A Vegan Eating Guide to Ubud: The Best Restaurants & Cafés

The vegan food scene in Ubud

Being the spiritual heart of Bali, it came as no surprise that Ubud is full of delicious vegan cafés and restaurants.

In general, there’s more of a health focus to some of these places than their equivalents in Southern Bali with a higher percentage of restaurants in Ubud promising things like organic produce, raw food and no use of oils and/or MSG.

We spent two months in Bali in total, but only about five actual nights in Ubud – so this list is by no means complete.

We did make sure to drive by Ubud to sample more cuisine when visiting waterfalls and other attractions in the region on separate occasions, though.

First, we’ll talk about some tips for eating vegan in Bali and some vegan Indonesian dishes before diving into the best animal-friendly places we ate at in Ubud, ranked in no particular order.

Find all of the mentioned restaurants & cafés on a map at the bottom of the article.

Search for the best value accommodation in Ubud here (adlink).

Best tips for vegan eating in Ubud

Being vegan or vegetarian in Ubud is almost too easy.

You don’t have to walk far to find a café or restaurant with clearly labelled vegan options, and there are even quite a few restaurants serving 100% vegan fare. Awesome!

As there are so many good vegan options in town, you don’t have to make a fuss around substituting ingredients at non-veggie friendly eateries – though it can still be nice to know how to, just in case.

How to say “I am vegan” in Bali

Most Balinese speak English really well (especially those working with tourists), but knowing how to speak a bit of Indonesian can still be of some help if you want to sample the local delicacies in Ubud.

“Saya adalah vegan” means “I am vegan” in Indonesian. There is no direct translation of neither “vegan” nor “vegetarian”.

Here’s the longer version:

“Saya seorang vegan. Saya tidak makan daging, haiwan ternakan, ikan atau makanan laut serta sebarang produk haiwan termasuk semua jenis produk tenusu, telur dan madu.”

Which is Indonesian for:

“I am a vegan. I do not eat any meat, poultry, fish or seafood or any animal products including all dairy products, eggs and honey.”
(Thanks Agogo Eats!)

Showing this written on your phone is probably better than trying to pronounce it, but kudos to you if you go for it!

Here are some more options for saying that you’re vegan/vegetarian in Indonesian.

“Vegetarian” seems more well-known than “vegan”, so if you want to veganize something, try explaining that you’re a strict vegetarian who doesn’t eat eggs, milk or honey.

Though veganism might be unfamiliar to whomever you’re speaking to, the people we interacted with generally seemed to grasp the concept quickly.

Vegan Indonesian dishes

Thankfully, many Indonesian dishes are actually vegan or at least close to vegan by default.

And the Balinese seem to really love their tofu and tempeh… Which is just a dream come true for the vegan traveller.

If tempeh is new to you (as it was to us before visiting Indonesia), do yourself a favour and give it a chance while visiting Ubud.

After two months in Bali, we searched out tempeh everywhere and can’t seem to get enough of the stuff.

Milk, cheese and butter are very rarely used in traditional cooking but is more prevalent in desserts.

Here are a few Indonesian dishes which are easily veganized:

• Gado gado is a real crowd-pleaser consisting of steamed vegetables with crackers and peanut sauce. Opting out of the egg on top usually makes it all vegan.
• Cap cay is just mixed vegetables, often vegan by default. Make sure oyster sauce hasn’t been used.
• Nasi goreng (fried rice) is a true Indonesian staple and easy to veganize by going for a vegetable-only version without a fried egg. Make sure that the crackers aren’t shrimp crackers (many are made from rice, cassava or similar).
• Mie goreng (fried noodles) – same as nasi goreng. Some noodles might contain egg and/or palm oil. While noodles made with palm oil are technically still vegan, eating the dirty stuff right beside the burning home of the orangutans seems cruel.
• Urap is a mix of green veggies often seasoned with lots of spices and grated coconut. More of a side dish but still very delicious.
• Coconut curry (sometimes called sayur lodeh) is usually vegan and consists of veggies simmered in coconut milk with spices, served with rice and sometimes tofu and/or tempeh. Yum!

