Krabi Vegan Food Guide: The Best Budget Vegan Spots around Ao Nang Thailand

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Introduction to Krabi Vegan Food

If you are travelling Thailand as a Vegan, you will have plenty of options to enjoy. Thai food is one of the best in the world, and we absolutely love it. However, there are a few things you will want to be aware of to ensure you get a vegan dish. 

This is our Krabi vegan food guide, covering tips for travelling Thailand as a vegan and specific spots around Krabi that you won’t want to miss. If it’s your first time visiting Thailand, we also have a Best Places To Visit in Thailand for First Timers guide which covers Krabi. 

Things to Consider in Thailand

Many dishes in Thailand can easily be made vegan, with vegetables and tofu dishes being very popular. However, there are a few things that you will need to consider and know when ordering. Thai people are super friendly and helpful, and in touristy areas restaurants will have an understanding of vegetarian food, and often vegan too. They will usually speak English well enough to communicate your vegan order!

Jay food is a great option in Thailand for vegans. It is a Buddhist plant-based cuisine similar to vegan food but with some further restrictions. It avoids all animal products as well as garlic, onion, and other pungent vegetables, focusing instead on tofu, mushrooms, rice, noodles, and soy-based seasonings. You’ll often spot Jay food by the yellow flags with red Chinese characters, especially during certain festivals.

Thai dishes often include rice or noodles. This makes it easy to find lots of vegan dishes, however you will want to ensure the noodles are vegan. Traditional Thai noodles are often made from rice, so dishes like Pad Thai will usually use vegan noodles. 

The next thing to be aware of is that lots of dishes will come with eggs. Fried rice and noodles often include egg, so we recommend always checking this when ordering. 

Fish sauce and oyster sauce are popular for seasoning in Thailand, and when you order a dish it’s a good idea to also make sure this isn’t used. You can get vegan friendly versions, or mushroom sauce is a popular alternative. 

Stocks used in curries and soups could also be made from meat or fish stock, so you will want to check that the dish is definitely made with a vegetable stock before ordering. Most Thai curries and soups will use coconut milk, however fresh drinks such as smoothies and shakes you should also check no milk or yogurt is added.

Tours in Thailand can sometimes include lunch. We’ve had this a few times, and have always managed to have decent vegan options. You will be slightly more restricted, especially if there is a buffet lunch included, but we have never had any issues. When booking a tour, just speak to the tour agent about vegan options if lunch is included. 

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Cost and Budget Options

Thailand is an affordable country to travel to compared with much of the world. You can easily find restaurants and food options for all budgets. Whether you want fancy dining from £10 per person, something in the middle for £5 per person or a street market / local restaurant for around £3 per person.  

We usually stick to fairly budget options, as the local food in Thailand is often better than at an expensive touristy restaurant. 

Thailand Vegan Dishes

There are so many Thai dishes which can easily be made vegan, just simply ask and refer to our things to consider in this blog post and you will be fine. Below are the dishes we recommend trying as a vegan in Thailand. 

Pad Thai

Stir-fried rice noodles with tamarind, peanuts, and vegetables. Ask for no egg or fish sauce and use soy sauce.

Green, Red, Massaman, and Penang Curries

Thai curries simmered in coconut milk with fragrant herbs and spices. Choose vegetable or tofu versions and request vegetable stock, and no fish sauce or shrimp paste.

Khao Soi

A northern Thai coconut curry noodle soup. Swap the egg noodles for rice noodles and ensure vegetable stock, and no fish sauce or shrimp paste.

Cashew Nut Stir-Fry

A wok-fried mix of cashews, vegetables, and chili paste. Simply replace meat with tofu and avoid oyster sauce to keep it vegan.

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry

Colorful vegetables tossed in a fruity tangy sauce. Ask for tofu instead of meat and confirm no fish or oyster sauce in the seasoning.

Fried Rice

Comforting wok-fried rice with vegetables and soy seasoning. Ask for no egg and request soy sauce instead of fish sauce.

Tom Kha

Aromatic coconut milk soup with galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves. Order tofu and make sure the broth is vegetable stock, and no fish sauce or shrimp paste

Tom Yum

Spicy and sour herbal soup usually flavored with chili, lime, and lemongrass. Choose tofu and ask for vegetable stock, and no fish sauce or shrimp paste.

Papaya Salad (Som Tam Thai)

Shredded green papaya pounded with lime, chili, and vegetables. Request Som Tam Jay to avoid fish sauce and dried shrimp.

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Crispy rolls filled with vegetables, noodles and herbs. Most are naturally vegan.

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Thailand Vegan Sweets & Drinks

Mango Sticky Rice

Sweet ripe mango served with sticky rice and coconut milk. Usually vegan, but confirm the coconut sauce has no added dairy.

