Ethiopian Vegan Food

Ethiopian food has a deep vegan tradition. Many of its best loved dishes are made with no meat, dairy or eggs: slow cooked stews of chickpeas, lentils and split peas, and simple vegetable dishes, all built on onions and Ethiopian spices. They are hearty, full of flavor and easy to make at home.

Popular vegan Ethiopian dishes

Shiro wot (ሽሮ ወጥ)

A smooth, spiced chickpea stew and the everyday dish of every Habesha kitchen. See the shiro wot recipe

Misir wot (ምስር ወጥ)

Red lentils cooked in a rich berbere sauce. See the misir wot recipe

Tikil gomen (ጥቅል ጎመን)

Cabbage cooked with onions, tomatoes and green peppers. A mild side that goes with any stew. See the tikil gomen recipe

Kik alicha (ክክ አልጫ)

Mild yellow split peas cooked with Ethiopian turmeric.

Gomen (ጎመን)

Collard greens cooked with garlic and green chili.

Your vegan Ethiopian pantry

These are the Ethiopian staples you will reach for most when cooking vegan.

• Mitin Shiro (ምጥን ሽሮ): spiced chickpea and split pea powder for shiro wot
• Nech Shiro (ነጭ ሽሮ): a lighter, milder shiro
• Berbere (በርበሬ): the chili spice blend behind misir wot and most red stews
• Mitmita (ሚጥሚጣ): a hot chili blend for extra heat
• Mekelesha (መከለሻ): a warm finishing blend for stews
• Ird (እርድ): Ethiopian turmeric for mild yellow stews
• Korerima (ኮረሪማ): Ethiopian cardamom
• Tikur Azmud (ጥቁር አዝሙድ): black cumin
• Nech Azmud (ነጭ አዝሙድ): ajwain seed
• Senafich (ሰናፍጭ): ground mustard seed
• Beso (በሶ): roasted barley flour

A tip for cooking vegan

For vegan dishes, use oil in place of niter kibbeh. Start with onions, then add oil and your spices. That base is what gives every wot its depth.

Keep exploring

Learn what each spice tastes like in our Ethiopian spice guide, or see all of our Ethiopian recipes.