Vegan Chinese Takeout Guide
Although not everyone is lucky enough to live near a big city that has a vegan joint on every corner, most of us can name at least one Chinese restaurant in our town. Although you might think all that Chinese food places have to offer are Kung Pao chicken and sweet-and-sour pork, they are also full of vegan options!
Almost every Chinese restaurant has tofu, a versatile vegan staple, which can replace meat in pretty much any dish—making any menu item a potentially vegan one.
Even if you’re not a big fan of the soy stuff, fear not, because there are tons of other options for you to order. Check out our Chinese food guide below!
Drinks
- Bubble tea, aka “boba tea”
- Tea
Appetizers
- Vegetable spring rolls with sweet-and-sour sauce
- Vegetable steamed dumplings
- Hot or cold sesame noodles
- Salad with ginger or sesame dressing
Main Entrées
(Just ask for any meat to be replaced with tofu, and check for fish sauce, chicken broth, or beef broth.)
- Garlic tofu
- General Tso’s tofu
- Sweet-and-sour tofu
- Cashew tofu
- Tofu and broccoli
- Mapo tofu (Specify no pork since traditionally this dish is cooked with it.)
- Mongolian tofu
- Orange tofu
- Kung Pao tofu
- Buddha’s Delight
Noodles and Rice
(Just ask for any meat to be replaced with tofu, and check for fish sauce, chicken broth, or beef broth.)
- Veggie chow mein
- Tofu chow mein
- Singapore noodles (Specify no eggs.)
- Steamed rice
- Vegetable fried rice (Specify no eggs.)
- Tofu fried rice (Specify no eggs.)
Vegetables
- Steamed vegetables with a side of sesame sauce
- Sautéed green beans
- Garlic eggplant
- Garlic broccoli
As you can see, your typical Chinese restaurant is brimming with delicious vegan eats. If you don’t have these options at a restaurant near you, you can always politely request them!
