Vegan Guide to Chiang Mai
Updated October 2024
Guess who’s back, back again, Vegan Food Quest are back, tell your friends…well, it’s taken us more than eight years to return and update our vegan guide to Chiang Mai, but we finally made it and loved every minute of it. Sadly our good friends who called Chiang Mai home for many years have moved on, it would have been extra special if Dee from Veggie in Chiang Mai and Giselle and Cody from Mindful Wanderlust had been in town. Even though they weren’t there in person, they were with us in spirit as we ate our way around some of the best vegan eateries in Chiang Mai.
Vegan Restaurants in Chiang Mai
Goodsouls Kitchen
Goodsouls Kitchen
52/3 Singharat Rd
Chiang Mai 50200
Opening Times: 8am-10pm every day
As one of the OG vegan restaurants in Chiang Mai they have always been in our vegan guide, so it was good to finally return and eat some of their delicious vegan food again. The vegan cakes are seriously good so don’t miss out on them. Our pad Thai was excellent and our khao soi was full of flavour, as was the massaman curry, all were generous portions and packed with healthy ingredients making for a very wholesome experience. We can certainly see why Goodsouls Kitchen remains one of the leading vegan restaurants in Chiang Mai and would be regulars if wee lived in town.
V Secret
V Secret
Phaploen Market
28/3-4 Changklan Rd
Chiang Mai 50100
Opening Hours: 5.30pm-11pm every day (closed Sunday)
Chiang Mai is one of the most vegan friendly cities in the world, that is no secret, meaning that it is impossible to eat at each and every vegan restaurant unless you lived there. So we are going to let you into a secret that’s called ‘V Secret’ that is right at the top of our vegan guide to Chiang Mai because it is so damn good. Authentic home cooked Thai vegan food from a tiny food cart at Phaploen Market. Everything is 80 baht and everything is delicious. We enjoyed pumpkin and tofu curry, pomelo salad, corn fritters and tom yum mushroom and cannot possible tell you are favourite as it was all so good. Thanks to our friend Filthy Vegan from Vietnam for the heads up, go and check out his vegan restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City next time you’re in town.
Moreganic
Moreganic
9 Thapae Rd Soi 5
Chiang Mai 50100
Opening Hours: 7am-10pm every day
As guests at the all vegan resort Away Chiang Mai, we got to enjoy breakfast each day of our stay at the on site vegan restaurant, Moreganic. We also enjoyed a selection of their Thai vegan dishes for lunch one day and they were great. Our favourite was the red curry with tofu which was packed with flavour and paired well with the pineapple and cashew fried rice. We finished our lunch with ‘naughty but nice’ fried banana spring rolls with coconut ice cream, biscuit crumble and chocolate sauce. The menu is extensive, packed with vegan versions of other Thai classics, and also a selection of pastas, salads and soups.
Free Bird Cafe
Free Bird Cafe
14 Sirimankalajarn Soi 9
Chiang Mai 50200
Opening Hours: 9am-8pm every day, closed on Monday
Established in 2009, this social enterprise and plant based eatery is a chilled space, servicing delicious food whilst supporting their staff and foundation which you can read more about here. Since our last visit they are in a new location which is the perfect space to relax and enjoy their Shan influenced food, in the knowledge that the profits are being put to good use. We enjoyed the Shan Plant Balls which were excellent and served with a banana leaf parcel of sticky rice. Our Crispy Tofu Salad was served with chickpea tofu, whilst our Gravy Noodles were soothing and a very pleasant eat, this dish made us think of mac n cheese which I’m sure you will appreciate if you have the chance to try. Excellent vegan food with a generous helping of that feel good factor.
Reform Kafe
Reform Kafe
1 4 Sri Poom Rd
Tambon Si Phum
Chiang Mai 50200
Opening Hours: 9am-10pm every day
Breakfast here was included in the room rate for anyone staying at the all vegan Green Tiger House. The menu was vast and varied, including scrambled tofu, home fried potatoes, bagels with cream cheese and pancakes for the ‘western’ options, to curry, congee, fried rice and noodle soup for the Asian options. Coffee was served with a choice of four plant milks, whilst sour dough with vegan butter and coconut yoghurt were also available. This is one seriously good vegan breakfast and left us very satisfied indeed. We didn’t eat at Reform Kafe other than breakfast as there that are so many other vegan restaurants in Chiang Mai we wanted to check out, but we did enjoy a cheeky slice or two of some of the vegan cakes on offer which were all very good.
