Trying to follow a vegan diet but don't want to miss out on all the fun of fast food? This list of chain restaurants with vegan-friendly menus will allow you to keep you on track.
We've listed the vegan choices available in your favourite family-friendly restaurants, making eating out that little bit easier if you're vegan.
From crisp pizza bases topped with vegan cheese at Pizza Express to veg-heavy Asian-inspired dishes at Wagamama, not to mention Nando's humous with peri-peri drizzle, we've tried to tick box the main foods you might be craving, so you never find yourself out for dinner and stuck for choice.
Although we've tried our hardest to make sure these listings are as accurate as possible, it's always worth checking with your waitress or waiter when you're out, to make sure ingredients haven't changed. Other things to watch out for are shared fryers, where meat will potentially contaminate oil, as well as sauces and dressings that might hide hard to identify non-vegan ingredients, like honey.
Ready to pick out your next meal from our vegan menus?
Restaurants with vegan options
Weatherspoons: vegan menu
Wetherspoons' dedicating vegan menu is more extensive than you may realise, with plenty of tasty options for starters, mains and desserts. The chain restaurant has recently launched a new vegan burger from Leeds-based company The Meatless Farm. The new burger follows a successful six-month trial of this plant-based menu item earlier this year, tested out in 40 branches across the country.
Starters:
- Houmous and tortilla chips with tomato and pico de gallo
- Topped chips
- Five-bean chilli
- Small nachos
Mains:
- Teriyaki noodles with choi sum, carrot, red pepper, edamame beans, shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, ginger, chilli, garlic, black and white sesame seeds, crispy onion
- Five-bean chilli with rice and tortilla chips
- Sweet potato, chickpea & spinach curry
Desserts:
- British Bramley apple crumble
- Fresh fruit: apple, banana, blueberries
Harvester: vegan menu
Famous for its steak, rotisserie chicken and kilo of ribs - Harvester has now also mastered meat-free dining by launching an extensive vegan menu from just £6.99.
Mains:
- Purist 'Bleeding' burger made of plant-proteins and mushrooms, complete with beetroot juice to give the bleeding effect of meat
- Beyond bean burger served with a melting mature Violife slice, baby gem lettuce, tomato, burger sauce and a pickled chilli packed into a toasted seeded bun with triple-cooked chunky chips
- Jamaican-style Katsu Curry topped with breaded aubergine, sweet potato and cauliflower, with golden rice, beans and a flat bread
- Quorn BBQ stacks with Monterey Jack cheese, BBQ sauce, topped with bacon flavour crunch and southern-fried Quorn bites, with triple-cooked chunky chips, slaw and buttered corn
Desserts:
- Vegan Sundae Best drizzled with your choice of dairy-free Belgian chocolate, raspberry or strawberry sauce
Wagamama: vegan menu
Vegan Asian food lovers, rejoice - Wagamama have expanded their vegan menu and there's plenty to choose from.
The new menu comes with a whooping 29 plant-based food options, which are cooked fresh to order and have been designed 'around the idea that meat free shouldn't mean taste free'. We hear you, Wagamama!
Starters
- Fragrant coconut, lemongrass and turmeric soup
- Mixed mushrooms and panko aubergine hirata steamed buns
- Vegetable tempura
- Bang bang cauliflower
- Yasai steamed gyoza
- Mushroom and aubergine steamed buns
Mains:
- Classic pad thai
- Tofu harusame glass noodle salad
- Vegan katsu curry
- Tofu harusame glass noodle salad
- Yasai yaki soba with rice noodles
- Yasai pad thai
Dessert
- Mango and matcha layer cake
- Pink guava and passion fruit sorbet
- Strawberry and yuzu ice cream
Pizza Express: vegan menu
If you're a fan of this popular pizzeria then you'll be pleased to know that they've introduced a vegan mozzarella to their menu. Diners are able to swap regular mozzarella for this new vegan cheese on any of their standard pizzas, and because you can add or remove toppings as you like.
