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From creamy moussaka beneath the Acropolis to pistachio ice cream in the Athens sunshine, Rose Lee’s vegan food tour of Greece proves that eating plant-based is no barrier to experiencing this country’s famous food culture.
Lee, the creator of the Cheap Lazy Vegan and Lazy Vegan Travel YouTube channels, recently documented her first hosted group tour through Athens and Santorini. The trip brought together 18 travelers for several days of vegan food, ancient landmarks, a Greek cooking class, volcanic hikes, and time on the Aegean Sea.
Read more: Inside A 7-Day Plant-Based Food Tour of Madrid and Barcelona
Known for her accessible recipes, Lee uses Cheap Lazy Vegan to show that vegan food does not need to be expensive, complicated or time-consuming. Lazy Vegan Travel takes that philosophy on the road, following her as she searches for plant-based meals and memorable experiences around the world.
Her Greece vlog is both a food diary and a lively travelogue. It captures carefully planned group meals alongside spontaneous ice cream stops, historic sites, and the occasional decision to eat simply because good vegan food is nearby.
Vegan ice cream and moussaka in Athens
Find more plant-based food and travel content on the Cheap Lazy Vegan YouTube channel.
Lee begins the trip in Athens, a city she had not visited since 2016. Its crowded streets, ancient history and slightly chaotic energy quickly remind her why she enjoyed it the first time.
“I forgot how much I love Athens,” she says. “It is such a crazy, hectic city, but it’s, like, so interesting to me. And there’s so much culture, so much history.”
Before meeting the group for its official welcome dinner, Lee explores the city alone. She walks to the bustling Monastiraki Square, where visitors can see the Acropolis rising over the surrounding rooftops.
During the walk, she unexpectedly finds a fully plant-based ice cream shop. Despite insisting that she is not hungry, she orders three scoops: pistachio, mango and vegan Nutella.
The mango is bright and refreshing, while the pistachio delivers one of the flavors most closely associated with Mediterranean desserts. Lee ultimately chooses the rich, chocolate-hazelnut-inspired Nutella scoop as her favorite.
“Of course, I got three scoops,” she says. “I think my favorite’s the Nutella, actually.”
Another recommendation soon sends her in search of tempeh at a nearby vegan restaurant. The menu also includes a seitan gyro, offering a plant-based take on one of Greece’s best-known street foods, but Lee chooses the tempeh after hearing especially enthusiastic praise from another traveler.
“If you’re vegan, you don’t eat when you’re hungry,” she jokes. “You eat when there’s good vegan food.”
That evening, the full group gathers for drinks and its welcome meal. One of the highlights is a vegan moussaka topped with plant-based cheese. Traditionally prepared with layers of eggplant, meat and béchamel, moussaka can be difficult to find in vegan form. This version retains the richness and comfort-food appeal of the Greek classic without the animal products.
Dessert is similarly indulgent. The group is served a dense chocolate creation that one diner compares to cheesecake, setting the tone for a tour in which nobody is likely to leave the table hungry.
Ancient sites and a vegan cooking class
The group’s time in Athens combines food with some of the city’s most recognizable historical attractions.
At the Acropolis, the travelers enter near the Theatre of Dionysus, an ancient performance space associated with the early development of Greek theater. Lee is particularly entertained by the fact that Dionysus is linked to wine and celebration.
“Party god,” she says. “My type of god.”
Although the Acropolis is crowded, Lee remains captivated by the monument and the views across Athens. She describes the site as “a zoo” but also “gorgeous.”
Afterward, the group relaxes at a rooftop overlooking the Acropolis before walking through Plaka, the picturesque neighborhood at the foot of the hill. Its narrow streets, small shops and restaurant terraces provide a quieter contrast to central Athens.
The travelers also return to the vegan ice cream shop Lee discovered earlier. This time, she orders Greek yogurt-style vegan ice cream with pistachio. Other members of the group sample the Nutella and pistachio flavors.
