Shockingly, 2019 was named “the year of the vegan” as said by The Economist. Will the veganism lifestyle slow down at any point? All signs point to a big fat no! If you have found yourself a dedicated vegan, you may find it a daunting task ordering at fast-food restaurants. Here we created a handy guide of 15 restaurants to make vegan fast-food orders simple and easy.
Jump to:
Ordering at Starbucks
Vegan food items:
- Plain bagel
- Sprouted grain bagel
- Cinnamon raisin bagel
Vegan drink items:
- Cold brew
- Hot brewed coffee
- Caffe americano
- Iced coffee
- Green drink
- Pink drink
- Violet drink
- Unflavored lattes made with dairy-free milk (almond, coconut, soy, oat)
- Unflavored espresso beverages
Friendly tip: Check out the Starbucks Guide on customizing beverages. Definitely worth looking at for dietary needs or just for some new flavor ideas!
Ordering at Chick-Fil-A
Vegan food items:
- Waffle potato fries
- Hash browns
- Sunflower multigrain bagel
- Spicy southwest salad (remove cheese, chicken, and southwest dressing)
- Grilled market salad (remove cheese, chicken, and dressing)
- Grilled chicken cool wrap (remove chicken and cheese)
- Fruit cup
- Kale crunch side
- Polynesian sauce
Vegan drink items:
- Chick-fil-a lemonade
- Soda (Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper)
- Freshly-brewed ice tea
- Apple juice
- Orange juice
- Coffee
- Iced coffee (with no milk)
Friendly tip: For salads, replace any dressing with a light balsamic vinaigrette, light Italian dressing, or chili-lime vinaigrette
Ordering at McDonald’s
Vegan food items:
- Garden salad (no cheese or dressing)
Vegan drink items:
- Orange juice
- Soda (Coca-Cola, Sprite)
- Hot tea
- Iced lemon tea
- Jasmine green tea
- Premium roast coffee (no milk added)
Friendly tip: If you are vegan, do yourself a favor and avoid McDonald’s. Unless lettuce fills you up.
Ordering at Taco Bell
Vegan food items:
- Black bean crunch wrap supreme (order “fresco style” to remove cheese sauce and sour cream)
- Black bean quesarito (order fresco style)
- 7 layer burrito (order fresco style)
- Bean burrito (order fresco style)
- Guacamole
- Sauce packets (mild, hot, fire, diablo, breakfast salsa)
- Power menu bowl- veggie (order fresco style)
- Spicy potato soft tac0 (fresco style)
- Black bean chalupa (fresco style)
Vegan drink items:
- Wild strawberry lemonade freeze
- Blue raspberry freeze
- Wild strawberry freeze
- Mountain dew baja blast freeze
- Fountain drinks (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Gatorade fruit punch, Brisk mango fiesta, Lipton iced tea)
- Regular hot coffee
Friendly tip: If you are aiming for fast-food restaurants Taco Bell is definitely the number one on the vegan-friendly list! Recently they launched their all-vegetarian menu making eating vegan super easy. Thanks, Taco Bell!
Ordering at Subway
Vegan food items:
- Beyond meatball marinara sub
- Veggie patty (only available at some locations)
- Veggie delite sub (no cheese please)
- 9-grain wheat bread
- Italian bread
- Signature wrap
- Subway vinaigrette
- Sweet onion sauce
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- All veggies! (banana peppers, sweet peppers, green peppers, black olives, red onions, cucumbers, guacamole, jalapenos, tomatoes, avocado, spinach, lettuce, pickles, carrots)
- Mustard
Vegan drink items:
- Tea
- Soda
Friendly tip: Subway is the healthiest fast-food way to go if you are a vegan. There are various delicious veggie toppings and now even a plant-based sub. Subway gets it!
Ordering at Burger King
Vegan food items:
- Impossible whopper (without cheese or creamy mayo)
- Garden salad (without cheese and dressing)
- Apple pie
- French fries
- Hashbrowns
Vegan drink items:
- Soda (Coca-Cola, Sprite, Barq’s, Powerade zero, Mellow Yellow, Fanta, HI-C lemonade, HI-C fruit punch)
- Simply orange juice
- Sweetened iced tea
- Plain cold brew iced coffee
- Plain BK cafe
Friendly tip: Burger King also has french toast sticks that are vegan-ish. They contain no animal products but may come in contact with equipment that could contain dairy, fish, or other meats.
