From ramen to gyoza to flavorful curry, you’ll find a collection of our favorite Japanese vegetarian recipes that everyone will love. They are vegan-adaptable too. Bookmark the recipes and get ready to satisfy your cravings for all things delicious!
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Whether you’re vegetarian or vegan, or just looking to adopt more plant-based eating, Japanese cooking could be your next choice that caters to a meat-free food lifestyle. There are plenty of vegetables and ingredients such as tofu, mushrooms, and seaweed in the cuisine that will awake your taste buds. The food is so flavorful and easily adaptable without sacrificing great taste.
Here we’ve rounded up our favorite Japanese vegetarian recipes to inspire you. Each recipe has been tested and loved by our readers, and we know you’ll going to enjoy them too!
Nami’s Tips for Japanese Vegetarian Cooking
- Check the dashi first, always: Standard Japanese dashi is made with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) or niboshi (dried anchovy), so a dish that looks entirely plant-based often is not. This is the single thing that catches people out.
- Kombu dashi works, shiitake makes it better: Kombu alone gives you a clean plant-based stock. Adding dried shiitake mushrooms builds a second layer of umami and much deeper flavor. That combination is vegan dashi, called shojin dashi in Japanese.
- Vegetarian to vegan is usually one swap: Most of the recipes below need a single change to go fully plant-based, like skipping the marinated egg on the ramen. Look for the one animal ingredient rather than assuming the whole dish needs rethinking.
- This is not a modern idea in Japan: Shojin ryori, the Buddhist temple cuisine, is an entirely plant-based tradition going back centuries. If you visit Japan, it is worth seeking out a temple meal.
15 Favorite Japanese Vegetarian Recipes
Vegetarian Ramen
“I made this ramen last week, and it tasted so good! I couldn’t believe how delicious it could be! I made it for seven people, and everyone loved it! I even made the ramen eggs. I’m not a vegetarian so I was definitely skeptical at first, but once I made it I knew it was a winner. It reminds me of Tonkotsu ramen flavour.” – H
Creamy Miso Pasta with Tofu and Asparagus (Vegan)
“I tried the recipe and I loved it! I used white miso this time so that it would have a milder creamy flavor.” – Lion
Vegetable Gyoza (Vegan/Vegetarian)
“Thanks so very much for this recipe! I can buy veggie Chinese gyoza but appreciate yours so much. The texture was so good.” – Vanda
Vegan Poke Bowl
“I made the pan-fried tofu from this poke bowl today, and it was very tasty! I had never bought fried tofu before; glad I tried it, I’ll be using it often. The flavor of the little sauce coating was very nice. I didn’t make the whole poke bowl, I just had the tofu on the side of some stir-fried kale, and I had rice, too.” – Lisa M
Kabocha Miso Soup
“I made this soup tonight with shiitake dashi, the shiitakes that I re-hydrated, and some white mushrooms (for bulk). It was so delicious and enjoyably easy.” – Lilly
Vegetarian Japanese Curry
“Wow. Just wow. This was so yummy. I find cutting up vegetables very enjoyable and it was very pleasing seeing a variety of colours. It is also great being able to use up any amount of vegetables I have as the curry sauce works so wonderfully with anything.” – Julia VB
Teriyaki Tofu
“This was sooooo good and very simple to prepare. Will definitely be making it again.” – Jenni
Kabocha Gratin
“I am a fan, it reminds me of the macaroni and ham, which is so popular here in Belgium but without the meat. The funny thing is I forgot to mix the macaroni in the end, so I decided to cook the gratin in one dish anyway, put some pasta in each individual plate and layered the cooked gratin on top. Even with my blunder, it was great.” – CÉCILE
Inari Sushi
“I just made this. The flavour is soooo amazing with shisho leaves and seaweed. It really took one of my favorite comfort foods to the next level!” – Vivi
Soba Noodle Salad
“I have made this soba salad about 5 times already! Despite the heat, it’s so refreshing and needless to say, it’s my favorite soba salad! I have the recipe memorized! Thank you again for sharing a wonderful recipe!” – Donna
Green Bean Shiraae (Mashed Tofu Salad)
“I LOVE this recipe! It’s so easy to put together and it’s perfect for my vegetarian and vegan guests. I never would have thought to use tofu like this, but it is so delicious. Even people that tell me they ‘don’t like tofu’ seem to like this.” – Carolyn
Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi
“This was absolutely delicious. Crunchy, salty and sweet, and it came together very quickly. Best part, it doesn’t require a ton of ingredients that aren’t already in the pantry. Will definitely be making this one again.” – Mae
Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Ball)
“I made these with brown rice and baked them over a charcoal grill. Even my Japanese wife was impressed.” – Patrick
Vegetarian Udon
“By being a vegetarian/vegan and loving the Japanese way of cooking I will treasure this recipe.” – ADRIANO
Vegan Miso Soup
“This miso soup is so good! So simple to make too! Thank you for sharing this recipe.” – Szasza
Wish to learn more about Japanese vegetarian and vegan cooking? Read Your Guide to Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cooking.
I’d love to hear how yours turned out. Please leave a star rating and comment below to share your experience. Your feedback not only supports Just One Cookbook but also helps other home cooks discover recipes they can trust.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 2, 2020 and republished with new content on [PUBLISH DATE].