If you have been vegan for any length of time, you would know how to find places that offer some real good vegan fast food (read, burger) options. If you have a White Castle near you, you’re in luck.
Known for its hamburger sliders, the regional chain restaurant has made it possible for non-meat eaters to enjoy a good fast food meal without harming animals. Sounds like your kind of place? Let’s dig a little deeper and find out all about White Castle vegan options.
What is Vegan at White Castle?
One of America’s oldest hamburger chain restaurants made it to the news in 2014 with the launch of its first plant-based option – the Veggie Slider. The vegan menu at White Castle has only been expanding since then.
In 2015, the restaurant reworked its bun recipe according to vegan dietary guidelines. In 2018, they introduced Impossible Slider nationwide, and they became a huge hit instantly. And finally, in March 2020, the restaurant introduced what White Castle vegan fans had long been waiting for – vegan cheese!
The journey has been slow, and the restaurant still doesn’t have an extensive vegan menu, but, as they say, slow progress is still progress. We’ll get there one day!
As of now, here are all the White Castle vegan options that we have:
- French Fries
- Hash Brown Nibblers
- Applesauce
- Veggie Slider
- The Impossible Slider – without cheese at most locations
- Vegan Drinks
Note
These are the only vegan items in White Castle menu on their official website. However, according to some other online sources, the restaurant offers a few additional vegan food options in specific locations or for limited time periods in certain seasons. These mainly include Sweet Potato Fries and Fried Pickles.
When I dug a little deeper, I found that they did bring sweet potato fries back for a limited time in November 2018 and fried pickles nationwide in April 2019. It was in the (internet) news…
Now that you know about all the vegan options at White Castle, can you just go ahead and make a trip to the nearby White Castle location?
If you have turned vegan because you truly believe in the philosophy of veganism, this tiny bit of information will not be enough for you.
You would prefer to get a deeper look into what each of these White Castle menu items contains and how they are made to make sure they fully meet vegan dietary guidelines.
So, let’s do just that, so you can eat at White Castle without having to worry about unintentionally compromising on your dietary commitments.
White Castle Vegan Options – A Quick Breakdown
§ French Fries
Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, White Castle’s crinkle-cut French fries are classic fries at their best. Pair them up with any of their vegan sauces for a quick snack, or order them as the side to go with your vegan slider. You can never go wrong with French fries, can you?
§ Hash Brown Nibblers
On days when you’re in a mood to try a different, crispier potato snack than your usual fries, order Hash Brown Nibblers at White Castle. You won’t be disappointed! In fact, those crispy, bite-sized pieces of hash brown will most likely become your new favorite.
Cooked to perfection, these crispy and juicy potato nibblers are vegan and oh-so-delicious. What’s more is that they are available all day, not just during breakfast hours.
§ Onion Rings
You may not find onion rings in White Castle vegan options on most online sources. However, as per the restaurant’s nutrition and allergen guide, they do not contain any non-vegan ingredients at most locations. It is only in New York and New Jersey that White Castle Onion Rings are not vegan; they contain dairy.
Important Note
While White Castle’s French Fries and Hash Brown Nibblers do not contain any non-vegan ingredients, the restaurant’s nutrition and allergen guide show that they are prepared in the common kitchen and/or equipment with non-vegan items. The same goes for Onion Rings at locations outside New York and New Jersey.
§ Applesauce
Another vegan option that you will find in White Castle’s sides menu is Applesauce. It’s not something you get excited to see on any menu. But, I thought I should let you know just in case you really want to eat something sweet after your vegan meal at White Castle, since the restaurant doesn’t offer any vegan dessert.
At White Castle, they offer small pouches of Mott’s Apple Sauce.
§ Veggie Slider
Let’s talk about the real deal on White Castle menu – the item that attracted vegans to the hamburger place. White Castle’s Veggie Slider has a veggie patty from Dr. Praeger’s inside a dairy-free bun.
As per the menu, Veggie Slider comes with the choice of ranch or honey mustard, both of which are non-vegan. You can, however, ask them to use a vegan sauce instead or get a plain Veggie Slider with no sauce and order a vegan dipping sauce on the side.
