Peruvian Staples From Ceviche to Lomo Saltado Get a Plant-Based Makeover

When it comes to food from south of the US border, Mexican is still the most popular cuisine among Americans. But Peruvian food might be coming for its crown. According to data from Rentech Digital, the Peruvian restaurant scene is growing, with nearly 2,000 restaurants in the US exclusively serving dishes like ceviche, lomo saltado, and aji de gallina. Known for its bold flavors and diverse influences—from African and Spanish to Chinese and indigenous Incan—Peruvian cuisine offers a one-of-a-kind culinary experience. But you don’t need to book a table to try it. As the recipes below show, bringing the vibrant flavors of Peru into your own kitchen (using solely plant-based ingredients) is easier than you might think.

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What are typical Peruvian foods?

Peruvian food features many plant-based ingredients. The country is home to more than 4,000 varieties of potato, for example. Quinoa is also native to the country, as are aji peppers and choclo, a type of starchy Peruvian corn. But that said, there’s no doubt that many iconic and traditional Peruvian dishes feature animal products as the central ingredient. 

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Lomo saltado, for example, is stir-fried beef with onions and tomatoes, usually served with French fries. Ceviche usually features raw fish, while aji de gallina centers around shredded chicken in a spicy yellow pepper sauce. Other popular dishes include anticuchos, which are skewers traditionally made with beef heart, and seco de cordero, a lamb stew.

However, with a few simple swaps, it is possible to make tasty plant-based Peruvian food. 

Vegan Peruvian recipes

Hungry to try Peruvian cuisine with a plant-based twist? Find out how to make everything from vegan saltado to ceviche to aji verde below.

Nico Vera

1 Vegan Afro-Peruvian Carapulcra

Carapulcra, loved in many Afro-Peruvian communities, is one of Peru’s oldest traditional dishes. It’s usually made with dried potatoes, peanuts, spices, and meats like pork or chicken, but this recipe from The Vegan Peruvian Kitchen cookbook proves you can get all the same flavor by swapping in chickpeas instead. Other key plant-based ingredients in this creamy, smoky, spicy stew include aji panca hot pepper paste, peanut butter, agave syrup, and red wine.
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Nico Vera

2 Vegan Beef Empanadas With Spicy Aji Verde

Brought to Latin America by the Spanish, empanadas are popular in many different countries, from Argentina (where they are the national dish) to Chile to Mexico to, you guessed it, Peru. There, empanadas are often baked with beef, chicken, or cheese and seasoned with aji peppers. This recipe, also from The Peruvian Kitchen cookbook, simply swaps beef for vegan beef. It’s authentic, bursting with flavor, and guaranteed to be a hit.
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Vegan Huggs

3 Vegan Ceviche

Ceviche, which likely dates back to ancient Peru, is usually made with lime juice, fish, aji peppers, onions, and salt. This recipe from Vegan Huggs simply swaps out the fish for hearts of palm, which, when cooked, is known for its distinct seafood-like texture. “If I could only keep one thing in my fridge all summer long, this vegan ceviche would be the winner,” says recipe developer Melissa Huggins. “It’s just one thing that I can never get sick of and I can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s flavorful, light, and so refreshing.”
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From My Bowl

4 Vegan Lomo Saltado

Influenced by 19th-century Chinese immigrants, the popular Peruvian dish lomo saltado typically features wok-fried beef, onions, and tomatoes. It’s often served with French fries, which is likely due to European influence (although potatoes themselves are, of course, a native Peruvian ingredient). It’s easy to make a vegan version of this tasty dish. In this From My Bowl recipe, for example, recipe developer Caitlin Shoemaker simply swaps out beef for umami-rich portobello mushrooms.
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The Plant Collective

5 Vegan Papa a la Huancaina

Made with boiled potatoes, a spicy cheese sauce, and boiled eggs, papa a la Huancaina (which originated in the Andes city of Huancayo) is one example of a popular vegetarian Peruvian dish. With a few swaps, it can be made totally plant-based, too. This recipe from The Plant Collective, for example, creates the sauce from ingredients like carrots, silken tofu, turmeric, and nutritional yeast. Instead of chicken eggs, it’s served with vegan hard-boiled eggs from Crafty Counter.
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Piquant Post

6 Vegan Aguadito

This hearty, nourishing bright green soup is often made with chicken, but this can be easily swapped out for vegetables, just like in this recipe from Piquant Post. The flavor-laden winter-warmer dish features mushrooms, potatoes, corn, poblano peppers, cilantro, and lime juice.
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Feasting at Home

7 Peruvian Burritos With Aji Verde Sauce

Burritos are a staple of Mexican-American cuisine, but this versatile dish lends itself well to fusion recipes. For example, this Peruvian-inspired recipe from Feasting at Home will show you how to load up burritos with Peruvian flavor using ingredients like aji verde, sweet potatoes, quinoa, black beans, and corn. Recipe developer Sylvia Fountaine describes the burritos as “a flavor bomb.”
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