Vegan restaurants and cafés in Ubud

Zest

After a day of exploring, we hit up Zest for replenishing our energies, and the stylish restaurant on the hill certainly delivered.

What you’ll first notice when entering the grounds of Zest is that it’s located right next to a beautiful temple. And when stepping inside the restaurant, you’ll see a huge tree in the middle of the room. The scene is set!

Zest is a place where yogis congregate after their practice as well as is a hotspot for digital nomads working on their laptops while sipping fancy healthy drinks.

The menu is full of exciting vegan options including flatbreads, pizzas, bowls, salads soups and other creative creations.

What we had at Zest

At our first visit, we tried the Bali Breeze Wok Salad which was super delicious and full of vegetables tossed in a savoury dressing. We also had a rich hot chocolate.

Next time, we opted for the Green Smoothie Bowl which definitely helped boost our immune systems and the Chocolate Pancakes which, while topped with healthy mango and coconut, was more in the dessert category with lots of caramelized bananas and chocolate sauce.

For Victoria, the chocolate taste was actually too overpowering, which does say a lot as her chocolate threshold is pretty high!

The service was great and the prices were fair; Zest include the tax and tip upfront which is a huge plus in our book.

All in all, we very much enjoyed Zest and think it has to be one of the top spots for vegan dining in beautiful surroundings in Ubud.

Price examples:

• Bali Breeze: IDR 80k ~ 5.7 USD / 5 EUR
• Cacao ceremony (hot chocolate): IDR 40k ~ 2.8 USD / 2.5 EUR
• Green Smoothie Bowl: IDR 78k ~ 5.5 USD / 4.9 EUR
• Chocolate Pancakes: IDR 70k ~ 5 USD / 4.4 EUR

Zest is 100% vegan.

Open every day from 08.00 to 22.00.

Jl Raya Penestanan Kelod no.8 (1.24 km) 80571, Ubud.

Alchemy

If you want to persuade someone that raw vegan food is anything but bland, Alchemy is a great bet.

It also strives to be as organic as possible, so if that combination doesn’t make all the yogis in heaven sing, we don’t know what will.

We had the Aloha pizza with a super tasty crust made from all kinds of goodies and sundried tomatoes, topped with veggies, pineapple and to-die-for cashew cream.

The smoothie bowl concept was kinda DIY with a few smoothie bases to choose from and then an option of adding different fruits, granolas and other toppings.

There’s kombucha on tap and we had a glass of the mango one, which we liked very much.

Oh, and we almost forgot to tell you about the desserts…

The peanut butter cup was very satisfying, and the sexy brownie had that delicious date crust with smooth chocolate on top.

Had we visited Alchemy again, we would surely have ordered even more cakes as they all looked really good.

The salad bar also looked tempting.

Alchemy is huge with lots of seating options and also offers raw “cooking” courses, a cookbook and has a small shop.

Price examples:

• Create your own smoothie bowl: IDR 69k ~ 4.9 USD / 4.3 EUR
• Aloha pizza: IDR 75k ~ 5.3 USD / 4.7 EUR
• Cold pressed juices: IDR 55k ~ 3.9 USD / 3.4 EUR
• Peanut butter cup: IDR 27k ~ 1.9 USD / 1.7 EUR

Alchemy is fully vegan except for honey in some items.

Open every day from 07.00 to 21.00.

Jalan Penestanan Kelod No 75, Penestanan Ubud.

The Seeds of Life

The Seeds of Life is a raw vegan café and restaurant in central Ubud, also offering raw vegan food chef training – so you know it’s the real deal.

Apart from a pretty big food menu, there’s also a menu for drinks which is at least as thick offering up all kinds of healthy juices, teas and elixirs.

We ordered the SOL Bowl from a friend’s recommendation as well as the Walnut Pesto Gnocchi.

Both were surprisingly taste-filled and we were very impressed by the richness of the flavours.

To finish off in style, we shared a raspberry lime cheesecake and a caramel slice cake. Wow, just wow. The desserts blew us away.

