Planning a trip to Lofoten in Norway and wondering where to find the best vegan foods or if being vegan is even possible? Then this blog post is for you! I’m sharing the best vegan-friendly restaurants, grocery shopping tipps and all the important insights on traveling vegan in Lofoten with you!
What to expect from Lofoten
Crystal clear turquoise water, white sandy beaches and lush mountains - this doesn’t really sound like something you would find all the way up North within the Arctic Circle, does it? It’s definitely not what I expected!
Lofoten is an archipelago in Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean - and actually quite famous for its fishing heritage and seafood. So Vegan in Lofoten might not seem like the obvious combination at first.
I had researched a little bit before I travelled to Lofoten, so I knew that there was gonna be vegan options at least at some places (yay!). But I wasn’t sure how common veganism would be in the supermarket and how easy (or difficult) it would be to get vegan products like oat milk, tofu or veggie meat.
It turns out - if you know where to look and where to go, you’ll have an amazing time with delicious vegan food in Lofoten. So get your notepad or Google Maps ready to save all the vegan spots in Lofoten that I’m gonna share with you.
Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Lofoten
Let’s start with vegan-friendly restaurants in Lofoten. We stayed in Lofoten for 3 weeks, two of which we spent camping, so we cooked most of your food ourself and didn’t eat out too often. But, as a vegan foodie, if there’s restaurants with vegan options, of course I have to try them!
Lysstøperi in Henningsvær
They offer a vegetarian pizza that is also vegan with lots of veggies, pesto and arugula. The cafe itself was bustling with tourists when we visited, but it still had a super cozy atmosphere. Even though it was really busy, we didn’t wait long for the pizza. The pizza itself was super delicious - great dough and great flavor!
Things to do nearby:
Hike up Festvagtind
Wander around Henningsvær
Kafe Friisgarden in Ramberg
They offer a vegan burger that comes with potato wedges or fries. We got to sit outside backyard patio which was super beautiful and relaxing. The burger itself was good - I was really happy to finally eat a veggie burger and fries after a week of campign food. It could’ve had a bit more flavor or sauce, would recommend adding some ketchup or chili sauce that you can get with the fries.
Things to do nearby:
Walk along Rambergstranda
Bakeriet pa A
Very cute, kinda famous, kinda old-school bakery in A, the southern-most town in Lofoten. Famous for their cinnamon buns which looked delicious but unfortunately weren’t vegan. They do have amazing vegan sourdough bread though!
Lofoten Beach Camp
My favorite camp site in Lofoten - see below for more info on that.
They also have a little cafe that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with several vegan options. I tried the vegan tacos and the vegan burger which were both really good!
Things to do nearby:
Hike up Flakstandtind
Go surfing
Trevare Fabrikken in Henningsvær
Beautiful spot to watch the sunset on a clear day - we even got lucky and got to see the Northern lights!
Here they make pizza and offer a vegan pizza with mushrooms. It was super delicious and really refreshing to see a restaurant offer a vegan pizza that’s something else than just veggies.
Make sure to check the opening hours before you go since they are not open every day and also serve pizza only in the evening.
Furu Cafe
This cafe belongs to Furu Hostel - a great place to stay if you’re solo-traveling - see below for more info on that.
There’s several vegan options for you to choose from. I tried the hummus sandwich for lunch/late breakfast which was very satisfying and the vegan cauliflower tacos for dinner. They also serve vegan hot chocolate with whipped cream - you have to try!
Vegan-Friendly Stays in Lofoten
Lofoten Beach Camp
We stayed here for a little over a week in total and it’s definitely my favorite camp site in Lofoten. If you’re staying in a tent, you get to camp right next to the beach which was an incredible experience.
There’s a little kitchen that you can use with several stove tops in case the weather is bad and you don’t want to cook outside. They also have several places to make a campfire right by the beach. And if you don’t feel like cooking, you can get some vegan food in the cafe.
