Is it easy to be a vegan in Bangkok?
Are you considering traveling to Bangkok or already living there but wondering if it is easy to be a vegan in Bangkok?
A lot of people ask me if it is easy to be a vegan in Bangkok.
I don’t consider myself a vegan, I follow a plant-based diet for environmental sustainability reasons. I stopped eating meat, dairy, and eggs three years ago. Growing up in India, I had met many vegetarians but veganism is very different from being vegetarian.
During the last three years, I have started understanding more about animal-welfare and animal rights. Most vegetarians in India choose that diet for religious reasons and not necessarily for animal welfare or environmental reasons.
Every time, someone asks me, “Are you a vegan?” My answer is, “No, I follow a vegan diet” which is the same as eating plant-based food. It is often complicated for people to understand. Although there are many common elements between veganism and sustainability, they are not the same.
buying a second hand sustainably
The best example for this would be buying a second hand sustainably made silk scarf vs buying a new vegan polyester scarf. Someone who is extremely passionate about environmental sustainability will avoid the vegan polyester scarf and a vegan will avoid anything which is made from an animal which involves silk products.
In my personal experience, anyone who becomes vegan for environmental reasons starts understanding the core values of veganism. Also, those who become a vegan for the animals are trying to be more sustainable in their overall consumption habits.
There are many good vegan restaurants in Bangkok now which offer a variety of plant-based dishes on their menu. You can find Thai and western dishes on vegan menus.
As a society, I believe brands and businesses must address animal rights issues along with environmental sustainability issues and hopefully this is the direction we are headed towards. Most people who ask the question,” Is it easy to be a vegan in Bangkok?” ask from a diet perspective. A lot of people are not aware that veganism is a lifestyle choice which goes beyond food and diet.
Being a vegan in Bangkok:
Vegan food in Bangkok:
I moved towards a vegan diet in January 2020, it was at the beginning of the pandemic.
I have to admit that I was slightly nervous about how easy or difficult it would be to be a vegan in Bangkok.
I was completely unaware of vegan food options in Bangkok, at that point I was eating a lot of fish and chicken. There were not many vegan restaurants I knew at that point, the only two I had heard of were Barefood and Veganerie.
Today, Veganerie has opened in six locations across Bangkok due to increase in demand.
I was nervous and a little scared on how I will manage a vegan diet. I had seen vegan dishes on some menus and cafes in Bangkok but I was not sure if a plant-based diet would be easily accessible in Thailand.
To my surprise, a lot of food and dishes I ate were already vegan. I eat a mix of Indian and Thai cuisine at home. It is possible to make delicious vegan Thai dishes. The meat used in all the Thai dishes can easily be substituted with vegetables and plant-based meat. Also, tofu is so versatile and can be used as a meat substitute in many dishes. Most Thai dishes don’t use dairy, soy milk and coconut milk is an integral part of Thai cuisine.
Vegan food and Thai cuisine
A lot of Indian dishes are also vegan, chickpea omelet has been eaten by many Indians for breakfast before the term veganism even gained popularity. Most of the popular Indian breakfast dishes can be made vegan easily if the ghee alone is avoided.
Plant-based meat is easily available in every supermarket in Bangkok today. I was excited to see big bags of vegan chicken nuggets in the Makro supermarket in Sukhumvit last week.
From Big C to 7-Elevens across Sukhumvit and other areas, you can find plant-based meat options literally everywhere. You cannot get through a day in Bangkok without seeing the word vegan, it is in advertisements on the road, supermarkets, boards outside cafes, it is everywhere.There is a new vegan restaurant opening up every few months. Being a vegan in Bangkok today is easier than you can imagine, veganism in Thailand has evolved so much in the last three years.
There are grocery stores which are dedicated to vegan groceries and they have cooked vegan dishes made from mushrooms, tofu etc. The two popular vegan grocery stores are.
- Alt Bangkok, Sukhumvit
- Vegan Basket Icon Siam
All the other big supermarkets and grocery stores in Bangkok have plant-based meats and milks available too.
- Big-C
- Tops Supermarket
- Tesco Lotus
- 7-Eleven
- Makro
- Villa
- Foodland
- Maxvalue
Vegan snacks and desserts in Bangkok:
There are also many small brands making croissants and other bakery items from home and delivering to your house. It is refreshing to see bakery menus which are vegan. I love the bakery items from:
- Greenterrace Thailand
- Hungry Herbivore
I have ordered home fresh vegan cookies from a Chiangmai based small brand called the cookie jar and they have so many flavors which are 100% vegan. The croissants from Greenterrace Thailand are so good and perfect for a healthy breakfast.
As a vegan in Bangkok today, there is an insane amount of choice for chocolates and ice-creams too.
Who would have thought this was possible a few years ago?
