The Best Vegan Restaurants in NOLA

This vegan New Orleans guide shows you that it’s easy being vegan in NOLA! After spending 3 days in New Orleans, I ate so much delicious and unique vegan food that you can only find in the Big Easy. I’ve created this vegan guide for New Orleans so you can easily eat your way around the city, plant-based style.

As someone who travels the world following a vegan diet, and has for nearly 15 years, I’m always seeking the very best vegan eats. This New Orleans vegan guide highlights exactly what I ate when I was there, and I’ve added even more choices that you may want to consider as well.

Here are the best vegan-friendly, vegetarian and vegan restaurants in New Orleans. Yes, I even managed to find vegan beignets in New Orleans (and there’s currently only one place you can get them!).

Vegan New Orleans: Sweet Soulfood

I was beyond excited to visit Sweet Soulfood and it did not disappoint! You know that a restaurant is awesome when the lineup nearly goes out the door. Sweet Soulfood is a Black-owned 100% vegan restaurant in New Orleans with a wide variety of dishes. Every day, there’s a new menu of what’s available and the food is listed on the website. You order anywhere from one to four dishes (pick one, pick two, pick three or pick four).

I visited Sweet Soulfood NOLA Vegan Cuisine on a Monday, so I chose between the following: Sweet Heat Cauliflower, Mac N Cheese, Jambalaya, Okra Gumbo, Collard Greens, Sweet Potatoes, Potato Salad, Bread Pudding, Fried Cauliflower, Mushrooms N’ Gravy, Green Beans, and Cornbread Dressing. It was such a tough decision!

As you can see from the photo above, I went with the fried cauliflower, mac n cheese, potato salad and the bread pudding. I wanted to try as much as I could, even though it was such a big helping of food that could easily be split into two meals for me. This is one of the top vegan restaurants in NOLA, hands down, and I’m still dreaming about my lunch there.

Vegan New Orleans: 2 Phat Vegans

2 Phat Vegans is a restaurant focusing on flavorful, deli style food. They’re home to the #1 hot sausage in NOLA and everything is lovingly prepared from scratch in their kitchen. Choose healthier and 100% plant-based options without sacrificing the taste.

The majority of their menu features burgers, wraps, sandwiches, and po boy sandwiches. Try the meatball sub, hot sausage poboy, jerk chicken wrap, crabby patty or chic pea of the sea (vegan tuna salad). Not in the mood for a sandwich or burger? Order pizza, smoothies, a salad or the soup of the day.

Vegan New Orleans: Breads on Oak

Breads on Oak is a longtime vegan bakery and cafe in New Orleans. They’re renowned for their delicious organic plant-based food and sustainable business practices. Yelp has rated Breads on Oak as the “best vegan restaurant in Louisiana” and the “2nd best vegan spot in the USA”. You know that I had to try it!

Despite being called Breads on Oak, they have two locations: one is on Oak Street and the other is on Carondelet Street. I ventured over to the Oak location one morning to pick up a coffee and a strawberry white chocolate tea biscuit. Not only was it tasty, but the tea biscuit was massive. I saved half of it for later!

Even though I only stopped by for a light breakfast, you can order both breakfast and lunch items here. There’s an all day breakfast, sandwiches, burgers and toasts, and even a vegan Muffaleta (a customer favorite!).

And being called Breads on Oak, you can buy loaves of bread there. There are many pastries and desserts and a huge coffee menu. If I lived in New Orleans, I’d be a regular customer for sure.

Vegan New Orleans: I-Tal Garden

I-Tal Garden is another amazing vegan New Orleans restaurant that offers healthier, plant-based alternatives to traditional NOLA soul cuisine. Of course, we all know that you can find flavorful vegan eats, but I-Tal Garden proves this fact over and over again.

Check out I-Tal Garden’s breakfast menu to start the day off right. You can also build your own plate with your choice of proteins and sides. As for entrees, there’s a filet mushroom burger meal, lemon pepper oyster bite wrap and cauli-wing meal. Choose from side dishes like jackfruit ribs, mac n cheese, or Creole greens. Or try appetizers like avocado fries, crabless crab cakes or cajun oyster bites.