Asa Vegan Kitchen
Asa Vegan Kitchen
217 Tha Phae Road
Chiang Mai 50100
Opening Hours: 9.30am-7pm every day
Located just outside of the old town and close to Tha Phae Gate this simple vegan eatery also has a studio and arts space. We enjoyed our coffees with homemade oat milk, followed by papaya salad, coconut rice and vegan waffles with fresh fruit and homemade fruit sugar syrup. We were very happy to have finally found vegan waffles in Chiang Mai, it would have been nice to have them with coconut ice cream (which we were craving) but fresh fruit was certainly the healthier option!
Downtown Vegan Garden
Downtown Vegan Garden
284 Chang Moi Road
Chiang Mai 50300
Opening Hours: 9am-midnight every day
From the same team behind Goodsouls and Reform Kafe, this is another all vegan restaurant that is certainly worth a visit, even if it’s just for another slice of their incredible vegan cakes. That’s exactly what we did, a quick pit stop after a massage for an iced soya mocha and a slice of vegan chocolate cake. Trust us when we say that whoever is baking the cakes for this training vegan eateries is a vegan baking wizard.
Vegetarian Restaurants in Chiang Mai
Payod Shan Food
Payod Shan Food
76 Manee Nopparat Rd
Chiang Mai 50200
Thailand
Opening Hours: 9am-9pm every day
Local style vegetarian restaurant selling both Thai and Shan (from Myanmar) cuisine. We ordered Shan Style Yellow Noodles Salad for a taste of Myanmar, and khao soi for a taste of Thailand, both were very good. We also shared a vegan duck in gravy which was served with green vegetables and rice. Great value for money, tasty food and busy with locals at lunchtime which is always a good sign.
Hummus
Hummus
109, 1 Mun Mueang Rd
Sri Phum Subdistrict
Chiang Mai 50200
Opening Hours: 8am-10.30pm every day
When two friends recommended the same restaurant within a few days of each other, we had to make sure and visit Hummus in Chiang Mai. We received a warm welcome to this funky space tucked away down an alley close to Tha Phae Gate, and we would have to say that everything we ordered was excellent. Eggplant hummus, falafels, pitas and an Arabic salad were all fresh and flavourful. We would go as far as saying that the hummus was one of the best we’ve had for some time, and we’d like to try more of the seven different hummus options on the menu which is clearly marked with vegan and vegan options. Thanks for the heads up Dee and Anika, we enjoyed it very much!
Special mention to these three veggie restaurants in Chiang Mai
We spent a week checking out a selection of new and old vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Chiang Mai during our most recent trip. With so many options to choose from it was simply impossible to visit them all, and this meant that we didn’t re visit these three veggie restaurants that we enjoyed on previous trips. Check out Anchan Vegetarian Restaurant where we enjoyed this creamy massaman curry, Aum Vegetarian Restaurant who made some delicious vegan curries and Pun Pun Organic Vegetarian Restaurant where these tempura mushrooms were one of the many highlights.
Vegan Friendly Restaurants in Chiang Mai
By Hand Pizza
By Hand Pizza
25 Moon Muang Rd Lane 7
Chiang Mai 50200
Opening Hours: 11am-10.30pm every day
We had fond memories of this pizza restaurant from a previous trip to Chiang Mai way back in 2015. We returned and were not disappointed at all, the pizza base and the tomato sauce were superb whilst the four choices of vegan pizza were creative and interesting. No vegan cheese sadly, but with a good base and good tomato sauce, vegan cheese doesn’t always improve the pizza. Our Red Alert hot cherry tomatoes, chillies, sundried tomatoes, garlic and cashews, while our Vegan Veggie had mushrooms, onions, eggplant and artichoke. A generous glug of chill oil was added and we were in vegan pizza heaven.
