Are there any vegan options at Wendy's? Wendy's restaurant is one of the most popular fast-food chains in the United States. It's known for it's burgers, chicken, fries and Frosty dessert.
Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of great vegan options at Wendy's. Compared to some of the other fast-food chains, it's falling behind in it's plant-based offerings. So what are the vegan options at Wendy's? Let's find out.
All ingredients, allergen and nutritional information can be found on Wendy's website.
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Fries and Sides
The good news is that Wendy's fries are vegan and that they are fried in vegetable oil (not animal fat). However, Wendy's uses a shared fryer so there is always the risk of cross contamination as other foods containing meat and dairy can be cooked in the same fryer.
- Natural Cut French Fries (There is the option to order without sea salt.)
- Plain Baked Potato (Order without butter or sour cream.)
- Seasoned Potatoes
- Apple Bites
Vegan Sauces
There are a few vegan sauces at Wendy's.
- Ketchup
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Barbeque Sauce
Salads
Unfortunately, the garden salad is no longer on the Wendy's menu but it's possible that it will return. There are no vegan salads but with modifications you can make one of their salads without any dairy or meat products. Although it will be mostly romaine lettuce left.
- Taco Salad: Order with NO chili, cheese or sour cream. It comes with salsa which you can use as your "dressing". The included taco chips do not contain any animal products.
- Apple Pecan Salad: Order with NO chicken, pecans or blue cheese.
Vegan Salad Dressings
The only vegan salad dressing option is the Pomegranate Vinaigrette. The ingredients list is below.
Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients: Water, Sugar, Pomegranate Juice Concentrate, White Wine Vinegar, Soybean Oil, Orange Juice Concentrate, Balsamic Vinegar, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Orange Flavedo (Orange Peel, Sugar, Orange Oil), Shallots, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavor, Spice.
Vegan Bread Options
While there are no vegan burgers, there are buns that do not contain any animal ingredients. You could order some avocado and make an avocado sandwich.
- Premium Bun Ingredients: Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sugar, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Contains less than 2% of each of the following: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Calcium Peroxide, Calcium Propionate (Added as a Preservative), Calcium Sulfate, Canola Oil, Citric Acid, Corn Starch, Dextrose, Enzymes, Maltodextrins, Modified Food Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate, Monoglycerides, Salt, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate (SSL), Starch, Sunflower Oil, Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Proteins (Pea, Potato, Fava Bean), Wheat Dextrose, Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Wheat Maltodextrins, Sesame Flour.
- Garlic Knot Bun Ingredients: Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley), Water, Yeast, Contains less than 2% of each of the following: Roasted Garlic, Salt, Sugar, Palm Oil, Wheat Sourdough (Water, Fermented Wheat Flour), Wheat Gluten, Barley Malt Flour, Dextrose, Garlic Powder, Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sunflower Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid, Enzymes, Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Calcium Propionate (preservative). Topping: Water, Pea Protein, Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Modified Food Starch.
NOTE: The Pretzel Bun does not contain any obvious animal ingredients. However, bacon flavor is an ingredient and it lists "natural flavors" with no further explanation. I would probably stay away from the Pretzel Bun.
Drinks
There are many vegan drink options at Wendy's.
- Coke
- Diet Coke
- Coke Zero
- Sprite
- Orange Fanta
- Dr. Pepper
- Barq's Root Beer
- Hi-C Flashin' Fruit Punch
- Iced Tea
- Sweet Iced Tea
- Fresh Brewed Coffee
- Fresh Brewed Decaffeinated Coffee
- Cold Brewed Iced Coffee
- Minute Maid Light Lemonade
- All-Natural Lemonade
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Sunburst Melon Lemonade
- Pineapple Mango Lemonade
- Honest Kids Fruit Punch
- Simple Orange Juice
Vegan-Friendly Options for Lunch/Dinner
As there are very few vegan menu items, I wouldn't look for a Wendy's to eat at. But if I found myself at a Wendy's for lunch or dinner, I would probably order the following meal:
- Plain Baked Potato with a side of salsa to put on top
- Apple Pecan Salad with NO chicken, pecans or blue cheese, add avocado
- Unsweetened Iced Tea
This wouldn't be an amazing meal, but it would be something to eat.
FAQs
Unfortunately, Wendy's does not have a vegan burger or a veggie burger option. Hopefully they'll add an Impossible Burger or Beyond Burger in the future. They did test a Black Bean Burger in the US but that didn't go well and it wasn't added to the menu.
The side salad is no longer on the menu at this time. You can order one of the other Wendy's salads with modifications.
Unfortunately, their Oatmeal Bar contains both egg and milk and is not vegan.
Sadly, no. All Wendy's Frosty flavors contain dairy.
No, the roasted pecans contain dairy and honey and are not vegan.
Summary
There aren't a lot of vegan options at Wendy's. In recent years, many fast food restaurants have been adding vegan burgers and other options to their menu. Unfortunately, Wendy's has not been following the trend...at least in the US. Wendy's does have a plant-based burger in the UK.
You can order a salad with a lot of changes, a plain baked potato, fries and seasoned potatoes. And that's about it. It's disappointing for a fast food chain to have so few vegan options.
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