Vegan New Orleans: Kindred

Located in Uptown NOLA, Kindred is another awesome all vegan restaurant in New Orleans. It is a woman-owned small local business specializing in comfort food. There’s also a weekend brunch from 11am-3pm with French toast, cinnamon butter milk waffles and breakfast sausage.

Their main menu consists of starters, sides and mains. Some standout starters include fried Brussel sprouts, yuca fries and fried cauliflower. For mains, choose between the shrimp po’boy, cauliflower mac n cheese, and the maple street burger. Add waffle fries, coleslaw or hashbrowns on the side.

Meals from the Heart Cafe

Located in the historic French Market, Meals From the Heart Cafe is the only place in New Orleans where you can find vegan beignets. They’re made to order, completely fresh, using olive oil and vegan powdered sugar. When I traveled to Louisiana, I couldn’t wait to finally try beignets, but I had to wait to get to NOLA to have the vegan version. It was worth the wait!

Meals From the Heart Cafe isn’t a 100% vegan cafe in New Orleans, but it’s very vegan-friendly. For over 13 years, Chef Doucette has served high quality meals in the French Market. While omnivore options grace their menus, there are vegan versions of nearly everything.

For breakfast, order the vegan egg scramble, vegan blueberry pancakes, vegan apple patties or oatmeal. On the entrees menu, you can try vegan po boys, Beyond tacos, the Impossible burger and more. There’s a vegan gumbo, vegan crab cakes and other dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Vegan New Orleans: Botanicals NOLA

Botanicals NOLA caters to vegans and those following a gluten-free diet with their healthy, nutritious fare. If you’re craving avocado toast, acai bowls, smoothies or cold pressed juice, Botanicals NOLA has got you covered. They also sell products made from wildcrafted sea moss.

This healthy eatery serves three kinds of smoothie bowls with your choice of toppings, or you can order several smoothie flavors as a beverage. In addition to avo toast, there are other kinds of toasts (almond berry or peanut butter), vegan waffles, or a chickpea salad sandwich. There are also vegan cupcakes and muffins for sale.

Miss River at the Four Seasons Hotel

Miss River is an upscale restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel NOLA. There’s only one vegan option on the menu, but it’s a great choice if you’re staying at the Four Seasons Hotel or you’re looking for a classy omni restaurant to please everyone in your group.

Chef Alon Shaya presents an elevated take on New Orleans favorites, focusing on local and fresh ingredients. The vegetable green curry is the vegan and vegetarian option, described on the menu as “slow-cooked In coconut milk with herbs, lemongrass, coriander, and Louisiana pecans”. For dessert, I enjoyed a scoop of sorbet with a crispy candied topping.

Vegan New Orleans: The Green Fork

The Green Fork was named one of America’s best juice bars by Conde Nast with its diverse offerings of smoothies, fresh juices and salads. While this restaurant is not 100% vegan, it is quite vegan-friendly through its selection of smoothies, smoothie bowls, and some salads and soups. There is a small selection of grocery goods, primarily focusing on healthy snacks.

I ordered an acai bowl that came with fresh fruit toppings. It was very refreshing and tasty, perfect for breakfast or a light lunch. Please note that there is a small outdoor patio, but only a couple of places to sit indoors. It’s more of a grab and go establishment.

G’s Tasty Pizza

G’s Tasty Pizza has an entirely vegan pizza menu! I stumbled upon G’s Pizza when I was looking for a quick bite to eat on Uber Eats and they delivered right to my hotel. On the vegan menu, G’s Pizza has five kinds of vegan pizza, a vegan Beyond burger, vegan ziti pasta, three salads, and four appetizers (including the vegan jalapeno cheesy bread pictured above).

When it comes to takeout in New Orleans, G’s Tasty Pizza is one of the best choices for vegan food in the city. Order some apps, some pizza and even their vegan raw cake (comes in rotating flavors, ask for which one they have on offer).

Gris-Gris

Gris-Gris is an award-winning restaurant with a delightful rooftop patio. Executive Chef & Owner, Eric Cook is a native of New Orleans, and he focuses on creating classic Southern dishes and New Orleans favorites. After working at several restaurants around the city and working as a private chef, Cook opened Gris-Gris in 2018. He’s also been features on TV shows, including Gordon Ramsay’s: Uncharted on the Discovery Channel.

