Vegan Argentina: Top Tips for Being Vegan in Argentina
Thinking about visiting Argentina as a vegan? Here’s your vegan Argentina guide and our top tips for how to survive being began in Buenos Aires and beyond.
Without a doubt, South America is probably one of the hardest places to travel and be plant-based.
Argentina has one of the highest levels of meat consumption in the world. Red meat and dairy products are the core of the Argentinian diet and culture.
Asados or barbecues are the heart of any event, most families eat meat daily and a single Argentinian consumes about a kilo of red meat a week on average!
Argentina is a difficult place to be a vegetarian let alone vegan, but don’t let this all put you off from exploring this amazing country.
While veganism and the movement towards a more sustainable style of living are on the rise, you won’t find the amount of choice you would have in Europe, North America or Asia, but luckily this is changing.
*This ‘veganismo Argentina ’ guide contains affiliate links meaning I might make a small profit if you choose to book at no extra cost to you. This helps me to keep providing you with top-quality content for free.
Vegan Argentina is changing and so is its rapidly evolving capital Buenos Aires, today, a mecca for vegan food in South America.
Veganism and education about health and animal welfare are on the rise and more and more people are adopting vegetarian and vegan diets here, just like elsewhere.
That means that healthy, plant-based cafes and restaurants are on the rise and the ones that I found were delicious. In fact, Buenos Aires now has one of the best plant-based eating scenes on the continent.
This is what I generally observed when travelling around Argentina as a vegan:
- Most big cities and touristy places have at least one veggie restaurant or cafe. Buenos Aires is the exception with way more options.
- Argentinians are super helpful and generally go out of their way to make you feel welcome. I found that restaurant staff were really understanding with adapting dishes off the menu for my liking and didn’t have a problem with removing or adding ingredients.
- Knowledge of basic Spanish does go a long way here. If you know the basics and can say exactly what you do and don’t eat it makes things a lot easier.
- Breakfast is definitely the most difficult meal to find vegan so try to self-cater as much as possible or bring some peanut butter.
- I didn’t find one website publishing all the vegan restaurants in Argentina, apart from Happy Cow of course. I tended to just google ‘vegan restaurant in (insert place)’ and I got some pretty good results. I used that along with the Trip Advisor app.
So here are my top tips and recommendations for being plant-based in Argentina. Even though I do outline some specific eating options for Buenos Aires, these tips are pretty useful when travelling the whole of South America.
5 Top Tips for Surviving in Argentina as a Vegan
#1 Book Self-catering accommodation
I try to book
It does mean that you’ll be putting in a little more effort in some places where vegan restaurants are sparse, but as a plant-based eater, I’m sure you’re used to that already.
I love this option because it’s flexible. I can go to the local market, and pick up the ingredients that I wanted to cook for the meal I’m in the mood for.
This is great when you’ve been eating spaghetti with tomato sauce for the last 3 days because that’s all that was available in restaurants.
#2 Carry back up Snacks
One of the beautiful things about travel is that it’s unpredictable but that’s not what I’m into when it comes to my next meal.
I’ve been stranded at bus stations and hungry at the airport where there were barely any vegan options. Always have a few bags of nuts, seeds and cereal bars in your bag for backup.
You can find these at local supermarkets or local health food stores (big cities only).
#3 Plan Ahead as a Vegan in Argentina
Before moving on to your new destination, research its plant-based options online to find out what you’ll be working with. It’s just best to be prepared.
If you know you’re off to a tiny town in the Argentine pampas then pack accordingly. Why not take extra snack bars, a tub of peanut butter or some other supplies from your nearby supermarket or health food store?
#4 When in doubt just order ensalada completa and papas.
The Ensalada
Need some ideas for what to see in Buenos Aires? Check out the guide Buenos Aires top things to do.
#5 When in Buenos Aires… indulge
Buenos Aires now has over 60 vegetarian and vegan restaurants and many more that offer a plant-based option on their menus. The vegan eating scene here is diverse, forward-thinking and quite frankly, delicious. Check out these delicious vegan Buenos Aires spots
Wellbar – A very trendy spot in Palermo based on healthy, gluten-free food. Dishes include banana waffles, avocado toast and chia pudding. Great breakfast option. Not exclusively vegan but has many vegan options.
La Reverde Parrillita Vegana – Buenos Aires’ first vegan grill. Don’t miss out on the steak at the world’s steak capital. Great steaks, sandwiches and empanadas.
Pizza Vegana – Fancy an Argentina style pizza? a great gluten-free vegan pizza
Sablee Vegana– this is a small vegan pastry store where you can pick up a breakfast pastry or some cheeky little treats. They do vegan medialunas (croissants), doughnuts with dulce de leche and some great
Bio Solo Organico – this is the first fully organic restaurant in Buenos Aires. Great, chilled vibes, vibrant colourful salads and a great shop to stock up on vegan snacks.
Hierbabuena– great salads and mushroom-based veggie burgers. Located in San Telmo.
Buenos Aires Verde – a lovely little place that has a great lunchtime meal deal. Located in Palermo Soho.
Any comments or questions about vegan Argentina or vegan Buenos Aires? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you.
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Get Your Guide and Viator for tours and adventures around the world
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