Marrakech looks like a difficult city for plant-based travellers — grilled meat on Jemaa el-Fnaa, butter in every pastry, tagines steaming behind every door. In practice it is one of the easier cities in North Africa to eat vegan in, because Moroccan home cooking is built on vegetables, pulses, bread, olive oil and nuts. This guide covers where to have vegan food in Marrakech, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, what to eat in the souks, what to avoid, and how to organise your days so you never end up eating plain salad again.
The best areas for vegan food in Marrakech
The Medina (around Riad Zitoun and Jemaa el-Fnaa)
This is where most travellers stay and where the density of vegan-friendly cafés is highest. The streets Riad Zitoun el Kdim and Riad Zitoun el Jdid run south from Jemaa el-Fnaa towards the Bahia Palace and are lined with small rooftop cafés, many of which now label vegan dishes on the menu. Everything here is walkable, but alleys are narrow and unsigned — save your places on an offline map before you go out.
Gueliz (the new town)
Gueliz is modern Marrakech: wide pavements, bakeries, coffee shops, juice bars and international menus. It is the easiest place to find plant milk in a coffee, a proper salad bowl or a bakery loaf without butter. A ten-minute taxi from the Medina, and a good escape from the midday crowds.
Sidi Ghanem and the outskirts
The Sidi Ghanem design district, north-west of the city, has concept stores and brunch cafés popular with residents. Further out, on the Ourika road and in the Palmeraie, you find bigger restaurants with separate vegan menus. Both need a taxi, so plan them as an outing rather than a quick lunch.
Vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants in Marrakech
These are the places we send guests to most often. Fully vegan restaurants are still rare in Marrakech (Marrakesh), so most are vegetarian or vegan-friendly kitchens that label plant-based dishes. We checked each address and opening hours against the venue’s own website or current listings.
| Place | Area and address | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earth Cafe | Medina, 2 Derb Zawak, off Rue Riad Zitoun el Kedim | The original vegetarian kitchen, open since 2007 | Fully vegetarian, with several vegan plates daily and produce from the owners’ farm. Hidden down a lane: follow the signs. |
| Marrakech Henna Art Cafe | Medina, 35 Derb Sqaya, Riad Zitoun el Kedim | Best value, clearly labelled menu | Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes are marked on the menu, at budget-café prices. Natural henna by local artists on site. |
| Ayaso | Medina, 168 Place Rahba Kedima (spice square) | Rooftop lunch between the souks | Farm-to-table, three floors, vegan options; open daily around 11:00–22:00. Bissara is listed at about 40 MAD. |
| Mandala Society | Medina, 159 Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid (near Bahia Palace); second branch near the Koutoubia | Brunch, bowls and specialty coffee | The kitchen is meat-free (it does serve fish) with plenty of vegan bowls and plant milk for coffee. Ask about honey and butter on breakfast dishes. |
| monquotidien Gueliz | Gueliz, 41–43 Rue Yougoslavie | Easy lunch or bakery stop in the new town | Bakery and restaurant open daily 07:00–23:00. Quinoa and Moroccan salads; most pastries contain butter. |
| Beldi Fusion Kitchen | Gueliz, centre d’affaires Taleb, Bd Mohamed Zerktouni | Large menu, late opening | Opens daily at 07:00; listed closing times vary (23:00 to 01:00), so check before a late visit. Moroccan salads and fusion dishes; ask which can be made without butter, cheese or stock. |
| Bo & Zin | Route de l’Ourika, km 3.5 | Special dinner with a vegan menu | Evenings only (listed 20:00–02:00). There is a separate vegan menu; a published menu lists the vegan green vegetable curry at 240 MAD. Book a table and a taxi. |
What a vegan meal costs in Marrakech
| Where | Typical plant-based meal | Rough price |
|---|---|---|
| Souk stalls and bakeries | Bissara, bread, olives, orange juice, dates | Low, a few dirhams to a few tens |
| Medina cafés | Salad plate, lentil soup, falafel | From about 25–40 MAD per dish at budget cafés |
| Rooftop and brunch restaurants | Bowls, vegetable tagine, avocado toast | Mid-range |
| Upscale dinner restaurants | Vegan main course | Around 240 MAD and up |
| Our delivered vegan breakfast | Full Moroccan breakfast pack | 135 MAD per person + 25 MAD delivery (Medina, Gueliz) or 100 MAD elsewhere |
Prices change with the season; treat these as a rough guide, not a quote.
Souk and street food that is already vegan
You do not need a special restaurant for every meal. Much of what is sold in the souks is plant-based by tradition:
- Bissara — a thick split-pea or broad-bean soup with olive oil, cumin and bread, sold from small counters in the morning. Ask for no butter on top.
- Khobz and msemen from neighbourhood bakeries, best eaten warm with olive oil or jam.
- Fresh orange juice from the Jemaa el-Fnaa carts, plus pomegranate in autumn.
- Dates, figs, almonds, walnuts and olives by weight in the souks — the cheapest and best travel snack in the city.
- Roasted and boiled chickpeas sold in paper cones on winter evenings.
