You’re busy shopping in the mall when suddenly, you catch a whiff of freshly baked bread.
The divine smell of butter and cinnamon fills the air around you, making you leave shopping in the middle and get your hands on that buttery goodness that we call pretzels from Auntie Anne’s.
We’ve all been through a similar situation. But, grabbing your favorite pretzels from Auntie Anne’s isn’t as simple and hassle-free a process for everyone as hinted above.
It can be a whole different ordeal for vegans. But, not anymore! Because we have got a list of Auntie Anne’s vegan options for you.
Read on to know which of those hand-rolled, freshly-baked soft pretzels you can eat at Auntie Anne’s.
What is Vegan at Auntie Anne’s?
There’s good news and bad news. Let’s start with the bad one (that’s how I prefer it). Auntie Anne’s doesn’t have anything that comes standard as vegan-friendly apart from a couple of dipping sauces and some drinks.
Now, onto the good part – you can get a few items customized at most (if not all) Auntie Anne’s locations.
Here’s everything vegans can eat at Auntie Anne’s:
- Original Pretzels
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels
- Raisin Pretzels
- Sweet Almond Pretzels
- Jalapeno Pretzels
- Pretzel Nugget Bites – a couple of options
- Vegan Dipping Sauces
- Drinks
It’s important to note that Auntie Anne’s doesn’t provide lists of ingredients for their various pretzels on the menu or anywhere else on the website. However, they offer an allergen menu, which came in handy to prepare this guide for ordering vegan at Auntie Anne’s.
I also referred to a few other online sources to cross-check and confirm every bit of information, so you can trust what I am telling you here.
Keep reading as we discuss how to order vegan at Auntie Anne’s and list your choices for vegan dipping sauces and drinks at the pretzel shop.
Auntie Anne’s Vegan Options 2024 – A Quick Breakdown
Here’s a breakdown of vegan options at Auntie Anne’s with quick instructions on how to order them:
Vegan Pretzels at Auntie Anne’s
Hand-rolled in-house and baked fresh, Auntie Anne’s pretzels are in a league of their own.
The fact that the chain has been operating successfully for over 30 years and has built a cult following for its soft pretzels, even though it doesn’t offer an endless variety of them, says a lot about these twisted pieces of bread.
Here are your choices for Auntie Anne’s vegan pretzels and how to order them:
Original Pretzel
The one that started it all, Auntie Anne’s Original Pretzel doesn’t contain eggs, milk, or any other animal-derived ingredients in its dough.
However, it’s brushed with butter after taking out of the oven. When ordering vegan at Auntie Anne’s, ask for original pretzels without butter.
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel
Love the bold earthy and woody flavor of cinnamon? Get yourself the cinnamon sugar pretzel from Auntie Anne’s.
A freshly-baked soft pretzel topped with the classic cinnamon and sugar mix, this not only makes a great snack but is also a good choice to satisfy your sweet cravings without overdosing on sugar.
Just like the original pretzel, you need to order it without butter too to be vegan-friendly.
Raisin Pretzel
Inspired by the classic raisin bun, this Auntie Anne’s pretzel has fresh raisins in the dough, providing a great sweet surprise in every bite.
It’s vegan-friendly on its own but, like the other two pretzels discussed above, brushed with butter after baking. When eating vegan at Auntie Anne’s, make sure to ask them to hold the butter in yours.
Sweet Almond Pretzel
If you like the combination of sweet and salty flavors, this Auntie Anne’s pretzel makes a great choice. It offers the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness with an additional dose of deliciousness from the toasted almond crunch prepared in-house.
It’s sweet, salty, crunchy, fresh, and delicious. What more do you want? Just get it without butter.
Jalapeno Pretzel
Like pretzels, but not in the mood for anything sweet? Get Auntie Anne’s Jalapeno Pretzel and tantalize your taste buds with the spicy deliciousness of jalapeno poppers.
