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Now, Ecuador is a place not that unlike where I live; in the United States, but not Los Angeles. What I mean by that is that vegetarianism and veganism is not exactly common. That being said, I found that it has many gorgeous crops of fresh produce. And people are willing to work with you in restaurants to prepare a vegan meal that will leave you feeling satisfied for a moderate price. (And they won’t make you pay more simply because they didn’t put meat on your plate, unlike some places in the US.)
You will have to do some extra work explaining that you don’t want any sort of milk or egg in your vegetarian food. But once they get it that you’re “vegan vegan”, most everyone you’ll meet is very helpful and happy to accommodate. They want your business, after all.
To help you out, I’ve compiled a list. Not so much of dishes, but more so of sides that you should look out for if you’re hungry, because they can be veganized, or in the case of some, are already vegan. This list can also help you navigate menus if you don’t speak much Spanish.
Arroz
Arroz, for those of you who don’t speak Spanish, is just rice. As in, a side of white rice. And if it’s written just as rice on the menu or as told by your waiter, you’re good to order it and assume it’ll be vegan.
Patacones
Patacones are fried green plantains. They are a very common food to see eaten during breakfast with cheese and a cup of coffee. Well, they don’t mind serving them without the cheese for the vegans out there. And often, you can get some sauces with them whether that’s ketchup, mustard, and/or ají. (Keep reading to hear more about ají later.)
Bolón
Bolónes are also made from green plantains. They are balls of cooked plantain, mashed and filled with cheese or meat—usually. That being said, you can also order just bolón, with nothing in it, made with some refrito (sautéed onion, garlic and aromatics), and it will fill you up (as well as be delicious). Often bolónes are deep fried, but you can ask for it not to be, if you prefer. And either way, I would recommend once again that you eat it with ají.
Maduro frito
Maduro refers to a ripe plantain. And what the people of Ecuador most like to do with it is to slice it up, fry it in a pan and put it as a sweet accompaniment to many of their traditional dishes. If you like a little sweet with your savory, order some maduro frito!
Canguil
Here’s something really cool about Ecuador that you may not know. They really like popcorn! It’s very common to be served up a plate of popcorn with some limes as you wait for your food, or alongside your order. So if you’re in the mood for popcorn outside of the movie theater, this is the place to take that impulse and ride it for all it’s worth.
Tostada
This is something that doesn’t really have a great translation in English, but you should try anyway. Tostada is like the unpopped popcorn kernels, but they’re nutty and they’re not too hard on your teeth to eat. They’re often served in the beginning of the meal along with salt and limes, and are a good accompaniment to a long night of beers and conversation.
Mote
And as long as we’re on the subject of corn, try some mote! While it’s often served with salchicha (sausage), you don’t have to get it that way. And mote on its own is also very good. If you can get it served with a refrito de aceite (spices stir fried in oil, just to make sure they’re not sautéing in butter), you’re going to find a new delicious starch to add to your repertoire. For those of you who live in the states and don’t have a concept for this, the best I can explain it as is giant, nonsweet kernels of corn (some is bigger than others, but most is bigger than the corn we have in the US). Think of the flavor of corn tortillas, but in big, chewy corn kernels and there you have mote.
Yuca Frita
Another fried starch that you may find on menus is yuca frita, or fried yucca. If you haven’t had yucca (or cassava, as it’s called in other places), this is definitely a great time to do it. It has a mild flavor, just like potatoes and green plantain, but it has its own subtle differences in both taste and texture and is one of my favorites.
Yuca Cocinada
Possibly the one thing I like better than fried yucca is boiled yucca, aka yuca cocinada. I didn’t get a good picture of it on my trip unfortunately but I wanted to include it as an option because with some lime, ají and salad, it’s possibly my favorite thing I ate on my trip.
Papas Fritas
You may think French fries are just a US thing, but you’d be wrong. Some very popular foods include fries in Ecuador, including papi pollo and salchipapas. Which means that when it comes to French fries, Ecuador knows what they’re talking about. Easy to find and if I’m being honest, possibly more delicious than most French Fries in the US. So get yourself some “papi papa” 😉
Papa cocinada
If you’re tired of hearing about fried food, you can also find papa cocinada, which is just a side of boiled potatoes. Some places will also mix them with spices or herbs, but in general, think cut and boiled potatoes and you’re on track.
Tortillas de papa
Probably my favorite preparation of potatoes in Ecuador, you’re going to want to try tortillas de papa. These are basically just mashed potatoes formed into a cake and then put on the grill to fry off a little, to keep their shape. They will likely be yellow/orange in color, because of the achiote oil they use to color them. And you will need to order them without cheese, for the most part. I like to eat mine with (yes, you guessed it) ají.
Menestra
If you’re looking for a traditional vegan protein source, menestra is going to be your friend in Ecuador. Menestra is essentially a bean stew, and any sort of bean side will be labeled menestra. Usually, if just labeled menestra, you’re going to be getting bolón beans or canary (canario) beans. (Although when I’m back in the states, I’ll make it with pinto beans because those are the closest that we seem to have here.) But that isn’t all. Any sort of beans will be labeled menestra. Another popular one you should be able to find if you keep your eyes peeled is menestra de lenteja or lentils.
