When I first adopted a plant-based lifestyle, there weren’t a lot of choices at fast food restaurants. Yeah, there were a few vegan only or vegetarian places out there – but, eating a quick meal out was tricky. Luckily, the whole foods plant-based way of eating is really starting to catch-on and there are so many more options now. Yay!!
As part three of my series on eating plant-based in restaurants, I delved into some actual restaurant menus. My goal this week, was to help you find plant-based foods to eat at both fast food and fast-casual food places. However, keep in mind that this type of restaurant tends to use a lot of oil and salt in their cooking. So, if you’re trying to stay away from those things, you may opt to limit your number of restaurant visits.
Disclaimer – I have not personally visited all the restaurants listed below. 😊 I did research on the menus and have listed some plant-based items I found for each of the following locations. Note – you can click on the title of each restaurant to view their website.
Fast Food Restaurants
The Avocado Veggie Fresca Bowl at Del Taco is vegan. It includes; lettuce, fresca lime rice, seasoned black beans, diced tomatoes, onions, and avocado. Order their tacos with black beans instead of meat or the 8-layer veggie burrito with no sour cream or cheese. They even offer a taco salad which again, you can substitute black beans for the taco meat and opt for no cheese.
Good Times was one of the first fast food places to offer a vegan burger. Choose the Southwestern Black Bean Burger (Dr. Praeger’s black bean patty). The Wild Fries, Natural Cut Fries, and Sweet Potato Fries are also plant-based. However, the fryer is shared and might have possible gluten or animal products in the oil.
All the basic coffee and tea drinks are vegan. It’s when you start adding ingredients that you need to pay attention. They offer plant-based milk (almond, soy, coconut) and their flavored syrups are vegan. But, keep away from all the pumpkin spice items, caramel, whipped cream, and java chips. Some of the food items that you might choose are, oatmeal, fruit salad, and bagels (plain, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, and sprouted grain).
My personal fav is a Mocha (Peppermint Mocha during the holidays) with 1/2 the number of pumps of syrup (I find full strength too sweet), with steamed almond milk and no whipped cream. 👍
The choices at Subway are limited, but you can get a Veggie Delight Sub. First, choose your bread (Italian or 9-grain wheat). Then add your favorite veggies and top it off with any of the following sauces: mustard, oil, vinegar, fat-free Italian, vinaigrette or buffalo sauce. You can include avocado (costs extra) to make the sandwich a bit more filling.
*Note – their veggie patty includes milk and eggs in the ingredients.
Taco Bell has really upped their list of vegan friendly items. You can order the Bean Burrito (tell them to make it Fresco), Power Menu Burrito (swap out the meat for black beans), and the Crunchwrap Supreme (add black beans). Their soft and crunchy tacos can be made plant-based by asking for black beans in place of taco meat (no cheese, please). And if you ask them for no cheese, the Spicy Tostada is also compliant.
At Wendy’s, you can order a plain baked potato with chives and a garden side salad. You can choose from these salad dressings: light spicy Asian chili, pomegranate or light balsamic vinaigrette. Your other option is to get the Asian Cashew Chicken Salad without the chicken (request extra cashews). And of course, the fries are vegan, but not oil-free.
Just recently, White Castle added Veggie Sliders to their menu. The ingredients in the burgers include: zucchini, peas, broccoli, carrots, green beans, soybeans, soy & wheat flours, and spinach. Get one without cheese to make it plant-based and add the sweet Thai or honey mustard sauce. Their fries and hash brown nibblers can also be ordered.
Fast-Casual Restaurants
This is one of my favorite Fast-Casual Restaurants because their Veggie Burrito Bowl is so yummy and filling! Black beans, brown or white rice, fajitas vegetables (onions & peppers) topped with lettuce, salsas, and guacamole — mmmmmm, delicious! Their lime tortilla chips and flour tortillas are also vegan.
Garbanzos is another fav at our house! This Mediterranean restaurant offers quite a good choice of items for vegans. You can opt to get a Plate or have the food put into a Pita. Then you can add any of the following: hummus (regular or seasonal), falafel, portobello mushrooms, rice, baba ganoush, cucumber/tomato and tabbouleh salads. Cilantro, red chili, tahini, or Greek sauces can be added.
This deli has a nice all-you-can-eat salad bar. You can also order the vegetable soup. Their build-your-own sandwich is a good way to go with many bread choices, veggies and whole passel of sauces. Another choice is their Mediterranean Wrap (no turkey, please) which includes hummus, greens, olives, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
These new build-your-own pizza places are popping up all over the place and I love it! So far, Mod Pizza wins out as the best one in this area in my opinion (I think my family agrees). After you’ve chosen which size crust you want, you walk past the topping display and tell the staff what you want on your pizza. Add marinara and then choose from over 20 different plant-based toppings. They even offer a dairy-free cheese (I’m not a fan), if you would like to try that. They put your pizza in the oven and a few minutes later it’s on your plate! By the way, they offer a gluten-free crust if you prefer.
There are several options for vegans at Noodles & Company. Their Japanese Pan Noodles with added tofu is my favorite. Add a side salad with some balsamic vinaigrette for a complete meal. Other entrees are the Indonesian Peanut Saute and Penna Rosa (no cream or cheese please). You can also order a baguette to go with your dinner. The Rice Crispy dessert has milk in it, so is not plant-based.
You can eat breakfast, lunch or dinner at Panera Bread. Breakfast choices include: steel cut oatmeal, bagels (plain, blueberry, cranberry walnut, and sesame), peach & blueberry smoothie with almond milk, and fruit. For lunch or dinner you can have the Ten Vegetable Soup, Vegan Lentil Quinoa Bowl, Soba Noodle Broth Bowl, and the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich (omit Feta). Their list of breads that are plant-based is long! Choose from: black pepper focaccia, sea salt focaccia, country rustic, rye or sourdough breads or the French baguette. This is a good place with many choices!
Appetizers you can order here are edamame, tofu spring rolls or the veggie tofu roll. For your main dish, a good way to go is their Build-Your-Own-Bowl with tofu, rice, veggies, and sauce (all but oyako sauce, which contains beef & fish).
FroYo and Ice Cream
Order their sorbets: raspberry, mango, Valrhona Chocolate (dark chocolate deliciousness!) in a cup. The cones are most likely not vegan.
All of their sorbet options are dairy-free. Flavors (depending on location and season) include: Blueberry, Lemon, Lime, Pineapple, Honey Dew, Chocolate, Mango, Fruit Punch, Strawberry, Lemonade, and Passion Fruit.
Top-off your cup of sorbet with fresh fruit or nuts.
TCBY has partnered with SILK® to produce some yummy, dairy-free frozen yogurts. Cool! They offer chocolate and vanilla almond frozen yogurts year round as well as great-tasting seasonal flavors.
Were you surprised at all the options now available in Fast Food and Fast-Casual Food restaurants? I was! I didn’t realize there were so many plant-based alternatives for us plant-powered folks. There are a whole lot of restaurants out there and I’ve only included a few on this list. If you have a favorite that isn’t listed, please let me know in the comments below.
Above all, I really hope you found this blog post helpful!
Part four of this series will include plant-based options in Casual Family Restaurants. Stay tuned!
Did you miss part one or part two? Here they are! 😉😍
Part 1 – Eating Plant-Based in Restaurants
Part 2 – Eating Plant-Based in Ethnic Restaurants
Love this series, Julie! Thank you for all the research and information!!
Thanks so much, Barbara! I’m really glad you’ve found it so helpful 🙂