As you may or may not be aware, McDonald’s fries are actually not vegan. They contain beef flavoring and milk, two animal products that make them unsuitable for plant based eater. This information may have you wondering what other brands of fries are (and are not) vegan.
Are Burger King Fries vegan?
According to Burger King’s nutritional information, their fries contain:
Potatoes, Soybean Oil or Canola and Palm Oil, Modified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Dextrin, Salt, Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
Burger King Website
There are no animal products in Burger King’s fries, unlike those of their competitor McDonald’s, so they are in fact vegan. However, they do use the same fryer for other ingredients that may contain milk products, so they are not “certified” vegan.
If you’re curious about what else you can eat at Burger King as a vegan, read more about it below!
What is vegan at Burger King?
Burger King doesn’t have a ton of vegan-by-default items on the menu. It does shine in one area in particular, which is its new Impossible Whopper. Made with vegetarian (and vegan) protein, this burger patty tastes just like the real thing by all accounts.
As it comes assembled, the Impossible Whopper is not vegan. You can make it vegan with a few quick customizations, however. Always opt for no cheese (of course) and you’ll have to ask for no mayonnaise as well since it contains eggs. The bun itself is already good to go, so you’re free to load the burger up with whatever else you like!
Its breakfast menu has some hidden vegan gems as well. You can get hash browns, which everybody loves. Also, the French toast sticks are vegan and so is the apple pie! This is great news for dessert lovers out there, since these both taste indulgent and delicious.
Which fast food fries are vegan?
Good news: virtually all fast food fries (except for McDonald’s) are vegan! McDonald’s flavors theirs with beef flavoring, which is a callback to when they used to fry in beef tallow. Since frying in rendered animal fat is neither healthy nor cost effective, they switched to a cheaper and marginally heart-healthier vegetable oil option.
The beef flavoring is supposed to preserve the original taste, but makes their fries off limits for both vegans and vegetarians alike. Thankfully, all other restaurants that I could find fry in vegetable oil and don’t add any beef flavoring, so you should be good to go.
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Is there anything for vegetarians at Burger King?
The good news is that Burger King has a lot of menu items that are vegetarian by default. You’ll have an easier time finding meat-free items than dairy free. On the breakfast menu, their Maple Oatmeal and Egg and Cheese croissant are both fantastic entrees. Both of them are relatively low in calories, and the Egg and Cheese even has 12 grams of protein. The hash brown also contains no meat or meat derivatives.
On the sweeter side of things, its French Toast Sticks, pancakes, and virtually all of its desserts that I came across were vegetarian. For sides, its fries, cheesy tots, and onion rings are all in the clear.
Of course, we couldn’t talk about vegetarian food without talking about the Impossible Whopper. While it may be prepared on a surface shared with meat, the burger itself is 100% vegetarian. It also has roughly the same nutritional value as a regular Whopper, so be careful!
What is the best fast food place for vegetarians?
Nowadays, lots of restaurants have been forced to cater to plant based eaters due to sheer market demand. As more and more people make the switch away from eating meat, it seems that more and more meatless options open up. Fast food hasn’t been the fastest to make the switch, but there are still some promising choices out there for when you find yourself in a drive thru.
The prevalence of eggs in breakfast cuisine makes it a lot easier to find something hearty and nutritious to eat for vegetarians at fast food places. Even if you’re a vegetarian that doesn’t eat eggs, you can often find a lot of other choices like hash browns, butter or cheese biscuits, bagels, pancakes… the list goes on and on. Keep in mind that McDonald’s hash browns are not vegetarian because they contain beef flavoring, but just about anywhere else’s hash browns will be fine.
Veggie burgers have made a strong impression at some fast food giants like Burger King and Carl’s Jr. Burger King’s Impossible Whopper claims to taste, sizzle, and even “bleed” like real meat, which has even prompted some non-vegetarians to try it out as well. Vegetable patties aren’t yet as widespread as we would like, but hopefully that change will come in the near future. Until then, you can always customize any sandwich by ordering it without meat and loading up on other toppings (especially cheese!). Pair your new creation with a side of (almost always vegetarian) fries for a nice meal.
The same goes for salads, which almost always automatically come with at least one kind of meat. They aren’t quite as hearty without them, unless you’re at a specialty “fast food” place like Panera, so you will definitely have to get creative with the add-ons.
Mexican fast food places really shine when it comes to meatless options. By default, they always have some kind of beans on hand which makes it so much easier to have a filling and nutritious meal. Taco Bell is fully customizable, as well as dine-in places like Chipotle and Qdoba. Many of these have vegetarian meals on the menu that come with yummy extras like guacamole or fajita veggies.
Related Questions:
Which fast food restaurants can vegans eat at?
Actually, almost all of them! While vegans won’t have quite as many options as vegetarians when it comes to fast food, there are still quite a few things on the menu at just about every restaurant that are vegan-friendly.
The fries at almost every fast food restaurant (except McDonald’s) are vegan. They are cooked in various vegetable oils and there are often even separate fryers for meat products and non-meat products. While there may be some slight milk or whey contamination, it’s pretty safe considering that these places mainly serve meat.
The next obvious choice is to order a salad, but these often come standard with meat and cheese (and dairy-containing dressings). Be sure to skip all of those and opt for extra vegetables and some type of vinaigrette dressing if available.
You might be even more limited when it comes to drinks, so aside from water, soda, or black coffee you can try to get creative. McDonald’s slushies are actually vegan, and so are many of Wendy’s specialty lemonades and juices.
Are Burger King’s onion rings vegan?
Burger King’s onion rings contain whey, which is a milk derivative. This means they are not suitable for vegans, but vegetarians can still eat them. Keep in mind that their foods do share fryers, so there could always be cross contamination with meat or dairy products as well.
Sources:
https://www.chipotle.com/order/build/lifestyle-bowl
https://www.livestrong.com/article/442353-vegetarian-options-at-burger-king/
