The Best Vegan Fast Food Chains To Visit in 2022!
Just started your vegan journey and want to know where you can get a bite to eat? In 2021, there are thousands of vegan-friendly or ‘veganizable’ menu items nationwide, even at your favorite go-to restaurants! Keep reading to discover the most vegan-friendly fast food chains in the U.S.!
Blaze Pizza (Nationwide)
At this popular pizza joint, you’ll find plenty of vegan options, including vegan cheese, vegan spicy chorizo, and 15 fresh veggie toppings to choose from! As for sauces, their vegan-friendly options include the spicy red and classic sauces.
If you’re avoiding gluten, you’ll be happy to know Blaze Pizza even offers a gluten-free crust! Of course, you’re free to choose their original or high-rise crusts, as well. Finally, you’ll want to top off your gorgeous plant-based pizza with some finishing ingredients, like olive oil, arugula, or oregano! Enjoy!
Chipotle (Nationwide)
Possibly one of the healthiest chains on our list, Chipotle is the perfect place to find an accessible, quick, and nutritious plant-based meal. Go for a burrito if you’d like, or a bowl/salad, if you prefer a low-carb option. In fact, they even offer cauliflower rice for those watching their carb intake!
If you’re in a hurry, you can go for Chipotle’s Vegan or Vegetarian Bowls, which in 2021, are both vegan-friendly! The Vegetarian Bowl now features Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice, Supergreens, Black Beans, Fresh Tomato Salsa, Fajita Veggies, and Guacamole. Meanwhile, the Vegan Bowl contains their Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice, Sofritas, Black Beans, Fresh Tomato Salsa, Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa, and Shredded Romaine Lettuce.
However, if you’re making your own burrito, bowl, taco, or salad, you can go with their Sofritas or Guacamole as your main fillings/toppings, any of the Rice & Bean options, and top it off with Fajita Vegetables, Fresh Tomato Salsa, more Guacamole, Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa, Tomatillo Green-Chili Salsa, Tomatillo Red-Chili Salsa, and/or Romaine Lettuce.
Thinking of ordering a vegan side? Go for any of their side options, except those including the Queso Blanco, which contains dairy.
P.F. Chang’s (Nationwide)
You’ll find both vegan-friendly appetizers and main courses at P.F. Chang’s! To start, you can go for their famous vegetarian Chang’s Lettuce Wraps, which are made with tofu, green onion, mint water chestnuts, crispy rice sticks, and spices. Alternatively, you can order their Edamame or Chili-Garlic Green Beans made with red chili sauce, garlic, and Sichuan!
For your main course, P.F. Chang’s offers vegan-friendly Stir-Fried Eggplant, Ma Po Tofu (crispy silken tofu with chili sauce and steamed broccoli), or their Buddha’s Feast (seasoned tofu and vegetables in a savory sauce)!
Starbucks (Nationwide)
Starbucks has plenty of vegan options! Check out our complete Vegan Starbucks Guide here.
Taco Bell (Nationwide)
This Mexican fast-food restaurant is a great option for vegans. Find our complete Vegan Taco Bell Guide here!
Bareburger (Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania)
Although not available in all 50 states, those who do have access to this fast food chain will be very pleasantly surprised at how vegan-friendly it is! Although the menu may vary depending on your location, each restaurant makes sure to cater to the vegan crowd.
Find plenty of clearly-listed vegan items (look for the ‘V’ icon), including vegan fish burgers (select locations), veggie/Impossible burgers, plant-based ‘chicken’ nuggets (order without the sauce), sandwiches, salads, and even vegan cheese, desserts, and milkshakes! Even the onion rings are vegan-friendly!
BurgerFi (Mostly East Coast)
With three vegetarian options and one vegan option, BurgerFi is a great ally to the plant-based community! If you’re vegan, you’ll want to go with their Vegan Beyond Burger, which comes with a Beyond Meat patty, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions, on their totally vegan multi-grain bun. Can’t consume gluten? Go ‘Green Style’—this replaces the bun with lettuce (ask about cross-contamination if you’re allergic to wheat).
You could veganize the regular Beyond Burger, however, it would end up the same as the Vegan Beyond Burger. The Vegefi Burger, on the other hand, is a different story. It sadly cannot be veganized, since the patty contains cheese.
You can add additional vegan-friendly toppings to your Vegan Beyond Burger, including their sauerkraut, jalapeño peppers, mushrooms, Dijon mustard, BBQ sauce, and hot sauce. And as for sides, you’ll want to go with the fries, which you can top with Cajun seasoning!
Del Taco (Mostly Western and Southern U.S.)
This Mexcian food chain has put plenty of thought into their vegan items! In fact, they even hold Beyond Meat, which you can use to swap out the beef in almost any menu item. However, if you aren’t a fan of this popular vegan meat substitute, you can still order your tacos/burritos with beans instead of beef.
Some default vegan items on the Del Taco menu include their Epic Beyond Original Mex Burrito, the Beyond Avocado Taco, Avocado Veggie Bowl, Crinkle Cut Fries, and their Hashbrown Sticks. However, you can also order the Beyond 8 Layer Burrito (ask for no Cheddar Cheese or Sour Cream), Bean & Cheese Burrito (no Cheddar Cheese), Crunchtada Tostada (no Cheddar Cheese), 8 Layer Veggie Burrito (no Cheddar Cheese), or the Freshly Made Bean & Cheese Cup (no Cheddar Cheese).
El Pollo Loco (Southwestern U.S.)
