Einstein Bros. Bagels claims to be your neighborhood bagel shop for good conversation and great food. Does this apply to vegans as well? Let’s find out all about Einstein Bagels vegan options today!
Does Einstein Bagels Have Vegan Options?
If you haven’t been to Einstein Bagels, you’re missing out big time because it’s the best bagel restaurant chain for vegans. Not only do they have a great variety of vegan bagels, but they also offer several vegan-friendly bagel toppings and spreads. Moreover, you can find a few other plant-based snacks and (according to online sources) non-dairy milk for Coffee of the Day.
If Einstein Bagels really does offer non-dairy milk (I am unable to testify it as I haven’t tried it myself yet), it can safely be regarded as the perfect place for vegans for the ultimate coffee and bagel experience.
What Can Vegans Eat at Einstein Bagels?
Even though Einstein Bagels offers an incredible vegan menu, navigating through their website to find those vegan options can be a little frustrating. The menu page on Einstein Bros.’ website says that the vegan items are marked with the symbol “VG”.
But there’s literally nothing labelled VG on their menu.
Being unable to find labeled vegan foods on Einstein Bagels’ menu, I had to take the long route (which is unfortunately still the normal practice for us vegans at most places) and look at the ingredients and allergen guide to find Einstein Bros. vegan options. And do you know what I found out? Most of the bagels marked as DF, i.e., dairy-free, on the website are vegan.
I am not sure if it’s because Einstein Bros. are hesitant to make vegan claims, just like P.F. Chang’s, or they have some other reason for not labeling their vegan-friendly foods properly; it makes things a little confusing and irritating for plant-eaters.
Let’s not keep you in suspense anymore and get down to what this amazing bagel chain restaurant has in store for plant-eaters.
Vegan options at Einstein Bagels include:
- Bagels
- Vegan spreads and sauces
- Vegan bagel toppings
- Sides
- Soup
- Desserts
- Beverages
Keep reading to get the full list of vegan options in each category, along with answers to the common questions people ask about Einstein Bagels vegan menu. I’ll also list the items on Einstein Bros.’ menu that may seem to be vegan-friendly but actually are not.
Einstein Bagels Vegan Options – A Detailed Breakdown
Vegan Bagels at Einstein Bros. Bagels
Einstein Bros. offers a large variety of scrumptious bagels in various categories. Let’s take a look at what they have in store for us in each of those categories:
Einstein Bros. Vegan Classic Bagels
Good news! The majority of the classic bagel varieties are vegan-friendly at Einstein Bros. Here are all your options:
- Plain Bagel
- Everything Bagel
- Onion Bagel
- Garlic Bagel
- Sesame Seed Bagel
- Poppy Seed Bagel
- Cranberry Bagel
- Cinnamon Raisin Bagel
- Pumpernickel Bagel
Einstein Bros. Vegan Signature Bagels
- Blueberry Bagel
- French Toast Bagel
- Chocolate Chip Bagel
- Pretzel Bagel
Contrary to what many would have expected, French Toast and Chocolate Chip bagels are dairy-free and egg-free. However, the French Toast bagel contains refined sugar, which some vegans prefer to avoid due to the use of bone char.
Here are complete lists of ingredients for both for your reference.
Einstein Bros. Chocolate Chip Bagel ingredients
Einstein Bros. French Toast Bagel ingredients
Einstein Bros. Vegan Gourmet Bagels
Have you always wanted to try those delicious-looking loaded bagels from Einstein Bros., but weren’t sure if any of them meet your vegan dietary guidelines? It may not come as a surprise to many that most of the gourmet bagels at Einstein Bros. contain animal-derived ingredients. But, hey, don’t be disappointed; there are a couple of vegan-friendly options too!
Vegan gourmet bagel options at Einstein Bros. include:
- Avocado Toast – Made with Plain Bagel spread with a generous amount of fresh avocado shmear and topped with the restaurant’s own Everything Spice mix. Here’s the full list of Einstein Bagels Avocado Toast ingredients:
- Apple Cinnamon Bagel – Made with potato dough ball topped with scrumptious fire-roasted apples with cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutmeg, and cinnamon crunch, this gourmet bagel from Einstein Bros. makes a perfect fall sweet treat for vegans. Want to see the complete ingredients list? Here’s is it:
Einstein Bagels Vegan Spreads and Sauces
In January 2019, Einstein Bagels got vegan bagel fans really excited by announcing that they would be offering vegan cream cheese at all their locations, across the US. The decision came after a small test run of vegan shmear at select location in Missouri, which had many vegans believe (or at least hope) that it would be a permanent addition to Einstein Bros.’ vegan menu.