If you live in New Jersey or New York, you can add the goodness of cheese to your Veggie Slider. White Castle offers vegan cheese, from GOOD PLANeT Foods, at all its locations in NJ and NY.
White Castle veggie slider ingredients for the patty are carrots, peas, broccoli, spinach, and zucchini (all the good, healthy stuff).
§ The Impossible Slider
Launched in 2018, the Impossible Slider is made of vegan meat. Here’s what White Castle vegan impossible burger contains:
White Castle Impossible slider originally comes with smoked cheddar cheese, which is non-vegan. In order to have an Impossible vegan burger at White Castle, you either have to order it without cheese or (if you’re lucky to live in New York or New Jersey) with vegan cheese.
§ Vegan Drinks at White Castle
Order a complete vegan meal at White Castle by pairing up your vegan sliders with any of the following vegan drinks:
- Coca Cola – Classic, Cherry, Diet Coke, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke, Coke Zero
- Sprite
- Fanta – Classic, Orange, Grape, Strawberry
- Crave Cooler Coke
- Crave Cooler Fanta – Wild Cherry
- POWERADE Fruit Punch, Mountain Berry Blast
- Monster Energy Drink
- Barq’s – Root Beer, Red Cream Soda
- Hi-C – Orange Lavaburst, Flashing Fruit Punch
- Mello Yello
- Minute Maid – Lemonade, Lemonade Lite, Apple Juice
- Pibb Xtra
- Big Red Soda
- Vitamin Water – XXX, Power-C
- 100% Apple Juice Box
- Orange Juice
- Hot Tea
- Iced Tea – Both sweetened and unsweetened
§ White Castle Vegan Sauces
When eating vegan at White Castle, you can spice up your meal with the following vegan sauces:
- Ketchup
- Hot Sauce
- BBQ sauce
- Fat-Free Honey Mustard
- Yellow Mustard
- Dusseldorf Mustard
- Horseradish Mustard
- Marinara Sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s answer the most common questions about White Castle vegan options to clear any and all confusions that one may have:
§ Is White Castle vegan?
White Castle is not a vegan restaurant. However, they do offer a few vegan options for their non-meat-eating customers. The complete list of White Castle vegan options is given above.
§ Are White Castle burgers vegan?
White Castle doesn’t offer burgers; it only offers sliders. Only two of White Castle sliders are vegan.
§ Are White Castle Impossible sliders vegan?
White Castle Impossible sliders are not originally vegan as they contain non-vegan cheese. However, they can be made vegan by omitting the cheese.
§ What vegan cheese does White Castle use?
White Castle offers GOOD PLANeT Foods vegan cheese at all its locations in New York and New Jersey.
§ Are the onion rings at White Castle vegan?
White Castle onion rings are vegan everywhere, except in New York and New Jersey.
§ Do White Castle onion rings have dairy?
According to the restaurant’s nutrition and allergen guide, the onion rings sold at White Castle locations in New York and New Jersey contain dairy. At all other locations, they are dairy-free.
§ Are the onion chips at White Castle vegan?
White Castle Onion Chips are not vegan. They contain both dairy and egg.
§ Are White Castle fries vegan?
White Castle fries are vegan, but they are made in a shared kitchen and/or equipment. If this is something you avoid, you may wish to avoid them.
§ Are White Castle buns vegan?
White Castle reformulated its buns recipe in 2015, due to popular demand, and made it vegan. White Castle buns are now vegan.
§ Are White Castle smoothies vegan?
Unfortunately no! White Castle smoothies are made using regular milk and hence, are not vegan.
§ Does White Castle offer vegan desserts?
To my disappointment, White Castle does not offer any vegan dessert.
The Final Word – Is White Castle Worth Going for Vegans?
White Castle may not have plenty of vegan options. However, their vegan sliders alone deserve a trip down to your nearest White Castle location. You don’t get vegan sliders everywhere. It may not be The BEST vegan place, but it surely is a good option to enjoy a decent vegan fast food meal.
Are you feeling a little adventurous? Try making your own vegan burger at home. Here’s a recipe for reference…
White Castle doesn’t offer any vegan desserts. But, there’s another fast-food chain that does? Click here to find out what place that is and all the vegan options they offer!