Ordering at Jack in the Box
Vegan food items:
- Chicken fajita pita (minus the chicken and shredded cheese)
- Side salad (no ranch dressing or croutons)
- Southwest chicken salad (remove chicken and cheese shreds)
- Jack’s teriyaki bowl (remove chicken)
- Chicken club salad (remove chicken and cheese)
- French fries
- Bacon cheddar potato wedges (ask for no cheddar cheese sauce or bacon bits)
- Apple sauce pouch
- Hash browns
Vegan drink items:
- Fountain drinks (Coca-Cola, Sprite, Barq’s, Fanta orange, Minute maid lemonade, Gold peak iced tea)
- Apple juice
- ‘Orange juice
Friendly tip: Most Jack in the Box items can easily be made vegan by removing the meat and cheese. Aim for sandwiches or salads and simply remove the chicken and cheese.
Ordering at Sonic Drive-In
Vegan food items:
- Apple slices
- French fries
- Tater tots
Vegan drink items:
- Frozen slushes
- Soft drinks
- Lemonade
Friendly tip: With probably the smallest available vegan options, we recommend you steer clear of Sonic Drive-In if possible. Not a lot is available to be modified. However, it is a great place to stop for slushes!
Ordering at Wendy’s
Vegan food items:
- Plain baked potato
- Apple bites
- Garden side salad (hold croutons and dressing)
Vegan drink items:
- Freshly brewed coffee
- Cold brew iced coffee
- Fountain drinks
Friendly tip: Not a lot of great vegan options, but at least there is a baked potato. Some people on the internet say that order the Asian Cashew Chicken Salad with no chicken, but it was not found on the website menu. So our general conclusion is don’t be afraid to ask questions in the drive-thru!
Ordering at Dunkin Donuts
Vegan food items:
- Beyond sausage breakfast sandwich (on english muffin with no egg or cheese)
- Hashbrowns
Vegan drink items:
- Coffee and espresso beverages made with almond milk
- Iced tea
- Cold brew
- Dunkin refreshers (any flavor)
- Matcha latte with almond milk
- Chai latte with almond milk
- Herbal tea
Friendly tip: America runs on Dunkin…and so do vegans! Definitely a stop for delicious vegan drinks and vegan-friendly eats.
Ordering at KFC
Vegan food items:
- Beyond chicken sandwich (when available)
- Sweet kernel corn
- Corn on the cob
- Green beans
Vegan drink items:
- Strawberry/regular lemonade
- Fountain drinks (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist)
Friendly tip: KFC was actually one of the first restaurants to hop on the vegan train and start testing out faux chicken nuggets. When they finally released the Beyond Chicken Sandwich, it sold out in 5 hours at one of the Atlanta chains. If you don’t see the option on the menu, try asking the employee!
Ordering at Baskin Robbins
Vegan food items:
- Dairy-free chocolate chip cookie dough
- Dairy-free chocolate extreme
Vegan drinks:
- Dairy-free chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream (use non-dairy milk)
- Dairy-free chocolate extreme milkshake (use non-dairy milk)
Friendly tip: If they don’t provide dairy-free milk (such as almond or oat), just stick to regular dairy-free ice cream.
Ordering at Del Taco
Vegan food items:
- Beyond avocado taco
- Beyond 8 layer burrito (hold the cheese & sour cream)
- Avocado veggie bowl
- Beyond taco (hold the cheese)
- Epic beyond original mex burrito
- Avocado veggie fresca bowl
- Hashbrown sticks
- Crinkle cut fries
Vegan drink items:
- Strawberry lemonade
- Gold peak iced tea
- Prima java coffee
- Orange juice
- Fountain drinks
Friendly tip: Being a made-to-order restaurant, you can substitute any meat for Beyond Meat protein. Del Taco also has a separate vegetarian and vegan menu on their website. Props!
Ordering at Dairy Queen
Vegan food items:
- Nothing
Vegan drink items:
- Any slush
- Fountain drinks
Friendly tip: Dairy Queen has confirmed it does not have any plant-based options as of 2020. Hopefully, things turn around in 2021.
Ordering at Panda Express
Vegan food items:
- Chow mein
- Eggplant tofu
- Veggie spring rolls
- Steamed white rice
- Steamed brown rice
- Super greens
Vegan drink items:
- Fruit tea
- Lemonade
- Fountain drinks
Friendly tip: The chain is in the process of testing a plant-based version of the General Tso’s Chicken. Keep on the lookout!