- Mint tea everywhere, which is naturally vegan, though usually very sweet.
Start the day plant-based, wherever you sleep
We cook a full Moroccan vegan breakfast each morning and deliver it to riads, hotels and apartments across Marrakech.
Butter, honey, dairy and meat stock: what to ask in restaurants
- Butter or smen is stirred into couscous, tagines and lentils at the end. Ask for olive oil only.
- Meat or chicken stock is standard for steaming couscous and in harira, even when no meat is visible.
- Honey goes on pancakes and pastries, and into many amlou spreads.
- Dairy: coffee comes with milk unless you ask for it black; mixed juices often contain milk.
Say it with ingredients: “bla lham, bla zebda, bla ‘assel, bla hlib” (no meat, no butter, no honey, no milk).
Where to go: a vegan-friendly day in Marrakech
| Time | Plan |
|---|---|
| 08:30 | Vegan Moroccan breakfast delivered to your riad terrace — msemen, baghrir, amlou, fruit, juice and mint tea. |
| 10:00 | Bahia Palace and the Mellah, then the spice and basket souks on the way north. |
| 13:00 | Light lunch in the Medina: a salad selection, zaalouk and bread on a rooftop near Riad Zitoun. |
| 15:30 | Jardin Majorelle and the Yves Saint Laurent museum in Gueliz, with a coffee and plant milk nearby. |
| 18:00 | Sunset on Jemaa el-Fnaa with a fresh orange juice and a bag of dates and almonds. |
| 20:00 | Dinner at a restaurant with a labelled vegan menu, or a shared vegetable tagine ordered without smen. |
If you are taking a day trip to the Atlas Mountains, the Agafay desert or Essaouira, order breakfast for the 08:30 slot the night before and ask for it packed to travel — roadside stops rarely have plant-based food beyond bread and olives.
Eating vegan at your riad
Most riads serve a standard breakfast of bread, pastries, eggs, cheese, butter and honey. Tell the host the evening before that you eat only plant food, and they will usually manage bread, olive oil, jam and fruit — a good breakfast, but the same one every morning.
The alternative is to have a complete vegan Moroccan breakfast delivered: freshly cooked msemen and baghrir, amlou, bissara, seasonal fruit, juice and mint tea, brought to your door inside a 30-minute slot between 08:30 and 16:00, anywhere in Marrakech including inside the Medina. Delivery is 25 MAD in the Medina and Gueliz (100 MAD elsewhere), payment is cash on delivery, and you confirm on WhatsApp or through the booking form.
Prefer to cook it yourself?
Join our fully vegan Moroccan cooking class with a local family in Marrakech: about four hours, 390 MAD per person.
Keep reading
- Vegan in Morocco: a practical guide for travellers
- What can vegans eat in Marrakech? Moroccan dishes explained
- Vegan street food in Marrakech: what to try and what to check
- Vegan breakfast in Marrakech: what to eat and how to order
- Vegan cooking class in Marrakech with a local family
- Vegan food tours in Marrakech
Frequently asked questions
Is it easy to eat vegan in Marrakech?
Yes, with a little planning. Moroccan cooking is full of naturally plant-based dishes — zaalouk, taktouka, bissara, lentils, chickpeas, vegetable couscous, khobz bread, olives, dates and fruit. The three things to check are butter (smen), meat or chicken stock in couscous, and honey on breakfast pastries.
Which area of Marrakech is best for vegan food?
The Medina around Riad Zitoun has the highest concentration of vegan-friendly cafés and rooftops and is walkable from Jemaa el-Fnaa. Gueliz is better for modern cafés, bakeries and brunch, and Sidi Ghanem has a few design-district coffee and brunch spots.
How do I say vegan in Moroccan Arabic?
A practical phrase is “bla lham, bla zebda, bla ‘assal, bla jben” — without meat, without butter, without honey, without cheese. “Nabati” means plant-based. Saying the ingredients out loud works better than the word vegan alone.
Can I get vegan food delivered to my riad in the Medina?
Yes. We deliver fully plant-based breakfasts and light lunches across Marrakech, including riads in the Medina where cars cannot enter — the courier walks the last alleys. Delivery is 25 MAD in the Medina and Gueliz (100 MAD elsewhere), cash on delivery, and you book on WhatsApp at +212 673 991614.
Is street food in Marrakech vegan-friendly?
Some of it is: bissara soup, msemen and khobz from bakeries, fresh orange juice, roasted nuts, dates and olives from the souks. Avoid the meat grills on Jemaa el-Fnaa and check that pancakes are not brushed with butter or honey.
What is the best vegan restaurant in Marrakech?
Earth Cafe in the Medina is the best-known meat-free address and has been open since 2007. For labelled vegan dishes in a normal restaurant, many travellers like Marrakech Henna Art Cafe and Ayaso in the Medina, Mandala Society for brunch, and Bo & Zin for a dinner with a vegan menu.
Are there fully vegan restaurants in Marrakech?
Very few. Most plant-based eating happens in vegetarian or vegan-friendly kitchens. Our breakfast delivery is fully vegan, so nothing needs checking.