Vegan in Cambodia – Your Vegan Food Guide to Cambodia

by Katja Kaven
Vegan in Cambodia

Traveling Cambodia as a vegan? No worries – there are some amazing vegan cafes in Phnom Penh and some delicious vegan restaurants in Siem Reap. Being vegan in Cambodia is easy!

Unfortunately, I was only in Cambodia for a couple of days so I only went to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Also, I didn’t have the time to test out a lot of different places. (Which was partly because I quickly found an amazing cafe where I ended up going to for almost all of my meals). Without further ado, here are three places you shouldn’t miss when being vegan in Cambodia!

Tip: Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with my life after traveling.

Vegan in Phnom Penh

Backyard Cafe

During my short time in Phnom Penh, I looked up vegan cafes in Phnom Penh and quickly discovered Backyard Cafe and Vibe Cafe. Because Backyard Cafe was closer to our hostel, we went here for breakfast on our first day and immediately loved it. I later found out that they are both founded by Emma Fountain who also published a cookbook containing lots of the delicious meals served at Backyard Cafe and Vibe Cafe. Of course, I had to order the cookbook and have it send to my home. You can buy the Vibe cookbook here (this is an affiliate link; purchasing through this link earns me a commission at no extra charge to you). Thank you to Emma for making being vegan in Cambodia an actual dream!

Location and Interior

Backyard Cafe is located within walking distance of the Royal Palace of Cambodia which helps to make it one of the best vegan restaurants in Phnom Penh. It might be hidden away in a smaller street but looks very welcoming with a lot of plants around the entry. The interior is kept clean and minimalist with plants everywhere as well. 

Vegan restaurant in Phnom Penh
The beautiful interior of Backyard Cafe, a vegan cafe in Phnom Penh.
Vegan Food

Backyard’s menu is full of delicious vegan options. I only had the chance to try three of them since we were only in Phnom Penh for one full day before leaving for Siem Reap early the next morning. I can highly recommend the Avocado Toast with fermented cashew cheese and fresh mango. Alternatively, go for one of their tasty bowls for breakfast. For lunch or dinner, go for one of their Abundance Bowl which was fabulous, with tempeh, spinach, sesame pumpkin, quinoa, cashew cheese and much more.

The food at Backyard Cafe is healthy, yet filling and will leave you happy and satisfied with your meal.

Price

Backyard Cafe is more expensive than typical Cambodian places. You can definitely compare it to western prices. As common in Cambodia, prices are listed in USD. You can pay by credit card at Backyard Cafe.

Delicious food when vegan in Cambodia.
A closer look at the Abundance Bowl at Backyard Cafe.

Vegan in Siem Reap

I can definitely recommend staying at Onederz Hostel which a bunch of travelers recommended to us. We certainly weren’t disappointed. Close to the night markets and with a rooftop swimming pool it was already an amazing find. Even better though, it is located within walking distance of two amazing vegan restaurants in Siem Reap.

Vibe Cafe

The sister cafe to Backyard Cafe has an additional place in Siem Reap which made us look forward to going to Siem Reap even more. Again, I can highly recommend buying the Vibe cookbook here (this is an affiliate link; purchasing through this link earns me a commission at no extra charge to you) to have a go at their delicious meals at home. 

Vegan Food

Trust me when I tell you that within our short stay in Siem Reap, I managed to get in as many visits to Vibe Cafe as possible in order to try as many of their vegan meals as I could. While I didn’t have a single thing that I didn’t like, I can give you a list of my favorite dishes I had. Vibe Cafe has got to be not only one of the best vegan cafes in Siem Reap but also one of my favorite vegan cafes in Asia in general.

Vegan dessert in Cambodia.
Just two of the many delicious desserts.
My Recommendations

For breakfast, go for the Peanut Butter Cookie Pancakes. (If they currently have them, they were a special when I was in Siem Reap). They taste as good as they sound and are served with acai, raspberries, blueberries, goji berries, banana, vanilla and chia seeds.

Don’t they already look delicious?!
Vibe Cafe is a great option for being vegan in Cambodia.
The green omelette is another vegan breakfast option at Vibe Cafe.

For lunch or dinner, I can recommend either the Positive Pancakes (pancakes with a fruity touch) or the Live Sandwich. The sandwich comes with smoked tempeh, delicious pesto, rye bread and more.

As for dessert, you can’t miss out on the Superfood Brownie Bites. Made out of chia seeds, maca, cacao nibs, cacao, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and dates, they are the perfect sweet snack.

I’ve had the Superfood Brownie Bites probably every day I was vegan in Siem Reap.

Last but certainly not least, take a Cashew Chai drink. I absolutely fell in love with this drink that tastes like nothing I’ve ever had before. I guess, you just gotta trust me on this one and try for yourself.

