Being Vegan in Baja, Mexico

How hard is it to be vegan in Baja, Mexico? Not hard at all! Especially not when you drive around your kitchen.

But even if you're visiting Baja, Mexico for a vacation, you'll find wonderful vegan options in restaurants in La Paz, San Jose del Cabo, Todos Santos, Cabo San Lucas, and Tijuana. 

Resources - Finding Restaurants

To be honest, we made our own meals the majority of the time while traveling Baja, Mexico. But that's the beauty of traveling in an RV. You have your own kitchen and you can do that.

But we also checked each area to see if there were some awesome vegan options at restaurants. And there are so many more options in Baja then there were 10 years ago!


 

A few pro tips

  • Corn tortillas should be vegan but flour tortillas sometimes contain lard.
  • If you order chips and guacamole, make sure it doesn't have cheese or sour cream on top. Same with beans.
  • You'll have better luck if you research ahead of time and pick spots where others have been able to get vegan meals. See resources below.

Here's roughly how we go about finding the good eats.

Happy Cow

We usually start off with Happy Cow. When we land in a new area, we check Happy Cow to see if there are any good-looking restaurant options there. You can use it via the website or they also have an app. Happy Cow includes reviews and photos that will help you decide. 

Trip Advisor

In Trip Advisor, you can also look at restaurants near you. Then you have a variety of filters including vegan options, vegetarian friendly and gluten free options. I like to choose the vegan options filter, then pick a restaurant that looks interesting. You can then search the reviews for that restaurant for the word "vegan." That's much easier than scrolling through all of the reviews. 

This method is also helpful if someone suggests a restaurant. You can look up that specific restaurant and check to see if anyone has had vegan options there.

Ask a Local

If you find one spot with vegan options, ask the staff about other places that might be good. We do this all the time. The locals know things like that one spot that has a dish that just happens to be vegan and is delicious. Things like this don't necessarily show up in apps like Happy Cow or Trip Advisor.

Duolingo

Duolingo is a free resource for learning languages. You can use the website or the app. Knowing basic common courtesy phrases goes a long way. With Duolingo, you can also learn vocabulary pertaining to food and eating. It'll help you spot ingredients you don't want to eat on pre-packaged foods and menus.

Keep in mind that telling someone that you're vegan (Yo soy vegana/vegano) is probably not going to be enough because most people don't know what that means. Having more vocabulary to help you describe what you want to eat will be immensely helpful. It also helps to start at restaurants that have already been indentified as having vegan options.

Vegan Passport

The Vegan Passport can help you with specific phrases related to being vegan. And the Vegan Passport isn't just for Spanish; it covers 70+ languages! 

Google Translate

If you're still at a loss, use the Google Translate app. Use it to translate what you want to say to the server. You can also use the camera to translate ingredient labels.

Vegan in Baja, Mexico - Cooking In

In some ways, being vegan in Baja, Mexico is a vegan's dream! Produce is usually local and SO CHEAP! You will have no trouble finding avocados, tomatoes, jicama, cilantro, red cabbage, onions, potatoes, lettuce, and more. Even the smallest towns will have these.

We had no trouble finding vegan bread in most markets. Vegan canned refried beans are easy to find. Dried beans and rice are common. 

In larger towns, you will be able to find non-dairy milks, nutritional yeast, vegan meats, and vegan cheeses. They will be more expensive but if you have a craving they will be there for you.

We found this stash at Mercado Santa Carmelo in Cabo San Lucas.

vegan products at mercado santa carmela in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

And the Costco in Cabo San Lucas had this vegan cheese made in Mexico.

heartbest vegan cheese at costco in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

And sometimes even in smaller towns! We found these vegan chorizos in Guerrero Negro.

soy chorizo in guerrero negro, baja, mexico.

Your new favorite thing will be the Tortilleria.

tortilleria in san filipe, baja, mexico.

Corn tortillas are vegan by default. Walk into a tortilleria and watch them being made in front of you. Then take a steaming stack of them with you. It will ruin you for store bought tortillas. It did us!

What we cooked in the RV

When we cooked at home, we mostly made use of common ingredients available in Baja.

I usually make components like rice, beans, cashew sour cream, pickled onion, vegan chorizo, vegan taco meat, etc. and then we eat it in various combinations. 

Here we've got tofu scramble, beans, romaine lettuce with pico de gallo and avocado and an avocado toast.

vegan tofu scramble, beans, rice, and salad.

This is rice, beans (sensing a theme here?), TVP taco meat, romaine, avocado, cashew sour cream, and pickled onions. We scooped this into corn tortillas.

vegan taco meat, rice, beans, cashew sour cream, pickled onion, and avocado.