The Donut Cafe
The Donut Cafe
1 Huay Kaew Rd
(inside The Dome Residence)
Chiang Mai 50300
Opening Hours: 7am-10pm every day
When vegan donuts are on offer, you know you just have to make the effort. When we arrived at The Donut Cafe we didn’t realise that ALL OF THEIR DONUTS ARE VEGAN but they most certainly are. We tried the Maple Pecan and the Passion Fruit Cacao and they were both very good indeed. If we lived in Chiang Mai we can assure you that we would develop a pretty serious vegan donut habit so it’s kind of lucky that we don’t. In addition to vegan donuts, coffees and juices, they also have vegan bacon, egg and sausage sandwiches available which sound pretty exciting, could be the perfect breakfast fix if you’re staying close by.
Special mention to these three vegan friendly restaurants in Chiang Mai
Special mention to these three vegan friendly restaurants in Chiang Mai that we enjoyed on previous trips, hopefully we will have the chance to visit them next time we are in town. Start your days with healthy vegan juices from Khun Kae Juice Bar, before heading to Blue Diamond for a cup of tea and a vegan croissant, and why not head to The Salad Concept and choose one of their perfectly plant based DIY salad platters.
Where to stay in Chiang Mai
Away Chiang Mai Thapae Resort
Away Chiang Mai Thapae Resort
9 Thapae Rd Soi 5
Chiang Mai 50100
This all vegan wellness resort in Chiang Mai offered the perfect escape from the pressures of life, it’s a true oasis that once you discover you will never want to leave. From the whitewashed walls to the inviting pool, and from the warm welcome to the well appointed rooms, our stay was enjoyable, relaxing and oh so vegan. Make sure to dine at Moreganic, the on site vegan restaurant, and don’t miss out on the vegan afternoon tea, whilst be sure to book a selection of yoga and wellness classes to leave you energised and revitalised. We loved the vegan breakfasts, we loved the chilled vibes, quite simply we loved Away Chiang Mai and can’t wait to return.
Green Tiger House
Green Tiger House
1 4 Sri Poom Rd
Tambon Si Phum
Chiang Mai 50200
When presented with the opportunity to stay in an all vegan establishment you have to grab it with both hands. Since opening in 2014 the team behind Green Tiger House have ensured they are firmly on the vegan travel radar for anyone visiting Chiang Mai. From the pandan welcome drinks to the planet friendly bathroom amenities, and from the free water refills, tea and coffee to the excellent vegan breakfast you will most certainly enjoy your stay at Green Tiger House. Our Superior Room on the fourth floor had a small balcony which offered far reaching views over the Chiang Mai to the distant mountains and made for the perfect spot to contemplate our day ahead, or reflect on the day that we had enjoyed.
Shangri-La Hotel
Shangri-La Hotel Chiang Mai
89/8 Changklan Rd
Chiang Mai 50200
Located in central Chiang Mai and adjacent to the night bazaar is the 5 star Shangri-La Chiang Mai and what better place to treat yourself to some vegan luxury! During our stay we enjoyed a extensive plant based breakfast in ‘Kad Kafe’ and vegan cocktails and canapés each evening in the ‘Horizon Club’. For further information here’s a detailed review of our experience at Shangri-La Hotel and also our vegan fine dining meal at Shang Garden which has been rebranded as China Kitchen since our visit in 2015.
Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai
Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai
Mae Rim
Chiang Mai 50180
We didn’t stay, but if your budget stretches this is one of the finest resorts in Thailand, the pinnacle of luxury living. We enjoyed lunch in a simply stunning location overlooking the surrounding rice paddies, this is one of those luxury dining options perfect for a special occasion and well worth a visit to watch the sun go down and enjoy a specially created vegan meal (tell them in advance that you are vegan). We ate wonderful arancini balls, quinoa and barley salad, the lightest tofu and the most delicious vegan chocolate brownies, here you can read a detailed review of our meal at Terraces which has closed since our visit in 2017, but rest assured there are a number of new and exciting dining options at this sublime resort.
Where to spa in Chiang Mai
Fah Lanna
Fah Lanna
57/1 Wiang Kaew Rd
Chiang Mai 50200
Opening Hours: midday-9pm every day
There are spas and massage shops on what seems like every corner in Chiang Mai, so choosing where to make a reservation for some relaxation, rejuvenation and indulgent therapies can be challenging. So let us help you with your decision and suggest that you head straight to one of the three branches of Fah Lanna in Chiang Mai and treat yourself to one of their multi hour packages. That’s exactly what we did and we loved every minute of our spa experience, from the warm welcome by friendly and knowledgable staff, to the exquisite treatments that were included in our package, and finally the refreshments at the end that included the most delicious mango sticky rice of our trip. We both were super impressed, with one of us claiming it was the best spa experience ever, which is high accolades as we’ve visited our fair share of spas throughout the region.