In our opinion, visiting The Seeds of Life café just for the cakes (even if you’re not at all into vegan and/or raw eating) is totally worth it.

We sat cross-legged upstairs surrounded by yogis.

During our research on vegan places to eat in Ubud, we noted that several reviewers found Seeds of Life to be a bit pretentious and self-righteous.

While this criticism isn’t totally far-off when reading through the menu – at least if you don’t believe fully in the benefits of eating raw and think highly of ancient health practices – we definitely didn’t think dining at Seeds of Life felt pretentious. Far from it, actually.

Instead, the atmosphere was lively and relaxed and the service was typically Balinese with lots of smiles all around.

And whether or not you’re into eating raw and/or vegan, treating yourself to Seeds of Life’s savoury as well as sweet delicacies is an experience you shouldn’t miss while staying in Ubud.

Price examples:

• SOL Bowl and warmed gnocchis: IDR 66k ~ 4.6 USD / 4.0 EUR.
• “Bacon and egg” burrito: IDR 60k ~ 4.2 USD / 3.7 EUR.
• Breakfast bowl: IDR 50k ~ 1.35 USD / 1.2 EUR.
• Juices and smoothies: IDR 35k ~ 2.5 USD / 2.2 EUR.

The Seeds of Life is 100% vegan.

Open every day from 08.00 to 23.00.

Jalan Gootama 2, Ubud, Bali.

Moksa

(Moksa Plant-based Restaurant & Permaculture Garden)

The road Google Maps recommended us to drive our scooter to Moksa was by far the narrowest road we ever drove in Bali.

Thankfully, we arrived safely to sample their vegan (raw as well as heated) delicacies.

As everyone knows, pizza doesn’t count, so we ordered the Asam Laksa (noodles and veggies in a thick coconut soup), Tempeh bbq “ribs”and the Mexican pizza.

To share, you know.

The Laksa was flavourful and filling with chewy noodles and crispy veggies.

While the Tempeh bbq “ribs” had the right smoky/sweet taste, the fermented taste of the tempeh felt a little overpowering and the mouthfeel and thickness weren’t totally on point. The mashed sweet potato was delicious, though.

We enjoyed the unique take on a Mexican pizza; coconut and cassava crust topped with grilled eggplant, mushrooms, jackfruit, sweet corn, vegan mozzarella cheese and pesto.

Most of Moksa’s produce is sourced from their own organic permaculture garden.

There’s also a farmers market at Moksa two times a week, so grab your own bag and bring some of the garden’s goodies back home in your own kitchen.

Consider bringing bug spray if you plan to visit Moksa for a romantic dinner.

Price examples:

• Mexican pizza and Asam Laksa: IDR 78k ~ 5.5 USD / 4.9 EUR.
• Juices and smoothies: IDR 45k ~ 3.2USD / 2.8 EUR.

Moksa is fully vegan except for some bee products.

Open every day from 10.00 to 21.00. Last order at 20.30.

Ubud II, Jl. Puskesmas Gg. Damai, Sayan, Kecamatan Ubud.

Sage

By their own words, Sage offers “vibrant vegan cuisine” in Ubud.

The space at Sage is very welcoming and there are many cosy corners to cuddle up and enjoy a delicious meal.

The service level was great with super quick order delivery and smiles all around, even with a fully packed restaurant. Water is served free of charge.

What we had at Sage

At our first visit, we had such a hard time deciding between all the appetising options, but in the end, we opted for a Teriyaki Burger and a Nourish Bowl.

The burger’s patty was seriously tasty and so was the sauce. It arrived with crispy beetroot fries – which was a first for us.

In their Ultimate Bali Eating Guide, our friends from North South Travels recommend the vegan burger as well. It’s that good!

The bowl came with baked sweet potatoes, steamed cauliflower, sauteed carrots, spinach and zucchini with tempeh and garlic tahini dressing. While it wasn’t as filling as the burger, it was a great option for a really healthy meal that still tasted really great.

Second time around, we ordered the Teriyaki Bowl which is very much in the same category of being vitamin-packed and still really delicious. It included steamed broccoli, bok choy, green beans, bean sprouts, brown rice, grilled pineapple and sesame tempeh sticks with teriyaki sauce and spicy sambal.