Here's another bowl variation with rice and beans.

vegan mexican salad bowl.

This tofu scramble bowl has baked tortilla chips with it. It's a great way to use up tortillas that are a couple of days old. And there's always a tortilleria around the corner for more fresh ones when you're in Mexico.

vegan tofu scramble, rice, beans, baked tortilla chips, and avocado.

What else can you do with baked tortilla chips? Make nachos! We had these with nacho sauce we got at Trader Joe's.

nachos with baked tortilla chips.

Another way to use up tortillas is to make enchiladas. The dried chilis to make your own enchilada sauce are readily available but so is prepared. I like to make my own because it's oil free.

Here's a small pan of sweet potato black bean enchiladas. We throw a little vegan cheese on top if we have it. It's also delicious topped with avocado or guacamole, cashew sour cream, and pickled onions.

sweet potato black bean enchiladas.

Still another way to use up corn tortillas is tortilla soup.

tortilla soup.

With all these ways to use up tortillas you can always have fresh tortillas for tacos without wasting any.

We eat fruit every day. In the states, we usually have apples and oranges with lunch and blueberries with breakfast. 

In Mexico, it's common to eat fruit with a squeeze of lime and sprinkle of Tajin. So that's what we did! Apples and oranges were still easy to find but fresh pineapples and jicama were so cheap that they figured into our daily plate often. 

fruit with tajin.

Vegan in Baja, Mexico - Eating Out

Guerrero Negro

Soy Salud

Guerrero Negro was our first stop in Mexico that had a vegetarian restaurant so we had to check it out.

Soy Salud felt more like being a guest in someone’s home than eating at a restaurant. We didn’t so much order from the menu but rather they just made us a meal.

We had a lovely colorful salad and potatoes, rice, and nopales (cactus) served with tortillas, salsa and chips for the main. Everything was tasty!

salad at soy salud in guerrero negro, baja, mexico.
nopales, rice, and beans at soy salud in guerrero negro, baja, mexico.

Check before you go because people keep random hours around here. We arrived during their posted open time but they hadn't started cooking yet.

Loreto

Mezzaluna

When we reached Loreto, we saw there was a restaurant with vegan pizza and empanadas. Score! So we headed over there for dinner with Paul, Lorena, Tom, and Fay.  

The vegan pizzas were pretty good. They even had vegan cheese! 

vegan pizza from mezzaluna in loreto, baja california sur, mexico.
vegan pizza from mezzaluna in loreto, baja california sur, mexico.

The empanadas were more like calzones but you might expect that at an Italian restaurant. The waiter said they were small so I ordered three but two would've been plenty.

empanadas from mezzaluna in loreto, baja california sur, mexico.

We wouldn't call this food the best we've ever had but if you're starting to get tired of rice and beans or cooking your own food it really hit the spot.

More sights and foods of Baja

Would you like to follow along as we travel all the way down the Baja Peninsula and back up again? We have a YouTube series covering the whole trip!


Start here as we cross the border and head to San Felipe.

La Paz

La Masa Panaderia

La Masa Pandaderia is an artisan bread and pastry shop that had a few vegan options when we visited. The vegan options sell out fast so get there early!

We were lucky enough to nab some of these vegan chocolate croissants and they were out of this world!

vegan chocolate croissant from la masa panaderia in la paz, bcs, mexico.

That price is in pesos, of course. It was about $1.50 USD.

We also grabbed one of their bread loaves for sandwiches. Highly recommended.

Farmers Market

Capuchino Cafe

Capuchino Cafe is a vegetarian spot with loads of vegan options.

outside view of capuchino cafe in la paz, bcs, mexico.

Tacos de Falafel al Pastor - wait, falafel tacos? That sounds weird! But we promise you, it was not - they were delicious! So instead of seasoning a ground chickpea mixture with Mediterranean flavors, Capuchino Cafe used Mexican flavors and it was magical! 

tacos de falafel al pastor at capuchino cafe in la paz, bcs, mexico.

Try the limonade too. We had coco and strawberry.

coco limonade at capuchino cafe in la paz, bcs, mexico.
strawberry limonade at capuchino cafe in la paz, bcs, mexico.

Oh, and they have a vegan dessert called cold cake that’s like a mini cheesecake and is the perfect sweet bite to end the meal.

dessert at capuchino cafe in la paz, bcs, mexico.

We liked Capuchino so much that we went back with a group. This time we tried the Tofu a la Mexicana and the sampler platter. 

tofu a la mexicana at capuchino cafe in la paz, bcs, mexico.
sampler platter at capuchino cafe in la paz, bcs, mexico.