Ensalada
Ensalada or salad is actually a lot easier to order vegan in Ecuador than it is in the United States. They don’t tend to put cheese in it for no reason, and there isn’t the obligatory creamy salad dressing the way we’re accustomed to over here. Usually, when you order salad in Ecuador, it will be vegetables, chopped, and often dressed in lemon and salt (as I mentioned in our last post about snacking). Sometimes they might also put some oil on it as well. While it’s always good practice to ask the specific contents of your food when you’re vegan, in Ecuador, if you forget when you order a salad for the side, you’re usually safe.
Porción de aguacate
Here’s something I wish I would have ordered more often—a side of avocado! Avocados are delicious and in Ecuador, plentiful. They go with any starch and salad and menestra and ají that you’ll find and they’re a great source of healthy fat, so they’ll help you stay fuller for longer. Yes, I’m a fan. And when it comes down to it, avocados are cheaper in Ecuador than they are here. So I’d definitely advise you as a vegan to order a side of avocado with your meals.
Porción de champiñones/hongos
While this doesn’t account for another protein, it is nice to get a side of mushrooms to break up the mountains of starch if that’s all that your restaurant has. I did enjoy mushrooms a few times on my trip because the restaurants I was at just so happened to have them, so I ordered them on the side, and it worked out well for everyone.
Ají
Ají is the great Ecuadorian culinary adventure, as far as I’m concerned. It’s a hot sauce, although it’s not always spicy, and every restaurant you go to will have it, much like ketchup in the United States.
As I said, it’s an adventure—everyone has their own separate recipe. Some are quite spicy, others taste stronger of onions or tomate de arbol, and other have chochos mixed in, which are a kind of bean.
Drinks
Cerveza
The two main brands of beer that you will find in Ecuador are Pilsener and Club. I preferred Pilsener, but try them both if you drink alcohol and see which you like better. They’re both decent, vegan, and worth a try.
Chicha
The other alcoholic drink I would recommend for you to try is chicha. In the old days, chicha was pretty much exclusively made from chewing a starch and spitting it back out, then leaving it to ferment. And people would do this with rice or yuca (or both). The saliva would combine with the carbohydrate and break down into alcohol. These days, however, there are bigger operations that don’t use the saliva method. And the smaller places that more recently were still using saliva have also mostly changed their method since COVID. Instead of mixing the starch with saliva, they mix it with sweet potatoes, which then ferments almost as well. I didn’t try the authentic chicha while I was there, but I did try the kind mixed with sweet potato, and enjoyed it. They told me that the saliva variety is sweeter, but the sweet potato kind was good and I would have it again.
Avena
You may not be familiar with avena. But In Ecuador, they like to use oats to make a drink, often flavored with different fruits, but also can be simply sweetened with panela or had plain. Avena is a very tasty, smooth vegan drink and you’ll want to try it (pictured on the left in the photo). In my opinion, it’s even better than oat milk (although they’re not meant for the same purpose, at all.)
Jugos
You might not be one for drinking juice in your place of residency, but if you visit Ecuador, drink juice! Especially if you’re from the United States, the “juice” you’re used to drinking is likely little more than flavored sugar water. Which, don’t get me wrong, is nice. But it’s nothing like the juice you’ll find in Ecuador.
The juice in Ecuador is freshly squeezed almost all the time, and made from their bounty of ripe and diverse fruits (and vegetables, in some cases—don’t worry, it’ll always be clear what you’re getting when it comes to juice). I recommend any juice from a fruit whose name you don’t recognize. These are the gems you want to look out for. Although the first juice I tried in Ecuador was orange juice and it was the best I have ever had.
Sodas
While obviously not the healthiest option, Ecuador has many different sodas of their own that you can try. I had never seen this brand, so I gave it a shot. While I didn’t taste the strawberry it was labelled as, I did like the flavor.
Sports Drinks
I’d never heard of apple flavored Powerade before my trip, and I was excited to try it! It turned out being a pleasant surprise, and if we had it back home, it would probably be my favorite flavor.
Botella de Agua
Just wanted to remind you all to stay hydrated on your travels! If you’re visiting a different country, it’s good practice to drink bottled water instead of from taps, because your immune system isn’t used to the regular bacteria in the daily water supply. So drink it from a bottle, stay healthy my friends!
Thank you for reading my tips for ordering vegan food in Ecuador! I would definitely recommend also that if you are visiting Ecuador and you have access to local friends with kitchens, try making some food yourself. I had a great time cooking vegan versions of traditional dishes and got to try for the first time empanadas, cheese made from potatoes, and many different kinds of menestras. If you have access to the kitchen, take advantage of Ecuador’s vast array of produce and cook up something delicious! And speaking of produce, stay tuned next week for all of the new fruits and vegetables that I tried in Ecuador, as well as the week after for my most exciting post of the series, a look at Mamita Pastora and La Cuchara Orgánica—proof that veganism has arrived to Ecuador. Have a wonderful day!