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If you're vegan and you find yourself at an Arby's, you won't have very many options.
Unfortunately, Arby’s isn’t very vegan friendly. They are very meat-focused and have said that they don’t plan on adding vegan meal options to their menu. None of their burgers, sandwiches, wraps, or main salads are vegan.
I also want to point out that when you are ordering something vegan from a fast food restaurant that isn’t fully vegan, there is likely to be cross-contamination with various animal products.
Arby’s confirms that all of their fried items are cooked in the same oil, so even though some fried items are not made with animal products, they are cooked in oil with meat and products that contain milk and eggs.
It also needs to be noted that at most restaurants (at least in the US) cane sugar may be filtered through bone char. There are also various ingredients that can be sourced from vegan or non-vegan ingredients, such as mono and diglycerides, natural flavors, and many more. The source of these ingredients will often not be disclosed by restaurants.
If you want to eat at Arby’s you will need to be okay with these uncertain ingredients.
So if you’re vegan, you probably don’t really want to eat at Arby’s, but if you find yourself there with a group of people and you need to eat something, keep reading to see what limited vegan options you will find at Arby’s.
Note: Menu items and ingredients can change at any time, so make sure you confirm that whatever you want to order is vegan at the Arby’s location you are at.
Vegan Menu Items at Arby's
Below are all of the vegan options at Arby's in the US.
Sides & Snacks
- Side Salad without cheese. Choose Light Italian Dressing or Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing.
The Side Salad contains iceberg lettuce, leaf lettuce, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes. Make sure you order it without cheese!
Are Arby’s Fries Vegan?
The fries at Arby’s do not contain animal ingredients, but they are cooked in the same oil as other food items that contain animal products such as meat, egg, and milk.
If you are okay with that, you can have the following fries:
- Curly Fries
- Crinkle Fries
- Homestyle Fries
In Canada, Arby’s also sells Onion Rings that do not contain animal products, but are cooked in the same oil as items that contain animal products.
Kids Menu
There aren’t many vegan options from the kids menu either:
- Curly Fries – Kids (cooked in the same oil as animal products)
- Crinkle Fries – Kids (cooked in the same oil as animal products)
- Honest Kids Apple Juice Drink
- Tree Top Applesauce
Desserts
- Apple Turnover
- Cherry Turnover
The turnovers at Arby's contains some questionable ingredients for strict vegans such as cane sugar that may be filtered through bone char. They also contains mono and diglycerides, natural flavor, and polyglycerol esters of fatty acids which may or may not be vegan. Strict vegans probably wouldn’t eat anything from Arby’s, but many vegans won’t be concerned about these ingredients.
Beverages
Sodas and lemonade sold at Arby’s contain cane sugar that may be filtered through bone char and/or undisclosed natural flavors. Some also contain artificial colors, which some vegans avoid. If these ingredients aren’t a concern for you, you can have any of the sodas or lemonades at Arby’s.
You can also have the juices and coffee, but only if you like your coffee black as they do not have any vegan cream or milk options.
The non-vegan beverages are the milks: Shamrock Farms Lowfat White Milk and Shamrock Farms Lowfat Chocolate Milk.
Breakfast
- French Toast Sticks – cooked in the same oil as items that contain animal products.
- Potato Cakes - cooked in the same oil as items that contain animal products.
The French Toast Sticks and Potato Cakes contain many ingredients, some of which fall into the category of maybe vegan, maybe not. They are also cooked in the same oil as other menu items that do contain animal products.
Sauces and Dressings
The following sauces contain ingredients that strict vegans may not be okay with, as noted at the top of this post. You can see the ingredients here.
These sauces and dressings will be suitable for many vegans who are eating at Arby's:
- Arby's Sauce
- Bronco Berry Sauce
- Ketchup
- Marinara Sauce
- Red Ranch Sauce
- Smoky Q Sauce
- Spicy Three Pepper Sauce
- Tangy Barbeque Dipping Sauce
- Light Italian Dressing
- Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Arby's Vegan Meal
So there you have it. Based on what is available for vegans, the best meal you could have there would be a simple Side Salad with Light Italian Dressing or Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing and fries of your choice.
You could have soda, lemonade, or juice to drink, and for dessert you can choose an Apple or Cherry Turnover.
So not great, but at least you can have something if you find yourself needing to eat something vegan at Arby's.
