Denny's is a diner style chain restaurant that boasts being open 24/7. They serve breakfast all day as well as burgers, sandwiches, classic dinners and desserts. There aren't a ton of vegan food options at Denny's. But if you are on a road trip and find yourself at one, there are enough vegan items that you won't leave hungry. So what are the vegan options at Denny's? Read on to find out all of the options.
All ingredients, allergies, and nutritional information can be found on Denny's website.
NOTE: Denny's uses soybean oil in their fryers but there is always a chance of cross contamination from other fried food. Also, all menu items may not be available at all locations.
Denny's Vegan Breakfast Options
Denny's breakfast menu is available any time of day. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of vegan breakfast items on that menu. Their buttermilk pancakes contain dairy and many of their dishes contain eggs. Let's check out all of the options.
Cereal or Potatoes
Grits are not available at all locations but oatmeal topped with fresh seasonal fruit could make a healthy breakfast. Also, their hash browns are vegan!
- Grits (no butter)
- Oatmeal
- Hash Browns
Vegan Breads
There are a variety of bread products at Denny's without dairy or eggs. A bagel or toast could be part of a tasty breakfast. Also, surprisingly their brioche bun is vegan which is good news.
- Bagels
- Brioche Bun
- English Muffin
- Flour Tortilla
- Hoagie Roll
- Potato Bread
- Rye
- 7-Grain
- Split-Top Bun
Non-Vegan Breads
I had to include a separate list of breads that include animal products because I found some of these to be surprising...especially the white bread! I also didn't expect dinner rolls to not be vegan. And while the regular English muffins are vegan, the gluten-free ones are not.
- Biscuit
- Crepe (no filling)
- Dinner Rolls
- Gluten-Free English Muffin
- Garlic Toast
- White Bread
Lunch/Dinner Vegan Menu Items
While there aren't many vegan-friendly options, Denny's does have the Beyond Burger which puts it ahead of many other chain restaurants. But aside from the burger, there are just a few sides available to vegan diners.
Vegan Burger
The great news is that Denny's has the Beyond Burger Patty that is served on the (vegan) brioche bun.
- Build Your Own Burger: Choose the Beyond Burger Patty (you can also order an extra patty), no cheese, choose lettuce, pickles, red onions, and tomatoes, and you can add a sauce as well. This comes with a choice of side.
Condiments
- Jams and jellies
- Ketchup
- Mustard
Salads
As long as you make modifications, there is a vegan salad option at Denny's.
- House Salad - order with no cheese or croutons, comes with cucumbers and grape tomatoes.
Dressings
There are three different salad dressings to go with your side salad.
- Balsamic vinaigrette, low-fat
- French
- Italian, fat-free
Crackers
Unfortunately, croutons aren't vegan. But you can ask to have some saltines instead for added crunch.
- Saltines
Vegan Sides
Their is a good amount of plant-based items for side dishes. Remember, while their food is fried in vegetable oil, there is always the risk of cross contamination in a shared fryer.
- Baked Potato, no toppings
- Corn
- Fries, seasoned
- Fries, wavy-cut
- Hash Browns
- Red-skinned Potatoes
- Seasonal Fruit
- Toast (see vegan bread options above)
- Vegetable Medley
- Whole Grain Rice
Vegetables
There are some other vegetable options that can make great toppings on your Beyond Burger, rice, or baked potato. Make sure you mention No Butter as an added precaution.
- Fresh Avocado
- Corn
- Fire-Roasted Bell Peppers and Onions
- Jalapenos
- Mushrooms
- Caramelized Onions
- Pickles
- Side of salsa
Vegan Sauce Options and Spreads
Denny's has several vegan sauces and spreads available.
- Barbecue Sauce
- Savory Herb Sauce
- 5-Pepper Sauce
- Ketchup
- Hot pepper sauce - green
- Hot pepper sauce - red
- Salsa
- Sweet Grilling Spread
Syrup
Syrups would be more helpful if Denny's had a vegan pancake or French toast option.
- Chocolate
- Pancake syrup
- Vanilla flavor shot
Toppings and Mix-Ins
These toppings would be great if they had some vegan pancakes or desserts!
- Cinnamon Crumb
- Confetti Sprinkles
- Oreo Cookie Pieces
- Powdered Sugar
- Strawberry Sauce
- Strawberry Topping
Desserts
Unfortunately, there are no vegan desserts at Denny's.
Denny's Vegan Drinks
There are a lot of drink options including juice, soda, tea and coffee.
- Apple Juice
- Coke
- Coke Zero
- Diet Coke
- Dr. Pepper
- Fruit Punch
- Hot Coffee
- Hot Tea
- Iced Tea
- Lemonade
- Orange Juice
- Raspberry Tea
- Root Beer
- Sprite
What To Order
Here are some ideas if you are not sure what to order at Denny's.
Breakfast
- Hash browns with peppers and onions and 7 grain toast
- Oatmeal with fruit, 7 grain toast and avocado
Lunch/Dinner
- Beyond Burger with included veggies, add some avocado, French fries on the side
- Make your own veggie burrito - order the flour tortilla, peppers and onions, avocado, corn, mushrooms, salsa and jalapenos if you like spice.
- House salad without cheese or croutons, add avocado, toasted bagel on the side. (Add peanut butter to the bagel if they have it.)
FAQ
Are Denny's French fries vegan?
Yes, they are vegan. But there is always the risk of cross contamination in the fryer.
Does Denny's have a veggie burger or a plant-based burger?
While there is no veggie patty, there is a Beyond Burger which can be a great option.
Are Denny's onion rings vegan?
Unfortunately, their onion rings contain dairy.
Does Denny's have a multigrain bun?
Their burgers are served on a brioche bun. As of now there is no multigrain bun but there is 7-grain bread.
Is the bourbon sauce vegan?
No, unfortunately the bourbon sauce is not vegan.
Summary
There aren't a ton of options on Denny’s menu. Most importantly, they do have a Beyond Burger as well as a fairly large amount of sides. There are also a lot of bread options that would be great for breakfast. What they don't have right now are vegan pancakes, plant-based cheese, or any desserts without animal ingredients. In the future, adding these in would make Denny's a lot more vegan-friendly.
If you are wondering about vegan options at other chain restaurants, check out:
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