Sweden
Systemic sustainability norms; excellent retail; minimal negotiation required
Oatly was born here. Swedish school canteens routinely serve vegetarian defaults as national sustainability policy. Plant-based is culturally normalised at a systemic level — not just a restaurant trend.
Sweden ranks #11 globally — the highest-ranked country in mainland Scandinavia. At city level, Stockholm scores considerably higher than the country average, sitting comfortably among the top vegan-friendly cities in Europe. Gothenburg and Malmö also punch above the national figure. If your trip is city-focused, you will find the practical experience closer to a top-five destination than an eleventh.
The country rank reflects Sweden as a whole, including rural areas where dedicated vegan infrastructure thins considerably compared to the major urban centres. For those travelling beyond Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö, treat supermarkets as your primary resource and restaurants as secondary.
Traditional Swedish cooking — husmanskost — relies heavily on butter, cream, and in several classic dishes, fish. These don't always appear on menus with the visibility you'd expect. Butter is routinely added to boiled vegetables and toast without mention; cream finds its way into gravies and sauces that may be described simply as "sauce." Always ask about butter and cream specifically when ordering traditional dishes. And when buying packaged food, always check the label — even products positioned as natural or wholefood can contain dairy derivatives not immediately obvious from the product name.
Say This in the Restaurant
| Jag är vegan | yah air VEH-gahnI am vegan | Core statement |
| Jag äter inte kött, fisk, skaldjur, mjölkprodukter, ägg eller honung | Full wording in phrasebook → | Full exclusion |
| Innehåller detta smör eller grädde? | in-eh-HOL-er DET-ah SMUHR EL-er GREH-dehDoes this contain butter or cream? | Butter / cream check |
| Innehåller detta ansjovis eller fisk? | in-eh-HOL-er DET-ah an-SHOO-vis EL-er fiskDoes this contain ansjovis or fish? | Fish check |
| Är brödet veganskt? | air BRUH-det veh-GANSKTIs the bread vegan? | Bread check |
| Kan ni göra det utan smör och grädde? | kahn nee YUR-ah det OO-tahn SMUHR ohk GREH-dehCan you make it without butter and cream? | Modification request |
| Är detta veganskt? | air DET-ah veh-GANSKTIs this vegan? | Direct check |
| Innehåller godisen gelatin? | in-eh-HOL-er GOO-dee-sen yeh-lah-TEENDoes the candy contain gelatine? | Sweets check |
| Om det spelar roll: lagas detta i samma panna som kött eller fisk? | Full wording in phrasebook → | If this matters to you: shared pan check |
What Actually Works
ICA, Coop, and Hemköp carry dedicated vegan ranges under labels such as ICA I Love Eco and Coop Änglamark. The "vegansk" (vegan) mark appears clearly on most own-brand plant-based products. Lidl and Willys also stock solid vegan options at lower price points. For packaged food, labelling is among the most reliable in Europe — but always read the label rather than relying on product positioning.
Most Stockholm and Gothenburg restaurants with a modern menu offer clearly labelled vegan options or full vegan menus. In cities, look for "vegansk" on menus — Swedish labelling norms mean this word reliably signals vegan-prepared food. At traditional Swedish restaurants (husmanskost), default to vegetable-forward dishes and explicitly request no butter or cream. Potatoes and salad are your safest base orders; gravies and "sauce" are your danger zone.
Stockholm has one of the strongest concentrations of dedicated vegan restaurants in Northern Europe, with Gothenburg and Malmö close behind. The Veganska Mässan (Sweden's vegan fair) is a reliable indicator of how embedded plant-based culture is at a national level. HappyCow listings are dense and well-maintained for Swedish cities. University towns — Uppsala, Lund, Umeå — have strong vegan café cultures driven by student populations.
Swedish food labelling law follows EU allergen regulation: milk, eggs, fish, and crustaceans are among the 14 allergens that must be clearly emphasised on prepacked food labels, usually in bold, but sometimes by a different typographic style. This is genuinely useful at supermarkets and for packaged products. It does not solve café menus, bakery cabinets, or restaurant cooking methods — these require active questioning. Treat the allergen system as a powerful supermarket tool, not a universal guarantee.
Where It Gets Harder
Sweden's vegan infrastructure is outstanding in cities, but traditional cooking and hospitality contexts demand more active navigation than the country's progressive reputation might lead you to expect.
Norrland and rural areas outside Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö have limited dedicated vegan restaurant options. Traditional Swedish cooking dominates, and staff at smaller restaurants may have less experience with vegan requests. ICA and Coop are widespread and reliably stocked — prioritise self-catering when leaving major urban centres. As a simple rule: outside the main cities, assume supermarket first, restaurant second.
Swedish hotel breakfasts are typically smörgåsbord-style buffets with cold cuts, cheeses, eggs, and dairy-heavy dishes centre stage. Plant milks are increasingly available, but butter will be on the table as standard, often served pre-spread on bread. Kaviar (fish roe paste) is commonly found alongside jam. Ask staff which items are vegan — larger hotel chains generally have this information, but smaller rural guesthouses may not.
Fika — Sweden's institutionalised coffee and pastry break — is deeply embedded in daily life. Traditional fika pastries (kanelbullar, kardemummabullar, chokladboll, prinsesstårta) are butter and egg-based with no vegan versions at most traditional bakeries. Modern cafés in Stockholm and Gothenburg increasingly stock vegan alternatives, but outside cities and at workplace fikas, assume dairy and eggs are present. Check before you eat — and if in doubt, buy packaged alternatives from a supermarket.
Swedish traditional home cooking — husmanskost — uses butter and cream as foundational ingredients, not optional additions. Dishes such as pyttipanna (hash), ärtsoppa (pea soup, often made with pork stock), Janssons frestelse, and Wallenbergare (veal patties) are among the classic dishes that are either non-vegan or contain hidden animal products. At traditional restaurants and festive settings (julbord Christmas buffets), the density of hidden animal ingredients rises sharply. Cover all dairy forms — butter on vegetables, cream in soups, butter on bread, and cheese as garnish — when asking about any traditional dish.