Furu Hostel
If you’re solo-traveling and looking for a place to meet other travelers, I’d recommend staying at Furu Hostel. They have dorms, private rooms and apartments.
As a guest, you have access to a kitchen that’s small but super well equipped with stove tops, an oven and a microwave.
I really loved staying at this place - it has such a nice community feeling and and slow-down, down-to-earth vibe.
Polarhagen
I didn’t stay here but came across this place during my research. They offer vegan pizza nights and you can also stay in one of their rooms.
Vegan Grocery Shopping in Lofoten
Vegan grocery shopping was actually a bit more challenging than I had anticipated. Before traveling to Lofoten, I spent time in Germany and Sweden and was used to finding an abundance of vegan products in the supermarkets. In Lofoten, I walked into the grocery store and couldn’t even find tofu.
Here are my top tips for vegan grocery shopping in Lofoten:
- Stick to the bigger supermarkets in the larger cities, such as Leknes or Svolvaer. I’ve found the supermarket Extra in Leknes to have the best vegan section.
- Try and buy mainly whole foods instead of relying on vegan substitute products. I had no trouble finding canned lentils, chickpeas and beans. Things like pasta, canned tomatoes, olives, rice, beans you’ll find in basically any supermarket.
- Look for the gluten-free section. You might find some gluten-free & accidentally vegan products there. Also, the plant-based milk was usually next to the gluten-free stuff.
- Check the frozen section (if you have access to a freezer). You’ll usually find a few vegan meat alternatives like vegan nuggets, vegan burgers and veggie mince there. I can really recommend the Naturli vegan burgers. We took them to Kvalvika Beach and enjoyed a delicious burger watching the sunset.
- I’ve found that in Lofoten/Norway, there usually not a completely vegan section in the fridge like you might find in other countries. Instead, you’ll have to look in the cheese section for vegan cheese or by the meat for vegan meat alternatives.
Vegan Recipes for Camping in Lofoten
Some of the best vegan food I’ve had during my trip to Lofoten was cooked on a campfire or by the beach.
Here is a super simple vegan banana pancakes recipe that we made four times in three weeks because it’s that good!
Vegan Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- one ripe banana
- 1-2 teaspoon vegetable oil or margarine
- 1 cup of plant milk
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar
- pinch of cinnamon
- regular flour
Mash one ripe banana.
Mix in about a teaspoon of vegetable oil or margarine.
Mix in roughly a cup of plant milk, we used Oatly.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. This totally depends how sweet you want your pancakes to be. I always eyeball this. Add a little and you can always add more later.
Optional but highly recommended: a pinch of cinnamon
And finally, stir in wheat flour bit by bit until you have the consistency you want.
Melt a little margarine or oil in a pan and cook your pancakes (make sure the pan is hot before you add the first one).
Bonus tip: roll up a piece of chocolate in the cooked pancakes.
Extra bonus tip: Make sure the pancake doesn’t fall into the sand while flipping (which totally did not happen to us!). The added crunch is not pleasant.
Vegan Camping Food
If you plan on making a campfire, I would suggest bringing some vegan marshmallows with you. I did not find any vegan marshmallows in the supermarkets in Lofoten - but you’ll find cookies and chocolate. So just bring the marshmallows and you can make some delicious vegan s’mores.
We also took some vegan sausages with us. If you live in Germany, check out the vegan sausages from dm - they don’t need to be stored in the fridge, so they are perfect to pack one or two for your trip. Then you can enjoy yummy vegan campfire hotdogs.
If you happen to have access to an oven, I highly recommend baking some cinnamon buns and taking the on a hike with you. There's nothing better than enjoying some cinnamon buns on top of a mountain!
Vegan in Lofoten
With a little preparation, traveling vegan in Lofoten is definitely possible. Even more than possible - I’ve had the best time there!
Have you been to Lofoten? What are your best tips and secrets to vegan food in Lofoten? Let me know in the comments!