Vegetarian and vegan in Shanghai: what to order and what to ask

The short answer. You can eat vegetarian in Shanghai, but “no meat” is not enough to say. Lard, pork stock, chicken powder, oyster sauce and dried shrimp turn up in dishes that look like vegetables. Say exactly what you don’t eat, using the Chinese card from our dietary card tool, and order dishes that start out meat-free. Vegans have it easier than in many countries, because traditional Shanghai cooking uses little dairy, but egg is common.

The words that matter

Chinese	Pinyin	Means
素 / 素食	sù / sùshí	Vegetarian (food)
我吃素	wǒ chī sù	I’m vegetarian
纯素	chúnsù	Vegan: no egg, no dairy
斋 / 素斋	zhāi / sùzhāi	Buddhist vegetarian food, often with no garlic or onion either
猪油	zhūyóu	Lard
肉汤 / 高汤	ròutāng / gāotāng	Meat stock
鸡精	jījīng	Chicken powder (a stock seasoning)
蚝油	háoyóu	Oyster sauce
虾皮 / 开洋	xiāpí / kāiyáng	Dried shrimp

Why 素 alone can mislead. In everyday speech 素菜 (sùcài) means “a vegetable dish”, the opposite of a meat dish. It does not promise there is no lard or stock. And in Chinese Buddhist usage, the “five pungents” (五荤, wǔhūn) are garlic, onions and their relatives, not meat, so a Buddhist 素 meal may be stricter than you need. Our card spells out what you do and don’t eat.

Usually vegetarian, still worth checking

Stir-fried greens (炒青菜, chǎo qīngcài): ask for no lard and no chicken powder.
Kaofu (烤麸, kǎofū): braised wheat gluten with mushrooms. Usually vegetarian; check for oyster sauce.
Vegetarian “chicken” (素鸡, sùjī): pressed tofu-skin rolls.
Tofu dishes, such as home-style tofu (家常豆腐, jiācháng dòufu): ask about minced meat.
Sweet soy milk (甜豆浆, tián dòujiāng) and dabing flatbread at breakfast. Skip the savoury soy milk; it has dried shrimp. See Shanghai breakfast.
Qingtuan (青团, qīngtuán): green sticky-rice balls with red-bean filling, sold in spring.
Scallion oil noodles (葱油拌面): the plain version has no meat, but ask which oil was used and say no dried shrimp.
Vegetable buns (菜包, càibāo): ask about lard in the filling.

Usually not vegetarian, though they look it

Wontons: pork filling, and the city’s own guide says the broth is made from pork or chicken bones or ham with a little lard.
Most soups: made on a meat stock.
Cold starters in sauce: oyster sauce and dried shrimp are common.
Crab-shell pastry and other flaky pastries: the fat may be lard.
Anything with 肉松 (ròusōng): pork floss.

Vegan notes

Dairy is rare in traditional Shanghai cooking, though Western bakeries and milk tea are everywhere.
Egg is common: in fried rice, soups, wonton toppings, batters and dessert soups.
Honey is used in some glazes and drinks.
Ask for 纯素 (chúnsù), and show the vegan line on the card, which names egg, milk, butter, cheese and honey.

Vegetarian restaurants and temples

Shanghai has vegetarian restaurants. The city government’s English guide says most of them are in Jing’an and Xuhui districts, with fewer in Pudong. Map apps let you search for 素食 (sùshí) near you.

Buddhist temples are another option. Travellers report vegetarian noodle counters or dining halls at some of the city’s working temples, such as the Jade Buddha Temple and Longhua Temple. We have not checked these on site, so ask at the temple. Buddhist temple food normally leaves out garlic and onion as well as meat.

Pescatarian?

Shanghai is a good city for it: river shrimp, freshwater fish and, in autumn, hairy crab. Ask that the dish is not cooked in lard or meat stock. The card has a line for this.

Cards to show staff

Build your card with our dietary card tool, or screenshot the short vegetarian and vegan sentences in Eating in Shanghai when you can’t read the menu. For which local dishes contain what, see What to eat in Shanghai.