As you might guess, there aren’t many vegan options at Red Lobster as this restaurant chain is famous for its seafood products. There aren’t any vegan entrees but there are some sides that are free of animal products...and not just a side salad. But what are the vegan options at Red Lobster? Read on to find out.
Note: Red Lobster's menu and all of the allergen information can be found at redlobster.com.
Vegan-Friendly Options
Luckily, there are several side menu items that can work in a vegan diet. Unfortunately, their famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits are made with dairy products so are not an option. A couple of the items are at risk of cross contamination because of the cooking method. This usually means that the foods are being deep fried in vegetable oil in a shared fryer that contains meat, seafood, egg or dairy.
I personally don't worry about cross contamination but that's up to each person. The following list contains the vegan sides available according to their website but your local Red Lobster may not have everything.
Classic Sides
- House Garden Salad - order without cheese
- Broccoli - order plain, steamed broccoli
- Plain Baked Potato - order without butter or sour cream
- Orzo rice
- Sea-salted Fries - risk of cross contamination
Premium Sides
- Crispy Brussel Sprouts - risk of cross contamination
Kids Menu
The kids menu has a side order of fruit that can be added to your meal. They also have the following drinks:
- Casco Bay Cooler - Chery Wave Slushy
- Kids Juice
- Kids Lemonade
- Kids Raspberry Lemonade
Dressings and Condiments
Many of their dressing and condiments are vegan including:
- BBQ Sauce
- Cocktail Sauce
- French Dressing
- Ketchup
- Marinara Sauce
- Pico de Gallo
Off Menu Vegan Option
There is a good option for a vegan meal if you ask for it. While it's not on the menu, you can ask for pasta with marinara sauce. Their marinara sauce is vegan as is regular pasta. If you pair the pasta with a side or two, you can make a complete meal.
Desserts & Drinks
Unfortunately, none of the desserts are vegan-friendly. The good news is that there are several alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic drinks that can fit in a vegan lifestyle.
Beverages - Cocktails
- Peach Margarita - frozen
- Peach Margarita - on the rocks
- Raspberry Margarita - frozen
- Raspberry Margarita - on the rocks
Beverages - Nonalcoholic
- Boston Iced Tea - Classic Cranberry
- Boston Iced Tea - Peach
- Boston Iced Tea - Raspberry
- Hand-crafted Lemonade - Classic
- Hand-crafted Lemonade - Strawberry
- Iced Tea
- Dr. Pepper
- Coffee
Their Fruit Smoothies contain dairy and are NOT vegan.
Vegan Meal Ideas at Red Lobster
While they do not have a vegan menu, there are several sides and off menu options that make pretty good meals. You wouldn't go to Red Lobster just to get any of these meals, but if you find yourself at one the following options could work.
- Plain baked potato, garden salad, and crispy Brussel sprouts
- Pasta with marinara sauce (off menu and mentioned above) with a side salad
- Sea-salted fries, broccoli, and orzo rice
Cheddar Bay Biscuits - Vegan Copycat Recipe
One side dish that everyone seems to love at Red Lobster is their Cheddar Bay Biscuits. The good news is that there are copycat recipes out there that are vegan-friendly. Vegan Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Red Lobster Copycat) from Make it Dairy Free is a great recipe.
I especially like it because it doesn't use any flax eggs or other egg replacers. It uses the following simple ingredients that you probably already have at home:
- unsweetened non-dairy milk
- apple cider vinegar
- vegan butter
- flour
- baking powder
- sugar
- shredded vegan cheddar cheese
- Seasonings - salt, garlic powder, old bay seasoning, and dried parsley
Vegan Seafood?
Maybe you were once a fan of seafood before going vegan and are looking for options that taste similar but aren't actually fish. Do they even make vegan seafood? You may be surprised to learn that there are some vegan seafood options and more are coming on the market all the time.
- Good Catch is a brand that can be found at Wegmans, Whole Foods, BJ's Wholesale Club and more. They have vegan tuna, crabless cakes, vegan salmon burgers and more.
- Gardein is a brand you are probably already familiar with since they have extensive plant-based meat options. They also have Fishless Filets and Mini Crabless Cakes.
- Miss eating a tuna salad sandwich? Check out Loma Linda Tuno! They have original, lemon pepper, and sriracha flavors. You can order them online.
If you're interested in finding out more about plant-based seafood options, check out 16 Vegan Seafood Options That Are Swimming in Flavor by VegNews.
Summary
Red Lobster is a popular restaurant for seafood lovers that has minimal vegan food since seafood of any kind isn't vegan. The above list shows what all of the options are. If you order off menu, you can make a complete meal with a marinara pasta dish and sides.
While I wouldn't consider it a vegan-friendly restaurant, there are some options that can work. Unfortunately, Red Lobster’s famous cheddar biscuits contain dairy but there are several side menu items that do not contain animal products. If you find yourself at the seafood restaurant, you can put together a decent meal and not just a side house salad. Hopefully Red Lobster will add more vegan options in the future.
Are you wondering about what's vegan at other chain or fast-food restaurants? Check out:
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