Tokyo has a surprising amount of delicious vegan desserts, from traditional fish-shaped 'taiyaki' to the Instagrammable whipped cream fruit sandwich.
In this guide, let me show you the selection of my favourite vegan desserts I've had in Tokyo:
Tokyo Travel Information For Vegans
Best Time To Visit Tokyo
I love visiting Tokyo during its cherry blossom season in late March to early April. If you are traveling to Tokyo during that time, definitely visit cherry blossom spots like Meguro river and Ueno Park. But avoid the busy Japan Golden Week which is April 29 to May 5 every year.
Where To Stay In Tokyo For The Best Food
For my Tokyo trip, I stayed in Tosei Hotel Cocone Kanda, which is a decent hotel about 5-minute walk to Kanda Station or about 13-minute walk to Tokyo Station. The location is close enough to a train station for convenience but not too busy like the Shinjuku or Shibuya area. The hotel is clean and modern, but pretty small like most other hotels in Japan.
There are many areas in Tokyo that are great for first-time visitors including popular options like Shinjuku, Ginza, Ueno and more. As long as you stay near a train station, getting around should be relatively convenient even if you are not in the most popular areas.
Internet & Data
For my trip, I used Airalo for mobile data. It’s one of the cheapest options in the market and the reception is great throughout my trip. With some light scrolling on social media, checking maps and translating Japanese, I used about 1gb of data per day. And most coffee shops and shopping centres have free wifi as well.
Fruits And Season
Ebisu
This chic cafe specialises in vegan whipped cream fruit sandwiches. It offers a great selection of sandwiches made with high quality fruits, including seasonal varieties. These sandwiches are as photogenic as they are delicious. I tried the mixed fruit sandwich which has kiwi, strawberry, banana and mandarin, with deliciously fluffy cream and soft sandwich bread. All the fruits were sweet and high quality.
Dine-in customers are required to order a drink in addition to their food items. During busy hours, there is also a 60-minute time limit for dining in.
Taiyaki Hiiragi
Ebisu
This vegan-friendly spot in Ebisu specialises in egg-free taiyaki (a beloved Japanese street food dessert that’s shaped like a fish). Their regular taiyaki (200 yen) is a delicious vegan treat, featuring a thin, wafer-like shell filled with sweet red bean paste and chewy mochi bites. Keep in mind the ice cream taiyaki is not vegan.
Marbre Vegan
Shinjuku
Marbre Vegan is a charming vegan dessert shop near Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, making it the perfect pitstop after exploring the famous garden.
This small cafe offers a delightful array of vegan desserts, all delicious and expertly crafted. The menu features classics such as strawberry cake, tiramisu, and apple tart, but they also have seasonal specials like the sakura cake I tried, which has layers of cherry blossom montblanc, matcha sponge cake, red bean paste and whipped cream. Gluten-free options are also available and marked on the menu.
The Vegan Marshmallooow
Ginza
The vegan marshmallooow located in Ginza is an all-vegan dessert shop. It's a higher-end shop with prices to match, charging around 1,000 yen per cake. However, the quality of the desserts is delicious, including the matcha mille crepe which has 10 layers of rice flour crepe with soy-based matcha cream. They have a rotating selection of desserts using seasonal fruits, for example, strawberry desserts during Spring.
Premarché Gelateria & Alternative Junk
Naka-Meguro
Premarché Gelateria is an award-winning gelato shop with almost half of their flavours being vegan. The vegan gelato flavours (14 during my visit) are clearly marked and separated from the non-vegan ones. Highly recommend the "French Highest Grade Chocolate Sorbet" if you love chocolate. The classic matcha flavour is also delicious.
So Tarte
Yoyogi & Omotesando
So Tarte is a fully vegan cafe specialising in vegan fruit tarts. Their menu offers a great selection ranging from their regular menu like mandarin and kiwi tarts, to seasonal varieties that showcase the best of Japanese produce, including the white strawberry tart that I tried during my visit.
The tarts here are simply divine. The high quality fruits really shine, complemented by a buttery tart base with the perfect textural contrast - crunchy and cookie-like around the edges while moist and chewy like a blondie in the centre. The light, creamy vegan whipped cream tops it all off beautifully. While on the pricier side, especially since you're required to order a drink if dining in, the tarts are absolutely worth the price.
So Tarte has a sister cafe called Fruits & Season that's known for its vegan whipped cream fruit sandwiches, making it another enticing vegan dessert option in Tokyo.
Yoyogi-Uehara: Address and Hours
Omotesando: Address and Hours
Cafe Chairo
Harajuku
Tucked away in an alleyway of Harajuku is this all-vegan cafe - Cafe Chairo. This Instagrammable cafe serves up some traditional Japanese desserts like mochi and anmitsu, as well as a selection of Japanese teas. I tried the matcha red bean muffin which has a fluffy delicious texture with classic Japanese flavours. And if you visit, be sure to say hi to the resident cat, Koyane-chan.
8ablish
Azabudai Hills
A high-end vegan restaurant near Azabudai Hills, 8ablish has some beautifully-made and tasty desserts. The gateau au chocolate is meticulously shaped like a cacao bean, which rich and tasty chocolate flavours. It also comes with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and some cacao nibs. Although it taste good, the portions are relatively small for the prices.
More Vegan Desserts In Tokyo
There's even more vegan desserts in Tokyo you can have that I didn't have time to cover in this guide. If you are interested, consider getting The Vegan Foodie Guide To Japan. It covers additional desserts in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and beyond, with a total of 132+ vegan friendly restaurants in Japan.
