Vegetarian and Vegan Cooking Class in Lima

Updated Date: September 9, 2026

Author: Luchito’s Cooking Class Editorial Team

Quick Summary: Most of a Lima cooking class adapts to vegetarian and vegan diets, and the adaptations are real dishes rather than an afterthought: causa made with avocado instead of chicken, and mushroom ceviche in place of fish. One dish does not adapt — lomo saltado is beef-based — so the session you book matters. The pisco sour normally contains egg white, which affects vegans specifically. Give a few days’ notice.

What vegetarians and vegans actually cook in a Lima class

• Causa limeña — made with avocado instead of chicken. Naturally close to vegetarian already; the potato and ají amarillo base is unchanged.
• Mushroom ceviche — the standard substitution for non-fish eaters, using the same leche de tigre technique.
• Papa a la huancaína — potato-based, though the sauce traditionally contains cheese, so vegans should confirm the version.
• Lomo saltado does not adapt. It is a beef dish; the operator says plainly it cannot be made vegetarian or vegan.
• Pisco sour contains egg white in the classic recipe. Fine for vegetarians, an issue for vegans — ask about a chilcano instead.
• Give a few days’ notice. Ingredients are bought fresh per session, so this is not a day-of request.

Peruvian food is more vegetarian-friendly than its reputation

Peru has a reputation abroad as a meat and seafood country, which is fair as far as restaurant menus go and misleading about the actual cuisine. The Andean food tradition is built on potatoes, quinoa, maize, beans and native vegetables, and has been for centuries. Peru grows thousands of potato varieties. Dishes like causa limeña, locro de zapallo and the enormous range of bean and grain preparations are not vegetarian adaptations of meat dishes; they are the older layer of the cuisine.

This matters for a cooking class because it means the vegetarian version is not a consolation prize. You are not getting the meat dish with the meat removed. You are getting a dish that has a legitimate place in the tradition, made with the same technique and the same ají amarillo base as everyone else at the counter.

Our guide to traditional Peruvian dishes covers the wider repertoire.

Dish by dish: what adapts and what does not

This is the detail worth having before you book, because it determines which session to choose.

Dish	Vegetarian	Vegan	How it changes
Causa limeña	Yes	Yes	Avocado in place of chicken; potato and ají amarillo base unchanged
Ceviche	Yes	Yes	Mushroom in place of fish, same leche de tigre method
Papa a la huancaína	Usually	Ask	Potato-based; the classic sauce contains fresh cheese
Lomo saltado	No	No	Beef is the dish; the operator states it cannot be adapted
Pisco sour	Yes	Ask	Classic recipe uses egg white
Chilcano	Yes	Yes	Pisco, lime and ginger ale — no animal products

The practical consequence: if you are vegetarian or vegan, the afternoon session built around ceviche, causa and pisco sour adapts almost completely, while the lomo saltado session does not. That is not a limitation of the class so much as a fact about the dish, and it is better to know it before booking than to discover it at the counter.

The two things vegans specifically need to ask about

Vegetarians have an easy time in a Lima cooking class. Vegans have two specific friction points, and both are solvable if raised in advance.

The pisco sour. The classic recipe is pisco, lime, syrup, bitters and egg white, and the egg white is what gives it the foam. There is no way to make a traditional pisco sour without it. The straightforward answer is a chilcano instead — pisco, lime and ginger ale, no animal products, and a genuinely popular Peruvian drink rather than a substitute. Ask about it when booking. Our piece on the pisco sour covers why the egg white is there.

Dairy in the sauces. Several Peruvian sauces use fresh cheese, evaporated milk or cream. Huancaína sauce is the common one. This is usually adaptable but it is a recipe change rather than an ingredient swap, so it needs notice.

