Inside Zendaya's daily diet after becoming vegetarian facing 'challenging' issue
Louis Vuitton and Bulgari model, global ambassador for On, and the female face of Spider-Man: Brand New Day,Zendaya is an absolute powerhouse who often indulges in pizza, tends to steer clear of breakfast, and is a staunch vegetarian of almost two decades.
Like her long-term partner Tom Holland, the 29-year-old is propping up cinemas in 2026. There are her jaw-dropping performances in A24’s The Drama and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey with Robert Pattinson, and in the fourth MCU Spider-Man film with Jon Bernthal, Holland, and Sadie Sink, which released this week.
Later this year, Zendaya will reprise her role as Chani in the third instalment of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune series with fellow Marvel star Florence Pugh and Timothée Chalamet, who was recently gifted a coveted Chipotle ‘black card’ for his unwavering dedication to the brand.
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When not on set or jetting off on press tours, the American icon can be found picking up items from her favourite Oakland bakery and indulging in vegetarian meals, cooked by Holland.
Here’s everything you need to know about Zendaya’s diet, including her affinity for one particular sweet treat.
Zendaya’s daily diet from breakfast go-tos to favourite desserts
In 2017, The Challengers favourite admitted that she wasn’t much into eating food first thing in the morning.
"I've never been a breakfast person. I love breakfast food, just not at breakfast time,” she explained, as per Harper’s Bazaar.
"I'll eat breakfast food, but it must have some Nutella on it: pancakes, berries, and Nutella.”
When the lunch bell rings, the actress apparently likes to eat on-the-go ramen with hot sauce, as per Harper’s Bazaar.
"I don't cook. I think I could cook... I can do anything I put my mind to, so I could cook. I just a) don't like following directions, and I'm b) too lazy. I use Postmates to order food. I can have anything I want; that's the beauty of ordering food", she explained to to the publication.
She added that even if she’s eating ‘her favourite meal ‘, she is still likely to follow in Jeff Goldblum’s footsteps and skip to her favourite dessert, ice cream.
“In fact, I get in trouble with my assistant a lot. He says I shouldn't do that.”
Zendaya has discussed her love for frozen sweet treats multiple times over the years, including during Vanity Fair’s Secret Talent Theatre in 2018.
“As most people know, I’m obsessed with ice cream,” she gushed.
Despite her love for takeout and her penchant for fast-food (inc. grilled cheese sandwiches from In-N-Out), Zendaya also eats plant-based meals with her Spider-Man: Brand New Day co-star, Holland.
During his stint on the Dish podcast, the actor, 30 said he’d been learning to cook from his brother’s book, Sam Holland’s Kitchen Kickstarters.
“It’s for uni kids really to kind of learn how to cook and batch cook and shop responsibly.
“It has been so helpful for me. There’s a great veggie section in there. For me, obviously Z doesn’t eat meat, so cooking veggie dishes at home has been really, really lovely,” he stated.
How Zendaya became a vegetarian
Since she was 11, the ex-Disney star has been obliged to follow a vegetarian diet after she passed a slaughterhouse on a road trip with her father and former school teacher Kazembe Ajamu Coleman.
After her dad explained to her how animals were slaughtered, she quit eating them.
She later watched a PETA documentary called Glass Walls to reaffirm her decision to go plant-based.
“I don’t like the taste of meat. It actually makes me feel weird. The only thing I kind of miss are my mom’s famous turkey burgers, but that’s it,” she once said.
However, Zendaya’s diet does pose an issue: she’s a veggie who isn’t head-over-heels in love with vegetables.
"I'm a vegetarian who doesn’t like vegetables too much — makes it challenging!
“My main reason for being a vegetarian is that I’m an animal lover — definitely not because I love vegetables,” she stated, as per People Magazine.
Zendaya’s favourite restaurants
The Drama actor has a slew of eateries on her roster, including Arizmendi Bakery in her hometown of Oakland, which also has a branch in San Francisco, as per SF Gate.
“We love it when she [Zendaya] comes into the bakery,” said co-owner and social media manager Christine Belardo, who claimed the star enjoyed ordering pizza and may have also tried the scones at one point.
In the past, the star has also visited a Scottish ice cream parlour called Miele’s Gelateria in Inverness and dined at Everest Lounge Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
As per a BBC report, she and Holland ate chana saag bengan, a paneer shaslik starter with a side of saag aloo, and chicken tikka masala, pilau rice and a garlic naan.
The pair also uses the restaurant tracking app, Beli, to keep track of where they’ve eaten.
“We’ve been on tour travelling to loads of amazing places, and Z’s been using this app, and it has not let us down yet,” Holland stated on Dish.
“It’s like this new social media for restaurants and food,” he explained, adding that Zendaya was ‘really into her food and trying food’.
“She’s very adventurous.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, is in cinemas now.
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, Diet, Health
Ella Scott