HappyCow in Chiang Mai
Of course, no vegan travel adventure would be complete without using the excellent HappyCow website or app, their Vegan Chiang Mai page currently lists an epic 38 all vegan and 97 all vegetarian restaurants for you to choose from. HappyCow enlists ambassadors in each location to keep their information up to date and we were thrilled to fulfil that role in Siem Reap, Cambodia for eight years, now we are the ambassadors for Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The HappyCow Ambassadors for Chiang Mai list five Chiang Mai ‘Ambassador City Picks’, three of them (Freebird, Goodsouls and Hummus) are listed in our guide, but the two below are not so could be worth adding to your list:
Other Vegan Guides to Chiang Mai
Our vegan guides are all about sharing the vegan love and trying to point you in the direction of some of our favourite vegan, vegetarian and vegan friendly eateries. We continue to spread the positive vegan vibes by sharing links with other vegan guides, articles and blog posts that might just help you to find the best vegan food in Chiang Mai. Check out these below and let us know if there are any restaurants that we should most certainly visit on our next trip.
The Complete Chiang Mai Food Guide from Mostly Amelie
Vegan Restaurants in Chiang Mai from The Shooting Star
Vegan Living in Chiang Mai from Veggie in Chiang Mai
Plant Based Guide to Chiang Mai from The Mouth
Vegan Chiang Mai Guide from Vegan Nom Noms
Bad, bad idea reading this on an empty stomach! I’ve heard such great things about the vegan food scene in Chiang Mai, and this guide just confirms them all! So looking forward to finally discovering these treats for myself!
thanks for the comment Sam – since leaving Chiang Mai we have missed the food SO MUCH!
i’m currently in Siem Reap and Caryl is in Vientiane and so far we have found nothing that compares – it really is the best location for vegan food, our article only covers a few of our favourite spots and there are many more…
hope you get to enjoy it soon 🙂
Paul
You make me miss Chiang Mai ad the delicious Thai food so much. I remember Blue Diamond being superb! Have you tried Diva? It’s a vegan raw food place in Chinag Mai which we went once, it was very interesting and not too bad 🙂
hi Franca
we didn’t get to Diva, to be honest in the 3 weeks we were in town we were running out of days to get back to our favourite spots!
the cakes at Blue Diamond were sublime and a cool place to hang out too..
we both miss Chiang Mai 🙁
Paul
I so shouldn’t have read this before I managed to organise my lunch. I’m looking at making whole wheat spaghetti with spinach and tomatoes and it just does not feel anywhere as satisfying as any of these options!
I still have so much to try out here vegan food wise. Creature of habit, can’t help but go to my favourite places. 😉
Are you guys in Cambodia now? We are off to Burma next month to do our border run to get our last visa entry before our triple entry expires!
hi Jess,
We certainly manages to check out a few places whilst in town but feel there were so many more we missed and also some we just didn’t visit enough! Saying that, you’re whole wheat spaghetti with toms and spinach sounds pretty good, I fancy a nice bowl of pasta…not found many options here so far but will keep looking…
Caryl is in Laos still with my parents and I’m in Siem Reap looking for an apartment for when they arrive on Monday…
Enjoy Burma, how long are you staying for?
Paul
As always, love reading your blog. I can confirm the food at Aum is excellent and such good value for money. Also, despite having sated my appetite at some of the places we enjoyed in your wake, we always had room for the delicious Khanom Krok. Hope you’re as good a guide in Siem Reap.
Thanks for your comment Eileen, sorry for the delayed reply, we will do our best in Siem Reap although the home cooked food in our apartment is proving hard to beat!
Real helpfull post. I’m leaving for Thailand next week for a 4 week vacation with my husband and 3 young children. I’m vegan since a couple of months so this is very usefull information, thanks!
