Best known for its “Thickburgers” claimed to be made with 100% Black Angus beef, Hardee’s is not a new name in the fast-food industry.
The burger chain has been around since the early1960s, and while it may not be as big of a name as some other burger joints, Hardee’s has carved its own unique identity in the crowded and competitive fast-food world over time.
But, what concerns us – plant-eaters – the most is how the burger chain has responded to their consumers’ changing dietary patterns. Is there a Hardee’s vegan menu?
This is exactly what we’re going to find out today.
We’ll dig into the Hardee’s menu to see if there’s anything vegan on it, what items can be made vegan via custom orders, and how you should go about ordering vegan food at Hardee’s (if you’re a regular Vegan Calm reader, you would know the drill).
So, let’s get started, shall we?
Do Hardee’s Have Vegan Options?
If you’re one of those vegans who always keep a tab on vegan food news, you would have likely got the news of Hardees adding Beyond Meat items into its menu back in 2019.
For those who may not know, the fast-food chain introduced four Beyond Meat items nationwide after the overwhelming success of Beyond Meat burgers at Carl’s Jr., its sister chain.
These included Beyond Sausage Burrito, Beyond Sausage Biscuit, Beyond Sausage & Egg Biscuit, Original Beyond Thickburger.
The news was initially greatly welcomed by non-meat eaters. But, that happiness proved to be very short-lived for a large proportion of the plant-eating community, i.e., the vegans.
A quick look at the description of the newly launched items made it clear that none of them was suitable for a vegan diet. While they were all meatless, they had other non-vegan ingredients, like mayo, cheese, and egg.
Are you wondering if any of them can be ordered vegan by skipping the non-vegan elements? And if there’s anything else at Hardee’s that vegans can eat? Keep reading as we answer these and any other questions you may have about eating vegan at Hardees in this quick Hardee’s vegan menu guide.
What is Vegan at Hardee’s?
There are very limited vegan options at Hardee’s. These include:
- Natural Cut French Fries
- Crispy Curls
- Super Nachos – require customization
- Hash Rounds
- Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burrito – requires customization
- Rice Bowl – customized order
- Taco Salad – customized order
- Beverages
That’s all you have when eating vegan at Hardee’s. Wondering why I haven’t mentioned the Beyond Meat items discussed in the previous section? Because apparently, they have been discontinued.
And what a bummer it was to find out that the restaurant has taken away whatever little chance we had to order a vegan burger at Hardee’s.
Are Beyond Meat Items at Hardee’s Discontinued?
It’s important to note here that I didn’t find any official notice regarding the discontinuation of Beyond Meat items at Hardee’s. However, they aren’t listed on the restaurant menu given online. On the contrary, though, Hardee’s allergen guide has them all.
This was confusing, so I decided to do a little bit of research to find the truth. And how I wish what I found wasn’t true. It turned out that Hardee’s actually discontinued the Beyond Thick Burger.
I came across a couple of sad, disappointed, and slightly passive-aggressive (if I can say so) posts on Quora and Reddit that confirmed the news.
While I didn’t find anything about other Beyond Meat items at Hardee’s, except one comment about Beyond Sausage, it can be presumed that they have discontinued them too as they are no longer on the menu. Guess they forgot to update their allergen guide.
How Do You Eat Vegan at Hardee’s, now? A Quick Guide to Hardee’s Vegan Menu
Your Hardee’s vegan options are now limited to just the following items:
Natural Cut French Fries
If you have been vegan for any length of time, you would know that the good ol’ French fries almost always come to your rescue at places that do not regard the varying dietary choices of their customers or guests.
The fried potato snack makes sure that you do not remain hungry even at the most non-vegan-friendly places. It’s no different at Hardee’s.
The natural-cut French fries you get at Hardee’s are made using the finest quality potatoes and fried fresh to crispy perfection with skin-on on every order.
Crispy Curls
Your very own French fries got an interesting twist (quite literally) in Hardee’s kitchen, and you got these seasoned crispy curly fries that are simply delish. The only bummer? These are not available at all Hardee’s outlets.
Super Nachos
Get yourself some nachos at Hardee’s when you’re in the mood for some Mexican flavors. These come standard in two varieties – beef and chicken. Other ingredients include refried beans, salsa, jalapenos, cheese sauce, sour cream, and, of course, tortilla chips.
When eating vegan at Hardee’s, order these nachos without meat, cheese sauce, and sour cream.
As per Hardee’s website, super nachos are also available at participating locations only, not all Hardee’s outlets. So, check your local Hardee’s menu to know if you can get these.
Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burrito
Burritos are rich, hearty, filling, and if made right, delicious. However, they typically come with non-vegan ingredients, such as cheese, sour cream, or egg, and require placing customized orders to be made suitable for a vegan diet. It’s no different at Hardee’s. c
The restaurant doesn’t offer any vegan burritos. However, its bean, rice, and cheese burrito can be made vegan with just one small alteration.
Just skip the cheese in it to get yourself a vegan burrito at Hardee’s. You’ll get rice and refried beans with salsa in a grilled flour tortilla. Simple and classic.
Rice Bowl
There are two varieties of rice bowls on Hardee’s menu – chicken bowl and beef bowl. As their names tell, none of these come standards as vegan-friendly, but can be made so.
To order a vegan rice bowl at Hardee’s, get any of these bowls without meat, cheese, and sour cream. You’ll get a bowl of rice topped with refried beans, salsa, and hot sauce.
Taco Salad
This comes standard as Beef/Chicken Taco Salad and is comprised of seasoned ground beef/grilled chicken, shredded lettuce, refried beans, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, and hot sauce served in a crispy flour tortilla bowl.
Simply ask them to hold the meat, sour cream, and cheese to make it vegan.
Hash Rounds
Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, these mini hash browns make the perfect snack or side for vegans at Hardee’s.
Have them on their own, add to your vegan burrito, rice bowl, or even salad; there is no wrong way to enjoy freshly cooked hash rounds.
Beverages
Hardee’s best drinks are its hand-scooped ice cream shakes. But, sadly, they are not available in vegan-friendly versions, just like their best food (Thickburger).
You’re left with just the usual drinks available everywhere when you rule these out. However, for convenience and clarity, I am listing all your vegan drink options at Hardee’s down below.
- Coca-Cola
- Diet Coke
- Coke Zero
- Cherry Coke
- Sprite
- Dr. Pepper
- Diet Dr. Pepper
- Mello Yello
- Hi-C Orange
- Sweet Tea
- Iced Tea
- Rise and Shine Coffee
- Simply Orange Juice
- Dasani Water
Note
This quick guide on how to order vegan at Hardee’s is prepared using the restaurant’s menu and allergen guide given on Hardee’s official website.
There are, however, a few things that aren’t listed on the menu, but are mentioned on the allergen guide and appear to be vegan-friendly.
As mentioned earlier in the article, Beyond Meat items are among them. But, there are a few more. These include:
- Grits (cornmeal)
- Side Salad (without cheese)
- Chips & Salsa
- Rice
- Beans
- Green Beans
Hardee’s Food Items That May Look Vegan, But Are Not
The following items on Hardee’s menu may appear to be vegan-friendly; however, as per the restaurant’s allergen guide, they contain non-vegan ingredients:
- Apple Turnover – contains milk
- Onion Rings – contain milk
- Cole Slaw – contains egg
Hardee’s Vegan Menu FAQs
- Does Hardee’s have a vegan sandwich?
Sadly, no. Hardee’s doesn’t offer any plant-based sandwiches for its vegan customers.
- Does Hardee’s have a vegan burger?
No. Hardee’s menu doesn’t include any vegan-friendly burger options.
- Is Hardee’s apple pie vegan?
Hardee’s offer deep-fried apple turnover. It is, however, not vegan-friendly. According to the restaurant’s allergen guide, it contains milk.
- Are Hardee’s French toast sticks vegan?
Hardee’s French toast sticks are made the traditional way, which means they contain eggs and are not vegan-friendly.
Conclusion – Is Hardee’s Vegan-Friendly?
Even if you’ve just skimped through the article, you would clearly know the answer to this question. But, if you still want me to say it out loud, Hardee’s is not a vegan-friendly fast-food chain, not in the US at least.
A few years ago, it may seem that Hardee’s is heading in the right direction regarding the increasing demand for more inclusive menus. But, things didn’t go as we expected.
Whatever the reason may be, the discontinuation of meatless items could possibly be one of the worst decisions Hardee’s management has ever made.
Even though the discontinued Beyond Meat items didn’t come standard as vegan, they at least had vegan meat; the rest could be dealt with. But, now, you only have a few plant-based choices, and even they are not available at all locations.
Hardee’s vegan menu doesn’t have very exciting options, but I deemed it necessary to list them down in an article, so you know how to order vegan at Hardee’s and can fill yourself up if you end up at the restaurant with friends or family.
Did you find this article helpful? Interested to see other burger places’ menus and find out what they have in store for you? Check out my article Mike’s Vegan Cookout Menu. I promise it’s not as disappointing as this one. You’re in for a vegan treat at this North Carolina-based food truck.
