13 popular fast-food menu items that are surprisingly perfect for vegans

August 2024 ยท 4 minute read
Updated

 

Vegans in Finland and Sweden rejoiced when McDonald's launched its first-ever vegan burger, called the McVegan. But as it turns out, many popular fast-food chains have been serving vegan meals all along, whether or not they realized it. To clarify, this refers to meals you can get from popular chains like Burger King and Taco Bell that have absolutely no meat, dairy, egg, or other animal products.

While they may be few and far between, there are a surprising number of fast-food meals that are vegan (although you may have to ask for no cheese). 

From french toast sticks to apple pie, here are some unexpectedly vegan meals from popular fast-food chains: 

Burger King: French toast sticks

Burger King

Burger King's five-piece french toast sticks with maple syrup are the perfect breakfast for when you're on the go, and are vegan ordered right off the menu. 

McDonalds: Fruit and maple oatmeal (no cream) and apple pie

A post shared by McDonald's (@mcdonalds)Mar 14, 2015 at 7:14am PDT

Replace cream with water and you've got a simple vegan breakfast from McDonald's. If you're craving something sweet, its mini cinnamon apple pie is vegan, too.

White Castle: Veggie sliders

White Castle

Most fast-food veggie burgers contain eggs, but White Castle's sliders are safe for vegans, without having to make any changes when you order. 

Denny's: Build your own burger

A post shared by ๐ŸŽEmily Nicole DTR, RD2BE๐ŸŽ (@emilynicoledtr)Nov 3, 2017 at 2:33pm PDT

Denny's has a surprising amount of vegan-friendly food, including the build your own burger. Get the veggie patty and any toppings (besides cheese), and the build your own burger is easy to make vegan.

Panera: Black bean soup in a bread bowl

Panera Bread

Panera Bread lists all of its vegan food on its website. That includes this black bean soup that's made with onions, red bell pepper, garlic, and cumin. 

Subway: Veggie delight (without mayo)

Subway

You can order the veggie delight sandwich on roasted garlic bread, sourdough, light wheat English muffin, or hearty Italian bread โ€” just skip the mayo, and it's vegan.

KFC: Corn on the cob, green beans, baked beans, potato wedges, and a house salad

KFC

KFC doesn't have a vegan meal, but all of its sides are vegan when ordered with no butter. Vegetables, baked beans, potato wedges, and a salad are always safe bets if you're trying to eat vegan at KFC.

Olive Garden: Minestrone soup, breadsticks, and pasta with marinara sauce

A post shared by Veggica ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿฅ‘ (@vegan.glory)Oct 21, 2017 at 12:42pm PDT

It's easy to have a filling vegan meal at Olive Garden, especially with the unlimited breadsticks. Olive Garden uses a soy-butter substitute on its breadsticks, and the pastas are free of egg and butter, too. 

Red Robin: Gourmet Veggie Burger with sweet potato fries

Red Robin

Without the sauce and cheese, Red Robin's gourmet veggie burger is totally vegan-friendly. It's made with fresh tomato bruschetta salsa, avocado slices, and shredded romaine wrapped in a lettuce bun and served with bottomless broccoli.

Dominos: Thin crust veggie pizza (with extra veggies instead of cheese)

A post shared by JR (@_jayjay_jr)Jan 8, 2016 at 9:58pm PST

Pizza without cheese sounds pointless to some, but the vegan pie from Dominos is surprisingly great loaded up with just sauce and vegetables. 

Pizza Hut: Veggie lovers pizza (no cheese) and cinnamon sticks

A post shared by Jowhale (@jowhaletail)Feb 24, 2017 at 6:13pm PST

Like Dominos, just skip the cheese, and Pizza Hut veggie pizzas are totally vegan. All of the crusts are, too, as well as the cinnamon sticks (including the icing).

Au Bon Pain: Spinach and chickpea ragout or French Moroccan lentil soup

A post shared by Au Bon Pain (@aubonpainusa)Feb 4, 2018 at 6:01am PST

Au Bon Pain is great for vegans, with a few different soup options, bagels, and three different salads. No changes need to be made โ€” just order them straight from the menu.

Taco Bell: Seven-layer burrito fresco-style with cinnamon sticks

A post shared by Eloise (@eloise.eats)Jan 2, 2018 at 1:11pm PST

Taco Bell is probably the most vegan-friendly fast-food restaurant there is. Anything with cheese and sour cream can be ordered "fresco style," and the dairy ingredients will be replaced with pico de gallo salsa. Meat can always be replaced with beans and potatoes, the cinnamon sticks are vegan-friendly, and even the new nacho fries are safe to eat.

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