Quick answer
Singapore is one of the easiest places outside India for vegetarians. Little India has dozens of South and North Indian restaurants, every big hawker centre has an Indian or Chinese Buddhist vegetarian stall, and many Buddhist stalls cook without onion and garlic, which helps Jain travellers. Laksa and chicken rice aren't vegetarian, but prata, thosai and desserts are easy.
How easy is it to eat well?
Vegetarian & Jain friendliness
5 = easy everywhere, 1 = plan every meal
Indian food availability
5 = Indian restaurants everywhere, 1 = rare
What to order (and what to ask about)
Roti prata
Flaky griddled bread, Singapore's take on parotta. Plain and onion prata are vegetarian; egg prata isn't. Ask for dhal or vegetable curry, as the default is often fish or chicken.
Thosai and South Indian thali
Dosa, idli and banana-leaf thalis at Little India's vegetarian restaurants, many of them decades old.
Buddhist vegetarian bee hoon and mock meat
Rice noodles, vegetable dishes and soy or gluten mock meats at Chinese vegetarian stalls. Many skip onion and garlic.
Chendol
Shaved ice with coconut milk, palm sugar and green rice-flour jelly. A cooling dessert at most hawker centres.
Ice kacang
A mound of shaved ice with coloured syrups, red beans, sweet corn and jelly.
Kaya toast
Toast with coconut jam and butter. The kaya is made with eggs, and it's traditionally served with soft-boiled eggs.
Popiah
Fresh spring roll with braised turnip, egg and often shrimp. A few stalls make vegetarian versions on request.
Mee goreng
Spicy Indian-Muslim fried noodles, usually with egg and sometimes squid or chicken. Some stalls make a vegetarian, egg-free version.
Laksa
Spicy coconut noodle soup with prawns, cockles and fish cake; the base contains dried shrimp.
Hainanese chicken rice
Poached chicken with rice cooked in chicken stock, so even the plain rice isn't vegetarian.
Chilli crab
Singapore's signature seafood dish. Useful to recognise on menus, best skipped by vegetarians.
Phrases that help
| Say | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vegetarian, no egg | Use this exact wording at hawker stalls, where vegetarian sometimes still includes egg |
| No onion, no garlic | Widely understood at Buddhist and Indian stalls; useful for Jain diets |
| Got fish sauce or not? | Singlish for "Does this contain fish sauce?" |
| Zhai | Chinese for Buddhist vegetarian food; look for it on stall signs |
| Da bao | Takeaway, a handy term at hawker centres |
Is Singapore good for vegetarians?
Very. With a large Tamil community, a long tradition of Chinese Buddhist vegetarian cooking and an English-speaking food culture, Singapore is among the easiest places outside India to eat meat-free. You're rarely more than a few minutes from a vegetarian meal, and hawker-stall signs are clear.
The traps are in the famous local dishes. Laksa, chicken rice, char kway teow and most noodle soups use shrimp, fish or chicken stock, and many hawker dishes include egg. Order "vegetarian, no egg" if you avoid eggs, as some stalls treat egg as vegetarian.
Where to eat Indian food in Singapore
Little India is the centre. Serangoon Road, Race Course Road and the lanes between have South Indian vegetarian institutions, North Indian restaurants, Gujarati thali places and sweet shops, and Tekka Centre's food court has several Indian stalls. Outside Little India, you'll find Indian restaurants in most malls and vegetarian chains in the business district and at Changi Airport. Expect S$10–20 (₹700–1,400) for a full vegetarian meal.
Chinese Buddhist vegetarian food
Look for stalls marked "vegetarian" or with the Chinese sign for zhai. They serve rice noodles, vegetable dishes and mock meats made from soy and gluten. Many follow the Buddhist practice of avoiding the five pungent vegetables, including onion and garlic, which makes them useful for Jain travellers. Check about root vegetables, though; potatoes and carrots are common.
Jain and strict diets
Several Little India restaurants serve Jain meals without onion, garlic or root vegetables, and a few are fully Jain. Larger hotels can arrange Jain breakfasts with notice. Theme parks and attractions do have vegetarian options, but menus are short and Jain choices rare, so carry dry snacks for long days at Sentosa or the Night Safari.
Hawker centres expect you to return your tray and crockery after eating; there are fines for leaving them. Locals reserve tables by leaving a packet of tissues on them.
Plan with the Singapore trip cost for food budgets, stay in Little India or Bugis using where to stay in Singapore, and see things to do in Singapore for hawker centres worth the trip.
Frequently asked questions
Is food in Singapore expensive?
Can Jains find food in Singapore?
Is hawker food in Singapore safe to eat?
How we checked this page
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Written and fact-checked by the Elitech Travels editorial desk in New Delhi, drawing on our consultants' day-to-day booking work and the official sources below. Rules, fares and fees change — always confirm anything critical with the issuing authority before you travel. Our editorial policy.