The restaurant chain does have a couple of hero vegan pizzas however, if you don't feel like chopping and changing one of the others. Their dedicated vegan items (which include wine!) are:
Starters:
- Dough balls with oil and balsamic instead of garlic butter
- Marinated olives
- Roasted tomatoes
Mains:
- Giardiniera pizza which combines asparagus, red onion, garlic oil and black olives
- Puttanesca pizza
- Leggera peperonata pizza
- Leggera pandana pizza
Desserts:
- Coconut delight sorbet
- Raspberry sorbet
- Carrot cake
Carluccio's: vegan menu
Carluccio's vegan menu choices are limited to a couple of classics, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a full three-course meal if you find yourself at one of their branches. If you're after a filling feed then Carluccio's can certainly do the honours with olive oil-rich bread, a fresh tomato salad and vegan spaghetti coated in a fragrant basil sauce. And there's pudding too! Here are the vegan-friendly meals you can enjoy at Carluccio's:
Starters:
- Homebaked foccacia with olive oil
- Panzanella salad with rustic bread, tomatoes, basil and peppers (served without anchovies)
Mains:
- Linguine in a rich tomato and basil sauce
Desserts:
- Amalfi lemon, mandarin or melon sorbet
Nando's: vegan menu
For obvious reasons we don't think most vegans would choose Nando's as their perfect dinner venue, but sometimes it's nice to be able to join in with other friends' dinner plans.
If you find yourself in Nandos and wondering what to eat then there are a handful of alternatives to chicken on the menu that vegans can enjoy. Our favourite selection is:
Starter:
- Garlic bread
- Houmous with PERI-PERI drizzle
Mains:
- Quinoa salad with sweet potato and avocado chunks, piccolo tomatoes, cucumber, mixed leaves, PERI-seeds and grains (served without feta cheese)
- Mixed leaf salad
Sides:
- Spicy mixed olives
- Chargrilled veg
- Chips
Desserts:
- Mango sorbet
McDonalds: vegan menu
We won't beat around the bush, there isn't a huge vegan selection available at McDonald's. There are however just about enough choices to mean you can tuck into a filling meal on the go if you're out and about and need convenience food, fast.
It's also worth noting that fryers at Mcdonald's used for items like their apple pie may have been used for meat or fish, so if you're uncomfortable with any potential contamination, stick to the packaged sides or ask at your local branch what their set-up is. For their vegetarian items, Mcdonald's promise to only use vegetable oil and use dedicated fryers, too, so the veggie burger and chips should be safe.
McDonald's vegan choices are:
Starters
- Carrot sticks
Mains:
- New veggie dippers - available from the 2nd January - just in time for Vegaunary
- Vegetable Deluxe (without the sauce), French fries and garden side salad
- Spicy Veggie Deluxe (without the sauce/mayo)
- Toasted Bagel (Breakfast)
- Vegan Happy Meal
Sides:
- Hash browns
- Shaker side salad
- Fries
Desserts:
- Apple and grape fruit bag
- Apple pie
KFC: vegan menu
KFC is another restaurant that has finally provided a Quorn burger for vegans! It's called The Imposter and it's absolutely delicious. With a couple of veggies on offer as sides and our firm favourites, French Fries, you should be able to fill up on these vegan-friendly KFC items:
Starters:
- Corn on the Cob (without butter)
Mains:
- The Imposter Quorn burger (sadly, it's just a trial)
- Fries and house salad (with Italian light dressing)
Pizza Hut: vegan menu
Pizza Hut hopped on the vegan bandwagon in 2017, after announcing they would be offering dairy-free cheese on their menu.
After a long wait, the restaurant has finally expanded its vegan choices with options such as jack n cheese, veggie and margherita pizzas - all dairy free.
Greggs: vegan menu
If you're stuck for lunch options or need a quick bite, Greggs has got your back. There aren't starters, mains and desserts specifically, but the menu is packed full of tasty vegan options. Last year they launched the delicious Mexican Bean wrap, packed with mixed beans, sweetcorn and mixed peppers, which counts as one of your five a day.
The brand new vegan sausage roll is also now available, along with Southern friend wedges and the demi baguette.
So, that's our pick of our favourite fast-food vegan options in some of the UK's most popular restaurants. Do you have a favourite that's not featured? Let us know in the comments below and we'll add it to the list!