Fresh Fruit

Thailand’s tropical fruit is abundant and naturally vegan.

Coconut Ice Cream

Creamy coconut-based ice cream often topped with peanuts or sticky rice. Many vendors make it dairy-free, but double-check as some mix in milk.

Fried Banana

Crispy battered banana fritters that are usually vegan. Though it’s worth confirming the batter contains no egg or milk before ordering.

Fruit Shakes (Smoothies)

Refreshing blended fruit drinks available almost everywhere. Often made with just ice and fruit, though ask for no milk or yogurt.

Coffee

Coffee is popular in Thailand and it’s usually easy to find plant-based milks, even in local spots. Ask for soya milk or coconut milk, or in more touristy areas oat and almond are becoming more popular.

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Best Krabi Vegan Food & Restaurants

There are plenty of restaurants around Krabi and Ao Nang, and most local restaurants will be able to provide vegan options if you ask. Below are some of our favourite spots for Krabi vegan food. For Ao Nang, we definitely found better options further away from the beach. These were more local, serving good quality food, and are much more affordable. 

Plant-Erian & The Planters

They have two vegan restaurants located on the main road up Ao Nang. One very close to the beach, and one around 1.5km away. They serve a very similar menu offering plenty of choice with both Thai and International options available. It’s a nice place to sit and the service was great. The food was great too, but not the best we had in our time in Krabi. Meals were around £5 and drinks around £2 per person.

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Jungle Kitchen

This was a favourite spot, and they have a great understanding of vegan food, checking with us if we ate egg or fish sauce when ordering. Also located up Ao Nang road, it’s well worth visiting for some of the best Thai food. Dishes were also around £3 and drinks were around £1. 

May & Zin

Also located up the main road in Ao Nang, May & Zin is an affordable restaurant offering local Thai food. They were very friendly and accommodating to vegans, and we actually ate here twice. Dishes were around £3 and drinks were around £1. 

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Racha Seafood

Located in Krabi’s City Market, Racha Seafood will also be happy to provide vegan dishes if you ask when ordering. It’s a popular spot in Krabi town for locals and foreigners and is a great spot to grab some food in the market. Prices start at £2 per meal, and drinks around £1. 

Capone’s Pyramid Cafe

Located at Tonsai Beach, this was another favourite spot well worth the visit. We have a full guide on Tonsai Beach and even on Capone’s Pyramid Cafe. They are a local restaurant and cat cafe which currently look after 6 cats. They serve delicious local Thai food and it was some of the best we have ever had. It’s a very laid back place and the staff are very friendly! Meals are around £3-5 and drinks £1-2. 

We have a full guide on How to get to Tonsai Beach if you are interested in going to this incredible place.

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Railay Beach

Railay definitely used to have more vegan options than on our most recent visit. A couple of years ago there was a fantastic vegan spot called Govinda’s serving vegan fast food such as hotdogs, burgers and wraps. However, this seems to have sadly closed. You will still be able to find vegan options, and Thai and Indian restaurants will be happy to adapt dishes to make them vegan. 

Night Markets

There are plenty of night markets in both Krabi Town and Ao Nang. Although these can seem tricky at first for vegans, you will definitely find options, and as we have mentioned places will be happy to adapt dishes to suit vegans if you ask. We really enjoy exploring and eating at the night markets, and it’s something you don’t have to miss out on. Pad Thai is a very easy option to find as a vegan at night markets. 

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Indian Restaurants

In Ao Nang, you will find plenty of Indian restaurants. Many are very vegetarian friendly but will also have a good understanding of vegan food, and be happy to cater for this. You can also look for Jain food, which is similar to Jay food but originates from India. Indian food can be more expensive in Ao Nang than local Thai food, but it is a great option! 

Supermarkets & Shops

There are several supermarkets in Ao Nang, Krabi where you can find vegan food. The most popular being 7 Eleven, Tesco Lotus and Mother Marche. This is likely to be mainly snacks such as fruit, crisps, nuts and bread. However, 7 Eleven does have a few must-try items for vegans. Sometimes these can be hard to find, so keep an eye out! We actually have found these to be more common outside of the main touristy areas. 

  • Vegan Stir-Fried Basil With Rice
  • Vegan Fish Burger
  • Vegan Chicken Burger
  • Vegan Bao Buns
  • Vegan Ham 
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Final Thoughts

There are plenty of Thailand and Krabi vegan food options! We really hope our guide has helped you discover them and helped you with things to look out for when travelling Thailand as a vegan. Thai food is amazing, and it’s great that so many traditional dishes can easily be made vegan. If you have any questions about being vegan in Thailand, please let us know!

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