Among the general population of foodies, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is known for its fresh food made in-house from scratch, home-style cooking, and big, hearty portions.
But, what gets the primary attention of vegans is the name of the restaurant and not its other distinguishing features. Just like a steakhouse isn’t expected to be vegan-friendly, a restaurant with “cheddar” in its name isn’t presumed to be a great place for vegans.
The real question here is if this assumption holds true.
Let’s look at the restaurant’s menu to find out and discuss Cheddar’s vegan menu if there is any.
Does Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Have Vegan Options?
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen does have vegan options on the menu. But, before you get your hopes up, let me break it to you that there are very few unexciting choices.
Cheddar’s vegan menu doesn’t include any plant-based burger or sandwich or any vegan entrée for that matter.
Wondering what vegans can eat at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, then? Let’s take a look.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Vegan Options
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen has a great menu with many comfort food options. But, here’s all that vegans can eat there:
- Chips with Salsa
- House Salad – requires customization
- French Fries
- Steamed Broccoli – requires customization
- Beverages
That’s all!
Disappointing? I agree!
Moreover, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen does not provide an allergen guide, making it extremely difficult for vegans, or those with some other dietary restrictions, find out suitable options for themselves.
This guide for vegan options at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is prepared using the information provided on the restaurant’s standard menu and a few reliable third-party sources.
Let’s quickly discuss the available options to better understand how to order vegan food at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.
Cheddar’s Vegan Menu 2024 – A Detailed Overview
Like any other restaurant, Cheddar’s menu is divided into various categories. Let’s look at the ones with plant-based options.
Here are all your vegan choices at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen:
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Vegan Appetizers
Appetizers not only help set the mood for the main meal but also make great snack options. And if you’re anything like me, you wouldn’t mind ordering a few delicious appetizers with a drink and calling it a meal. You can’t do that at Cheddar’s, though.
There is only one vegan-friendly appetizer option at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, and that is your good ol’:
Chips with Salsa
Simple and basic, but never fail – chips and salsa is the safest appetizer choice after French fries.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen offers crispy and crunchy, house-fried tortilla chips with fresh, house-made salsa in a shareable platter (no one’s stopping you from having it all by yourself).
But, you won’t find Chips and Salsa listed on Cheddar’s appetizer menu. Instead, you will have to order Chips & Homemade Queso from the menu. The dish comes with both queso and salsa.
However, when eating vegan at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, you will have to push the cheesy queso aside and enjoy your chips with salsa.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Vegan Salads
There’s a small Salads & Soup category on Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen menu. But, sadly, none of the options in that category are suitable for those who follow a vegan diet.
All the salads come with meat and non-vegan dressings. And it’s not even worth having them customized; they will be too boring. You might as well order the House Salad; that would need a little customization too.
House Salad
As per the Cheddar’s menu available online, this item appears on the restaurant’s To Go Specials menu and not in the Salad and Soup category on the standard restaurant menu. But, you might be able to get it while dining-in as well (try requesting them, there’s no harm in trying).
Cheddar’s House Salad is pretty standard; nothing fancy about it. Here’s what it is made of:
- Fresh greens
- Tomatoes
- Shredded carrots
- Croutons
- Diced boiled egg
- Cheese (the standard variety)
- Your choice of salad dressing from Homemade Ranch, Chunky Bleu Cheese dressing, Honey Mustard, Thousand Island dressing, Honey Lime dressing, and Balsamic Vinaigrette
As you can see from the list of ingredients, Cheddar’s House Salad doesn’t come standard as vegan-friendly. Ask them to hold croutons, cheese, and eggs, and choose Balsamic Vinaigrette as your dressing to make it suitable for those on a vegan diet.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Vegan Sides
Cheddar’s offers quite a few side options, all of which are made from scratch in-house. Vegans, however, can only eat two of them.
Your vegan side options at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen include:
French Fries
Have you ever seen a restaurant menu that doesn’t include French fries? I can’t recall any.
This alone is enough to indicate the popularity and demand for this humble but incredibly amazing food item. Some restaurants list it in the appetizer section of their menu, while others offer it as a side option.
No matter how they are treated at a particular restaurant, the good old French fries are always a hit, among both vegans and non-vegans, children and adults alike.
The only thing that can concern some vegans is the oil and fryer used for cooking fries. Some restaurants use animal fat for cooking their fries, while others use shared fryers.
Cheddar’s menu doesn’t provide any information about how they cook their fries. However, all other online sources list them as vegan-friendly, so they are most likely cooked in vegetable oil.
If the use of shared fryers is something you’re concerned about, make sure to ask your server before ordering because there are no details available regarding that online.