The different textures played well together with crunchy veggies and soft rice and pineapple, and the tempeh sticks were amazing. Like “please let us just have those with the sauce for dinner” amazing.

We also had the California Burrito with their signature “Sage patty”, guacamole, rice, beans and more – which was definitely filling. The tortilla could have been even better with 30 seconds more on each side on the griddle, but a burrito is a burrito and this was one of the good ones.

Whenever we order any kind of chocolate cake, we hope for a really gooey, chocolatey, sinful thing where every bite is like a small piece of hell and heaven at the same time.

Sage’s Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Cake was good – even great, and really big – but had too much air/water/flour to completely fall into the aforementioned category.

All in all, we really loved visiting Sage.

Price examples:

• Nourish bowl and Teriyaki bowl: IDR 60k each ~ 4.2 USD / 3.7 EUR.

Sage is 100% vegan.

Open every day from 08.00 to 22.30.

Sage is located a few hundred metres south of the Monkey Forest at Jl. Nyuh Bulan No. 1, Banjar Nyuh Kuning, Ubud, just opposite of Outpost.

Bella by Sage

As the name suggests, Bella is run by the same people that own Sage.

Where Sage predominantly serves international and Indonesian fare, Bella focuses on vegan Italian cuisine.

You have the option of sitting inside with air condition or in the covered outside patio.

Visiting in the middle of the day, sitting outside wasn’t too hot and the seating options were great.

We ordered two classics; a pizza margherita and the lasagna.

While it wasn’t the best pizza or lasagna we have had in Bali, the quality was still very high.

For our tastes, the tomato sauce was just too much tomato paste and too little fresh tomato, which gave it a lot (too much?) of umami flavour.

The other dishes on the compact menu sounded really good, and we would love to try some of their pasta.

As you may have noticed by now, we adore Italian food.

If you’re in Ubud and crave a bit of Europe, Bella by Sage is a fine choice.

On the whole island, we can also wholeheartedly recommend Amami in Berawa (Canggu) for completely vegan Italian food.

Price examples:

• Bruschetta: IDR 40k ~ 2.8 USD / 2.5 EUR
• Pizza margarita: IDR 70k ~ 5 USD / 4.4 EUR
• “Ricotta” ravioli: IDR 95k ~ 6.7 USD / 5.9 EUR

Bella by Sage is 100% vegan.

Open from 11.30 to 21.30.

Jl. Penestanan, Sayan, Kecamatan Ubud.

Ayo Vegan

Ayo Vegan was by far the cheapest fully vegan fare we encountered in Ubud.

If their blender had been more powerful, they wouldn’t have needed to add water to the smoothie bowl and its consistency would have been improved.

The taste of tropical fruits was still delicious, and at IDR 19k… Well, let’s just say we usually pay 3-4 times more than that!

Alex had the nasi goreng with extra crunchy tempeh, peanut sauce and sambal (“toppings” priced at IDR 3k each) and upgraded to organic red rice.

We also shared a fresh juice with mixed fruits.

Apart from a few Indonesian creations, Ayo Vegan serves burritos, tacos and a few Mexican-inspired snacks.

There are also lots of desserts including cocoa pancakes and homemade cookies.

The sisters serving us were super friendly and the food arrived quickly.

Seating is quite limited at the location we visited.

The prices were probably so cheap as the restaurant had only recently opened.

From the looks of it online, the location by Yoga Barn is not as cheap – but still insanely so, especially when compared to what you would pay in the US or in Europe.

Price examples:

• Smoothie bowl: IDR 19k ~ 1.35 USD / 1.2 EUR – says IDR 35k on their online menu.
• Nasi goreng: – IDR 21k ~ 1.5 USD / 1.3 EUR – says 35k on their online menu.

Ayo vegan is 100% vegan.

Open every day from 08.00 to 20.00.

Ayo Vegan have two locations in Ubud. We visited the (at the time) newly opened one on Jl. Pura Samuan Tiga No.8 (which from the looks of it is the really cheap one).