Thanks Kiki, so glad we could help you out! Chiang Mai is a paradise for vegans as there are so many options and Thai food is amazing! We absolutely love Thailand… we wrote a Vegan Guide to Bangkok too, another very vegan friendly destination!Where will you be visiting in your 4 week trip?
Thanks for the reply. We’ll be travelling Bankgkok-Chiang Mai-Kanchanaburi-Phetchaburi-Phrachuap Khiri Khan-Bang Saphan-BKK. We’ve been to Thailand before and love to eat at nightmarkets and foodcourts, so I’m planning on pointing and nodding my way to a vegan meal at the stalls without a menu. And if all fails I’ll just get myself some fruit. Love going through your blog and reading all the tips, so very welcome for me as firsttime vegan traveller.
If you love food courts then you’ll absolutely love the all vegan food court near Ari BTS in BKK!! Its so amazing and so cheap too! I can’t wait to go there again. Plus I love the fact that you can always get a ‘cup of sweetcorn’ (just ask for no butter) in a market but the very best thing about Thai markets? Khanom Krok – those little sweet, salty, coconut pancakes that are accidentally vegan!!! I’m so glad you find our tips helpful, I’d love to hear how you get on in your travels as you’re going to some places we haven’t explored yet… do keep us posted and happy vegan travelling!
Oh my, I want to eat all of this. The more I read about Chiang Mai the more I NEED to go there!
HI Nicole
You are right to want to visit Chiang Mai as it really is the perfect vegan location – we are always discussing when we can plan a return trip!
Although, surely you are not short of plentiful vegan food being based in Berlin? Once back in Europe (not sure when that will be) a visit to Berlin is top of our list…
Thanks for your comment 🙂
Caryl
Oh do! It’s such a lovely setting (and the cocktails are great!) Worth going early to catch the sun setting over the rice fields.
Chiang Mai is so good for veggie travelers isn’t it!
🙂
A great list, had no idea about a couple of these. I thought I knew them all in Chiang Mai! Will be checking out Terraces for sure. Thanks!
This has made me very hungry, I wish I’d read your blog before we went to Siem Reap. Going to Thailand soon and can’t wait to have some Massaman!
Thailand has some great food for vegans – you’re sure to enjoy Chiang Mai too! Thanks for the nice comment and happy vegan travels 🙂 Do let us know if you discover anywhere in Chiang Mai that we should mention in our guide! Caryl x
Yum yum!! Can’t wait to check these out on my return to Chiang Mai in April. Last time I was there I was vegetarian. I remember going to Blue Diamond but don’t recall anywhere else, I do remember thinking though that compared to other parts of Thailand this was a little veggie haven. I had just come from India where I had had it so easy as a vegetarian so got a bit of a shock on my arrival in Thailand. Once again I’ll be flying in from India, this time as a vegan, better prepared and ready to seek out all the vegan food!!….plenty of new places to discover by the looks of this!
Hi Mindy,
Thanks for the comment – we can’t wait to go back either as there are so many new places that we want to try too. it’s such a little paradise for vegans! Have fun on your travels and I look forward to seeing what you discover on the way 🙂 Caryl
We just opened a vegan friendly restaurant called Datsun Kitty” close to Chiang Mai gate, opposite “Trail Head” bike tours. We serve Middle Eastern falafel, Italian vegan pasta’s and Carribean pumpkin soup with purple sweet potato and mango chutney. Also we have a fresh juice bar and home roasted coffee and home baked cakes.
Great blog thanks for sharing
thank you for your kind words!
Superb Blog Keep Sharing
Amazing Blog! Thanks for sharing.
This article is really amazing, thank you for sharing helpful article. very interesting and amazing details you provide.
A helpful map of vegetarian friendly places in Chiang Mai – might be a helpful guide for all vegans or vegetarians travelling 🙂
we did used to publish maps that would be part of our vegan guides but with openings, closures and new locations it was impossible to keep them updated. google maps is a much better resource for anyone looking for vegan restaurants…
This guide is amazing—thank you! Chiang Mai has been on my list for a while, and knowing it’s so vegan-friendly just bumped it even higher. Love that you included both street food spots and more upscale options. Can’t wait to try the jackfruit curry and those coconut pancakes you mentioned. Bookmarking this for future travels!
Chiang Mai is most certainly one of the most vegan friendly locations we’ve ever visited, you’re going to love it!