Biscuits and gravy, waffles, eggs, bacon, hash browns, breakfast doesn’t get any more down-home than this. And Waffle House has all of it and some more.
With its iconic yellow and black sign visible from far away, round-the-clock operating hours, and hearty breakfast meals at incredibly low prices, Waffle House has long been a Southern mainstay.
But does it have anything vegan? Moreover, does Waffle House have vegan waffles?
Let’s find out all about Waffle House vegan options.
Does Waffle House Have Anything Vegan?
A quick look at the Waffle House menu is enough for a seasoned vegan to determine how vegan-friendly the restaurant can be.
But, to avoid any confusion and help new converts figure out what they can eat here, I am going to do a detailed analysis of the Waffle House menu and shortlist the items that are or can be made vegan.
To answer the question, yes, Waffle House does have vegan options, but its vegan menu looks nothing like how you expected or wished it to be. There are literally zero vegan-friendly main dishes. You just have a few sides and beverages to choose from.
It’s a huge disappointment, I know, but it is what it is.
Keep reading to learn it all about how to eat vegan at Waffle House if you happen to be there with family or friends (you won’t surely go there on your own after reading this article).
What is Vegan at Waffle House?
Here are all your vegan options at Waffle House:
- Hash Brown
- Toast
- Garden Salad – requires modification
- Beverages
That’s all you have meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free at Waffle House. Read on to learn what these items are made of, what modifications you need in the Garden Salad, and your available beverage choices.
Waffle House Vegan Options 2024 – A Detailed Overview
Waffle House doesn’t provide ingredients lists for all its foods on the website. This can make it a little difficult for many to place a vegan order at this famous eatery.
But, like always, I have got it all figured out for you. Waffle House’s vegan menu includes:
Hash Browns
Waffle House doesn’t tell what all its hash browns contain. But, the restaurant’s allergen menu doesn’t highlight dairy or eggs in it, which means it’s most likely vegan-friendly.
Ask your server once to make sure they don’t have butter or any other animal fat.
Waffle House offers hash browns in a variety of choices – plain, with different toppings, and hash brown bowls. Here are your vegan-friendly choices:
- Plain Hash Browns – Crispy on the outside, soft, fluffy on the inside, providing a perfect combination of textures.
- Build-Your-Meal – Available in regular hash browns and hash brown bowls categories, this option allows you to have your crispy potato side converted into a meal by topping it with different ingredients of your choice. The vegan-friendly choices in available options are grilled onions, grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, and jalapeno peppers.
Waffle House vegan hash browns are available in regular, large, and triple-sized servings, catering to all types of eaters, from those looking for a light snack to those with big appetites and too much love for hash browns.
Toast
The good old humble toast is available in three varieties at Waffle House – white, raisin, and Texas toast.
At the same time, the restaurant’s allergen menu highlights milk in all of them, and all third-party websites, including PETA, list Waffle House toast as vegan-friendly when ordered without butter. So, it’s safe to presume that butter is the source of milk here.
However, if you want to be extra careful, ask your server.
Sources also tell that you can order jam and peanut butter on the side with your toast too.
Garden Salad
In the sides section of Waffle House’s lunch and dinner menu, this is your basic garden salad with romaine lettuce, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and diced tomatoes.
The menu doesn’t tell if it comes with a dressing or not, so you will have to ask your server while ordering. Make sure to confirm the vegan status of all the available salad dressings.
The Waffle House website doesn’t mention cheese as one of the core ingredients of the salad. However, many third-party sources tell you to order it without the cheese. So, to avoid any mistakes, confirm with your server if the salad comes with cheese. If it does, ask them to hold it.
The restaurant offers a few topping choices to make this simple salad more interesting and flavorful, but none are sadly vegan-friendly.
Beverages
Whether you have just got yourself a big, hearty serving of hash browns or all available Waffle House vegan items, your meal won’t be complete without a drink.
Fortunately, it’s not as sad of an affair in terms of beverages as in the food category at Waffle House.
Your choices for vegan beverages at Waffle House include:
- Coca-Cola
- Diet Coke
- Sprite
- Barq’s Root Beer
- Pibb-Xtra
- Hi-C Fruit Punch
- Minute Maid Lemonade
- Minute Maid Orange Juice
- Minute Maid Apple Juice
- Alice’s Teamonade – Sweet
- Alice’s Iced Tea – Sweet
- Alice’s Iced Tea – Unsweet
- Hot Tea
- Classic Blend Coffee
- Dark Roast Coffee
- Decaf Coffee
Waffle House Vegan Menu FAQs
- Can vegans eat Waffle House waffles?
Shall we address the elephant in the room now? Waffle House does not offer vegan waffles. They contain both eggs and milk.
- Are Waffle House Grits vegan?
Sadly, no. Waffle House grits are not vegan.
Usually, it’s very easy to order grits vegan-style because the only ingredient making them unsuitable for vegans is butter. But, according to the Waffle House allergen menu, their grits contain both milk and eggs. So, it doesn’t seem that you can get this cornmeal dish made vegan upon request, either. You may try asking, though.
- Are Waffle House biscuits vegan?
No. Waffle House biscuits contain milk and eggs, as per the restaurant’s allergen menu. Hence, they are not suitable for vegans.
Conclusion – Is Waffle House Vegan-Friendly?
If you’ve read the article, you don’t need an answer to this question.
But, let me say it out loud for everyone – Waffle House is not vegan-friendly. First off, it doesn’t have vegan waffles. And what’s the point of going to a waffle house if you can’t have their waffles?
But, that’s not the only reason why this place is a turn-off for vegans.
The restaurant chain doesn’t really offer anything for vegans. The hash browns are plant-based, but only because that’s the standard way of making them.
However, they are most likely cooked in shared equipment, which many vegans avoid.
The restaurant doesn’t say anything regarding cooking methods, but seeing how non-vegan-friendly it is, we can safely presume that meat and dairy-free hash browns are also cooked in the same equipment as those with non-vegan toppings.
Apart from hash browns, you only have salad and toast on the Waffle House menu that meets the vegan dietary guidelines. But, who wants to have a basic, boring salad and toast at a restaurant?
Waffle House is certainly not a place where a vegan would deliberately go to. But, if you end up there with someone else, you would at least know your options.
Did you find this article helpful? Interested to learn about other breakfast places and their vegan options? Check out my article IHOP Vegan Options to find out what this leading chain restaurant known for its pancakes has in store for vegans.
