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Vegetarian and Vegan Eating in Marrakech
Meat and poultry feature heavily in Moroccan cooking, but vegetarians and even vegans eat surprisingly well in Marrakech once they know what to order and what to watch for. The cuisine is rich in vegetables, pulses, bread and aromatic spices, and the city's cafés and restaurants increasingly cater to plant-based diets. Here's how to eat happily.
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- Who you're travelling with
- Updated
- 21 July 2026
At a glance
- Plenty to eat: vegetable tagine, couscous, salads, lentils, bread and dips.
- Watch hidden meat — some 'vegetable' dishes and harira use meat stock.
- Vegans should check for butter (smen), eggs and honey in dishes and pastries.
- Learn the phrase for 'no meat / no fish' and state it clearly.
- Gueliz and modern medina cafés offer the widest veggie and vegan menus.
What to eat
Moroccan cuisine offers a lot for plant-based eaters. Lean on these staples and you'll never go hungry:
- Vegetable tagine and couscous with seven vegetables (confirm veg stock).
- Zaalouk (smoky aubergine), taktouka (pepper-tomato) and other cooked salads.
- Lentil and bean dishes, and bissara (fava-bean soup).
- Fresh bread, olives, msemen and dips; fresh salads (peeled/cooked to be safe).
- Mint tea, fresh orange juice, and fruit and nut snacks.
Pitfalls and how to order
The main trap is hidden meat: harira soup and some vegetable dishes are often made with meat or a meat/chicken stock, and couscous may arrive over a meat broth, so ask before assuming a dish is vegetarian. Vegans have a couple more things to check — smen (fermented butter) enriches some tagines, eggs appear in dishes like some tagines and pastries, and honey sweetens many desserts (and is used on pastries). Learn and use a clear phrase — in French, 'sans viande et sans poisson' (no meat and no fish), and for vegans add 'sans beurre, sans œuf, sans miel' — and state it upfront. On a cooking class, flag your diet when booking and they'll build a plant-based menu.
Where to eat well
Marrakech has caught the plant-based wave. Modern cafés and restaurants in the medina and especially Gueliz increasingly offer dedicated vegetarian and vegan menus, from healthy bowls to reinvented Moroccan classics, and some fully vegetarian/vegan spots have opened. Riads will usually prepare a vegetable tagine or couscous on request — a quiet word ahead helps. Even the street stalls offer veggie options like msemen, bissara, fresh juices, olives and nuts. Tell your riad your diet at breakfast and they'll adapt. For hands-on control (and great recipes to take home), a food-focused tour or a vegetarian cooking class is a delicious way in.
Frequently asked questions
Is it easy to be vegetarian in Marrakech?
Easier than expected — Moroccan cuisine is rich in vegetables, pulses, bread and salads, with vegetable tagine and couscous as reliable staples. The main thing is to watch for hidden meat and meat stock in dishes like harira and some tagines, and to state your diet clearly when ordering.
Can vegans eat well in Marrakech?
Yes, with a little care. Stick to vegetable dishes, lentils, salads, bread and dips, and check for butter (smen), eggs and honey, which appear in some tagines and most pastries. Modern cafés in Gueliz and the medina increasingly offer vegan menus, and riads will adapt on request.
How do you say 'no meat' in Morocco?
In French, widely understood in Marrakech, say 'sans viande et sans poisson' (no meat and no fish). Vegans can add 'sans beurre, sans œuf, sans miel' (no butter, egg or honey). State it clearly upfront, as some vegetable dishes use meat stock.