A perfect, satisfying bite of a burger is juicy, crunchy, creamy, cheesy, and saucy all at the same time. It should hit all the right notes by delivering a combination of flavors and textures.
Whataburger is known to offer that perfect bite. But can plant-eaters experience it? Or is it just reserved for meat-eaters? Does Whataburger have a vegan burger?
Let’s find this and all else about vegan options at Whataburger!
Does Whataburger Have Vegan Options?
Technically, it does. But they are very few, unexciting options and only accidentally vegan. The Texas-based fast-food chain specializes in hamburgers and doesn’t cater to vegan diners at all.
It’s so frustrating to know that there are still restaurants that choose not to respond to different dietary requirements of people despite their ever-increasing popularity.
Veganism is no longer limited to a small group of people. Close to 10 million people are estimated to follow a plant-based lifestyle in the US, which shows that it’s readily becoming widespread.
One may argue that vegetarians and vegans still make up a small minority of the consumer group, but I believe 10 million is a number big enough to deserve being catered to.
Okay, enough of my rant. Let’s go back to our discussion of Whataburger vegan options and dig into the restaurant’s menu to find out what vegans can eat there.
What is Vegan at Whataburger?
Vegan options at Whataburger are limited to just the following few items:
- French Fries
- Hash Brown Sticks
- Garden Salad – requires modification
- Apple & Cranberry Salad – requires modification
- Texas Toast
- Bun
- Flour Tortilla
- Veggie Toppings
- Sauces
- Apple Slices
- Beverages
Keep reading for more details on these items as well as other meatless items on Whataburger’s menu that may seem vegan-friendly.
Vegan Options at Whataburger 2024 – A Quick Breakdown
Whataburger doesn’t have a vegan menu. But I have created one for you by shortlisting meatless, dairy-free, and egg-free items from its standard menu.
It may not seem worth it because Whataburger’s vegan options are disappointing, but it can help fellow plant-eaters save a ton of their time and energy by not having to go through the entire Whataburger menu to pick out foods they can eat. I have done the work for them.
Your vegan food choices at Whataburger include:
French Fries
The classic vegan option on any menu, one that you can almost always fall back on, and one that keeps you from starving at restaurants while others enjoy their hearty meals, your good old friend is there for your rescue at Whataburger too.
These are the basic French fries (nothing exciting or extraordinary going on here) cooked in soybean oil.
They don’t use animal fat for cooking fries at Whataburger. However, they may use shared fryers. If this is a deal-breaker for you, make sure to confirm at your local Whataburger before ordering.
Hash Brown Sticks
Hash Browns taste great no matter what size and shape they come in. At Whataburger, they come in the form of sticks, so you can expect more crunch. They are free of animal ingredients and cooked in soybean oil, so they seem perfect for those on a vegan diet.
However, it’s important to mention that, like fries, they may be cooked in shared fryers.
Hack – As you know by now that Whataburger doesn’t offer a plant-based burger. And while nothing can replace an actual burger, you can put together a veggie burger for yourself using Whataburger hash browns and veggie toppings [listed below].
Garden Salad
If you have ever tried or even seen someone having a garden salad at a restaurant, you would know this isn’t an option you get excited to see in the list of vegan foods. It’s no exception at Whataburger either.
When you exclude the cheese, you’re left with a mix of romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, and shredded carrots. It’s healthy for sure, but would you want to eat it when dining out? I don’t think so unless you’re starving and there’s nothing else to eat.
Apple & Cranberry Salad
Whataburger’s Apple & Cranberry salad comes with chicken and cheese, so when eating vegan here, make sure that you ask them to hold these two ingredients in your order.
Your vegan Whataburger salad will have romaine, apples, and dried and sweetened cranberries.
Hack for Whataburger Salads
You can make your vegan Whataburger salads a little more exciting and flavorful by adding your choice of vegetable toppings [find the list below] to them. They will come at an extra cost, but you may be willing to pay that extra money to fill yourself up.
Also, don’t forget the salad dressing.
Vegan salad dressing options at Whataburgerinclude:
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Herb Vinaigrette
Basic, but better than nothing.