The original Ayo Vegan is located at Jl. Sukma Kesuma No.87, Peliatan, Ubud, right next to Yoga Barn.

By Cafe (Tegalalang)

After having hiked around the Tegalalang Rice Terraces in increasingly humid conditions, we were super happy to see that there was a fully vegan café on the opposite side of the road.

In a low blood-sugar frenzy, we ordered a smoothie bowl, a plate of scrambled tofu with avocado and savoury mushrooms plus an Indian burrito. And a juice. And a “Snickers” bar…

Don’t worry, we were three people sharing!

The Indian burrito was really tasty and so was the juice and the dessert.

All in all, By Cafe probably isn’t an Ubud top 5 choice for vegan dining, but it is a really great place to chill after a rice terrace visit.

And in most other places in the world, it probably would be in the vegan top 5… The Bali competition is just fierce.

We were very comfortable sitting in the sofas by the entrance, but if you want top views of the rice terraces, opt for a chair overlooking the road and the beautiful rice terrace scenery.

Price examples:

• Tofu scramble: IDR 80k ~ 5.7 USD / 5 EUR
• Pink smoothie bowl: IDR 60k ~ 4.2 USD / 3.7 EUR.
• Juices and snickers bar: IDR 40k ~ 2.8 USD / 2.5 EUR

By Cafe is fully vegan except for honey in some of the desserts.

Open every day from 08.00 to 19.00.

Jl. Raya Tegallalang No.57-58, Tegallalang, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561, Indonesia.

Honourable mentions

Earth Cafe & Market

We visited Earth Cafe & Market in both Seminyak and the newly opened one in Canggu, so we feel pretty confident that the experience is roughly the same at the Ubud location.

The menu is all vegan (yay!) and includes dishes from all over the globe (everything from burgers and smoothie bowls to raw pizzas and hearty salads).

Prices aren’t the cheapest in town and people seem to be a bit disappointed in both the nachos and the hotdog, but otherwise, the quality of the food is high.

The menu is clearly labelled with wheat free, gluten free, nut free and raw options.

Clear Café

We went to Clear Café in Canggu and learned that the original Clear Café is actually in Ubud.

It’s not vegan, but they do label their menu clearly with vegan, gluten free and nut free options and serve up some delicious healthy fare.

Soma Cafe

We heard many good things about Soma Cafe, an organic café where expats and tourists seem to like to hang out and play/listen to live music– and eat raw foods.

Soma serves fish but there are vegan options available.

The Garden Kafe

The Garden Kafe at The Yoga Barn (a yoga institute in Ubud) also seemed very popular with the holistic health crowd.

There’s a juice bar with fresh pressed juices as well as a food menu with raw, vegan and Ayurvedic options.

Sayuri Healing Food

In their own words, Sayuri Healing Food is “100% plant-based vegan, high-vibrational, mostly raw-living & gluten-free, ethically and organically sourced whenever possible and sometimes lightly cooked when we feel it is beneficial.”

Sounds awesome to us!

Raw food chef trainings are also offered along with different classes and cookbooks.

Map

Here’s our Ubud, Bali map with all of the restaurants and cafés mentioned in the vegan eating guide.

They’re all marked with a light green icon.

Click the icon in the top left corner of the map to navigate using a list.

Ready for a delicious vegan meal?

We hope this guide has made you hungry for the vegan and vegetarian food in Ubud.

You will not be disappointed, that’s for sure.

We would love to go back with you to try everything again!

For even more vegan food options, check out the Ubud map on Happycow for an updated overview of all the animal-friendly places to eat on the island.

If you’re visiting Bali in October, make sure to check out the Bali Vegan Festival.

For more vegan food inspiration in Ubud, also check out Vegan Food Quest’s Vegan Guide to Ubud, Mostly Amelie’s 15 Vegan and Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants to Try in Ubud and 9 Delicious Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants in Ubud, Bali from Never Ending Voyage.

Have you tried any of the above-mentioned places? Or do you know of any restaurants or cafés in Bali or in Ubud that we should visit next time we’re around?

Please do let us know in the comments.