However, it also turned out to be a trial and was taken off the menu just after a few months. While there’s a hope that Einstein Bagels will bring vegan cream cheese back, you can enjoy the following vegan spreads and sauces with your bagels until then:
- Natural Peanut Butter
- Natural Strawberry Jam
- Peanut Butter and Jam
- Spicy Brown Mustard
- Chipotle Salsa
- Salsa Verde
Vegan Bagel Toppings at Einstein Bagels
Don’t like avocado toast or in the mood for something different? Make your own vegan gourmet bagel at Einstein Bagels by topping a vegan bagel (of your choice) with spicy brown mustard and vegetable toppings. You can also top it with salsa for an extra burst of flavor. Your options for vegetable toppings (apart from avocado) include:
- Lead lettuce
- Spinach
- Red onion
- Cucumbers
- Tomato
- Capers
- Pickle spear
Vegan Sides at Einstein Bagels
Einstein Bros. Bagels doesn’t offer many sides options to pair with your bagel. For vegans, there is only one option – Sea Salt Potato Chips. Get them if you want a little crunch with your savory bagel or to satisfy your potato chips craving.
Vegan Soup at Einstein Bagels
If you’re not a regular at Einstein Bagels, you may not know that they also offer a few varieties of soup. However, only of them is vegan-friendly, and that is the Vegetarian Chile Soup.
Vegan Drinks at Einstein Bagels
Since Einstein Bros. is a bagel and coffee shop, their beverages menu is primarily comprised of a variety of different types of coffees. The majority of them are sadly non-vegan because they contain milk.
However, as stated above, several online sources state that they also offer non-dairy milk option, which is almond milk, for Coffee of the Day. Taking that into account, the vegan beverages menu at Einstein Bagels will have the following options:
- Coffee of the Day – with Almond Milk
- Hot Americano
- Classic Cold Brew
- Some Hot and Iced Tea varieties – According to Einstein Bagels’ website, they offer different varieties of hot and iced tea. However, they don’t offer a list of them. So, I was unable to find the vegan options. Check your local Einstein Bagels’ menu to know your vegan tea options at Einstein Bagels.
While online sources state that Einstein Bagels only offer an Almond Milk option for Coffee of the Day only, you may try requesting them if they can make any other hot or cold beverage (of your choice) with the non-dairy milk. You may get lucky.
Does Einstein Bagels Have Vegan Desserts?
I couldn’t find any vegan dessert on the Einstein Bros. Bagels website or allergen guide. However, according to some online sources, you can find the following vegan desserts at many Einstein Bagels locations:
- Cinnamon Twist
- Cinnamon Twist Poppers
Ask at your local Einstein Bagels outlet if they offer these sweet treats. If they do, go ahead and enjoy. But, make sure to confirm their vegan status before ordering.
Einstein Bagels Menu Items That May Look Vegan, But Are Not
Like most other restaurants, Einstein Bagels also has some items on its menu that may be mistaken as vegan-friendly, but actually contain non-vegan ingredients. Read on to learn about them, so you don’t end up consuming animal ingredients unknowingly:
- Cinnamon Sugar Bagel – contains dairy; milk, and butter
- Ancient Grain Bagel – contains honey
- Power Protein Gourmet Bagel – contains honey
- Roasted Tomato Spread – contains both milk and egg
- Garden Veggie Shmear – contains dairy
- Twice-Baked Hash Brown – contains dairy. It has two different types of Einstein Bagels shmears and four kinds of cheese.
- Avocado Veg Out Sandwich (from Lunch Menu) – it has Garden Veggie Shmear, which contains dairy.
Frequently Asked Questions about Einstein Bagels Vegan Menu
▪ Are all Einstein Bagels vegan?
Not all Einstein Bagels are vegan. However, many of them are. Einstein Bros. Bagels offers a good variety of vegan bagels and is known as one the best bagels restaurant chains in the US.
▪ Does Einstein Bagels have vegan shmear?
Einstein Bagels no longer has vegan shmear on its menu. It was only offered for a limited time. However, keeping in view the ever-increasing demand for vegan foods at restaurants, we really hope that they bring it back soon.
▪ Does Einstein Bagels have a vegan sandwich?
Einstein Bagels does not offer any vegan sandwiches. However, their Avocado Veg out sandwich can be made vegan-friendly by skipping the shmear or replacing it with a vegan sauce.
Conclusion – Is Einstein Bagels Vegan-Friendly?
Yes. Einstein Bagels is one of the most vegan-friendly fast-casual restaurant chains and bagel places in the US. Even though they don’t have anything labeled as vegan on their website, they do offer a great variety of vegan-friendly bagels. They also have vegetable toppings and a few completely plant-based spreads and toppings to go with your bagels. And above all, they offer non-dairy milk for coffee!
A place that serves plant-based bagels and vegan coffee have to be one of the topmost eateries for vegans in the US.
Did you find this article helpful? Interested to learn about more vegan bread options available to you? Check out my article Panera Bread Vegan Options to find out what vegan bread varieties and other plant-based foods Einstein Bagels parent company offers!
