The Ultimate Vegan Guide To Greece

Local Vegan Meals To Eat in Greece

Unfortunately, Greek food is mostly meat-based, so it can be hard to truly indulge in the local cuisine. The vegan Greek food options are:

• Salads, Dips and Pastries: There are a number of Greek salads, dips and pastries which are naturally, or easily made vegan.
• Middle East Foods: A lot of vegan Middle Eastern foods are very popular in Greece. You can find hummus, falafel and pita on every corner.
• Veganized Greek Foods: As the consciousness around veganism grows in Greece, there are more places offering veganized Greek food options. For example, you can find gyros made with faux meat or fries.

Vegan Greek Food Starters

• Greek Salad: A classic Greek salad made with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, and feta cheese. For a vegan version, simply ask for the feta cheese to be removed. Note, sometimes this also comes with a hard-boiled egg, so check this and remove it before ordering.
• Dolmades: Stuffed grape leaves are rice-based and may also contain herbs, spices. While often vegan, dolmades can sometimes contain ground meat.
• Skordalia: Basically mashed potato with a strong garlic flavor.

Vegan Greek Food Meals

• Gigantes Plaki: A baked dish of giant beans in a tomato sauce, often served with bread.
• Gemista: Stuffed vegetables with rice and herbs, usually peppers, tomatoes, or zucchini.
• Fasolada: Traditional Greek soup that has been a staple in Greek cuisine for centuries. It is a vegan soup made from simple ingredients, typically white beans, onions, carrots, celery, olive oil, and tomato paste.
• Hummus Plate: A mixture of hummus, falafel, pita, tahini and fries.
• Melitzanokeftedes: Think meatballs, but made with eggplants. Sometimes these may contain feta cheese, so be sure to ask.

Vegan Greek Street Food

• Meatless Gyros: Simply ask for no meat - these are surprisingly tasty.
• Falafel Pita: Similar to a gyros, you'll find street vendors selling falafel instead of meat.
• Fava: A dip made from yellow split peas, olive oil, and lemon juice. It is served as a meze (appetizer) and is often topped with capers and onions.
• Kalitsouni: Greek empanadas can be found with vegan fillings.
• Potato Roll: A common pastry that resembles a British sausage roll, except the filling is potato.
• [Cheeseless] Spanakopita: The most common pastry in Greece is the spinach and feta pie called Spanakopita. However, on rare occasions you can find these pies that do not contain feta, meaning they're 100% vegan.
• Eliopsomo: This is Greek Olive Bread that can be found in bakeries throughout Greece. It is made with flour, sugar, salt, yeast and, of course, olives.
• Koulouri: A type of bread that is typically topped with sesame seeds. While some koulouri may contain dairy or eggs, many street vendors offer vegan options.