Vegan Fast Foods – Overview
People have been shifting to plant-based diets in recent years in order to eat more sustainably, combat animal-product-induced fatigue, or just live a better life overall.
Changing the basis of your diet, though, requires a little more effort, such as figuring out how to eat at your favorite fast-food joints when burgers aren’t an option.
Fortunately, companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have grown in popularity. These companies have started offering meatless alternatives in most renowned fast-food chains.
Think sausage biscuits, vegan tacos and even whoopers (yeah, you read that right!)
To help you navigate the wild vegan fast-food environment, we’ve compiled a list of the ten best vegan fast-food options available right now.
It turns out it’s not that hard to get vegan food on the go; you just need to know what to ask for.
1. Burger King
Vegan Fast Foods – Burger King
Burger King has got you covered when it comes to the best vegan fast food alternatives. Thanks to Burger King’s collaboration with Impossible Burger, you can now order a vegan Whopper.
Ensure that the attendants understand you don’t want your food with cheese and mayo. For the ultimate treat, serve with a side of fries or apple pie for dessert.
Top Vegan Picks
1. Apple pie
2. French fries
3. Impossible burger (without cheddar cheese and mayo)
4. Impossible whooper (without cheddar cheese and mayo)
See Also: Vegan Burger Recipe
2. Chick-Fil-A
Chick-Fil-A
Surprisingly, a number of standard Chick-Fil-A menu items can be made vegan.
The Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap, for instance, is a vegan wrap without the chicken, served on a flaxseed flatbread with carrots and red cabbage.
Chick-Fil-A also serves vegan-friendly fries and hash browns. They even have a section of their website dedicated to their vegan offerings.
Top Vegan Picks
1. Chili Lime Vinaigrette
2. Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap (minus the chicken)
3. Grilled Market Salad (minus the blue cheese and chicken)
4. Sunflower Multigrain Bagel
Waffle Potato Fries
3. Chipotle
Chipotle
According to Chipotle’s website, all offerings in their outlets are totally okay for vegans except for the cheese, chipotle-honey vinaigrette, meat, queso sauce and sour cream.
This means burritos, bowls, salads, and tacos are all on the table.
For protein, you can pick from black or pinto beans, plant-based chorizo or sofritas (yummy, seasoned shredded tofu). Oh, and don’t forget about their lime tortilla fries, also vegan.
Top Vegan Picks
1. Tacos topped with beans, plant-based chorizo or tofu
2. Tortillas topped with guac.
3. Vegan lifestyle bowl
4. Vegetarian lifestyle bowl
5. Whole-30 lifestyle bowl topped with plant-based chorizo
4. Dunkin’
Dunkin’
Dunkin’ didn’t have many vegan options, but that has changed. You’ll have no issue finding a vegan breakfast option for whatever you’re craving.
Enjoy a slice of creamy avocado toast or a fresh bagel (cinnamon raisin, everything, plain and sesame are all vegan).
Order the Beyond Breakfast Sausage sandwich minus the cheese and eggs for a more satisfying meal.
Top Vegan Picks
1. Avocado Toast
2. Bagels: Cinnamon Raisin, Everything, Plain and Sesame
3. Beyond Breakfast Sausage ordered on an English muffin without cheese and eggs
4. Coconut Milk Iced Latte
5. Dunkin’ Energy Punch
5. McDonald’s
Vegan Fast Foods – McDonald’s
McDonald’s has several vegan alternatives on its menu, although they aren’t particularly diverse. For a light meal or snack, the signature garden salad can be ordered without cheese.
Beyond meat’s patties are now available on the fast-food chain’s burgers.
However, keep in mind that these patties are prepared on the same griddles as the beef patties. If you think the fries are safe, think again.
They’re made with ‘natural beef flavor’, which, as you might expect, has trace amounts of beef.
Top Vegan Picks
1. Beyond Beef Hamburger
2. Garden Salad (minus the cheese)
6. Panera
Vegan Fast Foods – Panera
Panera is known for its light and nutritious cuisine, and its menu now includes several vegan fast food alternatives.
Many of their salads and sandwiches can be turned vegan by excluding cheese and meat. Panera also has bowled with plant-based proteins such as hummus.
Top Vegan Picks
1. Baja Grain Bowl (minus cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt)
2. Citrus Asian Crunch Salad (minus the chicken)
3. Mediterranean Grain Bowl (minus cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt)
4. Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich ordered on Panera’s artisan ciabatta bread
5. Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad
7. Qdoba
Qdoba
Qdoba is one of the best restaurants with vegan fast-food options because most of the ingredients used in its dishes are already vegan.
Top Vegan Picks
1. Guac and fries
2. Grilled fajita veggie bowl
3. Rice and beans
8. Starbucks
Vegan Fast Foods – Starbucks
Starbucks has been offering vegans delicious coffee and lattes made with a range of plant-based milk for several years now.
Currently, Starbucks is filling vegan bellies with their Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich.
Unfortunately, egg and cheese are still included in this offering, but you can ask your barista to remove them.
To their credit, Starbucks is now offering a variety of plant-based milk. However, when they are substituted for cow’s milk, Starbucks imposes a surcharge.
Top Vegan Picks
1. Avocado protein box
2. Blueberry oatmeal
3. Chickpea bites
4. Oat milk latte
9. Subway
Vegan Fast Foods – Subway
Putting together a tasty vegan lunch at Subway is surprisingly simple with a few changes. Start with Starbucks ‘ signature wrap or the Italian bread, both vegan alternatives.
Then fill yourself with Beyond Meatball Marinara sub or fresh veggies.
Top Vegan Picks
1. 9-grain wheat bread
2. Beyond meatball marinara (without parmesan cheese or provolone)
3. Signature Wrap
4. Subway Vinaigrette
5. Veggie delight ordered on Subway’s white Italian bread (without cheese or mayo)
10. Taco Bell
Vegan Fast Foods – Taco Bell
When buying vegan fast food at Taco Bell, remember two words: Al Fresco. If you order your meal ‘Al Fresco’, you’ll get fresh guacamole instead of cheese and sour cream.
A majority of Taco Bell’s sauces are also vegan, so try breakfast, mild, fire, spicy, or diablo salsa to spice up the flavor. Also, you can whip up some vegan queso, and you’ll get that cheesy flavor you’ve been craving.
Top Vegan Picks
1. Bean burrito (Al Fresco style)
2. Black bean crunchwrap supremo (without cheddar and sour cream)
3. Cinnamon twists
4. Veggie burrito supremo (Al Fresco style)
5. Veggie power menu bowl (without avocado ranch, cheddar and sour cream)
Final Thought
Most fast-food restaurants will make their vegan options clear on the menu with leaf or letter ‘V’ icons.
However, you might need to check the ingredient list in others. Planning ahead is the ideal option so that you don’t hold up other people in the queue.
See Also