10 Vegetarian food in Sri Lanka that will make you hungry now

Travelling around the world as a vegetarian is a frighting thought to many vegetarian travellers. But here in Sri Lanka, you don’t have to worry a second about finding vegetarian food, as Sri Lankan cuisine has its own best practices when it comes to cooking with vegetables.

If you are a vegetarian planning to visit Sri Lanka keep reading to find out 10 vegetarian food in Sri Lanka that are loaded with flavorful and colourful ingredients.

Vegetarian food in Sri Lanka

Milk rice

A rice made with coconut milk is served with a special homemade chilli paste(Lunumiris). This vegetarian food in Sri Lanka is a must on auspicious occasions and has a long history that runs to the ages of kings. If you are a vegetarian who hates spicy food, try milk rice with bananas or jaggery.

Hoppers

A thin crunchy pancake made with rice flour and coconut milk is another completely vegetarian dish you must try in Sri Lanka. Puffy and sticky core and the crunchy edge of the Hopper make anyone fall in love with it in a single bite. You can find this vegetarian dish in street shops as well as in star hotel menus for breakfast and for dinner.

Pittu

This cylindrical shaped food is another completely vegetarian food in Sri Lanka you can find in Sri Lanka with a nice texture.Pittu made with scrapped coconut and flour ,then steamed in a tall cylindrical container is served with Kiri Hodi(A yellowish curry made with coconut milk and spices) and Lunumiris (a traditional chilli paste). 

 Roti

This thick pancake with a hard exterior and softcore severed with Lunumiris(a traditional chilli paste) made with coconut and flour is another the vegetarian food in Sri Lanka.  

You will find two types of roti in Sri Lanka based on the flour it’s been made with, namely pol roti and Kurakkan roti. Pol roti is made with wheat flour while Kurakkan flour ( a rough but nutritious grain) is used to prepare Kurakkan roti.

Rice and vegetable curries

Vegetarian options are never-ending when it comes to rice and curry in Sri Lanka.Sri Lankan won’t let you get bored though you have rice and curry for every meal for several weeks straight. From vegetables, you are already familiar with such as Beans and carrots to local veggies like Kekiri,Bitter god,Drum Sticks,Ladies Fingers Sri Lankans know how to make a curry out of  almost everything. 

Even with fruits!

Trust me it’s not that hard to find a pineapple curry or a mango curry in Sri Lanka.

Fruits

If you are not a fan of spices and spicy food you will still have this vegetarian food option in Sri Lanka-Fruits.

In Sri Lanka, you’ll find a lot of fruit shops with long hanging banana bunches in the front which will help you to recognise fruit shops easily even from a distance. 

A verity of bananas, mangoes, papayas, pineapples and so many other local fruits are not rare in those shops no matter what part of the island you are.

Wades

A vegetarian crunchy dumpling with a soft interior tastes best when it is warm. Grounded Kadala Parippu(big dhal),onions,curry leaves and spices are the main ingredients of this vegetarian food in Sri Lanka popular in the streets.

Make sure to confirm the mixture does not contain dry Maldivian fish which can offend your food code.

Soy food

Soy milk, soy rolls,soy ICE CREAM…Oh, forget soy meat my favourite curry ever.. Soy food centres are common in all most every town in Sri Lanka.So it won’t be hard for you to find a place to taste some soy food in Sri Lanka.

If you think the Sri Lankan traditional tastes are not for you, you can always go for soya food you are already familiar with. 

Sweets

Let me add some sweetness to this post with Sri Lankan traditional sweets. Most of the Sri Lankan sweets such as Kewum ,Kokis,Aasmi,Aluwa,Welithlapa..ect are made with coconut milk, rice flour and kithul trickle. Vegetarians should not miss some traditional sweets in their visit to Sri Lanka.

Stay away from Kokis if you can't find out whether eggs are mixed to the Kokis mixture or not.

Green leaves salads

Last but not least…

Green leaves salads.

A fully raw dish that can give you a unique vegetarian food experience in your time in Sri Lanka. 

This is a side dish Sri Lankans serve with rice and curry is obviously made with different types of herbal leaves. To be specific this salad is a mixture of finely chopped leaves, onions, green chilli,scrapped coconut, lime juice and salt. 

If you are willing to try this vegetarian dish with bread or roti or crackers or…whatever you like, you are welcome as well. Let me warn you with this salad as well, as some people add Maldivian fish to green leaves salad.

Now you have an idea what you can expect in Sri Lanka.

If you are wondering how to taste food as much as you can within the short time you have, this food tour experience for you(only if you visit Colombo).

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Hope you‘ll enjoy all these 10 vegetarian food in Sri Lanka that definitely will enhance your food experience. If you find this useful please hit the share buttons down below and support us.

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