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Olive Garden doesn’t have a ton of vegan options, but you can put together a simple pasta entrée with sides.
Before we get into the options, here is a statement from Olive Garden that explains how they define vegan :
"Vegan is defined as not including animal meat, stock, or gelatin from an animal, nor any animal by-products of any kind, including honey."
Here is their disclaimer regarding cross-contamination with animal products:
"Because many of our recipes contain poultry, meat and fish products, our kitchens are not “animal free”. While we use safe food handling procedures, it is possible for any food item to come into contact with animal products during preparation and/or cooking process."
Vegan options at Olive Garden
Below are all of the vegan options available at Olive Garden. Keep in mind that menu items and ingredients may change at any time, so always check with your server to confirm that what you order is vegan.
Starters and Sides
- Breadsticks with Garlic Topping (the garlic topping is made with margarine, not butter) – For dipping sauce choose Marinara.
- Minestrone Soup
- Famous House Salad with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar (no croutons, no other dressing). Comes with lettuce, tomato, red onion, red cabbage, carrot, olives, pepperoncini peppers.
Pasta
Choose from the following pastas:
- Angel Hair
- Fettuccine
- Rigatoni
- Small Shells
- Spaghetti
Choose from the following sauces:
- Marinara
- Tomato Sauce
You can ask for veggies in your pasta instead of meat. Tell your server you are vegan and make sure the veggies are not cooked with any butter or other non-vegan ingredients.
Does Olive Garden have vegan desserts?
There are no vegan desserts at Olive Garden. The raspberry sauce is listed as vegan, but there would be nothing to put it on.
Are there any vegan and gluten-free options at Olive Garden?
If you are both vegan and gluten-free, you will only be able to have the Famous House Salad with no croutons. For dressing, you should be able to have the Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar. Confirm with your server that this is gluten-free if you have an allergy because ingredients can change at any time.
You could also potentially order some vegetables as a side, but make sure they are not cooked with any non-vegan ingredients such as butter.
There is a gluten-free pasta, but it contains egg. So if you are both vegan and gluten-free, you won’t be able to have any pasta at Olive Garden.
Full vegan meal at Olive Garden
So there you have it! At Olive Garden, you can eat a full meal by ordering a pasta entrée with marinara or tomato sauce. This entrée will include 2 breadsticks and your choice or soup or salad.
For soup, choose minestrone, and for salad, choose the famous house salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Make sure you order the salad without croutons.