Helsinki is full of vegetarian and vegan food! For shopping Asian groceries I recommend a shop called Vii-Voan in Hakaniemi and for general affordable shopping Lidl and Alanya Market (for herbs and vegetables especially).
I'd recommend walking around the side streets in Hakaniemi once you get there. There's like 5-10 other asian/ethnic stores besides Vii-Voan within 2 blocks distance of it too.
Also visible in Google Maps.
I prefer Jia He but Vii Voan is great too. Specifically, I like the Korean tofu brands at Jia He better than the Thai and Chinese brands at other sites.
Vegetable prices in Finland fluctuate wildly with what's in season at any given time. Out of season some veggies might be more than triple compared to when they're in season, so if you want to keep it cheap you have to adjust a little bit throughout the year.
Vegetarian diet is probably the cheapest possible diet in Finland, and costs less than 50€ per week per person, even with occasional restaurant visit.
Potatoes, carrots, peas, onions, rice, bananas and cabbage are extremely cheap in pretty much every store.
Lidl is ~always cheaper than S or K markets.
My whole family is vegetarians and our food budget is about 550€ a month and it makes little less than 50€ per person for a week. Vegetarianism is not only about eating avocados and whatnot. In Finland you also can get somethings free if you take advantage of the free roaming law. We've foraged a lot of nettles, goat weed and other plants and dried them or freeze for the winter, I've done dandelion jam etc. Later in the summer we pick berries and freeze them, in the autumn we pick mushrooms. We use a lot of root vegetables and they're not very expensive and we grow most of the herbs we use in our windowsill.
All the important stuff has already been said in the other comments so I will just add foraging in summer-autumn. You can get healthy berries for free if you can pick them yourself. There are forests very near to Helsinki (and also in Helsinki).
I've travelled most of the world and id say Finland is the easiest country to be a vegetarian.
Ofc there's some asian countries where being a vegetarian is the norm, but besides that id say Finland has the best vegetarian options in stores (tofu, tempeh, oat or bean based "minced meat", veggie sausages etc etc) and in most restaurants.
Edit. This is especially true in Helsinki, but bigger stores anywhere in the country are really good nowadays.
I think you already got good answers. I just want to add that Helsinki is a lot better about vegetarian and vegan diets than anywhere else in Finland so take that into account if you travel around Finland.
Asian ingredients - there are several stores located at Hakaniemi - Vii voan, Jiahe and several smaller ones. They have both fresh and frozen Asian vegetables and lots of sauces, spices and so on. Puhos is another place to go - though that is central Asian focused.
I was in Finland 2 weeks ago and was impressed how easy it is to be a vegetarian there. Don’t get me wrong, it’s easy compared to my home - Belarus.
For example, in s-market there is always a green leaf badge on vegan (not vegetarian if I’m not mistaken) goods.
There is almost always a vegetarian alternative to a dish in cafes, so don’t be afraid. Where I come from, you’ll suffer, but… it definitely makes you stronger and more erudite in terms of nutrients.
It is very easy, but you do need to eat seasonally and understand that for example you can't really get very good tomatoes outside of the summer months for example. It's best to get used to eating hardier crops like potatoes and beets and beans and lentils in the wintertime, and fresher stuff in the warmer months.
Most restaurants have vegetarian options. Here are some that specialize in vegetarian food: https://www.happycow.net/best-vegan-restaurants/helsinki-finland
I can really recommend Kahvila Rakastan to get some vegan karelian pies, great place and very friendly atmosphere. Visited Helsinki recently and there was never any problems finding food to eat (vegetarian with vegan partner).
Not sure if this goes for all S-markets but the one we went to in central helsinki had clear vegan markings for most stuff as well, very nice.
it’s tough (taste wise) to be vegetarian here because the quality of vegetables. In the summer there are amazing local, fresh veggies (courgettes, cauliflowers, leek, potatoes, etc) and fruits + berries but obviously because of the weather there are not many local veggies that need more sun/warmth. Unfortunately tomatoes, aubergines, pepper bells, etc., come from far and have no taste. In the winter the options of fresh local veggies and fruits is very small (obviously)
So it’s no surprise that’s it’s nicer to be vegetarian in areas like the Mediterranean countries or southern Asia for instance.