Mango Blues Vegan Tacos

A vegan taco stand in La Paz??? Yes, please!

mango blues menu in la paz, bcs, mexico.

We first saw word that Mango Blues was opening on a flyer on the Malecon our first stay in La Paz on the way south. It was open by the time we came back through and boy were we glad!

On our first stop in they were getting SLAMMED with Carnaval traffic. We love seeing that! They were out of some of their fillings so we downed what they had, which was delicious, and came back for more another time.

vegan taco at mango blues in la paz, bcs, mexico.
vegan tacos at mango blues in la paz, bcs, mexico.

I think we managed to try all of their taco varieties. Of them all, the chorizo, bistec, and birria were our favorites but you wouldn't go wrong with any choice. On the toppings bar they had a vegan sour cream sauce that was so good!

vegan tacos at mango blues in la paz, bcs, mexico.
vegan tacos at mango blues in la paz, bcs, mexico.
vegan tacos at mango blues in la paz, bcs, mexico.

This place is also light on the wallet. 12 pesos for a normal sized taco (it's 15 pesos now, still a bargain!), not street taco size. It’s not far off the Malecon and easy to visit on foot. Do yourself a favor and drop by!

Harker Board Co.

For the last night of Carnival, our group reserved space on the roof of Harker Board Co. to watch the parade. And they surprised us by having decent vegan options.

Kevin got a pizza and I got a bean burrito. Not bad! It would't be at the top of our list in La Paz, but would be a good option if you're in a group with meat eaters.

vegan pizza from harker board co. in la paz, bcs, mexico.
vegan bean burrito from harker board co. in la paz, bcs, mexico.

El Zarape Malecon

El Zarape was reviewed as vegan-friendly but the staff seemed confused. They had a menu card that said “vegano” and listed options. But the server said those dishes had cheese.

We settled on some things and they turned out to be about 90% zucchini without much flavor. 

food at el zarape in la paz, bcs, mexico.
food at el zarape in la paz, bcs, mexico.
food at el zarape in la paz, bcs, mexico.

Do not recommend. There are much better options in La Paz.

Los Barriles

Cafe Maria

Our first meal out in Los Barriles was Cafe Maria. We weren't sure what to expect but it turned out to be delicious and pretty vegan-friendly.

cafe maria in los barriles, bcs, mexico.

But first, let's start with a margarita and some chips & guacamole.

chips and guacamole at cafe maria in los barriles, bcs, mexico.
margarita at cafe maria in los barriles, bcs, mexico.

There was a vegetarian burrito on the menu that could be made vegan but they had more options than that. She told us about a taco salad and these poblano & corn enchiladas.

vegan enchiladas in green sauce at cafe maria in los barriles, bcs, mexico.

I got them with the green sauce and Kevin got the red sauce.

vegan enchiladas with red sauce at cafe maria in los barriles, bcs, mexico.

Everything tasted like it was made with care rather than thrown together. Definitely check them out if you’re in the area.

Cocina Creative Kitchen

Cocina Creative Kitchen has a special vegan menu, but you need to call ahead. They don't keep all of the ingredients on hand.

vegan menu at cocino creative kitchen in los barriles, bcs, mexico.

Even though we didn't call ahead for the vegan meal, we were able to enjoy several courses of tasty food. 

vegan soup at cocina creative kitchen in los barriles, bcs, mexico.
salad at cocina creative kitchen in los barriles, bcs, mexico.
asparagus dish at cocina creative kitchen in los barriles, bcs, mexico.
veggie skewers at cocina creative kitchen in los barriles, bcs, mexico.

They even whipped up desserts for us.

vegan dessert at cocina creative kitchen in los barriles, bcs, mexico.

If you want the full experience, definitely call and make a reservation for a vegan meal a couple of days in advance.

Make sure you arrive early and enjoy sunset from the rooftop bar. We even saw whales from up there!

sunset view from the rooftop bar above cocina creative kitchen in los barriles, bcs, mexico.

Community Market

Joe's Market & Deli

El Gecko

El Gecko was right next door to Playa Norte, the campground where we stayed in Los Barriles. We had vegetable fajitas there that were pretty good but a little oily. So we didn't eat there again since our kitchen was literally right there.

But we did pop in regularly for drinks and chips and guacamole. They have seating on the beach or under a palapa. Great place to chill.

Here we are using their wifi to watch Paul & Lorena's Last Saturday Live.

watching the motorhome experiment's last saturday live at el gecko in los barriles, bcs, mexico.