Note:
Whataburger has a couple of more salad options, but they contain quite a few non-vegan ingredients, and customizing them will leave you with pretty much the same ingredients as the garden salad. They are not worth it.
Whataburger Vegan Breads
Your vegan bread options at Whataburger include:
- Bun
- Texas Toast
- Flour Tortilla
*The Bun Oil they use to toast the bread is vegan-friendly. But if you want to be extra cautious, you may specify that you want your bread with ‘no butter.’
You may think there isn’t much use in knowing about the vegan bread options at a restaurant when you know that there is no vegan patty available. But I believe it’s worth knowing all your options, no matter how irrelevant or useless they may seem.
As for these Whataburger vegan bread options, you can use them to make your own veggie burger or wrap.
As mentioned earlier, you can use hash brown sticks and veggie toppings to DIY a vegan burger at Whataburger or a veggie wrap. Don’t forget to add a vegan sauce to make it moist, juicy, and more flavorful.
Veggie Toppings
The veggie topping options at Whataburger include:
- Fire-Roasted Mushrooms
- Avocado
- Grilled Peppers & Onions
- Diced Onions
- Grilled Onions
- Tomato Slices
- Lettuce
- Pickles
- Fresh Jalapenos
- Grilled Jalapenos
Whataburger Vegan Sauces
There are only a few basic vegan sauces options at Whataburger. These include:
- Fancy Ketchup
- Spicy Ketchup
- Mustard
Apple Slices
I know what you’re thinking. Why on earth would anyone order an apple at a restaurant?
But it’s safe to assume that some people may prefer relying on a snack that’s healthy and also confirmed vegan instead of risking their vegan commitment with food that may have been cross-contaminated due to shared cooking space and equipment.
If you or anyone in your group is like that, it’s worth knowing that Whataburger offers fresh apple slices.
Whataburger Vegan Beverages
Vegan beverages at Whataburger include:
- Coca-Cola
- Coke Zero
- Diet Coke
- Diet Coke – Caffeine-Free
- Cherry Coke
- Sprite
- Fanta Orange
- Fanta Strawberry
- Mountain Dew
- Dr. Pepper
- Diet Dr. Pepper
- Minute Maid Light Lemonade
- Barq’s Root Beer
- Powerade Fruit Punch
- Hawaiian Punch
- Simply Orange – Orange Juice
- Honest Apple Juice
- Sweet Tea
- Unsweetened Tea
- FUZE Tea
- Black Coffee
- Decaf Coffee – Black
Whataburger Vegan Menu – FAQs
- Does Whataburger have a vegan burger?
Sadly, no. Whataburger doesn’t have a vegan burger.
You may create your own veggie burger if you want [read the article for detailed instructions on it and your ingredient options].
- Are Whataburger onion rings vegan?
Whataburger onion rings contain dairy and eggs. They are not vegan.
- Are Whataburger biscuits vegan?
No. Whataburger biscuits contain dairy. They are not suitable for vegans.
- Is Whataburger buffalo sauce vegan?
It’s not. It contains milk.
- Are Whataburger fruit chews vegan?
Whataburger fruit chews may seem vegan (after all, they are made of fruit), but unfortunately, they are not. They contain gelatin.
- Is Whataburger apple pie vegan?
Whataburger’s apple pie is not vegan.
The glaze that they use for apple pie at Whataburger contains milk, and it doesn’t seem that you have the option to order a custom apple pie to fit your vegan dietary guidelines.
Conclusion – Is Whataburger Vegan-Friendly?
Certainly not!
Whataburger is just how you would expect a typical hamburger place to be; a great place for meat-eaters with an amazing variety of flavorful food, but worst for plant-eaters.
Though there are some accidentally vegan items and a couple more that can be customized, I believe we have had enough of ordering sides and calling it a meal. We also deserve proper vegan meals like everyone else. If you think the same, you may prefer to avoid going to Whataburger.
Did you find this article helpful? Interested to know about burger places that likely have better options than Whataburger? Check out my article The Habit Vegan Options to find out if it is the one that meets your requirements (you can get a vegan burger here).
