Yucatecan and broader Mexican cuisine leans heavily on meat, but Cancún's size and tourist volume mean vegetarian and vegan options are genuinely easier to find than the region's reputation suggests.
What to look for on menus
Dishes built on beans, corn, and vegetables show up throughout Mexican cooking — look for frijoles (beans), nopales (cactus paddle), elote (corn) and vegetable-based tacos, and don't hesitate to ask for a dish "sin carne" (without meat) — substitutions are common and rarely a problem at sit-down restaurants.
A caution on "vegetarian"
Broth, lard (manteca), and fish sauce show up in dishes that don't look meat-based at first glance — refried beans are sometimes cooked in lard, for instance. If you're strict, ask specifically rather than assuming from the dish name alone.
Where it's easiest
Downtown Cancún has a growing number of dedicated vegetarian and vegan restaurants and juice bars, generally easier to find there than relying on Hotel Zone resort buffets, which vary a lot in how clearly they label plant-based options.
Useful phrase
"¿Tiene algo sin carne ni pescado?" — "Do you have anything without meat or fish?" — covers more ground than just asking for "vegetariano," which servers sometimes interpret loosely.