003: Vegan Fast Food

Vegan fast food sounds like an oxymoron, but everyone at some point, even vegans, find themselves in a position where one needs convenience food on the run. And no one has to be super healthy all the time, right? Before going vegan, I was a fast food junkie. I would eat it everyday, if I could. If I come off as knowing way too much about fast food, you would have to understand that first.

Below I have written out what is, after looking over countless sources, to the best of my knowledge, vegan or vegetarian at fast food restaurants. And a least of what you might THINK is vegan or at least vegetarian, but is not. You might be pretty amazed about the stuff they sneak in for who knows what reason.

Note: Instead of writing out a list of what can and cannot be eaten, I have chosen to write about each restaurant highlighting what can and cannot be eaten with a bit of detail. To skim over to find exactly what is vegan/vegetarian and what should be actually isn't vegan/vegetarian, please use the guide below:
Vegetarian food will be written in green.
Vegan food will also be written in bold green.
Foods that are written about that are not vegan/vegetarian are written in red.

McDonald's
We will start with McDonald's. As stated in the movie Super Size Me, McDonald's has made a claim that they cannot guarantee that any of their products (even their sodas...) do not contain meat. While I personally do not believe their sodas contain meat, this should be considered before eating here.

The fries from McDonald's are not vegetarian. They contain beef tallow (beef flavoring). The yogurt is not even vegetarian. Gelatin, made from animal hooves and connective muscle tissue (think cow butt), is in the yogurt. The caramel contains milk.The ingredients in the hash browns also contain beef flavoring. The danishes contain gelatin.


Burger King
I was originally under the impression that Burger King's french fries contain chicken fat. This is no longer true. The company does state though that they may not be considered part of a vegetarian diet.... to which I am suspicious. I do not plan on eating these. Their salads come with meat and cheese that's on separate container attached to the salad. You can easily toss it, but if you're veggie for the animals, you better have a meat eating friend with you to give it to because what good are you doing throwing it in the trash?
The veggie burger contains both milk and eggs, and the bun it is served on contains milk. Which while it works for vegetarians, you should insist that it be cooked in the microwave because it will just be thrown on the grill right next to a Whopper.

Subway
The veggie patties at Subway also contain milk and eggs. I'm really not understanding why even bothering with veggie patties that contain milk and eggs. Why not make veggie patties that all veggie lovers can have? They have a veggie sandwich that obviously you can get without cheese and mayonnaise. However, the only vegan bread is Italian, Hearty Italian, and Sesame Italian. The Wheat, Parmesan/Oregano, and Deli Style Rolls are vegetarian. There is eggs in the honey mustard and in the cookies.

Taco Bell
The sour cream and guacamole at Taco Bell is not vegetarian. It also contains gelatin. Their refried beans contain no lard though. This is one of my favorite places to go when I am in a rush or being completely lazy. I sub the meat out all the time for beans and minus the cheese. The Mexican rice is vegan. The cheese does not contain animal enzymes, so as long as no meat is in the dish, you're relatively safe in its being vegetarian. The Fajita sauce may contain chicken.

Del Taco
The refried beans at Del Taco use flavoring from meat. Stick with the french fries in those awesome giant cups. All the secret sauces are vegetarian, but I do not know if it is milk and/or egg in the sauces.

Ralley's
Nothing at Ralley's is vegetarian. The batter for the fries contain milk and eggs. Don't go here unless all you want is a soda.

Popeye's
Popeye's french fries' batter also contains eggs and milk and beef flavoring. Also, my fiance has gotten food here before to which he found french fry parts in his chicken. This puts me under the impression that they are also fried together. The corn-on-the-cob and apple pie are both vegan.

ARBY'S
Arby's milkshakes contain gelatin (GROSS) and so does the sour cream and some of the sauces. They have salads and baked potatoes (you can add broccoli and cheese). The turnovers are vegan and baked by themselves. The curly fries and home-style fries are usually cooked in the same oil as the meat. The buns and biscuits contain egg and/or milk.


Carl's JR.
The croutons at Carl's Jr contain milk. The cheese is used with a vegetarian rennet. The cheesecakes contain gelatin. The hash browns, french fries, and onion rings are cooked in the same oil as the animal products. English muffin and cornmeal rolls are both vegan. The Thousand Island dressing contains fish and eggs and the Fat-Free Italian dressing contains eggs. The raisin bran muffin and potato and macaroni salads contain eggs.

Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box claims they cook their fries, potato wedges, hash browns. and onion ringsonion rings contain milk though, and the seasoned curly fries are only vegetarian, but I do not know what animal product it uses. The secret sauce contains fish and eggs. The cheesecake contains gelatin, the fudge cake contains eggs and the egg rolls contain pork. The English muffin, hamburger bun, gyro bread, and apple turnover are vegan.


Kentucky Fried Chicken
Kentucky Fried Chicken has meat flavoring in the red beans and rice, gravy, BBQ baked beans, and green beans. The chocolate parfait contains lard (SUPER GROSS). The fries and potato wedges are made in the same oil as the animal products. The Three Bean Salad is vegan and the Garden Salad, cornbread, corn-on-the-cob, biscuits, and macaroni and cheese are vegetarian.

El Pollo Loco
Vegan foods at El Pollo Loco are the corn-on-the-cob, guacamole, pinto beans, cucumber salad, BRC burrito (minus the cheese to make it vegan), and the spiced apples. The Baja Glaze contains chicken. The Crispy Green Beans contain bacon and the BBZ baked beans contain ham. The parfaits, lite sour cream, and cheesecakes contain gelatin. The churros are cooked in the same oil as the chicken taquitos.

Long John Silver's
The only thing to get at Long John Silver's is the corn-on-the cob, salad (with Lite Italian dressing), and rice.

Rally's
The french fries at Ralley's have a batter that contains beef tallow and are cooked in the same oil as the chicken. The onion rings are also fried in the same batter. Have a soda here.

Sonic Drive-In Restaurant
The french fries are claimed to be cooked in separate oil than the meat products, however Sonic's tend to have small kitchens, so in a rush, this may or may not be true. The onion rings' batter contains whey. The cheese has enzymes from animals. The buns vary in different locations, so you will need to ask.

Wendy's
The baked potato (plain) is vegan at Wendy's as well as the taco chips, applesauce, and french fries. The sandwich and kaiser buns contain whey. The honey mustard contains eggs.

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Remember that fast food restaurants change their ingredients often to things that are cheaper and cheaper. Gelatin and lard make for cheap fillers and frying everything in the same oil saves space and time. Most workers at fast food restaurants are teenagers or young adults that usually don't care much, if you're vegan or even have an allergy (not all, just saying from personal experience). Eating fast food is taking a risk.