San Jose del Cabo

Chula Vegan Cafe

While there aren’t a ton of vegan options at restaurants down here in Baja California Sur, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. And the ones we've found have been amazing! Like Chula Vegan Cafe.

menu at chula vegan cafe in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

Chula has moved spaces since we visited but from the pictures we've seen on their Instagram it looks amazing!

We started with nachos, Kevin had a burger, I had chilaquiles, and Tom & Fay both got the Mexican bowl.

vegan nachos at chula vegan cafe in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.
vegan burger at chula vegan cafe in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.
vegan chilaqueles at chula vegan cafe in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.
mexican bowl at chula vegan cafe in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

Oh, and maybe I got the raw cheesecake. Everything was delicious and nourishing.

raw cheesecake at chula vegan cafe in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

They also have smoothies and kombucha.

smoothie at chula vegan cafe in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.
kombucha at chula vegan cafe in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

And some displays about zero waste and options for that like mesh produce bags. And if you’re lucky, they’ll have cinnamon rolls. We got some to go!

Mi Vegano Favorito

But wait, San Jose del Cabo has another all-vegan spot - Mi Vegano Favorito! And it's just a block off of the historic town square and arts district.

mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

The spot is almost like a surf shack. It's nestled between a couple of buildings and doesn't really have permanent walls. 

Their menu is mainly house-made burgers, pizza, and Argentinian empanadas (open-faced). 

menu at mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.
menu at mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

They started us off with flat bread and house sauces.

flat bread and sauces at at mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

Between us we may have tried all of the burgers.

vegan burger at mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.
vegan burger at mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.
vegan burger at mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

And made a good run at the empanadas. This is the corn and the caprese.

corn empanadas at at mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.
caprese empanadas at mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

They also have kombucha on tap.

kombucha at mi vegano favorito in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

After enjoying the art walk we did come back to have brownies for dessert. They were just out of the oven and out of this world but it was dark and the phots didn't come out well.

If we'd spent more time in San Jose del Cabo we definitely would've gone back to try the pizza. 

The Breakdown

Need a coffee break? Head to The Breakdown where they have almond, oat, and coconut milks available. It's conveniently located in the arts district. The coffee is outstanding too! If you're feeling extra get the Mex Mocha. You won't regret it.

coffee from the breakdown in san jose del cabo, bcs, mexico.

Cabo San Lucas

Mako Raspados

Mako Raspados is located right by the marina in Cabo San Lucas. You could even walk there if you came in by cruise ship.

mako raspados in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

Mako serves a little bit of everything from pizza to burgers to pasta to more traditional Mexican dishes. They focus on veggies rather than meat substitutes so this might be a friendlier option for skeptical members of your party. They also have menus in English.

menu at mako raspados in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

Gotta start with an agua fresca!

agua fresca at mako raspados in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

Kevin had one of their lentil burgers and I had a salad.

lentil burger at mako raspados in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
salad at mako raspados in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

Oh, they had loads of delicious vegan desserts too!

dessert at mako raspados in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
dessert at mako raspados in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
dessert at mako raspados in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

We enjoyed everything we tried. It's convenience for tourists can't be beat!

Bajarosha

This meal at Bajarosha is the front-runner for best restaurant meal we’ve had while in Mexico. Whether you’re vegan or not, do yourself a favor and visit this place in Cabo San Lucas. 

bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

While they do serve meat here, Bajarosha understands vegan and vegetarian. We highly recommend you order the sampler menu. For 180 pesos you get 4 courses for 2 people. We all got the sampler and then ordered one extra dish so we could try all of their vegan filling options.

menu at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

They started off by bringing us an appetizer on the house so we could start trying out their incredible sauces. Everything on the sauce tray is vegan except the sour cream. The real stand-out is their house pepita sauce. We got a container to take with us!

appetizer at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
sauces at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

After that the dishes started. Gorditas with vegan chorizo, Tacos Dorados (rolled tacos with potato), Enchiladas filled with mushrooms, corn & zucchini Enchiladas, and Tostadas with nopales (cactus).

empanadas at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
tacos dorados at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
enchiladas at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
tostadas at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
gordita at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

Everything was outstanding and we’ll be dreaming about this food for a while. We’re also going to try and duplicate that pepita sauce because we need it in our lives on a regular basis.

Oh, don’t miss getting a beverage! The hibiscus water was delicious but the standout was the pineapple mint drink

jamaica hibiscus water at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
pineapple mint drink at bajarosha in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.