Gris-Gris has a fantastic cocktail menu (highly recommend that you order a daiquiri!) and there is one vegan dish on the menu. It’s a flavorful rice bowl with an assortment of vegetables. I have to admit that I wasn’t blown away by this one (it’s not exactly inventive to have a rice bowl with veggies as the vegan option), but it is a nice little spot if your dining companions are looking for a more traditional NOLA omni restaurant.

Lamara Coffee and Kitchen

Lamara Coffee and Kitchen’s slogan is “be healthy, eat more plants”. This cafe has a modern, yet inviting feel, with a spacious garden area in the back with lounge chairs. It was raining when I visited, so I stayed indoors to enjoy my coffee. I ordered a vanilla latte with macadamia nut milk that was one of the best coffees I had in New Orleans.

As for food, everything is vegetarian and many items are vegan (or can be made vegan). There are toasts, bagels and breakfast burritos made to order until 11:30am. Then, for lunch, there are burgers, salads, tostadas, sandwiches, bowls and wraps that are vegan. The entire lunch menu is vegan. There are a few dishes on the breakfast menu containing eggs, otherwise this entire cafe would be vegan.

Vegan New Orleans: The Daily Beet

The Daily Beet is another health food restaurant and juice bar in New Orleans with two locations in the city. They work with local farmers to provide sustainable nutrition and fresh farm-to-table ingredients. The Daily Beet aims to energize your body, fuel your mind, and enrich your daily life.

While The Daily Beet is not a vegan restaurant in New Orleans, they appear to be a pescatarian establishment with vegan options clearly marked on the menu. From the all-day breakfast and brunch menu, try the banana oatmeal pancakes. The Rainbow bowl also happens to be vegan, as are most of their smoothies since they’re made with almond or oat milk.

Holy Crepes

Holy Crepes is another establishment in the French Market with vegan and gluten-free options. As you can imagine, this is a crepe restaurant where almost every crepe on the menu can be prepared vegan upon request. They use a special batter, alternative ingredients, and a separate cooking station for both vegan and gluten-free crepes.

The best seller is “Le Amore” with strawberries and bananas. There are other easily veganized crepes, such as the Praline, Beignet Crepe, The Priscilla and more. Try an iced or frozen lemonade with an assortment of flavors, or maybe you’re in a cold brew mood instead? This is a great place to stop for a sweet treat or a refreshing beverage on a hot day in New Orleans.

The Cupcake Collection

I happened to be in New Orleans during my birthday and my fellow travelers surprised me with vegan cupcakes that morning! They purchased them at The Cupcake Collection in New Orleans where you can order a package of four or six vegan cupcakes (baker’s choice). These cupcakes also happen to be gluten-free.

Original Thought Food Truck

Original Thought NOLA is a plant-based, Black-owned food truck that I am beyond excited to check out the next time I’m in New Orleans. They are only open from Monday to Thursday, 10am to 3pm, but you will seriously want to clear your schedule to dine here.

Try the “Better than Popeyes” chik’n sandwich, cauliflower bites in housemade sauce or one of their seasonal items. They’re the only food truck in New Orleans where you can find fresh coconut water, perfect for beating the heat.

Plus, Original Thought offers an all-vegan brunch! Breakfast burrito, stacks of pancakes, avocado toast, polenta bowl…pop by the food truck to satisfy all of your cravings. This is one of the most outstanding vegan restaurants in New Orleans that you must try for brunch or lunch on the go.

Bearcat Cafe

Bearcat Cafe is not an exclusively vegan restaurant in New Orleans, but they aim to provide for all diets and dietary restrictions. They own two restaurants in NOLA, as well as another upscale establishment called Le Chat Noir. You can easily find several vegan selections at all three spots.

Some standout dishes on Bearcat Cafe’s menu include the vegan breakfast potatoes, vegan pancakes, the vegan bearcat plate, vegan ranchero, the vegan burrito, and the peach cobbler muffin. Le Chat Noir has fewer vegan dishes, but you can find the following on the menu: Japanese eggplant, spicy greens, grilled mushrooms and a vegan dessert.

