Vegan on the Camino

It’s no longer uncommon to have a vegetarian or vegan diet and while countries like Spain, Portugual and Italy have traditionally had less options for vegans, being a vegan on the Camino de Santiago has gotten a lot easier.

Still, it is good to prepared for the possibility of a lack of availability of vegan options on the Camino. This is especially true in small businesses in rural areas along the Camino. Here the popularity of vegan diets may not be common.

With a little bit of research and preparation before your Camino, you’ll find it much easier to walk the Camino while maintaining your plant-based diet. Here are some of our tips:

Tips for being Vegan on the Camino

The well-known Happy Cow site will still be your best friend for tracking down great vegan restaurants in medium and large cities, but for the rest of your trip, we have designed this Vegan guide to help guide you through the potential culinary maze on the way to Santiago de Compostela.

Spanish cuisine is full of fresh vegetables that usually come as a side dish. It’s generally possible to play with the menu and arrange your main dish using the options available on the pilgrim menu. It can be a bit limited (a choice between 2 or 3 starters, mains and then dessert), so you might have a better choice ordering from the à la carte menu.

The secret to a carefree vegan Camino is to get ready in advance and be cautious. Buy and pack snacks such as nuts and fruit in bigger towns and cities as supermarkets will have a good range of options. Always have something that will fill you up in your backpack, as you might not find many options in roadside bars along the way. Energy bars, crackers and dried fruits are light to carry and always a tasty choice. It might be helpful to get some ground flax seeds or chia seeds in medium supermarkets if you are used to having this kind of product.

Important to note:

Always check with staff before ordering food, even if it looks innocent.
Beware of salads (ensalada mixta or ensaladilla for instance) as they generally have egg or tuna.
Some ‘Vegetable sandwiches’ (bocadillo vegetal in Spanish) ironically have fish as the main ingredient.
Do not be afraid to ask before ordering if a product has cow milk, mayonnaise, cheese etc. It might not be specified on the menu and you will have an unwanted surprise on your plate.
Approach soups and stews with caution as they tend to have meat-based broths. For instance, Caldo Gallego might look like a perfectly vegan stew with greens, beans and potato, but it is generally cooked with pork.

Best Vegan Dishes

You don’t necessarily need to find a vegetarian restaurant if you know what you are ordering and which dishes are naturally vegan or can easily be adapted for vegans. Here’s a list of vegan-friendly dishes that you should try while on the Camino:

Pementos de Padron: Simple and tasty Padron peppers fried in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.
Parrillada de verduras: A selection of delicious grilled vegetables.
Setas: Grilled mushrooms are generally available in the Autumn months when they are in season.
Gazpacho: A classic cold tomato soup from the South of Spain. Ideal for hot summer days.
Lentejas vegetarianas: A vegetarian version of the classic Spanish lentil stew (which generally includes chorizo and/or ham).
Paella de verduras: A vegetarian take on another traditional dish that is widely available.
Garbanzos con espinacas: Chickpea and spinach stew (make sure you ask if it has any meat or meat broth in it).
Pisto de verduras: Generally made with onion, tomato and peppers.
Patatas bravas: The classic recipe includes a spicy tomato sauce and a white garlic sauce, just request your potatoes with only tomato sauce to avoid dairy.

Useful phrases to help with being vegan on the Camino

Soy vegana/vegano – I’m vegan
No como carne – I don’t eat meat
No como pescado – I don’t eat fish
No como lacteos – I don’t eat dairy
No como huevos – I don’t eat eggs
Lleva carne? – Does this have meat?
Está hecho con mantequilla? – Is it prepared with butter?

Recommended Restaurants

SANTIAGO

Entre Pedras – Rua Hospitalino 18, Santiago de Compostela (Vegan restaurant)
Alice in Wonder Pie – Rúa da Ensinanza 12, Santiago de Compostela (Vegan options)
TS A Casa – Rua de San Pedro 113, Santiago de Compostela (Vegan options)

CAMINO FRANCÉS

PAMPLONA: Baratza Kafea – Travesía Bernardino Tirapu, 5, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain (Vegan restaurant)
LOGROÑO: Camino Vegano – Plaza del Mercado, 25, Bajo, Logroño (Vegan restaurant)
BURGOS: Gaia – Calle de Fernán González, 37, Burgos (Vegan restaurant)
LEÓN: Ecolmado – Calle Villa Benavente, 14, León (Vegan options)
SARRIA: Ecoespazo VITRIOL – Rúa Diego Pazos, 18, 27600 Sarria, Lugo (Vegan options)
PORTOMARIN: Los Andantes – on the way of Camino de Santiago, Vilacha (Vegan options)
MELIDE: Casa Alongos – Rua Camino Vello de Santiago S/N, Melide (Vegan options)
ARZÚA: Ultreia Cafe and Albergue – Camino de Santiago, 126, Arzua (Vegan options)

CAMINO PORTUGUÉS

VIGO: Bambu – Garcia Barbon 37 Int 6 Rua do Roupeiro, Vigo (Vegan restaurant)
VIGO: Galgala Vegetariano: Placer 4, Vigo (Vegan options)
PONTEVEDRA: Meigas Fora Tapas – Rua Conde de San Roman, 4 (Vegan options)
PONTEVEDRA: Cre Cotte – Rua Real 28, Pontevedra (Vegan options)

VIA DE LA PLATA

Shangri-La vegetarian restaurant in Ourense, Via de la Plata

FISTERRA

Etel & Pan restaurant in Fisterra generally has vegan options available

Finally, if you are booking your trip with CaminoWays, don’t forget to let us know about your vegan choice in advance so our reservation department will be able to let the hotels know.

If you have any vegan tips from your own experience, please do share them and help your fellow pilgrims. For more Camino food inspiration, visit our food and wine section of the blog. For more information about the Camino de Santiago routes or to book your trip, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Vegan on the Camino