Moroccan cuisine has a reputation for slow-cooked lamb, chicken with preserved lemon and festive pastilla, so plant-based travelers sometimes worry they will live on bread for a week. The reality is much better. Being vegan in Morocco is very achievable, because everyday Moroccan home cooking is built on legumes, vegetables, olive oil, bread and spices. You just need to know which dishes to order and which hidden ingredients to ask about.
Our team in Marrakech plans meals for vegetarian and vegan guests every week, from medina lunches to dinners at desert camps in the Sahara. This guide shares the dishes our guides recommend, the questions worth asking, a few essential phrases in Darija (Moroccan Arabic), and practical tips for riads and camps.
Is it easy to be vegan in Morocco? Yes, with a little preparation. Many traditional dishes are naturally vegan, including bissara, zaalouk, taktouka, lentils and white beans. The main pitfalls are meat stock, butter (smen) and honey, so ask for food “bla lham” (without meat) and tell your riad or desert camp in advance.
Naturally vegan Moroccan dishes to look for
These dishes are vegan in their traditional home-style form, though recipes vary by family and region, so always double-check. Most cost very little in a local restaurant, typically around 10 to 40 MAD for a bowl or plate.
| Dish | What it is | Vegan? |
|---|---|---|
| Bissara | Thick soup or dip of dried split fava beans or peas with olive oil, garlic, cumin and paprika; a classic winter breakfast in the north | Usually yes |
| Zaalouk | Smoky cooked salad of eggplant, tomato, garlic, olive oil and spices | Usually yes |
| Taktouka | Roasted green peppers cooked with tomato, garlic and paprika | Usually yes |
| Loubia | White beans stewed in a spiced tomato sauce | Usually yes; occasionally cooked with meat |
| Adas | Lentils simmered with tomato, onion and cumin | Usually yes |
| Moroccan salads | Plates of cooked and raw salads: carrots with cumin, beetroot, cucumber, tomato and onion | Usually yes |
| Khobz | Round everyday bread, sometimes made with semolina or barley | Yes |
| Mint tea | Green tea with fresh mint and sugar | Yes |
Breakfast is often easy too: khobz with olive oil, olives, jam and fresh orange juice. Ask about msemen and baghrir (layered flatbread and semolina pancakes), which are sometimes made with butter or served with honey and butter.
Dishes that need a question first
Some of Morocco’s most famous dishes can be vegetarian or vegan, but are often cooked with animal products by default. These are the ones to ask about.
Vegetable couscous
Couscous is a national treasure, and the knowledge and practices around it are recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage shared by Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Tunisia. Traditionally eaten on Fridays, couscous with seven vegetables is very common, but the vegetables are often cooked in a meat broth and the grains may be finished with butter or smen (aged, fermented butter). Ask for couscous bel khodra (with vegetables) cooked without meat and with olive oil instead of butter. Riads and restaurants used to foreign guests usually understand the request.
Vegetable tagine
Most restaurants offer a vegetable tagine. In tourist areas it is usually made with olive oil and water, but in local eateries it may share a base with meat tagines. A good tip from our guides: order it in the morning or at lunch, when it can be cooked fresh.
Harira and its variants
Harira, the tomato, lentil and chickpea soup famous during Ramadan, is usually made with a little lamb or beef and often thickened with egg or flour, sometimes with smen added. Vegetarian harira is common in homes and easy to find in tourist restaurants, and some cooks will make it fully vegan on request. Simpler soups such as bissara and lentil soup are safer choices when eating out.
Sweets and pastries
Many Moroccan pastries use butter and honey. Chebakia is fried and dipped in honey, and amlou, the delicious almond and argan oil spread from the Souss region, usually contains honey too. Fresh fruit, dates, nuts and sorbet-style fruit juices are the easiest vegan treats.
Useful Darija phrases for vegans and vegetarians
Moroccans appreciate any effort to speak Darija, and a few words make a big difference. French is also widely understood in cities and restaurants.
| English | Darija (approximate pronunciation) | French |
|---|---|---|
| I am vegetarian | Ana nabati (man) / Ana nabatiya (woman) | Je suis végétarien / végétarienne |
| I don’t eat meat | Ma kanakoulch l-lham | Je ne mange pas de viande |
| Without meat | Bla lham | Sans viande |
| Without chicken / fish | Bla djaj / Bla hout | Sans poulet / sans poisson |
| Without eggs | Bla bid | Sans œufs |
| Without milk / butter | Bla hlib / Bla zebda | Sans lait / sans beurre |
| Without honey | Bla l-‘asel | Sans miel |
| Only vegetables, please | Ghir l-khodra, 3afak | Seulement des légumes, s’il vous plaît |
The word “vegan” is understood in trendy cafés in Marrakech, Rabat and Casablanca, but not in villages, so it is clearer to list exactly what you avoid. Writing your needs on a card in Arabic and French is a tip that works well; our guides are happy to help you make one.