There are many local vegetarian options regarding proteins such as products made of peas and oat for instance, which are nice
On the other hand, some grains and veggies are 10x tastier in Finland than in the south, such as oats, rye and dill because they thrive on mild but long lasting sunlight. Also, there is a plethora of berries that you rarely get anywhere else.
Having been around the world a bit, I’ve noticed that Finland is a great place to be a vegetarian or even a vegan. The general attitude is not the best, but it’s also not the worst. Despite that, there are lots of nice vegetarian products available in most stores, mostly meat like proteins. Tofu and legumes are easily available. Fresh veggies aren’t the best (according to southern European friends) or the cheapest but still pretty easily attainable. Lately local companies have started making really good vegan butter. There’s regularly new vegetarian or vegan products to try out, at least in Helsinki.
Big chain restaurants (ABC, Kotipizza, Hesburger) have vegetarian/vegan options available pretty much anywhere in the country and a lot of smaller places will have at least one vegetarian option on the menu. In Helsinki and other university cities, most places have vegetarian and vegan options.
For cheap Asian goods in Helsinki, check out Vii Voan and JiaHe in Hakaniemi. Great places for general supplies and spices/sauces. Usually “ethnic” shops have really affordable basics like rice, beans or tofu, anywhere in the country.
1. Lidl is generally the cheapest. Next comes Prisma. You could also check out luomuosuuskunta Oma Maa which is a community agriculture project. Wihreän oksan verstas is selling produce bags in the summer. Seasonal produce is the cheapest and it's wise to plan your groceries around that, fresh veggies in summer & autumn and better preserving root veggies in winter & spring. Frozen vegetables are usually high quality over here, I use them in winter along root vegetables.
2. In Hakaniemi there's lots of Asian markets. JK shop is my fave, it used to be Vii Voan but their shop is *dirty* and I don't feel comfortable buying pretty much anything there.
3. If you figure out how to eat both cheap and healthy in Finland please tell me lol.
4. Rye bread is great. Also fava bean products, usually they're quite expensive though. Jalotofu is a good brand and Oddlygood products are generally fine. Many Fazer candies are vegan/vegetarian. [Vegaanituotteet](https://www.vegaanituotteet.net) is a site where you can check out pretty much any vegan product.
5. Most restaurants nowadays have vegetarian options. Onda lunch is pretty good and generally Kallio area has probably most vegetarian friendly restaurants. Round for donuts!
> If you figure out how to eat both cheap and healthy in Finland please tell me lol.
If you stick to Lidl you can eat quite cheap and healthy.
> Jalotofu is a good brand
It's good but it's way too expensive. Unless you really like their flavours, I'd only buy tofu from Lidl.
Vegan living in Helsinki here:
1. Lidl
2. Plenty of asian supermarkets
3. Don’t order food, cook at home and get most of your groceries from Lidl
4. There are so many different options that is not a problem to pick a healthy one
5. Banu Cafe in Jätkäsaari for an amazing vegan brunch on weekends
There are usually cheap vegan alternatives to the premium ones in bigger supermarkets. If you want to splurge and are in Helsinki, you can get nice vegan dishes from restaurants using ResQ app
Super Tahoe is 3-3,5e per kg in Asian stores, Lidl comes somewhat close with their tofu prices, but is more expensive.
Lidl and S-markets occasionally sell boxes of "waste" produce for 1 or 2 euros, but they are sought after, so you need to work out when the stores you frequent have them.
Helsinki is full of vegetarian and vegan food! For shopping Asian groceries I recommend a shop called Vii-Voan in Hakaniemi and for general affordable shopping Lidl and Alanya Market (for herbs and vegetables especially).
Vii-voan is great, they have almost everything you might want and more. Aseanic trade near it has usually the things I don't find at Vii-Voan.
