Maui Vegan-Friendly Spots That Go Way Beyond the House Salad

There’s nothing worse than landing on a tropical island, surrounded by papayas, mangoes, avocados and coconuts, then getting handed another sad house salad with oil and vinegar. This is your “light at the end of the salad” tunnel. These four Maui spots give vegans plenty to get excited about, from loaded burrito bowls and açaí to tacos, burgers, bao and vegan crème brûlée.

1. Choice Health Bar

Choice Health Bar has been feeding Maui’s plant-loving crowd since 2011. Today you’ll find locations in Pāʻia, Kaʻanapali and Wailea, making it one of the easiest vegan-friendly stops to work into a Maui vacation. Menus vary somewhat by location, with Pāʻia offering the full menu and Kaʻanapali serving a smaller selection of favorites.

Expect açaí bowls, smoothies, salads, wraps, warm bowls, cold-pressed juices and sweets. Better yet, this is the kind of health food that doesn’t leave you wondering what you’re going to eat 20 minutes later.

Fan Favorites:

• Burrito Bowl: Black beans and golden basmati rice piled with walnut-pumpkin seed Mexican-style crumble, cabbage, lettuce, macadamia nut sour cream, cashew cheese sauce, Upcountry tomato salsa, cilantro and pickled jalapeños.
• Buddha Bowl: Kale or Caesar salad over cheesy coconut quinoa with seasonal vegan soup tucked into the middle.
• The Chronic: Fresh mint, Maui apple bananas, coconut meat, hazelnuts, greens, hemp protein, macadamia nut milk and cacao nib crunchies. Basically, the mint chocolate chip milkshake of your vegan dreams.
• Benny-Mac Loco Moco: A Kauaʻi taro burger with smoky local tempeh, golden rice, cashew cheese, tomato, jalapeños and almond-sesame slaw.

Green Queen Tip: Check the toppings before ordering. Several Choice items include raw Big Island honey, which strict vegans will want left off.

2. Aʻa Roots

West Maui vegans, this one’s for you.

Aʻa Roots sits in Nāpili Plaza and is fully plant-based, so you can give your ingredient-interrogation skills the day off. The café focuses on fresh, locally sourced vegan dishes, along with juices and smoothies, with bowls, salads, soups and breakfast choices making up much of the menu.

Even the name has an island connection. ʻAʻā is the Hawaiian term for a rough, jagged type of lava flow—an appropriate name for a restaurant rooted on a volcanic island.

Fan Favorites:

• Tropical Açaí Bowl: A cool, fruit-filled breakfast that feels right at home after a hot West Maui morning.
• Tofu Scramble: Proof that eggs aren’t required for a breakfast worth getting out of bed for.
• Burrito Bowl: One of the heartier choices when fruit and smoothies simply aren’t going to cut it.
• Fresh Juices and Smoothies: Aʻa Roots puts fresh produce to good use with plenty of colorful options.

This is a good one for the mixed vegan and non-vegan vacation crew too. Nobody has to “settle” for vegan food—everybody just gets lunch.

3. Earth Aloha Eats

Sometimes you want a raw kale salad.

Sometimes you want fries covered in glorious stuff.

Earth Aloha Eats understands the second mood.

This fully vegan Kīhei restaurant specializes in plant-based comfort food, with tacos, burgers, sandwiches, bowls, wraps, fries and desserts filling the menu. It’s exactly the sort of place to bring someone who still thinks eating vegan means munching celery sticks under fluorescent lighting.

Fan Favorites:

• Mexican Street Tacos: A current crowd pleaser with generous portions and plenty of flavor.
• Gyro Wrap: A hefty plant-based gyro with hummus, fresh vegetables and tzatziki-style sauce.
• Crispy Chicken Sandwich: Crunchy vegan comfort food for the days when another smoothie simply won’t do.
• Teriyaki Fries: Loaded fries that have earned plenty of love from regulars.
• Vegan Crème Brûlée: Yes, vegan crème brûlée on Maui is a thing. Yes, you should probably save room.

If your travel partner needs convincing that vegan food can get downright indulgent, bring them here and let the tacos do the talking.

4. Veg Out

Veg Out has serious staying power.

This longtime Haʻikū spot is vegetarian rather than entirely vegan, with a wonderfully mismatched menu that bounces from Mexican and Mediterranean to pizza, curry and Pad Thai without breaking a sweat. It’s casual, filling and wonderfully unfussy. Veg Out

This isn’t a place where the vegan choice is one lonely salad hiding in the corner of the menu. You’ve got sandwiches, burritos, pizza, noodles, curries and burgers to play with—just remember that some dishes contain dairy and need to be ordered vegan.

Fan Favorites:

• The Works Burrito: Beans, rice, potatoes, tofu, olives, jalapeños, lettuce, sour cream and cheese. Leave off the sour cream and cheese to make it vegan.
• Freedom Vegan Pizza: One of Veg Out’s longtime vegan favorites, proving pizza night is very much alive and well.
• Muffuletta Sandwich: A plant-based spin on the famous sandwich with tofu, olive spread and plenty of savory goodness.
• Pad Thai: A hearty noodle choice when your stomach is asking for something more substantial than an açaí bowl.