
Should I Eat Meat Just Because The Locals Do? What If Someone Offers Me Non-Vegan Food?
I often hear people say, “Well, I’m not about to give up any foods when I travel. It doesn’t make sense. I want to experience the culture and how they live.” But when we go to new places we’re often looking for new things because they’re “exotic” to us. They captivate us. They’re so different from what we normally experience, and that’s why they draw us in. But just because something is part of someone’s culture doesn’t mean that it is ethical, or that it is something that you need to take part in as well.
On top of that, the way that we connect fully with others/different cultures is by first being deeply connected to ourselves. The way we connect deeply with ourselves is by finding out what we stand for/value most and acting in alignment. Hence, we create the strongest connections while traveling when we show up fully as ourselves, rooted in our own ethics but curious about how others live.
To hear more on this topic and how to approach sensitive conversations around the issue, check out my post called 4 Reasons Why Travelers Who Love Exploring This Earth Should Be Practicing Veganism.
Enjoy The Abundance Of Plant Food Throughout Ecuador
Now that you’ve learned what to expect, what to look for, and how to navigate vegan travel and living in Ecuador, it’s time to hit the road. If this guide was helpful to you, please share it with a friend, bookmark it as a reference, and give yourself a hug for me for being another vegan traveller out in the world! If you’re looking for unforgettable destinations in Ecuador, check out my vegan-friendly guides (complete with restaurant/food suggestions) to Quito, Baños, and hiking the Quilotoa loop. New guides are being added weekly, so don’t forget to check back in soon!
Stay With A Vegan-Friendly Community In Ecuador
Additionally, if you’re looking to stay with a vegan or vegan-friendly community in Ecuador, this guide contains over 10 different places to check out. Many of them are eco-minded places that offer great volunteer opportunities, perfect for travelers on a small budget.