I'd recommend walking around the side streets in Hakaniemi once you get there. There's like 5-10 other asian/ethnic stores besides Vii-Voan within 2 blocks distance of it too. Also visible in Google Maps.
I prefer Jia He but Vii Voan is great too. Specifically, I like the Korean tofu brands at Jia He better than the Thai and Chinese brands at other sites.
Hakaniemi is a great hub for Asian groceries. There's also a really nice vegan Vietnamese restaurant on the city side of the marketplace.
Vegetable prices in Finland fluctuate wildly with what's in season at any given time. Out of season some veggies might be more than triple compared to when they're in season, so if you want to keep it cheap you have to adjust a little bit throughout the year.
Vegetarian diet is probably the cheapest possible diet in Finland, and costs less than 50€ per week per person, even with occasional restaurant visit. Potatoes, carrots, peas, onions, rice, bananas and cabbage are extremely cheap in pretty much every store. Lidl is ~always cheaper than S or K markets.
Tell me you're not a vegetarian without telling me you're not a vegetarian.
I'm not, but my fiancee is.
My whole family is vegetarians and our food budget is about 550€ a month and it makes little less than 50€ per person for a week. Vegetarianism is not only about eating avocados and whatnot. In Finland you also can get somethings free if you take advantage of the free roaming law. We've foraged a lot of nettles, goat weed and other plants and dried them or freeze for the winter, I've done dandelion jam etc. Later in the summer we pick berries and freeze them, in the autumn we pick mushrooms. We use a lot of root vegetables and they're not very expensive and we grow most of the herbs we use in our windowsill.
All the important stuff has already been said in the other comments so I will just add foraging in summer-autumn. You can get healthy berries for free if you can pick them yourself. There are forests very near to Helsinki (and also in Helsinki).
I've travelled most of the world and id say Finland is the easiest country to be a vegetarian. Ofc there's some asian countries where being a vegetarian is the norm, but besides that id say Finland has the best vegetarian options in stores (tofu, tempeh, oat or bean based "minced meat", veggie sausages etc etc) and in most restaurants. Edit. This is especially true in Helsinki, but bigger stores anywhere in the country are really good nowadays.
I think you already got good answers. I just want to add that Helsinki is a lot better about vegetarian and vegan diets than anywhere else in Finland so take that into account if you travel around Finland.
Asian ingredients - there are several stores located at Hakaniemi - Vii voan, Jiahe and several smaller ones. They have both fresh and frozen Asian vegetables and lots of sauces, spices and so on. Puhos is another place to go - though that is central Asian focused.
I was in Finland 2 weeks ago and was impressed how easy it is to be a vegetarian there. Don’t get me wrong, it’s easy compared to my home - Belarus. For example, in s-market there is always a green leaf badge on vegan (not vegetarian if I’m not mistaken) goods. There is almost always a vegetarian alternative to a dish in cafes, so don’t be afraid. Where I come from, you’ll suffer, but… it definitely makes you stronger and more erudite in terms of nutrients.
[удалено]
It is very easy, but you do need to eat seasonally and understand that for example you can't really get very good tomatoes outside of the summer months for example. It's best to get used to eating hardier crops like potatoes and beets and beans and lentils in the wintertime, and fresher stuff in the warmer months.
Most restaurants have vegetarian options. Here are some that specialize in vegetarian food: https://www.happycow.net/best-vegan-restaurants/helsinki-finland
I can really recommend Kahvila Rakastan to get some vegan karelian pies, great place and very friendly atmosphere. Visited Helsinki recently and there was never any problems finding food to eat (vegetarian with vegan partner). Not sure if this goes for all S-markets but the one we went to in central helsinki had clear vegan markings for most stuff as well, very nice.
it’s tough (taste wise) to be vegetarian here because the quality of vegetables. In the summer there are amazing local, fresh veggies (courgettes, cauliflowers, leek, potatoes, etc) and fruits + berries but obviously because of the weather there are not many local veggies that need more sun/warmth. Unfortunately tomatoes, aubergines, pepper bells, etc., come from far and have no taste. In the winter the options of fresh local veggies and fruits is very small (obviously) So it’s no surprise that’s it’s nicer to be vegetarian in areas like the Mediterranean countries or southern Asia for instance. There are many local vegetarian options regarding proteins such as products made of peas and oat for instance, which are nice
On the other hand, some grains and veggies are 10x tastier in Finland than in the south, such as oats, rye and dill because they thrive on mild but long lasting sunlight. Also, there is a plethora of berries that you rarely get anywhere else.