There is a good selection of vegan ice creams in Bangkok today. I personally love the flavors in VEGANISTO. This vegan ice cream brand uses coconut milk for its base, which results in a creamy frozen treat that’s lower in calories and cholesterol than your average scoop.
A guilty pleasure with less of the guilt but all the flavors.
Veganisto currently churns out nine decadent flavors, including their signature lemon cheese pie, strawberry fresh cream, tiramisu, and cookies and cream (B100/cup; B360/pint). Their signature lemon cheese pie is the best vegan ice cream I have had.
Locally sourced plant-based food:
One of the biggest advantages of living in Thailand is that it is a country gifted with a lot of agricultural produce.
This could be one reason for the rise in vegan restaurants too. There is a plethora of Thai vegetables and herbs to choose from for healthy vegan cooking at home. Here are some of my personal favorite foods which are a part of my every week grocery list:
- Oat Milk by UFC Thailand
- Coconut Milk by UFC Thailand
- Tofu from Organic Village
- Mushrooms from Happy Grocers
- Tempeh and Tofu from Happy Grocers
- NON-GMO Soy from Organic Village
- Local Seasonal Vegetables and Fruits
- Plant-based meat from Let’s Plant Meat
Vegan Bangkok: Are there Thai fashion brands championing veganism?
Yes!! There are Thai brands which don’t use animal products in their shoes, clothes, and other products.
Two Thailand based brands I know personally are:
- Folk Charm, Bangkok, Thailand
- Hexa Shoes, Bangkok, Thailand
FolkCharm is an ethical enterprise that partners with natural cotton farmers, artisanal communities, and local craftswomen to present apparels and products with the right blend of contemporary living and traditional wisdom. Their products are vegan and sustainable. All their textile is known for its hand-spun yarn, handloom process and local techniques of natural dyeing.
Their 100% locally sourced chemical-free and organic cotton also comes with great benefits of gentleness to skin, natural comfort. They have the best organic cotton fabric in Bangkok.
I have had the privilege of interviewing Passawee T Kodak, founder of Folkcharm in 2020.I also traveled with her to one of the weaving communities she empowers in Loei. We discussed why she wants to avoid new silk to make clothes but is open to repurposing silk which already exists. She mentioned that “Folkcharm is about preserving a traditional way of life while making it relevant to the younger generation”.
All about vegan shoes
Hexa Shoes is a vegan shoe brand. One look at their website is enough for anyone to understand that the person behind the brand is an animal activist at heart. When I spoke to her last, we discussed the importance of fashion brands to address animal-welfare and sustainability together.
“No life can live alone. We all need each other. We all are one. Sustainability will never happen without being merciful”: Hexa shoes founder and CEO
Their shoes are produced with a sustainability focus; Hexa says that as well as avoiding the use of animal-based products, it is also investigating offset strategies to achieve a neutral to positive impact with every item produced.
Hexa is Thailand’s vegan lifestyle brand that currently focuses on comfortable footwear ranging from sneakers, wedges, pumps to high heels. They believe that a merciful lifestyle is the art and science of joyful living with the balancing of giving to other lives around us. Check out their website for the best range of vegan shoes in Bangkok.
Vegan Bangkok- Tipping point of veganism becoming mainstream:
I would often joke with my friends that the day a company with a huge presence in Thailand launches plant-based meat, we can say that veganism has gone mainstream in Bangkok.
In Thailand, the turning point for consumers concerning plant-based meat alternatives was when CPF came into the market. CPF is the largest meat producer in the country and came into the market with the mantra “Meat Zero ” plant-based meat in 2021.
It used the best marketing tactics, including a large budget for advertising, TV ads and celebrity endorsements. They started with 10 products and operate in 7-11 convenience stores.
CPF also contributed to the rise to an increase in vegan restaurants which can now use plant-based meat easily at a low cost to substitute meat. Restaurant chains like KFC and Burger King are now providing plant-based meat options.
Vegan Bangkok: The joy of being a vegan in Bangkok:
In conclusion, eating a plant-based diet and understanding veganism has been a joyful journey and I am so happy that I made the decision to stop eating meat. I thought people would roll their eyes at me when I tell them that I eat plant-based delicacies but most people in Bangkok are aware now. On the contrary, people and restaurants are more than welcoming and accommodating towards a plant-based diet.
Masala magazine had their first-ever food festival on May 28th and there were so many booths selling vegan food there. I spoke to the owner, and she mentioned that there is an increase in demand for vegan food in Bangkok, so they decided to have many booths dedicated to plant-based food.
As reported by Thai PBS recently, sustainability, plant-based and clean label food products dominated the THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 which was held in Bangkok last week. This is an indication that vegan food will become more and more easily available and accessible in Bangkok.
If you are planning to travel to Bangkok anytime, do check out all the vegan restaurants. Some of the plant-based restaurants are so good, it is a must-do in your travel itinerary to Bangkok to see how much vegan food has evolved in Thailand.
