Malaysia

Tours

We are planning a vegan tour to Malaysia as part of our vegan world tour starting in 2021. How would you like to jump on board?

It is part of our 'slow-eco-cheapo' series of trips.

Travel with us

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Vegan Malaysia

How vegan friendly is Malaysia?

Veganism has been steadily coming to Malaysia in the last few years. Though the concept is fairly new, it is still a great place to find vegan food for several reasons. Many of the citizens have a daily diet which does not include much meat, altough they do not strictly follow the vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Many of the meals are offered with the meat as an option served apart, and so can be ordered as a vegan meal. English is widely spoken around Malaysia, so asking for plant based options is fairly straight forward.

Vegan restaurants and cafes

Malaysia was recently found to be the third best country for vegetarians in the world, based on the ratio of restaurants to the population and the high fruit and vegetable consumption in general.

A quick look at happycow reveals around 1,400 listings with 160 vegan only. The website Malaysian Vegan maintains a list of local restaurants. See our full list or vegan resources

Malaysia hosts a wide variety of different cuisines from Indonesian, Chinese and Indian each bringing their own cultural influences. Over half the population is Malay, identify as Muslim and this is the least vegan friendly. The Malay Chinese communities are Tao Buddhist and a lot of their vegetarian restaurants are predominately vegan. There is also a large variety of Indian food to be found. Overall the variety in cultures means there is always new exciting foods to try.

Vegan food shopping

The local population are turning to a healthier diet and local supermarkets selling more plant based milks and well as mock meat alternatives. A recent survey reported that 82% of respondents have tried plant-based milk alternatives such as soy, rice, almond or oat milk. For mock meats alternatives the figure was 60%.

Fruits

Malaysia is a fruit-enthusiasts' paradise. The tropical climate creates a luxuriant plant life and produces a wide and remarkable diversity of edible and succulent fruit. Located on the Malaysian Peninsula and part of the island of Borneo, Malaysia is blessed with a vibrant tropical climate where perennial heat and abundant rainfall permit a wide variety of delicious fruit to flourish.

Some fruits, including durian, mangosteen, cempedak, pomelo, rambutan,duku-langsat, and snakefruit, are indigenous. Others, such as papaya, guava, ciku, soursop, mango, wax or honey apple, jackfruit, starfruit, and watermelon, were introduced over the years.

Some Malaysian fruits are seasonal while others are easily available throughout the year. Seasonal fruits such as durians, mangosteens, rambutans, mangoes, langsat, and pomelo are generally available between June and August and between November and February. The non-seasonal fruits are papaya, guava, banana, and pineapple.