Vegan Menu menu
Vegan Moroccan Menu — A Full Plant-Based Moroccan Spread
Butter and honey turn up often in Moroccan cooking, but a genuinely plant-based menu is easy to build from dishes that were never about meat or dairy to begin with — lentil harira, chickpea and vegetable tagine, olive oil-based salads. This is a full vegan spread using nothing disguised or substituted, only dishes that are naturally meat- and dairy-free. Several ingredient-led recipes on this site sit behind the courses below if you want the detail for each one.
The menu
Soup
Harira made with lentils and olive oil instead of meat and butter
Loses nothing in body — the lentils and chickpeas carry the thickness on their own.
Starter
Zaalouk (aubergine and tomato salad)
Cooked entirely in olive oil, naturally vegan and better the next day.
Main
Chickpea and vegetable tagine with apricots
Root vegetables and dried apricots simmered with ginger and cinnamon until the sauce thickens.
Side
Couscous finished with olive oil instead of butter
Fluffed with a generous glug of oil rather than the traditional butter, without losing richness.
Bread
Khobz, checking the recipe uses oil not butter
Most everyday Moroccan bread is already vegan; just confirm no dairy has crept in.
Dessert
Dates stuffed with almond paste and orange-blossom water
No egg or dairy involved, and ready in under fifteen minutes.
Drink
Mint tea
Naturally vegan and the traditional close to the meal regardless.
Shopping list
- Brown or red lentils and dried chickpeas
- Tomatoes, onion, celery and fresh herbs for harira
- Aubergines and extra tomatoes for zaalouk
- Sweet potato, carrot, courgette for the tagine
- Dried apricots, fresh ginger and cinnamon
- Couscous and good olive oil
- Pitted dates and ground almonds
- Orange-blossom water
- Flour or bread for khobz, gunpowder tea and fresh mint
Prep timeline
-
Day before
Make the zaalouk and stuff the dates — both keep and taste better rested.
-
Morning of
Soak dried chickpeas if not using tinned, and prep vegetables for the tagine.
-
2 hours before
Simmer the harira slowly, using oil in place of butter at every stage.
-
1 hour before
Start the chickpea and apricot tagine on a low heat.
-
30 minutes before
Steam the couscous, finishing with olive oil rather than butter.
-
At serving
Warm the bread and brew the tea last, so both arrive hot.
Host's tips
- Olive oil replaces butter cup for cup in most Moroccan recipes without any noticeable loss of richness.
- Check bought khobz or pastry ingredients carefully — some bakeries add butter or ghee to enrich the dough.
- Dried apricots or prunes are what give a vegan tagine its sweet depth, standing in for the richness meat fat would add.
- Tinned chickpeas and lentils are a fair shortcut on a weeknight version of this menu.
- Stuffed dates make a better vegan dessert than most Moroccan pastries, many of which rely on egg or butter.
Questions about this menu
Is traditional Moroccan food vegan?
Not by default — butter, honey and meat stock appear widely — but a good number of dishes, especially lentil soups, cooked vegetable salads and chickpea tagines, are naturally plant-based without any substitution needed.
What replaces butter in Moroccan cooking?
Olive oil is the easiest swap and is already used across much of Moroccan cuisine, particularly in salads and bread. It changes the flavour only slightly and keeps the same richness.
Can Moroccan pastries be made vegan?
Some can — stuffed dates and orange salads need no adaptation — but many rely on egg wash or butter, so they are best treated as occasional exceptions rather than menu staples.
Is harira vegan without the meat?
Yes, and it remains a classic version — many Moroccan households make a meat-free harira during long fasting periods, thickened the same way with lentils, chickpeas and a flour-water mixture.
What can I serve instead of honey-soaked pastries for dessert?
Stuffed dates, a cinnamon-orange salad, or spiced fresh fruit all give a Moroccan-feeling finish without dairy or honey, and take far less effort than frying pastries.
Learn to cook this menu with a local in Marrakech
Every dish here is taught, hands-on, in a Marrakech cooking class — or taste them across the medina on a guided food tour.