Fast food restaurants aren’t usually the most vegan-friendly establishments, but french fries are one staple that almost always is. In this article we look at popular fast food establishments to see if their french fries are veg-friendly. Click one of the quick links below to jump to your restaurant of choice.
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Are Arby's Fries Vegan?
Arby’s famous Curly Fries and Homestyle Fries (Regional) are vegan friendly! At least both are vegan friendly in that they contain no animal products in their ingredients. Some cross contamination can occur during cooking as they are fried in the same oil as products that include egg, milk, soy, wheat and fish ingredients.
Arby’s has multiple vegan sauce options to go along with fries as well. These sauces include Arby’s Sauce, Bronco Berry Sauce, Ketchup, Marinara Sauce (Not Robust Marinara), Red Ranch Sauce, and Smoky Q Sauce.
Arby’s ingredients and allergen information were gathered from here and here.
The full ingredients for Arby’s Curly Fries are: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: canola oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, Corn Oil, palm oil), Enriched Bleached Flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Salt, Corn Starch, Onion Powder, Yellow Corn Meal, Spices, Garlic Powder, Leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), Modified Corn Starch, Dextrose, Spice and Coloring, Natural Flavor, Dried Torula Yeast, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (to preserve color). Cooked in Vegetable Oil. CONTAINS:WHEAT.
The full ingredients for Arby’s Homestyle Fries are: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (may contain one or more of the following: canola, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, corn, palm), Modified Potato Starch and/or Modified Corn Starch, Rice Flour, Dextrin, Salt, Leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), Xanthan Gum, Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (to preserve natural color). Cooked in Vegetable Oil.
Are Burger King Fries Vegan?
Burger King’s French Fries are also vegan! Burger King doesn’t post their full french fry ingredients, but according to their allergen guide the french fries contain no egg, fish, milk, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, or wheat. However, they are cooked in a shared fryer that is also used for products containing wheat and milk. Burger King’s Hash Browns are vegan-friendly as well, but are also cooked in a shared fryer. Peta has confirmed that both Burger King’s french fries and hash browns are vegan.
Information on vegan-friendly dipping sauces at Burger King could not be found so your best bet is to stick to Ketchup.
Are Carl's Jr. Fries Vegan?
Both Carl’s Jr’s Natural-Cut French Fries and Crisscut Fries are vegan friendly. Carl’s Jr does not publish the ingredients in each product, but both are absent of milk and egg allergens according to Carl’s Jr’s website. The Breakfast Hash Browns are also vegan at Carl’s Jr. All of these products are verified to be vegan by Veganuary.
Combo Car’s Jr fries with a Beyond Famous Star (without cheese and mayo) for a vegan friendly burger combo!
Are Chick-fil-A Fries Vegan?
The Waffle Potato Fries at Chick-fil-A are the best selling item and are also vegan! In addition, these waffle shaped delights are free from major allergens including milk, eggs, soy, wheat, tree nuts, and fish. As an added bonus, Chick-fil-A’s breakfast Hash Browns are also vegan!
Chick-fil-A’s vegan dipping sauce options include Barbeque Sauce, Honey Mustard Sauce, Ketchup, Polynesian Sauce, and Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Sauce. Unfortunately, Chick-fil-A Sauce contains eggs and is not vegan.
Chick-fil-A’s ingredients and allergen information were gathered from here and here.
The full ingredients for Chick-fil-A Waffle Potato Fries are: Potatoes (vegetable oil [canola oil, palm oil], disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate [to promote color retention], dextrose), sea salt, canola oil (high oleic canola oil with Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an anti-foaming agent).
Are Hardee's Fries Vegan?
Since Carl’s Jr. bought out Hardee’s in 1997, the menus have been nearly the same. Because of this, Hardees Natural-Cut French Fries, Crispy Curls (curly fries), and Hash Rounds are all vegan friendly. Hardee’s does not publish the ingredients in each product, but all three are absent of milk and egg allergens according to Hardee’s website.
Are Jack In The Box Fries Vegan?
If you are a fan of fried potatoes, Jack In The Box is the place for you! Their French Fries, Hashbrowns, Potato Wedges, and Seasoned Curly Fries are all vegan friendly. Jack In The Box does not publish the ingredients in each product, but all four are absent of all allergens (excluding wheat) according to Jack In The Box’s allergen guide. These products have been confirmed to be vegan friendly by Peta.
Jack In The Box’s vegan dipping sauce options include Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo, Sweet N’ Sour, and Teriyaki.
Are KFC Fries Vegan?
While KFC does not have proper french fries on their menu, their Potato Wedges are vegan. KFC’s vegan dipping sauce options include Ketchup, Hot Sauce, and Sweet ‘N Tangy dipping sauce. Unfortunately, KFC’s gravy is not a suitable dipping option as it contains chicken fat.
All ingredients were gathered from KFC’s nutrition guide.
The full ingredients for KFC Potato Wedges are: Potatoes, Soybean Oil, Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Rice Flour, Food Starch-Modified, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Yellow Corn Meal, Spices, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate). May Contain Dextrose.
Are In-n-Out Fries Vegan?
According to In-n-Out’s allergen guide, their French Fries contain no eggs or egg products, milk or milk products, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, or wheat/wheat gluten. They also state they are fried in “100% sunflower oil using only fresh potatoes.” Based on this information it is safe to assume that In-n-Out French Fries are vegan friendly!
Unfortunately, animal style fries are non-vegan as they include cheese and In-n-Out’s Famous Spread that is believed to have mayo in it.
Are McDonald's Fries Vegan? (United States)
Regretfully, McDonald’s “World Famous Fries” still contain “Natural Beef Flavor” and are not vegan friendly. This is confirmed by the ingredients on McDonald’s fries website. McDonald’s Hash Browns also contain “Natural Beef Flavor.
McDonald’s continues to use “Natural Beef Flavor” in their fries and hash browns even after paying $10 million to vegetarian and religious groups for advertising their fries being cooked in vegetable oil, but not disclosing that they were flavored with beef tallow.
The full ingredients for McDonald’s Fries are: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt. *Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.
Are Popeye's Fries Vegan?
According to the Quora feed “What oil does Popeyes use to fry their chicken?“, it appears that all the fried products at Popeye’s use beef tallow. Therefore, the Cajun Fries at Popeye’s are NOT vegan or vegetarian. Popeye’s allergen guide does not confirm or deny this fact.
Are Sonic Drive-In's Fries Vegan?
Sonic Drive-In’s french fries are also vegan. Not only are the fries vegan, but so are the onion rings and tater tots. Sonic’s fried products go great with one of their many vegan sauces. You can find a full list of Sonic’s vegan options and sauces in our article “Sonic Drive-In Vegan Options – Summer 2019“.
Are Wendy's Fries Vegan?
Last but not least, Wendy’s Fries are vegan! According to Wendy’s, their fries are “Cut from whole potatoes, cooked skin-on, and served hot and crispy with a sprinkle of sea salt for a taste as real as it gets.” However, it should be noted that Wendy’s fries are “cooked in the same oil as menu items that contain or may contain mustard, wheat, egg, soy, milk, fish, and sulphites.”
The full ingredients for Wendy’s Fries are: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, and/or Sunflower), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate. Cooked in Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Canola, Corn, or Cottonseed), Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, and Dimethylpolysiloxane (Anti-Foaming Agent). Seasoned with Sea Salt.