Sneaky Pickle & Bar Brine

Sneaky Pickle & Bar Brine is another super vegan-friendly restaurant and bar in New Orleans. The menu at the Sneaky Pickle is only available from Thursday to Monday, 11am to 4pm, and the Bar Brine menu is available from Thursday to Monday from 5pm to 9pm (10pm on Friday and Saturday). While this establishment serves animal products, the vast majority of the menu is vegan with several gluten-free items, too.

The menu is arranged into three sections: smaller, bigger and sandwiches. Under smaller, you can order the sneaky pickle plate, heirloom tomato toast, egg rolls, tofu taco and French fries with vegan ranch dip. Under bigger, try the mac n cheese, buffalo cauliflower salad or the daily bowl. As for sandwiches, two are vegan: the Reuben and their veggie burger. All vegan meals are labeled with a V.

Bar Brine has a separate menu and the vegan options are marked with a V. There are grilled turnips, smoked corn ribs, baba ganoush, fried summer vegetables, buffalo tofu lettuce wraps, mac n cheese, pesto rice cakes, a king trumpet mushroom dish and the Reuben sandwich.

Trilly Cheesesteaks

Trilly Cheesesteaks is an omnivore restaurant that also serves plant-based cheesesteaks. Their menu consists of 50% animal-based Philly cheesesteaks and 50% vegan Phillies. They create their innovative cheesesteaks using vegan steak, vegan chicken and vegan sauces.

Trilly Cheesesteaks started as a pop-up restaurant, then they shared a space with another establishment before branching out on their own. I love to see growth like this, from a restaurant’s humble beginnings to the present day. Their vegan versions of cheesesteaks are all lovingly made from scratch. They’re also made in separate areas of the kitchen to ensure that there isn’t any cross-contamination. Trilly Cheesesteaks takes this very seriously using separate grills, fryers, utensils, and ovens.

There are five different offerings on the menu: the classic vegan Philly cheesesteak, Vegan Chicken Philly, Vegan Buffalo Chicken, Vegan BBQ Chicken and Vegan Far East Philly. I might just need to travel to New Orleans five times so I can try all five options.

Small Mart Cafe

Small Mart Cafe is a mostly vegetarian restaurant, featuring a vegan menu and some items containing fish. This cafe serves breakfast and lunch with a large selection of bagel sandwiches and an entirely vegan menu from noon to 6pm daily.

Try the spinach tofu bagel, the vegan bagel deluxe or the vegan L-B-T bagel (lemon-butter-tomato). You can also make your own bagel with vegan cream cheese and veggies. The vegan lunch menu has an eclectic variety of dishes, including three kinds of vegan po-boys, chaat bowl, curry bowl, tofu spinach salad, taaza salad, samosas and pakoras.

Thaihey NOLA

Thaihey NOLA is a vegan-friendly Thai restaurant in the French Quarter. They offer colorful, fresh and authentic Thai family recipes made from scratch. The restaurant is located in a cozy space with only several tables, so I suggest making reservations if possible.

Thaihey NOLA has a separate vegan menu with soups, starters and mains. Order the tofu satay, fried tofu & lotus root, vegan boat noodle soup, spicy eggplant, Khao Soi tofu, Kraprow vegan or the pumpkin curry. It’s wonderful to see so many unique dishes on the menu.

Vegan New Orleans: Carmo

Carmo is a vegan-friendly tropical cafe, bar and cultural space in New Orleans. They focus on serving hearty and tasty meals to vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike. Their tropical menu includes dishes from West Africa, Southeast Asia, South America, the Caribbean and more. You’ll certainly feel like you’re on vacation at Carmo, even if you’re local to New Orleans.

The vast majority of the menu is vegan or has a vegan version that you can request. Look to the menu items with a “V” next to them. For breakfast, you can sub out almost every meat item for a tofu or meat alternative. It’s one of the most impressive vegan breakfast menus I’ve ever seen that isn’t offered at a solely vegan restaurant.

For lunch, try the Broken Noodle Salad, vegan ceviche, Peruano vegan sausage, the daily curry or the Burmese tea leaf salad. At dinner, order the quinoa sweet potato fritters, Trifongo vegan street meat, Vietnamese bread, Creole avocado or the vegan special of the day. This is truly one of the best vegan restaurants in New Orleans, even if it doesn’t happen to be 100% vegan.