It’s made without milk and eggs, but, like the other pretzels mentioned above, topped with butter after baking, so make sure to ask for it without butter.
All of Auntie Anne’s pretzels are brushed with butter soon after taking out of the oven, which means you’ll have to place a custom order for butter-less pretzels.
This may require some waiting (for the new batch to come out of the oven), so make sure you have time at hand. Auntie Anne’s pretzels are worth the wait.
Auntie Anne’s Vegan Pretzel Nuggets
Ideal for snacking on the go and sharing with others, Auntie Anne’s pretzel nuggets are oblong-shaped, bite-sized pieces made of pretzel dough. Two of its varieties can be ordered vegan-friendly. These include:
- Original Pretzel Nuggets
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Nuggets
These are made the same way as classic pretzels and offer the same great taste. The only difference is the size. When ordering vegan pretzels bites at Auntie Anne’s, always remember to ask them to hold the butter on yours.
Auntie Anne’s Vegan Dipping Sauces
Auntie Anne’s offers a few different delicious sweet and salty dips. But, most of them are not vegan-friendly (it was somewhat expected).
For plant-eaters who also avoid eggs and dairy, there are only two dips options available. Luckily, you get both sweet and savory choices, one each.
Your options for vegan dipping sauces at Auntie Anne’s include:
- Sweet Glaze – the classic
- Marinara – savory, tangy, with a hint of sweetness
Auntie Anne’s Vegan Drinks
Auntie Anne’s is all about pretzels, so there aren’t a lot of drink options on the menu. But, there are some very good, refreshing choices to pair with your warm vegan pretzel.
Here are all your options for vegan beverages at Auntie Anne’s:
- Coca-Cola Products
- Dr. Pepper
- Original Lemonade
- Frozen Lemonade
- Lemonade Mixers – Available in a variety of fruity flavors, including Strawberry, Mango, and Blue Raspberry.
- Frozen Lemonade Mixers – Come in the same variety of flavors as regular lemonade mixers.
- Iced Tea – Available in both sweetened and unsweetened varieties.
Auntie Anne’s Vegan Menu FAQs
- Are Auntie Anne’s frozen pretzels vegan?
Auntie Anne’s offers their classic pretzels and pretzel nuggets in frozen form as well. While they aren’t listed on the allergen menu, the FAQs section of Auntie Anne’s website highlights that they contain milk.
But, I would still recommend checking the packaging of Auntie Anne’s frozen pretzels to confirm; the allergens are listed on the packaging.
- Are Auntie Anne’s pretzels halal?
Auntie Anne’s website doesn’t tell if their products are halal-certified. But, it does mention that their frozen pretzels and pretzel nuggets are kosher, which (I believe) makes them halal-friendly too. For fresh products, ask your local Auntie Anne’s.
Conclusion – Is Auntie Anne’s Vegan-Friendly?
It’s a little tricky to answer this question. While the restaurant chain does allow you to get half (four out of eight) of its pretzel varieties made vegan via custom order, it also gives a disclaimer on its allergen menu stating that there are chances of cross-contamination.
Here’s what it exactly says:
This can make Auntie Anne’s a “no-go zone” for some vegans.
So, the answer to if Auntie Anne’s is vegan-friendly depends on what your vegan dietary commitments are.
If you’re highly particular about cross-contamination, you may not want to go here.
But, if you aren’t strict about it, as it’s almost impossible to avoid the risks of cross-contamination unless you’re eating at 100% vegan restaurants, you can enjoy the delicious goodness of Auntie Anne’s pretzels. You do you!
For those who belong to the first category of vegans (hard-core), here’s an easy recipe for homemade vegan pretzels.
Check out the video to make this delicious dough-y snack yourself without animal ingredients or risk of cross-contamination.
Did you find this article helpful? Interested to learn about other dough-y vegan snack choices available to you? Check out my latest article Best Vegan Cookie Dough Brands, to get started.
