Chick-Fil-A is home to some of America’s favorite chicken sandwiches. No matter which location you visit, Chick-Fil-A is known for its long lines, fast service, and superior courtesy.
Like most fast-food joints, Chick-Fil-A primarily sells non-vegan foods like chicken sandwiches, nuggets, milkshakes, and meat-containing salads.
What about the fries, though? Are Chick-Fil-A fries vegan?
Yes! All Chick-Fil-A fries are 100% vegan. They don’t contain any animal by-products like meat seasoning, dairy powder, or animal fats.
They’re made using a relatively simple, mostly-natural recipe, and all of their fries are cooked separately from the meat. This makes Chick-Fil-A fries some of the most vegan-friendly fries in the fast-food world!
That’s a relief, isn’t it?
It’s nice to know that there’s at least one fast-food restaurant that I can visit where they aren’t mixing hidden animal ingredients in with my fries. For example, McDonald’s fries are seasoned with meat-derived seasoning and cooked in the same oil that the meat is cooked in.
Today, I’ll answer a few of the questions I’ve been getting about Chick-Fil-A fries and give you a brief rundown of all of the ingredients, so you can see for yourself!
Are Chick-Fil-A Fries Cooked With Chicken?
One of the biggest reasons why I try to avoid fast-food fries is that they’re often cooked in the same exact vats of oil as the restaurant’s meat is cooked in.
For example, they’ll drop a batch of fries in the same oil and frying basket that was just used to fry chicken nuggets a few minutes before.
Thankfully, though, Chick-Fil-A fries are NOT cooked with any of the chicken they serve at the restaurant! Instead, Chick-Fil-A’s fries are cooked in a separate vat of oil that’s never used for meat.
Chick-Fil-A fries all of its chicken in peanut oil, which is where the iconic flavor comes from. However, the fries are cooked in a separate vat of mixed vegetable oil. The oils are never mixed, so you never have to worry if your fries have come into contact with meat.
Chick-Fil-A Fries Ingredients: Listed
I always like to provide you guys with a quick breakdown of all of the ingredients in these types of posts. That way, you can tell I’m not just making stuff up! I put a considerable amount of research into all of these foods, so you can eat your food with complete confidence.
Here’s the shortlist, obtained directly from their website:
1) Potatoes
Like most fries, potatoes are the primary ingredient used in Chick-Fil-A’s vegan-friendly Waffle Fries. Potatoes are always vegan, as they’re a vegetable. So you never have to worry about this one.
2) Canola Oil
Chick-Fil-A’s Waffle Fries are made with a bit of canola oil, which is the primary oil used to fry them. Canola oil is a sustainable cooking oil that’s extracted from the seeds of small yellow flowers.
3) Mixed Vegetable Oils
In addition to canola oil, Chick-Fil-A fries are deep-fried in a mixture of several different vegetable oils, including canola, palm, and soybean oil. Palm oil is the only questionable ingredient used in Chick-Fil-A fries, due to it contributing to deforestation.
However, keep in mind that it’s not pure palm oil; it’s just a mixture of different oils.
If the palm oil is a problem, here’s a quick recipe for how to make your own waffle fries at home:
4) Salt
All Chick-Fil-A fries are lightly salted unless you request otherwise.
5) Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate
This chemical is added to the pre-cut fries before they’re frozen. It’s a vegan animal-free chemical that’s designed to help the fries maintain their natural coloring.
6) Dextrose
Last but not least, a bit of dextrose is added to give the fries a slightly sweet aftertaste and a crispy outer shell. This is a completely vegan carbohydrate that’s obtained from vegetables like potatoes and corn.
The Verdict – Are Chick-Fil-A Fries Vegan-Friendly?
Compared to most other fast-food joints, Chick-Fil-A fries are some of the most vegan-friendly fries in the world! Other than the small amount of palm oil that might be included in the cooking oil, they’re 100% vegan.
Before you dip your fries in ketchup, be sure to read my post answering whether or not ketchup is vegan!
