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Finding vegan restaurants and plant-based food in Zanzibar can be quite a challenge, at first sight. However, the unique Zanzibari cuisine historically largely revolves around cheap, easily available ingredients and as a result, a lot of typical Zanzibari dishes and street food is accidentally vegan. We did the research and tasting for you and listed the vegan-friendly foods and snacks you are likely to find in Zanzibar in this article.
Due to Zanzibar’s messy history as an important trade route and colony from different parts of the world, the Zanzibari cuisine has become a unique mix of Swahili, Arab, Portuguese, Indian, British and Persian influences, among others! Although a lot of dishes do revolve around meat and fish, it’s especially the Indian, Arab and Swahili cuisine that introduced a lot of vegan vegetable- and bread-based dishes with lots of flavour.
Lots of streetfood items you'll find at vendors like this one, is actually vegan!
Also be sure to check out my other blogs on Zanzibar / Tanzania
- My favourite vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Zanzibar, Tanzania
- Vegan-friendly and eco-friendly accommodations in Zanzibar, Tanzania
- Vegan-friendly restaurants and food in Arusha, Tanzania
- Vegan, ethical and responsible safari in the Serengeti, Tanzania
- Chumbe Island – the ultimate eco-tourism in Zanzibar, Tanzania
General tips
Phone background
Although there is a lot of vegan food to be found, the people of Zanzibar are generally not familiar with the words ‘vegan’ or ‘plant-based’ and many do not speak English. When I travel, I often make these phone backgrounds that explain what I do not eat. I can quickly show it at any market or restaurant, and the confused looks often quickly turn into an understanding ‘yes’ pointing to some foods and ‘no’ pointing to others. Feel free to save the image below and use it. It worked really well for me!
Install this image as your phone background so you can quickly show it at any foodmarket or restaurant
Always double check
The foods and dishes on this page were either always vegan, sometimes vegan or could easily be made vegan on request. Either way, it’s a good idea to always doublecheck, no matter how many times the same dish or snack was vegan at other sellers. Every chef has their own way of making food and it has happened that some snacks that were consistently vegan anywhere else we came across them, were suddenly not vegan because this particular chef did prefer to use eggs, fish sauce, cow butter, shrimp powder, honey or some other hidden animal product.
Vegan streetfood and snacks in Zanzibar
Zanzibar pizza
A highly popular, greasy disc of dough filled with all kinds of ingredients. Very often with meat and eggs, but you can find sellers that can make them fully vegan upon request, packed with vegetables and topped with spicy sauce.
Sesame flatbread (Mkate Wa Ufuta)
Extremely fluffy bread with sesame. Always vegan as far as we found. Perfect as a snack on hikes and such.
Chapati flatbread (Mkate wa Kusukuma)
Very happy chapati made its way to Zanzibar from India. Served with main dishes, as bruschetta or as a snack.
Rice cake (Mkate wa mchele)
Very fluffy and filling with a taste of coconut
Mandazi / Mandaazi doughnut
Fried dough, often somewhat coconut flavoured and/or cardamom. Delicious as a snack, with a savoury dish and often served at breakfast with fresh jam and fruits.
Sesame bread on top, chapati's underneath, mandazi donut on the left and rice cake in the back.
Visheti Doughnuts
Sweet coated Zanzibar donuts. Very, very, very sweet.
Visheti donuts with sugar coating, next to a dahl curry
Vitumbua (Coconut Rice Pancakes)
Delicious little round balls you’ll see being sold as streetfood at markets, mostly in Stone Town.
Vitumbua
Katlesi
Filled with potato mash and spices, but often also with fish or red meat. Doublecheck!
Kaimati / Kalimati / Luqaimat
Sweet dumplings, both fluffy, puffy and crispy at the same time. Filled with flavours such as apple, cardamom and saffron and often drizzled with some sweet syrup. Delicious!
Kaimati / Kalimati / Luqaimat
Kachori
Puffy potato balls in different flavours and colours. These are brownish but we also had red ones.
kachori
Falafel
The well-known fried, crunchy chickpea balls, except that some of the ones we found on Zanzibar are enormous!
Vegetable samosa’s
Although many samosa’s contain animal products, the vegetable samosa’s are often vegan. Thank you Indian traders!
Vegetable samosa's and falafel
Fried plantains (Ndizi Kaanga)
Also known as ‘baked banana’, often drizzled with something sweet such as coconut sauce.
Fried plantains
Vegan-friendly or fully plant-based Zanzibari / Tanzanian dishes
Ugali
Ugali is made from basic ingredients such as finely ground corn, water and salt. It is made in almost every household in Tanzania and is not difficult to find. Ugali can be prepared and served in many different ways and at any time of the day, as a side dish or as a main and filled with whatever you like.
Ugali
Pilau (pilav / pilaf)
This insanely delicious rice dish is so full of flavour, that you’ll never want to eat plain rice without these spices again.
Pilau
Urojo soup (Zanzibar mix)
This very popular, traditional Zanzibari dish is often vegan by default, although sometimes animal products are added. It is often made with flour, coconut milk, mango, lemon, chili, garlic and other spices. It is most easily found in Stown Town, near the Forodhani food market.
Dahl and other curry’s
Thanks to the Indian influences, dahl, vegetable curries and other curries are easily available and are often plant-based by default or can be made vegan upon request.
Vegetable curry with chapati and rice is very common
