Visiting Istanbul as a vegan or vegetarian? You will find meze on the menus of restaurants, taverns, and traditional meyhanes across the city. But meze is not a single dish—and it does not automatically mean vegan. 🌱
Here is a guide prepared by Veganistanbul.com
🍽️ The Quick Answer
Meze is the name given to small dishes served before or alongside a main meal. Several meze are often ordered together and shared around the table.
Some are served cold, while others arrive hot. A selection of meze can also form a complete meal.
🌱 Many Turkish meze are vegetable-based, but others contain yogurt, cheese, eggs, seafood, or meat.
🥄 Meze That Are Often Vegan
🫘 Fava A smooth broad bean purée, generally served with olive oil, dill, and onions
🌶️ Acılı ezme A finely chopped mixture of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and herbs
🍃 Zeytinyağlı sarma Vine leaves filled with seasoned rice
🍆 Şakşuka Fried vegetables served with tomato sauce, but check whether yogurt is added
🧆 Hummus Chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon, and garlic, but hot versions may be topped with butter or meat
🍆 Patlıcan salatası Smoky eggplant salad, but some versions contain yogurt
⚠️ Recipes vary between restaurants. Even a meze that is normally vegan should be confirmed before ordering.
🥛 Meze That Are Usually Not Vegan
🥣 Haydari A thick yogurt-based meze with herbs
🥒 Cacık Yogurt mixed with cucumber, garlic, and herbs
🌶️ Atom Yogurt topped with hot peppers, often with melted butter
🥚 Rus salatası or Amerikan salatası Usually contains mayonnaise made with egg
🐟 Tarama Made with fish roe
🦐 Seafood meze May contain fish, prawns, octopus, or other seafood
These may be suitable for some vegetarians if they contain dairy or eggs, but fish and seafood are not vegetarian.
⚠️ “Vegetable-Based” Does Not Always Mean Vegan
A vegetable meze may still contain:
- 🥛 Yogurt or other dairy products
- 🧈 Butter
- 🥚 Eggs or mayonnaise
- 🍯 Honey
- 🍗 Meat or chicken stock
- 🐟 Fish or seafood ingredients
Some dishes may also be garnished with yogurt or hot butter just before serving.
🗣️ Useful Turkish Phrases
Bu mezelerden hangileri tamamen vegan? Which of these meze are completely vegan?
İçinde et, balık, süt ürünleri, yumurta veya bal var mı? Does it contain meat, fish, dairy, egg, or honey?
Üzerine tereyağı dökülüyor mu? Is butter poured on top?
Yoğurtsuz hazırlanabilir mi? Can it be prepared without yogurt?
Ben vejetaryenim. Et ve balık yemiyorum. I am vegetarian. I do not eat meat or fish.
💡 A Useful Restaurant Tip
In some restaurants and meyhanes, the waiter may show you a tray or display containing the available meze.
Choose only the dishes you want and ask about their ingredients individually. Each plate is normally ordered and charged separately.
✅ Save This Before You Order
🥗 Meze means a selection of small dishes, not one specific recipe.
🌱 Many meze are naturally vegan or vegetarian.
⚠️ Others contain yogurt, butter, eggs, fish, seafood, or meat.
💬 Ask about each dish separately instead of assuming the entire meze selection is vegan.
If you have a food allergy or need to avoid cross-contact, explain this separately to the restaurant before ordering.
📌 Save this guide for your Istanbul trip and share it with a vegan or vegetarian travel companion. Last reviewed: August 17, 2026