Wendy’s is known for flipping its signature square-shaped burgers and doling out the hugely popular Frosty to wash it down. But if you’re vegan, most fast food restaurants can be a tricky destination for a meal since most of the classic hits there tend to be no-gos for a vegan lifestyle.
So where does Wendy’s fall among its competitors like McDonald’s and Burger King? The answer is somewhere in the middle – while the burger chain doesn’t offer a plant-based or vegan-friendly protein option, there are a handful of items you can still enjoy on a vegan diet.
Let’s dig into all of the items on the current Wendy’s menu that you can order and modify for some vegan-friendly bites.
Vegan food and drinks available on the Wendy’s menu
At one point back in 2021, Wendy’s did offer a plant-based burger: a Spicy Black Bean Burger, which could be easily modified to be vegan. However, this was a limited launch over the summer, and the menu item hasn’t made a reappearance since.
Because Wendy’s does not currently have any vegan protein options, and all of their breakfast sandwiches contain eggs, meat, or cheese, any sandwich on the menu is pretty much off-limits. That said, since the premium buns at Wendy’s are vegan-friendly, it’s possible to order a “veggie sandwich”. Many Wendy’s locations will know what you mean if you order one, but if not, just order a Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe and remove the meat, cheese, and mayo. You’ll get a sandwich that has lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and ketchup.
But if you stay on menu, Wendy’s does still offer one thing that many other fast food chains have abandoned: salads. While some of the salads would require too many ingredient removals to remain an actual meal, there are two salads on the menu that can be modified to make for a decent vegan-friendly order.
Aside from the salads, there are a handful of sides that qualify as vegan – and the good news is that the french fries are one of them. There are several forms of potatoes on the menu, actually (french fries, seasoned potatoes, and baked potatoes), which are made without any animal products and are all vegan-friendly, as well as several vegan condiments available to cover or dip them in.
Just keep in mind that anything fried will most likely use a shared frying oil with other items that do contain animal products, so this will depend on your level of comfort around cross-contamination.
Below is everything on the menu that you can order, along with any necessary modifications, if you’re looking for a quick vegan meal or snack at Wendy’s.
| Vegan Breakfast Items | Required Modifications |
| Seasoned Potatoes | |
| Vegan Salads | Required Modifications |
| Apple Pecan Salad | No chicken No cheese No pecans |
| Taco Salad | No chili No cheese No sour cream |
| Vegan Sides | Required Modifications |
| French Fries | |
| Plain Baked Potato | *Can add chives or salsa |
| Apple Bites | |
| Vegan Condiments + Dressings | |
| Pomegranate Vinaigrette | |
| Salsa | |
| Ketchup | |
| Mustard | |
| BBQ Sauce | |
| Hot Chili Sauce | |
| Sweet and Sour Sauce | |
| Vegan Beverages | |
| All Sodas + Fountain Drinks | |
| Coffee (Regular + Decaf) | |
| Cold Brew | |
| Iced Tea + Sweet Tea | |
| Lemonade (All-Natural, Strawberry, Pineapple Mange, Blueberry Pomegranate) | |
| Orange Juice |
No, the French Toast Sticks on Wendy’s breakfast menu are not vegan-friendly because this item is made with an egg batter that contains both whole eggs and whole milk powder.
Yes, Wendy’s french fries, seasoned potatoes, and baked potatoes are all vegan-friendly items (as long as you order the baked potato without butter, cheese, sour cream, or bacon). While the fries are cooked in vegetable oil and are free of animal products, there is cross-contamination with other animal products when it comes to the frying oil.
Most Wendy’s locations no longer offer the garden side salad due to menu simplification across the US. However, Wendy’s does have several entree salads on rotation, which can be modified according to your dietary preferences.
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