HiVolt Coffee

HiVolt Coffee is a coffee shop in the Garden District that serves high quality coffee and fresh food, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or a snack. They take pride in serving a wide array of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free items. The ambiance of the cafe is bright and hip with exposed brick walls, trendy tile floors and art adorning the walls.

While I only stopped by for a coffee (there are a variety of plant-based milks), I did notice that there was a blueberry almond coconut raw bar in the display case (vegan and gluten-free). The American breakfast sandwich has a vegan option: sub in a tofu patty and add veggie toppings, served on your choice of bagel or baguette.

Vegan breakfast options are always a tricky one to find. I can usually find places that serve avocado toast. I’m glad that HiVolt has a vegan breakfast offering on their menu, which sounds like it would be a good choice for lunch as well.

Dat Dog

Dat Dog is a hot dog restaurant with three locations in New Orleans. Their slogan is “put a smile on your face”, and I’m sure that both the hot dogs and the restaurants’ environments will do so. Located in brightly colored buildings with an unpolished, casual vibe, it’s a great place to hang out with your friends while chomping on veggie dogs and award-winning French Fries.

In 2011, Dat Dog started as a single hot dog stand, and they’ve grown to become a culinary institution in the city. Try the Vegan Banger, which is a vegan bratwurst topped with sauerkraut, dill relish, grilled onions, tomatoes, and Creole mustard.

Under the “Veggie Dogs” heading, they actually serve four vegan hot dogs in total. Order the vegan bratwurst, vegan Italian dog, smoked apple sage dog, or spicy chipotle dog. Choose your own toppings of choice to personalize your hot dog just the way you like it. For fast food, this is one of the best vegan New Orleans restaurants.

Cuñada

Cuñada is a vegan-friendly restaurant in NOLA serving up homemade Mexican comfort food. The word Cuñada means sister-in-law in Spanish, and it’s a nod to family-named convenience stores in Mexico. At the same time, it references the LGBTQIA+ inclusive environment that Cunada has created at their restaurant.

It’s one of the best places to enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine in New Orleans as it is a traditional Mexican Grill and Agave Bar. I know that I’m grateful that there are many vegan options on the menu to try. Every item on the menu is clearly labeled as vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free.

From the starters section, the vegan options are guacamole tropical, chips con salsa and ceviche vegano. There are two vegan taco selections: nopal (sautéed cactus pads + onions) and portobello al pastor (marinated grilled portobellos and pineapple). The Mexican rice and homemade corn chips are more vegan options at Cunada.

Where to Stay in New Orleans

The Four Seasons New Orleans is one of the top hotels in New Orleans, which boasts amazing amenities and world-class elegance. Its eye-catching lobby bar with a twinkling crystal chandelier is the perfect place for happy hour.

The rooms feature stunning views overlooking the city, and there’s a spacious rooftop pool when you’re looking for a break from sightseeing. Plus, you’ve got a vegan-friendly restaurant right inside the hotel (Miss River, which I highlighted above).

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The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center is the official hotel of the National WWII Museum, located in the Arts & Warehouse District of downtown New Orleans. The rooms are bright, modern, and spacious, with views overlooking the impressive museum architecture.

Cafe Normandie is a great breakfast spot – I really enjoyed their avocado toast. For cocktails with small bites, head upstairs to Rosie’s on the Roof, a memorable rooftop bar and lounge with sweeping views of the New Orleans skyline. This hotel is perfect if you’re visiting nearby museums, and it’s only about a 20 minute walk to the French Quarter.

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More Places to Stay in New Orleans

Looking for more hotels and apartments in New Orleans? You can use the handy map below to compare prices, locations, and more. Enter your travel dates for more accurate information. Click on each property to learn more and book your stay.

Looking for More Vegan Guides in the USA?

I try to write vegan guides to every city that I visit around the world. As I’ve traveled to many cities in the US, I’ve compiled several vegan guides so far. Here’s a list of our vegan restaurant and city guides:

Lauren is the full-time travel blogger and content creator behind Justin Plus Lauren. She started Justin Plus Lauren in 2013 and has travelled to 50+ countries around the world. Lauren is an expert on vegan travel as one of the very first vegan travel bloggers. She also focuses on outdoor adventure travel, eco and sustainable travel, and creating amazing travel itineraries for cities and small towns.