Being vegan in Morocco: riads, desert camps and the road
Riads and hotels
Riads are the easiest place to eat well. Most cook to order, and the family or cook will happily prepare a vegan tagine, couscous or harira if you tell them a day ahead. Mention your diet when you book, and again when you check in.
Desert camps in the Sahara
At desert camps around Erg Chebbi near Merzouga and in the Zagora area, dinner is usually soup, salads, a tagine and fruit. All ingredients come from town, so camps need notice to bring the right food. When you book a tour such as our 2-day private Marrakech to Merzouga desert tour, we pass your dietary needs to the camp in advance so the cook can prepare a separate vegan tagine and soup. Breakfast is bread, olive oil, jam and tea, so it is easy.
On the road with your driver
Long drives over the High Atlas and through the Draa and Dades valleys mean lunch at roadside restaurants. Our drivers know which places will cook a fresh vegetable tagine or a generous salad plate, and which ones prepare everything in advance with meat. Carry nuts, dates and fruit from the souk for longer stretches.
Vegan-friendly cities and where to eat
- Marrakech: the most choice, with several plant-based and vegetarian-friendly cafés in the medina and Gueliz, plus fresh juice stalls and vegetable stands in the souks. Our private Marrakech tours can include a vegan-focused food walk.
- Fes: a great place to try bissara in the medina, especially on cool mornings, and many riads offer vegetarian cooking classes.
- Essaouira and Chefchaouen: relaxed towns with a young, international café scene and good vegetarian options.
- Atlas villages: simple home cooking based on vegetables, legumes and barley, ideal if you ask ahead.
Street food worth trying
Morocco’s street food has plenty of plant-based options. Look for sfenj, the airy fried doughnuts sold in the morning, which are usually made from just flour, yeast, water and salt; grilled corn on the cob in autumn; steaming bowls of bissara from medina stalls; roasted chickpeas and seeds sold by weight; and fresh fruit from carts piled high with oranges, pomegranates or prickly pears, depending on the season. Ask whether anything is fried in fresh oil rather than shared with fish or meat.
The official Visit Morocco gastronomy page gives a good overview of regional dishes if you want to research before you go.
Practical tips from our team
- Tell us, your riad and your camp about your diet when you book, and remind them on arrival.
- Order freshly cooked dishes rather than food kept warm from earlier in the day.
- Ask whether olive oil or smen is used; smen is common and has a strong flavor.
- Bring snacks such as almonds, dates, figs and walnuts from the market for long driving days.
- Remember during Ramadan that many local restaurants close until sunset, though tourist restaurants and riads still serve food.
- Fresh orange juice and avocado juice are widely available, but avocado juice is usually blended with milk, so ask for it without.
Plan your trip with a local team
Being vegan in Morocco becomes easy when your hosts know in advance. Our team in Marrakech briefs every riad, restaurant and desert camp on your itinerary, so you can enjoy bissara, zaalouk and vegetable couscous without worry. Explore our tours from Marrakech or request a tailor-made tour and tell us about your diet; we will plan the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it hard to be vegan in Morocco?
Not really. Many everyday Moroccan dishes are naturally vegan, such as bissara, zaalouk, taktouka, lentils, white beans, salads and bread. The challenge is hidden meat stock, butter, smen and honey. Ask for food without meat, butter and honey, give riads and desert camps advance notice, and eat in places that cook to order.
Is Moroccan couscous vegan?
Not always. Couscous grains are made from semolina and water, but vegetable couscous is often cooked over meat broth and finished with butter or smen. Ask for couscous with vegetables cooked without meat and with olive oil instead of butter. Riads and restaurants used to international guests can usually prepare a fully vegan version.
Is harira vegetarian?
Traditional harira usually contains a small amount of lamb or beef and is sometimes thickened with egg and enriched with smen. Many homes and tourist restaurants make a vegetarian version, and some cooks will prepare it fully vegan on request. If you are unsure, choose bissara or lentil soup, which are usually vegan.
How do you say vegetarian in Moroccan Arabic?
In Darija, Moroccan Arabic, a man can say “ana nabati” and a woman “ana nabatiya”, meaning I am vegetarian. Because the term is not understood everywhere, it helps to add “bla lham” (without meat) and list other ingredients you avoid, such as “bla bid” (without eggs) or “bla zebda” (without butter).