Sometimes, it’s hard to avoid fast food when you’re on the go and starving. From airports and sports venues to road trips and 15-minute lunch breaks, eating on the run often means stopping at a fast food restaurant just to fill your belly. But what if you’re a vegetarian or vegan?
Luckily, fast food restaurants are catching on to the trends toward healthier offerings, adding vegetarian and vegan items to their menus in hopes of capturing a new market. Here are some of the alternatives to consider if you’re pressed for time (or options) and looking for a plant-based meal.
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Burger King
You’ve probably heard the ads for Burger King’s Impossible Whopper. You can request it without cheese or mayonnaise and a side of French fries, a garden salad or hash browns. Just be sure to ask for a nondairy dressing. The buns are vegan.
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White Castle
Although the Impossible Slider at White Castle comes with smoked cheddar, you can ask them to skip the cheese. If you’re vegan, opt for the hot sauce, smoky BBQ sauce or Nashville-inspired hot sauce. The buns are vegan.
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Hardee’s
Although the Original Beyond Thickburger is vegetarian, to make it vegan, you’ll need to order it without mayo and in a lettuce wrap rather than a bun.
The same is true with the Beyond Breakfast Sausage Biscuit, which need to be ordered with toasted sourdough bread or a tortilla to make it vegan.
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Dunkin
The Beyond Sausage Sandwich is vegetarian—or vegan if you order it without egg and cheese. Both the “meat” and English Muffin are vegan-friendly.
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Chipotle
Order the sofrita with shredded tofu in a spicy marinade or a tortilla with beans—both of which are vegan. Skip the cheese and opt for rice, guacamole, chips and fajita veggies.
It’s important to note that some of these establishments may use shared grills or shared kitchens with meat products.