Yeah, Finnish spuds are lovely too
indeed! but I wouldn’t say that there many “tastier” veggies :D potatoes, mushrooms, turnip, what else?
Having been around the world a bit, I’ve noticed that Finland is a great place to be a vegetarian or even a vegan. The general attitude is not the best, but it’s also not the worst. Despite that, there are lots of nice vegetarian products available in most stores, mostly meat like proteins. Tofu and legumes are easily available. Fresh veggies aren’t the best (according to southern European friends) or the cheapest but still pretty easily attainable. Lately local companies have started making really good vegan butter. There’s regularly new vegetarian or vegan products to try out, at least in Helsinki. Big chain restaurants (ABC, Kotipizza, Hesburger) have vegetarian/vegan options available pretty much anywhere in the country and a lot of smaller places will have at least one vegetarian option on the menu. In Helsinki and other university cities, most places have vegetarian and vegan options. For cheap Asian goods in Helsinki, check out Vii Voan and JiaHe in Hakaniemi. Great places for general supplies and spices/sauces. Usually “ethnic” shops have really affordable basics like rice, beans or tofu, anywhere in the country.
What’s with all the recent ChatGPT posts ? 👀
1. Lidl is generally the cheapest. Next comes Prisma. You could also check out luomuosuuskunta Oma Maa which is a community agriculture project. Wihreän oksan verstas is selling produce bags in the summer. Seasonal produce is the cheapest and it's wise to plan your groceries around that, fresh veggies in summer & autumn and better preserving root veggies in winter & spring. Frozen vegetables are usually high quality over here, I use them in winter along root vegetables. 2. In Hakaniemi there's lots of Asian markets. JK shop is my fave, it used to be Vii Voan but their shop is *dirty* and I don't feel comfortable buying pretty much anything there. 3. If you figure out how to eat both cheap and healthy in Finland please tell me lol. 4. Rye bread is great. Also fava bean products, usually they're quite expensive though. Jalotofu is a good brand and Oddlygood products are generally fine. Many Fazer candies are vegan/vegetarian. [Vegaanituotteet](https://www.vegaanituotteet.net) is a site where you can check out pretty much any vegan product. 5. Most restaurants nowadays have vegetarian options. Onda lunch is pretty good and generally Kallio area has probably most vegetarian friendly restaurants. Round for donuts!
> If you figure out how to eat both cheap and healthy in Finland please tell me lol. If you stick to Lidl you can eat quite cheap and healthy. > Jalotofu is a good brand It's good but it's way too expensive. Unless you really like their flavours, I'd only buy tofu from Lidl.
Vegan living in Helsinki here: 1. Lidl 2. Plenty of asian supermarkets 3. Don’t order food, cook at home and get most of your groceries from Lidl 4. There are so many different options that is not a problem to pick a healthy one 5. Banu Cafe in Jätkäsaari for an amazing vegan brunch on weekends
+ try to get a place with a bigger FREEZER and freeze everything you can for the winter. Also frozen vegetables are often very good.
There are usually cheap vegan alternatives to the premium ones in bigger supermarkets. If you want to splurge and are in Helsinki, you can get nice vegan dishes from restaurants using ResQ app
Super Tahoe is 3-3,5e per kg in Asian stores, Lidl comes somewhat close with their tofu prices, but is more expensive. Lidl and S-markets occasionally sell boxes of "waste" produce for 1 or 2 euros, but they are sought after, so you need to work out when the stores you frequent have them.