There are vegan options available at most McDonalds – however, they are limited.
Vegan options for breakfast include the plain English muffin, apple slices, and fruit maple oatmeal (as long as you ask for the oatmeal bowl to be made without milk or cream). Other vegan options at McDonald’s include the baked apple pie, side salad, and a few custom options.
If you’ve still got questions, don’t worry – this article will answer everything you need to know about eating vegan at McDonald’s.
Is There Anything Vegan at McDonald’s?
As mentioned above, there are vegan options at McDonald’s. Let’s look at these in more detail.
Breakfast Food
Aside from the apple slices, vegan breakfast options you can try include the plain English muffin and the fruit and maple oatmeal. You’ll need to order the fruit and maple oatmeal bowl without dairy – instead, ask them to make it with water or a vegan dairy alternative.
Breakfast Drinks
The coffee is safe to drink as long as you ask for it without milk. A black coffee or Americano is your best option here (you can order hot or iced coffee).
Other vegan drinks are limited to Minute Maid orange juice and apple juice. You can also try the soda, slushies, or iced tea if you’re okay with them for breakfast.
Snacks: Baked Apple Pie and Side Salad
Your meals are also relatively limited – the baked apple pie and side salad (ordered without cheese or dressing – use one of the selections discussed below instead) are both safe to eat, but, at first glance, it may seem like those are the only things available to you.
Luckily, there are a few other things you can try – you’ll just need to get creative.
Meals: Custom Options
While the southwest chicken salad may seem like a no-go, it can actually be safe for vegans – all you need to do is order it with no chicken. There are also dressings you can use to add flavor.
Vegan Dressings
- Zesty Italian Dressing
- Raspberry Walnut and Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
- Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
- Newman’s Own Classic Oil & Vinegar Dressing
- Citrus Splash Dressing
- Sesame Ginger Dressing
Vegan Dipping Sauces
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Spicy Buffalo Sauce
- Tangy BBQ Sauce
- Mustard
- Ketchup
- Jelly
- Maple Syrup
Of course, all McDonald’s locations do not carry all of these sauces and dressings. However, this wide range of options at McDonald’s means you should easily be able to find at least a couple of options at your location.
Custom Salads
Additionally, you can also order the southwest salad (as long as you specify without cheese or dressing – use one of the salad dressings mentioned above instead) and the premium bacon ranch salad (order it without the cheese, ranch dressing, or bacon). If none of those work for you, you can also order a custom vegan wrap or sandwich.
Custom Wraps, Sandwiches, & Rolls
To create a wrap, order some soft tortillas or an artisan roll, as well as a southwest salad or side salad (sans cheese or dressing). Fill the roll/tortillas with the veggies, add your favorite dressing or sauce, and you’re good to go!
For a custom vegan sandwich, you can choose whichever one you like. Specify no meat or cheese, and ask them to load up on the veggies instead. If you still need additional veggies, top it up by ordering a salad. Complete with your favorite vegan sauce!
Kid-Friendly Vegan Options
If you have children with you, your options are likely even more limited, depending on their preference.
However, the apple slices should serve as a healthy fruit snack for them to munch on while you get your order to-go, and they can have orange juice to drink. If you’re looking for something a bit more filling, most children will enjoy the apple pies.
Is There a Vegan Burger at McDonald’s?
Given McDonald’s is famous for its burgers, you may wonder if McDonald’s vegan menu items include a vegan friendly burger.
The answer, at least in the United States, is no.
McDonald’s is currently experimenting with a vegan McPlant burger. At the start of 2022, they released the McPlant burger for a limited time at 8 locations to serve as a test run.
The McPlant Is Gone For Now
However, the McPlant burger is no longer part of the McDonald’s menu, and, while the chain has promised that the McPlant burger is coming back, we don’t have a set date yet.
Vegan Burgers Overseas
If you’re in another country, you may have some more luck with vegan friendly options. The McAloo Tikki burger is available in India – a vegan burger with a plant based patty made of potato instead of beef. This plant based burger was available for a short while in the US, but is no longer served in stores.
Other Overseas Vegan Options
Aside from vegan burger options at McDonald’s, there are also more vegan menu options in other countries. For example, the spicy veggie wrap is available in the UK, and the McFalafel (a wrap made of falafel nuggets) is available in several counties. You can also find vegan vegetable nuggets in McDonald’s Australia.
And, as we’ll learn, they also have french fries that are vegan – unlike McDonald’s in the United States.
Are McDonald’s Fries Vegan? Does McDonald’s Have Vegan Fries?
In the United States, McDonald’s does not have vegan-friendly fries. This is because, while McDonald’s fries themselves are vegan, they are cooked in oil that has beef fat. The hash browns are also cooked in the same oil – which is the reason the hash browns are not a vegan option either.
Vegan Oil Used In Overseas locations
This decision to add beef fat in cooking oil in the US is an unfortunate one, especially as other countries, such as the UK and India use vegetable oil.
So, while the fries outside the country are likely okay to eat, the ones in the United States do include animal products and are not suitable for vegan customers.
Final Thoughts
McDonald’s vegan options are unfortunately very limited. While you should be able to find enough for a breakfast – you can pair oatmeal or a muffin with coffee or orange juice – finding menu options for a hearty vegan lunch will likely be a more complicated issue. You can always try a salad or a DIY vegan sandwich along with one of their vegan drinks, and finish with apple pies or apple slices.
However, if you’re living a vegan lifestyle or follow plant based diets and are looking for something heartier, you’ll have to look at more vegan-friendly fast food chains, such as Burger King or Taco Bell.
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