Steamed Broccoli
This is plain, steamed broccoli with butter added to it just before serving. When ordering vegan at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, make sure to specify that you want it without butter; the restaurant doesn’t offer vegan-friendly butter.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Vegan Beverages
What’s a meal without a drink? Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen has quite a few good options on the menu. Here are the ones suitable for vegans:
Vegan Drinks at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
- Coca-Cola
- Coke Zero Sugar
- Diet Coke
- Sprite
- Fanta Orange
- Dr. Pepper
- Diet Dr. Pepper
- Barq’s Root Beer
- Hand-Crafted Lemonade
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Raspberry Lemonade
Tea & Coffee
- 100% Colombian Coffee
- Freshly-Brewed Iced Tea – Classic
- Strawberry Iced Tea
- Raspberry Iced Tea
- Peach Iced Tea
- Mango Iced Tea
*All these drinks, teas, and coffee come with unlimited free refills.
Hand-Crafted Cocktails
Hand-crafted with love, all the cocktails available at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen are vegan-friendly. Here are your choices:
- Island Tiki – Contains Malibu rums, Captain Morgan, Sweet & Sour Curacao, Blue Curacao, Pineapple Juice, and Tropical Mango puree.
- Cheddar’s Painkiller – Made with Pusser’s Rum, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, and Cream of Coconut, this hand-crafted cocktail is served in a glass with a toasted coconut rim, topped with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
- Presidente Sangria – Contains Beso Del Sol Sangria, Presidente Brandy, Sweet & Sour shaken with strawberries, fresh Oranges, Lemons, and Lime.
- Texas Sweet Tea – Made with Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, Lemonade, Amaretto, and some more vodka.
- Cheddar’s Long Island Iced Tea – Made with house liquors, Sweet & Sour, and a little bit of Coke.
Signature Margaritas
- El Patron Margarita – Patron Citronge, Patron Silver Tequila, Sweet & Sour. Served on-the-rocks.
- Texas Margarita – Fine liqueurs and Gold Tequila. Served frozen or on-the-rocks.
- Maui Margarita – Half-and-half frozen margarita in strawberry and mango flavors with a short of DeKuyper Cactus Juice and Kiwis.
- Grande Top Shelf Margarita – Grand Marnier and Sauza Commemorativo Anejo Tequila. Served frozen or on-the-rocks. Also comes with sangria or strawberry swirl.
- Sangria Texas Frozen Swirl – Frozen Texas Margarita with Beso Del Sol Sangria swirl.
- Strawberry Texas Frozen Swirl – Frozen Texas Margarita with Strawberry swirl.
In addition to these drinks, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen also offers a variety of beers and wines. Check your local Cheddar’s menu to know your exact options.
Note:
Several online sources also mention Tomato Tortilla in Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen vegan options list. However, I couldn’t find it on the restaurant menu.
You may ask the server at your local Cheddar’s if they have it. if they do, you can use it to make your own vegan wrap using ingredients of your house salad, salsa, and/or vegan sides.
Cheddar’s Vegan Menu Items That May Look Vegan, But Are Not
Following are some items on Cheddar’s menu that may appear to be vegan-friendly but actually contain non-vegan ingredients, so make sure to steer clear of them:
- Off-the-Cob Corn – Contains butter and, according to third-party online sources, chicken broth.
- Sweet Baby Carrots – Contain honey
- Seasoned Rice – Cooked in chicken broth
- Southern Green Beans – Contain Pork Fat
- Red Beans & Rice – Contain Pork Fat
Cheddar’s Vegan Options FAQs
- Does Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen have vegan sauces?
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen menu available online doesn’t provide a separate list of sauces the restaurant offers. It only mentions sauces that come with various entrées, so I am not sure if you can order them separately.
Moreover, while some of Cheddar’s sauces are clearly non-vegan (apparent from their name), others’ vegan status is difficult to determine due to the non-availability of an allergen guide.
Your best bet in this situation is to ask your server at the time of ordering.
- Does Cheddar’s have a vegan burger?
Sadly, no. Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen doesn’t offer a vegan burger.
- Are Cheddar’s croissants vegan?
Cheddar’s croissants are not vegan.
While the restaurant’s menu doesn’t mention its ingredients, other online sources tell that they contain butter and honey.
Conclusion – Is Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Vegan-Friendly?
Just a quick look at Cheddar’s vegan menu is enough to tell anyone that this American restaurant chain isn’t a great place for those following a vegan diet. In other words, it isn’t a restaurant a vegan would willingly go to.
However, if you end up there with friends or family, use this reference guide to place your order.
Did you find this article helpful? Are you interested in learning about more vegan choices you have in America? Check out my article Trader Joe’s Vegan Options to learn what items from there you can stock your vegan pantry with.