The left one is the Cashew Chai which is my absolute favorite!
Price

Like Backyard Cafe, Vibe Cafe is definitely more expensive than typical Cambodian places. You can compare it to western prices. As common in Cambodia, prices are in USD. You can pay by credit card at Vibe Cafe.

Green-Go Garden

This 100% vegan restaurant in Siem Reap was located just steps away from our hostel. Naturally, we had to check it out. It is a very cute small place, decorated with lots of plants. The staff is really nice.

Vegan Food

While they have a big menu with lots of different vegan choices, I only got to try one of their options. I went for the Trio of Pesto which are the little bowls of penne with different pestos. I enjoyed all three pestos and would order this dish again. The pineapple juice was also delicious.

Vegan in Cambodia
The vegan Trio of Pesto.
Price

Green-Go Garden is a lot cheaper than the other cafes mentioned in this post. You can get a main dish for less than 5 USD. Don’t forget to bring cash since you can’t pay with credit card (at least you couldn’t when I was there)!

That’s it for my top recommendations on where to go when being vegan in Cambodia. Feel free to add your favorite places in the comments since I didn’t have the time to check out a variety of different restaurants and cafes! Also, let me know if you have any further questions. And make sure to send me pictures or tag me when you try any of the places that I recommended!

Tip: Follow me on Instagram here to keep up with my life after traveling.

Check out more of my vegan food guides! I got guides on CangguUbudQueenstownNew ZealandEast Coast AustraliaByron BayHobartthe PhilippinesVietnam, the Ha Giang Loop, Thailand and Alicante.

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19 comments

printed silicone wristbands October 15, 2020 - 22:51

Hi my friend! I wish to say that this post is amazing,
nice written and come with approximately all significant infos.
I would like to see more posts like this.

Reply
Thrifty with a Compass February 13, 2020 - 06:50

Omg this food looks so tasty, healthy, and reasonably priced! Win, win, win! haha. We are always looking for good food recs for our trips. Saving for later!

Reply
Katja Kaven February 15, 2020 - 20:38

Yaayy glad to hear! And yes, can totally recommend – felt like I was winning at life during my time in Cambodia haha.

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Erin February 12, 2020 - 23:35

Great tips! I’ve traveled extensively in Cambodia and was pleasantly surprised by all the veggie and vegan options, even outside of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. That said, I did opt for meat a few times because I wanted to try the local fare, oops

Reply
Katja Kaven February 15, 2020 - 20:36

I for sure want to go back and explore more places! Might be able to go this year!! Haha fair enough.

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Melissa Roos February 12, 2020 - 16:35

I’m always so happy to read these blog posts. I am vegetarian at the moment, but I am working towards eating plant based and it’s sooo overwhelming and hard to keep up when I’m travelling. Especially since I’m a newbie, I don’t know how to handle it all and what to look for before eating somewhere. I’m going to check out your guides and save them on my phone. So easy to look it up when I’m at the destination. It’ll save me so much stress!

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Katja Kaven February 12, 2020 - 16:49

Aww, this comment makes me very happy! Good luck with going plant based and I can totally feel your struggle!! But it’s great that you do the best you can. Glad to hear you’ll use my guides. Please feel free to always reach out with any questions!

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Rachael February 12, 2020 - 16:33

These look delicious! I am not vegan myself but have started ordering them occasionally when eating out, for some reason the presentation always looks more appealing!

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Katja Kaven February 12, 2020 - 16:47

I hear that a lot from friends as well! Nothing wrong with having a vegan meal every once in a while 😉

Reply
Megan February 12, 2020 - 16:24

I’m not vegan but looks so delicious! And the places are so cute too! thanks for sharing.

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Katja Kaven February 12, 2020 - 16:46

Glad you liked it!

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Mayuri February 9, 2020 - 07:58

So so delicious 😋 thanks for putting this great guide!
Never been to Cambodia, hopefully will visit soon!

Reply
Katja Kaven February 10, 2020 - 16:28

You’re welcome! I’m glad you’ve found it helpful.
Cambodia is absolutely worth it, I hope you’ll get to visit soon! ☺

Reply
Emma February 9, 2020 - 00:57

Yum! What amazing looking food. That pesto pasta trio sounds so good. Glad to see there are some great veggie options in Cambodia

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Katja Kaven February 10, 2020 - 16:26

Yes, I was so pleasantly surprised!

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Hannah February 8, 2020 - 21:49

Wow these are some delicious looking dishes! Those peanut butter cookie pancakes look amazing! Thanks for the great guide!

Hannah | https://getlost.blog/

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Katja Kaven February 10, 2020 - 16:25

They were absolutely delicious! You’re very welcome, I’m glad this was helpful.

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Margarida Vasconcelos February 8, 2020 - 17:18

I am vegan and planning to visit Cambodia 🙂 thanks for sharing this.

Reply
Katja Kaven February 10, 2020 - 16:22

Oh so exciting! Glad this was helpful. Have a great time! 🙂

Reply

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