La Rana Vegana

If you find yourself in Cabo San Lucas do yourself a favor and leave the tourist areas. You will find some real gems!

La Rana Vegana is in a house in a residential area. But don’t let that throw you off! It’s well marked and there’s parking nearby.

la rana vegana in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

They have traditional Mexican food vegan style and pizza if you’re feeling a little homesick. Whatever you decide you can’t go wrong. We didn’t choose. We had both. 

menu at la rana vegana in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

On the Mexican side, we had nachos, queso fundido with chorizo, plato parrilla, and tacos.

nachos at la rana vegana in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
vegan queso fundido at la rana vegana in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
plato parrilla at la rana vegana in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.
vegan tacos at la rana vegana in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

We also got a BBQ pizza which was Mexican style with pastor and pineapples.

vegan bbq pizza at la rana vegana in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

Oh! If you will be there when they are making tamales you must order them. ALL of them. We had 2 savory flavors and a sweet. They will also give you bolillo (rolls) so you can make tortas de tamal, basically a tamale sandwich. It’s a popular street food in Mexico City. It might sound weird but it’s delicious.

P. S. Get dessert. Whatever they have. You’re welcome.

pineapple tart at la rana vegana in cabo san lucas, bcs, mexico.

Todos Santos

La Jardinera

La Jardinera is on the road that you take to get to the turtle sanctuary. The owner, Dominique, has a garden out back that helps supply the cafe.

la jardinera in todos santos, bcs, mexico.

While we waited for our food, they treated us to their foccacia right out of the oven. Yum!

foccacia at la jardinera in todos santos, bcs, mexico.

They also had pastries that we ended up taking home with us. 

pastries at la jardinera in todos santos, bcs, mexico.

For lunch, we had the wraps, African peanut soup.

falafel wrap at la jardinera in todos santos, bcs, mexico.
veg wrap at la jardinera in todos santos, bcs, mexico.
african peanut soup at la jardinera in todos santos, bcs, mexico.

And you've gotta get an agua fresca!

agua fresca at la jardinera in todos santos, bcs, mexico.

Pura Vida

Pura Vida is a market and cafe located within walking distance of the historic center of Todos Santos. It's a great place to restock if you're running low on some harder to find ingredients like nutritional yeast, hemp milk, etc. 

Don't worry. The shop dog isn't dead. He's just very relaxed!

shop dog at pura vida, todos santos, bcs, mexico.

The cafe had plenty of vegan options and daily specials. On our visit I had the raw walnut tacos and Kevin had the lasagna special and maybe a vegan grilled cheese with added avocado. They also had smoothies and raw desserts. 

sharing a meal at pura vida, todos santos, bcs, mexico.

Tijuana

Inspiración 9

For our last meal out in Mexico, Tom and Fay wanted to take us out because they’re sweethearts. It was a bit of a drive, but we found a place that looked awesome in Tijuana, Inspiración 9, and we were not disappointed!

Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.
menu at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.
menu at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.
vegan wall at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.

We started with a Grilled Oyster Mushroom Plate. If you’re a mushroom fan, you might want to consider this for your main.

oyster mushroom plate at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.

Then we tried an assortment of things. Kevin got the Drowned Torta (vegan carnitas sandwich drowned in barrio soup), Tom got the Charcoal Burger, (veggie burger on a black bun) Fay had tacos, and I had the Molesa (vegan meat in a molé sauce.)

drowned torta at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.
charcoal burger at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.
carnitas tacos at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.
molesa with quinoa at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.

Oh, and Kevin got one Tofu Taco so we could try it (it was kind of like a fish taco.)

tofu taco at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.

And of course we got dessert but had to share because we were stuffed!

dessert at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.

We loved everything and it was the perfect way to close out our time in Mexico. We even got to meet the chef !

chef antonio quintero at Inspiración 9 in Tijuana, baja, mexico.

Various larger towns

And if you see a Starbucks, they will have non-dairy options. So will many other coffee shops if you want to shop local.

soy milk at starbucks in cabo san lucas.

Mexico is really stepping up its vegan game. Watch out!

Considering an RV trip to Baja, Mexico?


If you'd like to take your RV to Baja, Mexico, you might enjoy our video series from our trip all the way down to Cabo San Lucas and back!


Start here as we cross the border and head to San Felipe.


And that's about all we have for you about RV camping in Baja, Mexico. If you have any questions for us about RVing in Mexico or any of these camping spots, get in touch by leaving a comment below! That way our answers will help the next person reading this. 🙂

Laura Nunemaker

About the Author

Laura Nunemaker

vegan. full-time traveler. rv dweller. food lover. cow petter.

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