Eating at fast food joints can be quite the hassle for selective eaters. However, there are vegetarian fast food options at most national chains. Some are only good enough to get you to the next meal, but many are legitimately tasty!
As an experienced fast food restaurant scrounger, I’ve experienced both the good and the bad. Take a look at the list below for the best vegetarian fast food choices.
1. Bean Burrito, Taco Bell
The bean burrito is a staple of my fast food diet. It’s cheap, not that bad for you, and tasty. It now comes with a fresco alternative (which is vegan) that substitutes peppers and onions for the cheese. Taco Bell is a solid eating location for a veggie on the go.
2. Veggie Delight, Subway
It’s just like making a sandwich at home except you don’t have to stock your fridge with twenty ingredients. Mix your custom bread with your custom toppings, and a custom sauce or dressing for a quality treat. My personal favorite includes American cheese, banana peppers, and yellow mustard combined with the typical sub toppings.
3. BK Veggie, Burger King
When your omnivorous friends proclaim that they ‘MUST’ have a burger, the BK Veggie is your way to get a full meal. It’s a tasty veggie burger, although I’m personally not thrilled with the occasional, giant water crest that’s inside. Pro-tip: go sans mayo.
4. Side Salad, Hardees
Figuring any grease-loving, monster burger restaurant would treat a side salad as a second class citizen, I was honestly surprised by the Hardees side salad. The lettuce was fresh and crispy and the toppings were pretty solid. Not the best salad, but really good for what it is.
5. Grilled Cheese, IN-N-OUT Burger
This is more or less a cheeseburger without the burger. You can get all the normal burger fixings on a bun, grilled, with cheese.
6. Mandarin Oranges, Wendy’s
A delightful cup on mandarin oranges might be just what you need to brighten your day when you’re out and about. Although not nearly a meal in itself, a cup of oranges is nice to see making its way into the fast food market.
7. Caesar Salad, Boston Market
Boston Market is a bit of a fast food stretch in my opinion, but they have quite a few meatless options. The Caesar salad probably isn’t all that healthy, but in my experience it’s fresh and tasty.
8. Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto, Panera Bread
This is a relatively new soup at Panera. I love the combination of flavors, especially when combined with a lovely slice of french baguette. There are a couple other veggie soups too. I can’t speak for the tomato yet, but I find the black bean to be way to salty. If all else fails, the bakery is stocked full of delicious breads and pastries.
9. Apple Slices with Caramel, Sonic
Much like the mandarin oranges at number 6, it’s nice to see fruit making it to the menus. The apple slices seem much fresher than their McDonald’s equivalent and they come with a great caramel dip.
10. French Fries, Everywhere
Purists will scoff at the inclusion of fries on this list, but purists always do. French fries are a debated food in the meat-free circles because they’re cooked in the same pans as the burgers and most restaurants will not come out and say whether they contain any meat products. However, they’re delicious and I don’t think any of the ingredients are actually animal derived so I’m okay with them.
Honorable Mention: Thickburger-no meat, Hardees
This is a thickburger sans burger. I haven’t personally tried one, which is why it didn’t make the list of ten. But I hear good things and it’s on my “To Eat” list.