Balinese Vegan Dishes You Have to Try

Key takeaways

• Many Balinese staples are naturally plant-based, built on tempeh, jackfruit, vegetables, rice, and coconut rather than meat.

• Tempeh is a fermented soy protein and a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids, which makes it a reliable centerpiece for vegan meals.

• Nasi campur and gado-gado adapt easily to vegan versions by swapping a few sauces and toppings.

• Local spice pastes called basa genep give Balinese vegan food its bold, layered flavor without any animal products.

• Ubud is one of the best places in Bali to taste authentic Balinese vegan cooking, including at Wild Vegan.

Balinese cooking is one of the most vegan-friendly traditional cuisines in Southeast Asia, because so much of it starts with vegetables, rice, coconut, tempeh, and fresh spice pastes. If you are visiting Ubud and want to eat like a local without ordering meat, you have plenty of authentic options. This guide walks through the balinese vegan dishes worth seeking out, explains the ingredients behind them, and points you to where to taste them.

Plant-based eating is no longer niche. Global plant-based food retail sales reached 28.6 billion dollars in 2024, up roughly 5 percent year on year (The Food Institute, April 2025). That same report found that about 6 in 10 United States households bought plant-based foods in 2024, so many travelers already arrive in Bali looking for familiar vegan meals.

Which Balinese Vegan Dishes Are Naturally Plant-Based?

More Balinese dishes are plant-based than most visitors expect, since the island's everyday home cooking leans on vegetables, grains, and legumes rather than large cuts of meat. Rice sits at the center of nearly every meal, surrounded by small vegetable sides. That structure makes it easy to eat well without animal products.

Start with urap, a warm salad of blanched vegetables like long beans, spinach, and bean sprouts tossed with grated, spiced coconut. Jukut ares, a soup made from the tender inner core of a young banana stem, is another old-school favorite that is often naturally meat-free. Lawar, a mixed vegetable and coconut dish, has a vegetarian form called lawar putih, though the versions sold at markets sometimes include meat or blood, so ask first.

One honest caution: traditional Balinese kitchens frequently season food with terasi, a pungent shrimp paste, or add dried fish for depth. A dish that looks like vegetables can still carry those ingredients. Checking with the cook is the simplest way to keep a plant-based meal genuinely vegan.

For a wider list of options around town, our guide to the best vegan food in Ubud breaks down where locals actually eat.

Tempeh, Jackfruit, and Vegetable Classics Explained

Tempeh, jackfruit, and everyday vegetables form the backbone of Balinese vegan cooking, and each brings something different to the plate. Tempeh delivers protein and bite, jackfruit mimics the texture of pulled meat, and vegetables carry the spices. Together they cover most of what a satisfying meal needs.

Tempeh is a cake of soybeans bound together by a natural fermentation process, and it originated in neighboring Java before becoming a daily staple across Indonesia. It is a complete protein, meaning it supplies all nine essential amino acids your body cannot make on its own. Sliced thin and fried, braised in sweet soy as tempe manis, or simmered in spiced coconut, it soaks up flavor like a sponge.

Young green jackfruit, known locally as nangka muda, is the other star. When cooked unripe, it has a stringy, savory texture that stands in for meat in curries and stews. A classic preparation called gulai nangka simmers it in coconut milk with turmeric, galangal, and chili. Traditional plant proteins like tempeh and tofu are holding their own in the market too, continuing to grow even as newer meat alternatives crowd the shelves.

How Do Local Spices Create Bold, Healthy Flavors?

Balinese spice pastes are the reason the food tastes so bold, and almost all of them are plant-based at their core. The foundation is basa genep, a "complete spice" paste that blends shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, candlenut, chili, and coriander. This single mixture flavors curries, stir-fries, and grilled vegetables across the island.

Turmeric and galangal, both rhizomes in the ginger family, give the paste its earthy warmth and golden color. Lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves add brightness, while candlenut lends a subtle richness. Because the heat and depth come from plants, a skilled cook can build a deeply savory dish with no meat at all.

The same philosophy drives Bali's traditional drinks. Jamu, the island's turmeric and ginger herbal tonic, uses many of the same roots, which is why locals have trusted these spices for generations.

What Do Vegan Nasi Campur and Gado-Gado Look Like?

Nasi campur and gado-gado are two of the easiest Indonesian meals to enjoy as a vegan, since both are assembled from separate components you can mix and match. Nasi campur simply means "mixed rice," a plate of rice ringed by several small portions. Gado-gado is a vegetable salad dressed in peanut sauce, and it is often vegan from the start.

A vegan nasi campur swaps the usual meat or egg for a rotating cast of plant foods: fried tempeh, tofu, urap vegetables, jackfruit curry, sauteed greens, sambal, and crisp crackers. Because the format is modular, kitchens can build an entirely plant-based plate that still feels generous and varied.

Gado-gado needs only one check. The peanut dressing is usually vegan, but some versions add shrimp paste, so confirm before you order. Served over blanched vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and rice cakes, it is one of the most protein-rich vegan lunches you will find on the island.

Where Can You Taste Authentic Balinese Vegan Food in Ubud?

Ubud is the best place in Bali to taste authentic Balinese vegan food, thanks to its dense cluster of plant-based kitchens and its long reputation as the island's wellness hub. The town draws from a huge visitor base: Bali welcomed 6,948,754 foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, up nearly 10 percent on the year before (ANTARA News, February 2026). That demand keeps Ubud's vegan scene creative and competitive.

At Wild Vegan, our organic kitchen leans into these traditions directly. We serve a plant-based nasi campur, spiced tempeh and jackfruit dishes, raw plates, sugar-free desserts, and herbal teas, all built from local organic produce. It is a straightforward place to eat the dishes described above without second-guessing the ingredients, since everything on the menu is already fully vegan.

Walk the streets around the center and you will also find warungs that will happily prepare a vegan version of a classic if you ask.

The next step is simple: pick one dish from this guide, a spiced tempeh plate or a vegan nasi campur, and order it on your first day in Ubud. Tasting it fresh, made with local spice paste, is the fastest way to understand why Balinese cooking translates so naturally to a vegan table.

Frequently asked questions

Are Balinese dishes naturally vegan?

Several are. Staples like urap, jukut ares, and many tempeh and jackfruit dishes are built on vegetables, rice, and coconut. Always confirm, since shrimp paste and dried fish appear in some spice pastes and sambals.

What is the best vegan protein in Balinese food?

Tempeh is the standout. This fermented soy cake is a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, and it absorbs Balinese spice pastes beautifully when fried, braised, or grilled.

Can I get vegan nasi campur in Ubud?

Yes. Many Ubud kitchens, including Wild Vegan, serve a plant-based nasi campur with rice plus small portions of tempeh, vegetables, tofu, sambal, and often jackfruit curry instead of meat.

What should I watch out for as a vegan eating Balinese food?

Hidden animal ingredients. Terasi (shrimp paste), fish sauce, and chicken stock are common in traditional recipes. Ask whether the sambal and base spice paste are made without them before ordering.