One of the most substantial experiences on the vegan food tour of Greece takes place at Soybird, a vegan cooking studio in Athens.
The group fills the studio and divides into teams to prepare a plant-based Greek feast. Participants chop ingredients, work on bread, and make vegan versions of traditional dairy-based dishes.
Among the recipes is a vegan tzatziki, recreating the cooling yogurt, cucumber, garlic and herb dip without dairy. Another team prepares almond-based feta, demonstrating how nuts can provide the creamy texture and salty flavor associated with the famous Greek cheese.
Lee, who regularly cooks for her Cheap Lazy Vegan channel, decides to supervise from a comfortable distance.
“I’m going to kind of stay in the back, drink some wine because I don’t really need to be cooking,” she says. “I cook enough.”
As the dishes come together, the studio fills with the smell of freshly prepared food. The group sits down to eat the bread, dips, vegan cheese and other dishes it has made.
Lee is particularly eager to try the almond feta, repeatedly describing the finished food as delicious. An impressive dessert follows, even though most of the group is already full.
“Death by overeating,” Lee jokes as the travelers attempt to find room for another course.
The class shows that vegan Greek food can extend far beyond restaurant substitutions. By making the dishes themselves, the travelers learn how some of the country’s most familiar flavors can be recreated using plant-based ingredients.
A volcanic adventure in Santorini
The tour later moves to Santorini, replacing Athens’ crowded streets with steep cliffs, whitewashed buildings and expansive sea views.
The group stays at a vegan hotel, allowing plant-based food to become part of the accommodation experience rather than something travelers need to find separately for every meal. The property also offers scenic terraces, pools and views across the island’s dramatic landscape.
Santorini’s steep terrain becomes apparent when the group takes a cable car down toward the water. From there, the travelers board a boat for an excursion around the island.
Their first stop involves a hike across Santorini’s volcanic landscape. The dark, rugged ground and open views of the sea offer a striking contrast to the marble structures and dense streets of Athens. Lee finds the descent more intimidating than the climb. However, the group completes the hike before returning to the boat for drinks and time on the water.
“What a beautiful day,” she says as the travelers raise a toast.
The group later visits Wet Stories, a relaxed beach club where it spends the afternoon resting and eating vegan poke bowls. Filled with fresh, colorful ingredients, the bowls provide a lighter meal after the physical demands of the volcano hike.
Although poke is not traditionally Greek, its availability helps illustrate the variety of plant-based food in a major Greek tourist destination. Across the trip, the group eats vegan versions of Greek classics as well as tempeh, falafel, ice cream and fresh bowls.
Back at the hotel, Lee takes in Santorini’s terraces, pools and coastal views. “It’s so pretty,” she says. “Can’t get over it.”
Read more: 5 Practical Travel Tips From A Vegan Explorer
One final plant-based feast
The travelers reunite for one last dinner before the tour ends.
By then, they have explored the Acropolis, cooked their own Greek food, sailed around Santorini and eaten more vegan dishes than they can comfortably count. The final meal feels like a celebration of both the destination and the friendships formed during the trip.
“We did it together,” Lee says as the group settles in.
The restaurant serves creative, carefully presented dishes, including one described as creating “an explosion of freshness.” Other elements feature pineapple, botanical, salty lemon and hazelnut notes.
The meal reinforces the vlog’s central message: vegan travelers can experience Greece through rich traditional flavors, modern plant-based cooking and plenty of spontaneous indulgence.
Lee’s journey is not presented as a story of navigating restrictions. Instead, it is filled with abundance – vegan moussaka, almond feta, rooftop meals, three-scoop ice creams and desserts eaten long after everyone is full.
“And that was the epic vegan group tour in Greece,” Lee says at the end of the video.
Her vegan food tour of Greece suggests that tasting the best of Athens and Santorini does not require compromising on a plant-based diet. It may, however, require arriving with a very large appetite.
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