Is Currywurst Vegetarian? (Sausage + Curry Ketchup)

Currywurst is a German street food of sliced sausage under curry ketchup, and the sauce is usually vegan. The sausage is the problem. Here is how to order the plant-based version.

Key Takeaways

• Currywurst is not vegetarian: it is a grilled pork sausage.
• The curry ketchup is usually vegan; the sausage is not.
• A “currywurst vegan” uses a plant-based sausage with the same sauce.
• It is one of the easiest German street foods to find vegan.

TL;DR: Currywurst is not vegetarian: it’s a grilled pork sausage sliced and topped with curry-spiced ketchup. The sauce is usually vegan; the sausage is not. A plant-based version is common in Germany.

What’s in currywurst

• Sausage (Bratwurst): pork (occasionally beef). Not vegetarian.
• Curry ketchup: tomato ketchup with curry powder; usually vegan.
• Curry powder on top: vegan.

So the dish is “vegan sauce, pork sausage.”

The vegetarian version

Many German snack bars and supermarkets now sell “Currywurst vegan”: a plant-based sausage with the same curry ketchup. It’s one of the easiest German street foods to find vegan.

The bottom line

• Vegetarian? No for the classic: order vegan/vegetarian currywurst.
• Vegan? The plant-sausage version (the sauce is already vegan).

See our Currywurst dish guide for the full breakdown.

Check before you eat. The Verify Veg app scans a barcode or reads an ingredient list from a photo and flags ingredients against your diet (vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Jain and more). Download on the App Store - Android is coming soon.

Written by Samir Narain, founder of Verify Veg. Verify Veg helps people check packaged food against their diet by scanning barcodes and reading ingredient lists from photos.

Note: Verify Veg provides ingredient-based compatibility checks, not certification. Recipes and preparations vary by restaurant, region and cook, so always confirm with the restaurant, brand or vendor.