Vegetarian, Vegan, Halal and Allergies in China

Special diets are possible in China, but they take preparation. Vegetable dishes may be cooked in lard or meat stock, peanuts and sesame turn up in sauces, and soy sauce puts wheat in almost everything. Learn where to eat, carry your needs written in Chinese, and show them every time you order. The menu reader flags common allergens in dishes and has phrases to show staff.

Vegetarian restaurants in China: Buddhist 素食

The easiest places for vegetarians in China are Buddhist vegetarian restaurants, often found near temples and in every big city. Look for 素食 sùshí (vegetarian food) or 素 sù on the sign. Many temples also run their own vegetarian dining halls.

Chinese Buddhist vegetarian cooking traditionally leaves out meat and fish, and some kitchens also skip garlic and onion. These restaurants often serve “mock meat” made from tofu, wheat gluten or mushrooms, which can look and taste convincingly like meat.

“I’m vegetarian” in Chinese is 我吃素 wǒ chī sù. Ordinary restaurants also have plenty of vegetable and tofu dishes, but read the next section before you trust them.

Hidden meat, lard and stock in Chinese vegetable dishes

A vegetable dish in China is not always vegetarian. Common hidden ingredients:

• Lard (猪油 zhūyóu), used for stir-frying in some kitchens.
• Meat stock (肉汤 ròutāng or 高汤 gāotāng) in soups, noodles and sauces.
• Minced pork on eggplant, green beans and tofu dishes such as mapo tofu.
• Oyster sauce (蚝油 háoyóu) and dried shrimp (虾米 xiāmi) in greens and fried rice.
• Beef tallow (牛油 niúyóu) in many Chongqing-style hotpot broths.

Saying 不要肉 bú yào ròu (“no meat”) helps, but staff may not think of stock, lard or sauces as meat. Be specific: 我吃素：不吃肉，不吃鱼，也不要肉汤 wǒ chī sù: bù chī ròu, bù chī yú, yě bú yào ròutāng (“I’m vegetarian: no meat, no fish, no meat stock”). At hotpot, order a mushroom broth (菌汤 jūntāng) or plain broth and ask whether it’s made with meat.

Vegan food in China

Vegan travel in China is easier than you might expect, because dairy is rare in traditional Chinese cooking. Tofu, vegetables, rice and noodles are everywhere. The main things to watch for are eggs, which turn up in fried rice, noodles and soups, and the hidden animal fats and stocks above.

To say you eat vegan, use 我吃全素 wǒ chī quán sù and add 不吃鸡蛋和奶制品 bù chī jīdàn hé nǎizhìpǐn (“no eggs or dairy”). Buddhist vegetarian restaurants are the safest choice, but ask about eggs there too. Bakeries and Western-style cafés often use butter and milk.

Halal food in China: 清真 restaurants

Halal food is common in China. Look for 清真 qīngzhēn on the sign, often in green, which marks a halal restaurant or shop. Many are run by Hui Muslims or by Uyghur families serving Xinjiang food.

Where to find halal food in China:

• Lanzhou beef noodle shops (兰州牛肉面 Lánzhōu niúròu miàn), found on almost every block in Chinese cities. Check for the 清真 sign; most display one.
• Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter (回民街 Huímín Jiē), near the Drum Tower, full of halal street food, lamb skewers and noodles. See Xi’an.
• Xinjiang restaurants serving lamb skewers, hand-pulled noodles, pilaf and flatbreads.
• Beijing’s Niujie (牛街) area around the Niujie Mosque, with halal restaurants and shops.

Many halal restaurants in China do not serve alcohol or pork. Supermarkets often label halal products 清真, but outside these places, assume a restaurant is not halal.

Peanut, sesame and soy allergies in China

Peanut, sesame and soy allergies need real care in China, because all three are everywhere.

• Peanuts: whole peanuts appear in dishes such as kung pao chicken (宫保鸡丁 gōngbǎo jīdīng) and cold appetizers, and peanut oil (花生油 huāshēngyóu) is a common cooking oil.
• Sesame: sesame oil, sesame paste (芝麻酱 zhīmajiàng) in noodles and hotpot dipping sauces, and sesame seeds on breads and buns.
• Soy: soy sauce, tofu, soybean paste and soy milk are in a large share of Chinese dishes.

Kitchens share woks and oil, and staff may not realize how serious an allergy can be. Show a written card that says the allergy is severe: 我对花生严重过敏 wǒ duì huāshēng yánzhòng guòmǐn (“I am severely allergic to peanuts”), and add 一点点也不行 yìdiǎndiǎn yě bù xíng (“not even a little”). If you carry an adrenaline auto-injector, bring enough for the whole trip, as it may be hard to find in China. See Health and safety.

Gluten-free eating in China

Gluten-free eating is one of the hardest diets in China. Soy sauce, used in most dishes, contains wheat, and northern China runs on wheat noodles, dumplings, buns and flatbreads. Mock meat in vegetarian restaurants is often wheat gluten (面筋 miànjīn).

Safer choices in China include plain steamed rice, rice noodles (米粉 mǐfěn or 河粉 héfěn), congee and steamed or boiled vegetables, but sauces and stocks can still contain soy sauce. “I can’t eat wheat or gluten” is 我不能吃小麦和麸质 wǒ bù néng chī xiǎomài hé fūzhì. If you have celiac disease, bring safe snacks and plan for limited options.

How to explain a diet or allergy in Chinese

The most reliable way to explain a diet or allergy in a Chinese restaurant is a short written card in Chinese, shown before you order. Spoken tones often don’t land, and staff can read characters at a glance.

The menu reader has ready-made allergy and diet phrases with a full-screen “show” button, and flags likely allergens on a photographed menu. The phrases tool covers more situations. Packaged food lists ingredients (配料 pèiliào) in Chinese; the sign reader or a translation app’s camera can help. For general ordering, see Food and ordering.