You can now order vegan chicken at El Pollo Loco! Try their Vegan Chickenless Pollo Burrito, which features Black Beans, Avocado Slices, Shredded Lettuce, and Chickenless Pollo. Their vegan-friendly sides and toppings include their Rice & Bean Cup, Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, Rice, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Broccoli, Pico de Gallo Salsa, Avocado Salsa, House Salsa, Salsa Roja, and Jalapeño Hot Sauce.
Freebirds World Burrito (Texas and Utah)
Feeling some Mexican food? At Freedbirds World Burrito, you can order vegan burritos, bowls, salads, nachos, and tacos. They even offer a default Vegan Bowl with Cauliflower Rice, Beyond Meat, Black Beans, Salsa, Corn Salsa, and Guac!
To order any of their meals, go with the Guac or Beyond Meat as your ‘Protein’, any of their tortillas, any rice, and any of their beans. Then, you can top it off with their Sautéed Peppers/Onions, extra Guacamole, extra Potatoes, Grilled Corn Salsa, Pico de Gallo, Diced Tomatoes, Cilantro, Diced Jalapeños, White Onion, Shredded Lettuce, Roasted Garlic, or Tortilla Strips.
You can also spice your meal up with one of their vegan-friendly salsas! These include the Habanero, Creamy Jalapeño, Death Sauce, Hot Tomatillo, Mild Tomatillo, Fresh House Salsa, and Lime Juice.
Ike’s Love & Sandwiches (California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Florida)
At this sandwich shop, it’s all about the combinations! Load up their Dutch Crunch, French, Gluten Free, Sourdough, or Wheat bread with plenty of vegan fillings! These include their Vegan Cheese, Vegan Breaded Chicken, Vegan Turkey, Vegan Fish, Vegan Chicken, Vegan Riblet, Vegan Steak, and Vegan Meatballs. Just watch out if you can’t consume gluten or soy—all of their meat substitutes contain both.
You can top off your sandwich with veggies like cucumber, avocado, artichoke hearts, green chiles, jalapeños, lettuce, mushrooms, pickles, spinach, tomatoes, and more! And finally, finish with a vegan-friendly sauces include the Buffalo-Wing Sauce, Almond Butter, Asian Sesame, Southwest Pesto, Habanero, Vegan Dirty Sauce, Hummus, Cranberry Sauce, Strawberry Reserves, Sriracha, and Marinara Sauce.
*Menu may vary by location.
Just Salad (NY, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina)
Meet your next go-to salad joint! Just Salad offers tons of default vegan salads that will not disappoint. For instance, try their Beyond Tex Mex Salad, Chipotle Cowboy W/ Daring Chicken, Plant Power Salad, Tokyo Supergreens Salad With Tofu, Banh Mi Bowl, Umami Bowl, or their Feisty Fiesta Bowl. You can also order either one of their Avocado Toasts—just ask for no Smoky Poblano Ranch or Feta.
Just Salad also carries four plant-based smoothies, including the Strawberry Banana, Detox Cleanse, Almond Berry Blast, and PB Protein.
However, if you’d like to create a salad bowl of your own, you can go for any of their Greens, Essentials, and Premiums, as well as Proteins like the Breaded Daring Chicken, Beyond Beef Meatballs, and Organic Sesame Tofu. Dress your salad up with their Balsamic Vinaigrette, Red Wine Vinegar, Lemon Basil Vinaigrette, Chipotle Vinaigrette, Spicy Turmeric Tahini, Miso Ginger Vinaigrette w/ Sriracha Drizzle, Olive Oil + Red Wine Vinegar, Spicy Avocado, Fresh Half Lemon, Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil + Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Miso Ginger Vinaigrette, or Maple Cider Vinaigrette.
Mellow Mushroom (Mostly East Coast)
Monty’s Good Burger (Southern California)
You’ll be happy to know this fast-food chain is 100% vegan! You can order a Double or Single Monty’s Good Burger, which includes the Impossible 2.0 Patty, Follow Your Heart Cheese, their House Spread, Lettuce, Tomato, House Pickles, and Grilled Onions on their Artisan Bun. However, you can also go for their Chopped Kale Caesar Salad, if you prefer.
In addition to their legendary burger, they offer Chamberlain Coffee, Chocolate, Strawberry, Salted Caramel, and Vanilla milkshakes! Their other drinks include craft sodas made with cane sugar, Just Water, iced tea, their Arnold Palmer, and their Strawberry/classic Lemonade.
Once you’re ready for dessert, you’ll want to try their amazing cookies, which include their Middle of the Brownie, Rico’s Sugar Cookie, and the Sonoran Cowboy. And finally, if you’re looking for kids’ options, they also offer a Grilled Cheese with Fries or Tots and any of their dipping sauces! These include a Sriracha Aioli, Ranch, House Spread, Onion Aioli, and Habanero.
Pancheros Mexican Grill (Mostly East Coast)
The vegan options at Pancheros are pretty straightforward! You can enjoy a yum Burrito Bowl, Salad, or Tacos filled with their signature ‘Tofusada’ (Mexican-style grilled tofu) and add on any of their vegan-friendly toppings! These include their Rice With Cilantro & Lime, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Seasoned-Marinated Veggies, Jalapeño, Lettuce, Guacamole, Roasted Corn Salsa, Mild Ancho Salsa, Hot Tomatillo Salsa, Pico de Gallo, and Salsa Verde.
Ready to find your new favorite vegan options? Whichever of these restaurants you visit, remember that purchasing vegan items encourages these chains to add more meat/dairy-free options to their menus. So, keep increasing the demand for plant foods and requesting a broader vegan selection! Thanks for looking out for the planet and our animal friends, and good luck on your plant-based or vegan journey!
