Singapore
English-speaking city-state with a world-class vegan scene, excellent supermarkets, and hawker centres you can navigate with confidence.
A city-state that leads Southeast Asia for vegan access — English menus, strong labelling, a dedicated scene, and supermarkets that would impress visitors from almost anywhere.
Singapore sits at #6 in the VTG global rankings. Because Singapore is a city-state — country and city are the same place — no city-versus-country distinction applies here: the #6 rank is the Singapore experience, full stop.
The English-speaking environment is the single biggest practical advantage. Hawker centre vendors, restaurant staff, and supermarket labels all operate in English, which means you can communicate your requirements clearly rather than relying on phonetic scripts. Most major supermarkets carry well-labelled vegan and plant-based products, though you should always read the full ingredient list on any packaged food — "suitable for vegetarians" labelling does not guarantee the product is free from dairy or eggs, and formulations change between flavours and seasons.
Singapore has a long-established Buddhist vegetarian restaurant tradition and a growing number of dedicated vegan restaurants. Buddhist vegetarian restaurants are often a strong starting point — they are usually identified by familiar vegetarian signage including Buddhist swastika and yin-yang motifs — but always confirm egg and dairy, and note that some kitchens also avoid garlic and onion for religious reasons rather than vegan ones. "Vegetarian" on menus across all restaurant types still commonly includes eggs and dairy; always specify vegan and name what you exclude.
Hawker centres are the main area requiring active navigation. Most traditional dishes are built on fish sauce, belachan (shrimp paste), or oyster sauce as invisible base ingredients — not optional extras. Some hawker stalls use a vegetarian symbol or a "V" mark as a useful starting filter, but this does not confirm vegan preparation. Always confirm egg, dairy, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and shrimp paste directly with the vendor.
What's Hiding in the Kitchen
The foundational flavour base for a wide range of hawker dishes. Fish sauce dissolves completely into stir-fries, soups, and rice dishes; shrimp paste (belachan) is blended into sambal, rojak sauce, and nasi lemak chilli until invisible. Neither has any visible presence once cooked — you cannot detect them by sight or smell alone in a finished dish.
Used extensively in zi char restaurants and hawker stalls to add umami depth to vegetables, tofu, and noodles — rarely declared on menus. It is often the hidden reason a dish that looks entirely plant-based is not. It is rarely mentioned on menus and is often the hidden reason a dish that looks entirely plant-based is not. Vegan oyster sauce alternatives exist but are not standard at most stalls — you need to ask specifically whether they stock and use one.
Traditional wok cooking at older Hokkien and Teochew-style stalls historically uses lard, and many have not switched to vegetable oil. The change is not universal and stalls rarely advertise it. Many stalls have shifted to vegetable oil, but the change is not universal and stalls rarely advertise it. Crispy lard bits (zhū yóu zhā) served as a visible garnish are an obvious indicator, but the cooking oil itself gives no visual cue.
Egg is cracked directly into the wok during cooking — it is a cooking step, not a listed topping, and menus almost never flag it. Chye tow kway (carrot cake) is fried with egg in both the white and black versions by default. Chye tow kway (carrot cake) is fried with egg in both the white and black versions by default. Many stalls will accommodate a request for no egg, but it must be asked explicitly before cooking starts.
Say This at the Stall
What Actually Works
Cold Storage, FairPrice, and Mustafa Centre for self-catering
Cold Storage (Orchard, Holland Village, and elsewhere) and FairPrice — including FairPrice Finest branches — carry plant-based ranges with clear English ingredient labels. Mustafa Centre in Little India runs 24 hours and stocks an excellent selection of Indian vegetarian and vegan products — jackfruit, lentils, dairy-free alternatives, and Southeast Asian pantry staples. RedMart delivers nationally. Always read the full ingredient list regardless of front-of-pack labelling; "suitable for vegetarians" does not exclude dairy or eggs.
Economy rice stalls and South Indian vegetarian restaurants
Economy rice (cai fan) stalls let you point-and-choose from visible dishes, giving you real-time control — pick steamed tofu, stir-fried greens, and braised vegetables, then ask about oyster sauce on each selection. South Indian vegetarian restaurants in Little India — tiffin sets, thali, and dosai stalls — are naturally vegan-friendly and used to ingredient questions. Ask about ghee in specific dishes if you need to be fully vegan; it is used in some South Indian preparations.
Use HappyCow and dedicated vegan restaurants
Singapore has a well-established dedicated vegan restaurant scene across the CBD, Tiong Bahru, Holland Village, Bugis, and Little India. Buddhist vegetarian restaurants are widespread — look for Buddhist swastika and yin-yang signage — and are generally a reliable starting point, though always confirm egg and dairy, and note that some kitchens omit garlic and onion for religious reasons. HappyCow listings for Singapore are actively maintained; filter for "vegan" rather than "vegetarian" for the most reliable results.
Learn the hawker centre safe-stall pattern
At hawker centres, the most reliably vegan stalls are fresh fruit and juice stalls, plain roti prata with dhal (ask for no egg, no ghee), and economy rice stalls as above. Avoid char kway teow, laksa, and wonton noodle soup unless you can confirm vegan preparation — these dishes are built on animal-based stocks and pastes that cannot be easily swapped out. Singapore's English environment means you can ask any vendor directly, and most stalls in tourist-frequented centres are accustomed to dietary requests.
Where It Gets Harder
Singapore's overall ease masks a specific pattern of difficulty: the closer you get to traditional hawker cooking, the more invisible animal ingredients appear — and the more you need to ask stall by stall rather than assuming that dishes which look plant-based actually are.