Netherlands
Compact, English-speaking, and labelled with unusual clarity — the Netherlands removes almost every barrier to vegan travel.
Albert Heijn's green "Vegan" shelf labels, near-universal English, and Amsterdam's world-ranked dining scene combine to make this one of the lowest-friction vegan destinations on earth.
The Netherlands ranks #3 globally as a country — a score driven by supermarket infrastructure, labelling clarity, and the depth of the urban vegan scene. This is a country-level ranking. Amsterdam holds a separate city-level ranking of #7 in HappyCow's 2025 global vegan city index, reflecting the city's exceptional density of dedicated vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants relative to its population. These are different measurements: one reflects nationwide ease, the other city-specific scene depth.
Albert Heijn — the dominant supermarket chain — marks vegan products with a clear green "Vegan" label, making self-catering close to zero-effort even without any Dutch. Jumbo and Lidl carry strong own-brand plant-based ranges with EU-standard allergen labelling, where the 14 major allergens — including milk and egg — must be clearly emphasised on prepacked food packaging, usually in bold or by a different typographic style. Always check labels on unlabelled deli items, market pastries, and any product without the green Vegan badge, as Dutch breakfasts and bar snacks routinely include dairy and egg without prominent declaration.
The Real Challenge
What's Hiding in the Kitchen
Traditional Dutch cooking uses butter as its default fat in mashed potato dishes, cooked vegetables, and bread accompaniments. Stamppot — the national staple of mashed potato blended with kale, endive, sauerkraut, or root vegetables — is almost invariably prepared with butter and often milk. The dish reads as entirely plant-based from a menu description, which is exactly why it catches travellers off guard. At cafés and eetcafés, vegetable sides are frequently buttered without being listed as such on the menu.
These crispy breaded snacks are a Dutch institution served at bars, snackbars, and FEBO automat walls across the country. The exterior is breadcrumbs and oil — entirely plant-based — but the filling is a thick ragout built on a dairy roux of butter, flour, and milk, often with meat. Even "veggie kroket" and mushroom or lentil variants frequently use the same dairy-based roux as the base. Unless a product is explicitly labelled vegan, it is safest to assume dairy is present in any kroket or bitterballen filling.
Drop is the Netherlands' most popular confectionery category, consumed in volumes that significantly exceed the European average. The vast majority of commercial drop — including soft, hard, and salmiak varieties — contains animal-derived gelatin as a setting agent. The ingredient is not always obvious to non-Dutch readers: scan for "gelatine" or "gelatinepoeder" in the ingredients list. Vegan drop alternatives do exist (look for the green Vegan label at Albert Heijn) but require active seeking rather than being the default.
Factory-made stroopwafels sold in sealed supermarket packets are easy to assess — the Albert Heijn green Vegan badge or the full EU allergen declaration makes the status clear. The risk sits with fresh stroopwafels at street markets and tourist areas, where the traditional recipe uses eggs, butter, and syrup. Dutch poffertjes — small puffy pancakes sold at market stalls — are similarly made with egg and dairy. Without asking directly, there is no reliable way to confirm the ingredients of fresh unlabelled baked goods from outdoor vendors.
Say This in the Restaurant
Survival Guide
What Actually Works
Use Albert Heijn as your base
Albert Heijn is the country's dominant supermarket chain and offers one of the clearest vegan self-catering experiences in Europe. The green "Vegan" shelf labels and product badges remove almost all guesswork. Their own-brand AH vegan range is extensive — oat milk, plant-based deli slices, vegan cheeses, and ready meals — and available even in smaller neighbourhood stores. Jumbo is the second major chain and equally reliable; look for the "Plantaardig" (Plant-based) labels. Both chains follow EU allergen labelling requirements, with milk, egg, and other major allergens clearly emphasised on packaging.
Lean on ethnic restaurants for safe defaults
Dutch cities have excellent Middle Eastern, Turkish, Indonesian, Indian, and Surinamese restaurants that provide naturally plant-forward options. Tempeh was introduced to the Netherlands through its colonial connection with Indonesia and remains a familiar, widely available ingredient — Indonesian warung cafés across the country serve tempeh and tofu dishes that can often be adapted to vegan. Surinamese eateries offer roti wraps and split-pea dishes worth asking about. Falafel shops are common and reliable in city centres. These options scale well beyond Amsterdam into Rotterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague.
Amsterdam's dedicated scene is the benchmark
Amsterdam has one of the highest concentrations of fully vegan restaurants in Europe. Dedicated vegan eateries, plant-based fast food chains, vegan bakeries, and vegan café groups operate across the city centre and residential neighbourhoods. This density is spreading: Rotterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague all have established and growing dedicated vegan dining clusters. Use HappyCow with the "Vegan Only" filter for any Dutch city to find spots where every item on the menu is safe without needing to ask.
Order patat — but specify the sauce
Dutch fries (patat or friet) are typically fried in vegetable oil and are naturally vegan — they make a reliable and fast fallback in any Dutch town, including areas with limited restaurant options. The trap is the sauce: frietsaus (the Dutch-style mayo served by default) and regular mayonnaise both contain egg. Ask for ketchup, request "zonder saus" (without sauce), or check whether the pindasaus (peanut sauce) at a Surinamese counter contains dairy. Chip shops (frituur or snackbar) are found in even the smallest Dutch towns, making patat a dependable emergency option.
Know Before You Go
Where It Gets Harder
The Netherlands is exceptionally vegan-friendly in its cities — but step into rural areas, traditional Dutch eateries, or morning breakfasts at smaller guesthouses, and the ease drops noticeably. The country's dairy heritage is embedded in its food culture in ways that don't always surface on a menu description.
Last updated February 2026 · Methodology & sources
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