“Awesome class! I really enjoyed it. Dasha was fantastic, I would recommend this course to anyone to learn more about the history of Peruvian cuisine. I did the vegan option which was delicious. All the staff were super friendly and welcoming. We made Causa, Pisco sour and Ceviche.” — Carolina A, January 2026

How much notice to give, and what to say

A few days is the working answer, and the reason is straightforward: ingredients for each session are bought fresh, so a request made on the day arrives after the shopping is done.

Be specific rather than general when you tell them. “Vegetarian” covers a wide range, and in Peru it is worth stating explicitly whether you eat fish, because the default assumption in a coastal food city is not always what you expect. Useful things to state plainly: whether you eat fish, whether you eat eggs, whether you eat dairy, and whether this is a preference or an allergy. Allergies need to be flagged as allergies.

If you are booking for a group with mixed requirements, collect them all before you book rather than forwarding them one at a time. Our guide to group bookings covers the rest of that process.

Which session to book

For vegetarians and vegans, the afternoon session is the clear choice. It covers ceviche, causa limeña and pisco sour, runs about two and a half hours, and the first two adapt cleanly. Vegans should ask about a chilcano in place of the pisco sour when booking.

The evening session is built around lomo saltado, which does not adapt. Papa a la huancaína is potato-based but traditionally uses cheese. If you are vegan and set on an evening class, ask what the session would actually look like before booking rather than assuming it can be reworked.

The longer market version is worth considering for a different reason: walking a Lima market with a chef is where you see how much of Peruvian produce is plant-based in the first place, and the variety of potatoes, corn and ají on the stalls does more to explain the cuisine than any amount of reading. Our walkthrough of the market version covers what happens.

To book, choose a session on the experiences page and state your requirements in the booking, or message the team on WhatsApp first if you want to confirm what a specific session can do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you do a vegetarian or vegan cooking class in Lima?

Yes, and most of the standard menu adapts. Causa limeña is made with avocado in place of chicken, and mushroom ceviche replaces fish using the same leche de tigre technique. These are established dishes rather than improvised substitutes. Give a few days’ notice when booking, because ingredients for each session are bought fresh and a day-of request arrives after the shopping is done.

Is there a vegan version of ceviche?

Yes. Mushroom is the standard substitution for non-fish eaters, and hearts of palm is another common one. What makes ceviche ceviche is the leche de tigre — the lime, ají and aromatics that cure the main ingredient — and that technique is unchanged in the plant-based version. You learn the same method, which is the part worth taking home.

Can lomo saltado be made vegetarian?

No. Luchito’s states plainly that lomo saltado cannot be made vegetarian or vegan because it is a beef-based dish. This is worth knowing before booking, because it means the evening session built around lomo saltado is the wrong choice for a plant-based diet. The afternoon session, covering ceviche and causa, adapts almost completely.

Is a pisco sour vegan?

Not in its classic form. The traditional recipe uses egg white, which is what creates the foam on top, and there is no way to make a conventional pisco sour without it. The simple answer for vegans is a chilcano instead — pisco, lime and ginger ale, with no animal products. It is a genuinely popular Peruvian drink rather than a compromise. Ask about it when you book.

How much notice do you need to give for a vegan cooking class?

A few days is the working answer. Ingredients are bought fresh for each session, so the request has to arrive before the shopping. Be specific rather than general: state whether you eat fish, eggs and dairy, and say explicitly whether a requirement is a preference or an allergy. In a coastal food city, “vegetarian” alone does not always communicate what you mean about fish.

Limitations

Dish adaptations described here reflect what the operator publishes and what is standard across Lima cooking schools; exactly which substitutions are available on a given date depends on the session and the ingredients bought for it. The statement that lomo saltado cannot be made vegetarian or vegan is the operator’s own. Whether a specific sauce can be made dairy-free, and whether a non-egg cocktail can be substituted, should be confirmed directly rather than assumed from this guide. Travellers with allergies rather than dietary preferences should state that explicitly at booking and confirm cross-contact handling with the operator, which this guide does not cover. Menus and availability are subject to change.