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
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.
And the Costco in Cabo San Lucas had this vegan cheese made in Mexico.
And sometimes even in smaller towns! We found these vegan chorizos in Guerrero Negro.
Your new favorite thing will be the Tortilleria.
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.
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.
Here's another bowl variation with rice and beans.
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.
What else can you do with baked tortilla chips? Make nachos! We had these with nacho sauce we got at Trader Joe's.
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.
Still another way to use up corn tortillas is 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.
Vegan in Baja, Mexico - Eating Out
Guerrero Negro
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 someoneās home than eating at a restaurant. We didnāt 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!
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
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!
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.
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 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!
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.
Capuchino Cafe is a vegetarian spot with loads of vegan options.
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!
Try the limonade too. We had coco and strawberry.
Oh, and they have a vegan dessert called cold cake thatās like a mini cheesecake and is the perfect sweet bite to end the meal.
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.
A vegan taco stand in La Paz??? Yes, please!
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.
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!
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. Itās not far off the Malecon and easy to visit on foot. Do yourself a favor and drop by!
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.
El Zarape was reviewed as vegan-friendly but the staff seemed confused. They had a menu card that said āveganoā 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.
Do not recommend. There are much better options in La Paz.
Los Barriles
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.
But first, let's start with a margarita and some chips & guacamole.
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.
I got them with the green sauce and Kevin got the red sauce.
Everything tasted like it was made with care rather than thrown together. Definitely check them out if youāre in the area.
Cocina Creative Kitchen has a special vegan menu, but you need to call ahead. They don't keep all of the ingredients on hand.
Even though we didn't call ahead for the vegan meal, we were able to enjoy several courses of tasty food.
They even whipped up desserts for us.
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!
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.
San Jose del Cabo
While there arenāt a ton of vegan options at restaurants down here in Baja California Sur, that doesnāt mean there arenāt any. And the ones we've found have been amazing! Like Chula Vegan Cafe.
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.
Oh, and maybe I got the raw cheesecake. Everything was delicious and nourishing.
They also have smoothies and kombucha.
And some displays about zero waste and options for that like mesh produce bags. And if youāre lucky, theyāll have cinnamon rolls. We got some to go!
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.
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).
They started us off with flat bread and house sauces.
Between us we may have tried all of the burgers.
And made a good run at the empanadas. This is the corn and the caprese.
They also have kombucha on tap.
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.
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.
Cabo San Lucas
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 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.
Gotta start with an agua fresca!
Kevin had one of their lentil burgers and I had a salad.
Oh, they had loads of delicious vegan desserts too!
We enjoyed everything we tried. It's convenience for tourists can't be beat!
This meal at Bajarosha is the front-runner for best restaurant meal weāve had while in Mexico. Whether youāre vegan or not, do yourself a favor and visit this place in Cabo San Lucas.
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.
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!
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).
Everything was outstanding and weāll be dreaming about this food for a while. Weāre also going to try and duplicate that pepita sauce because we need it in our lives on a regular basis.
Oh, donāt miss getting a beverage! The hibiscus water was delicious but the standout was the pineapple mint drink
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 donāt let that throw you off! Itās well marked and thereās parking nearby.
They have traditional Mexican food vegan style and pizza if youāre feeling a little homesick. Whatever you decide you canāt go wrong. We didnāt choose. We had both.
On the Mexican side, we had nachos, queso fundido with chorizo, plato parrilla, and tacos.
We also got a BBQ pizza which was Mexican style with pastor and pineapples.
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. Itās a popular street food in Mexico City. It might sound weird but itās delicious.
P. S. Get dessert. Whatever they have. Youāre welcome.
Todos Santos
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.
While we waited for our food, they treated us to their foccacia right out of the oven. Yum!
They also had pastries that we ended up taking home with us.
For lunch, we had the wraps, African peanut soup.
And you've gotta get an agua fresca!
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!
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.
Tijuana
For our last meal out in Mexico, Tom and Fay wanted to take us out because theyāre sweethearts. It was a bit of a drive, but we found a place that looked awesome in Tijuana, InspiraciĆ³n 9, and we were not disappointed!
We started with a Grilled Oyster Mushroom Plate. If youāre a mushroom fan, you might want to consider this for your main.
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 molƩ sauce.)
Oh, and Kevin got one Tofu Taco so we could try it (it was kind of like a fish taco.)
And of course we got dessert but had to share because we were stuffed!
We loved everything and it was the perfect way to close out our time in Mexico. We even got to meet the chef !
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.
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. š
