All The Cheddars Vegan & Vegetarian Menu Options
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Millions of Americans have at least one local Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in their neighborhood or suburb. This popular restaurant chain has over 200 locations across over half of US states. It’s fairly similar to a competing brand called Cracker Barrel.
In short, it’s a great place to find comfort food and American favorites… at least if you don’t have a limited diet. Vegetarians and vegans might wonder whether Cheddar’s has any appropriate options for their food restrictions. Let’s check out Cheddar’s vegan and vegetarian menus in detail.
Vegetarian Options at Cheddars Scratch Kitchen
Cheddar’s isn’t the best vegetarian restaurant overall, but there is a surprising amount of variety in their main dishes and sides. You can order quality, tasty meals for yourself out of the available vegetarian-friendly options. These options are:
- Black beans
- The house salad
- Croissants
- Baked potatoes and French fries
- Steamed broccoli
- Ginger rice
- Marinara sauce
- Coleslaw
- Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes
- Macaroni and cheese
- Cheese bites
- Spinach dip
- Queso
As you can see above, there are several meal options you can choose as the entrée or primary part of your lunch and dinner, like the mac & cheese or the baked potato. However, there’s also no denying that most of the vegetarian-friendly options at Cheddar’s are sides or toppings rather than full-on entrées.
Vegan Options at Cheddars Scratch Kitchen
| Menu Item | Dish Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Balsamic Vinaigrette | Dressing | |
| Chips with Salsa | App | |
| French Fries | Side | |
| Salsa | Dressing | |
| Side House Salad | Salad | Order without eggs, cheese or croutons |
| Steamed Fresh Broccoli | Side | Order without butter |
| Tomato Tortilla | Bread |
Vegans, due to their more limited diets compared to vegetarians, have fewer options at Cheddar’s. But this isn’t to say they don’t have any options whatsoever! The prime vegan options at Cheddar’s include:
- The chips with salsa, an appetizer. This appetizer is totally vegan friendly since the salsa doesn’t include any animal products. However, keep in mind that the chips are probably fried in the same fryer as chicken and similar non-vegan food items
- The house salad, which is normally a side. To make this vegan-friendly, be sure to order it without croutons, eggs, or cheese. You can get the salad with either the balsamic vinaigrette or the pomegranate vinaigrette depending on your taste preferences. If needed, you can also request the salad in a larger portion and create your own vegan entrée!
- Steamed fresh broccoli, another side. Note that you have to order this without the butter blend for it to be good for vegans
- French fries. These are vegan by default, but keep in mind that they are made using a shared fryer and shared cooking instruments. Depending on your definition of veganism, this may or may not qualify
- Salsa and balsamic vinaigrette
- Tomato tortilla, which is a vegan type of bread you might find to be a tasty side. This is found on Cheddar’s vegan menu. If you are creative, you can ask the chef to place a variety of things in the tomato tortilla and make a breakfast or lunch wrap for yourself. For example, you can combine this with tomatoes, greens, broccoli, salsa, French fries, tortilla chips, barbecue sauce, or anything else!
Overall, Cheddar’s vegan options are pretty limited. There aren’t any main dishes or entrées you can order while staying vegan-friendly, even though they do have several tasty sides. In this way, Cheddar’s is worse even than places like TGI Fridays, which at least has some more substantial vegan options for its guests.
If you want a full meal, you’ll be better off searching for vegan-friendly options elsewhere.
Cheddars Vegan/Vegetarian FAQs
No, but it’s tough to say whether this will even matter. Cheddar’s has recently eliminated the onion rings from its menu, and it’s tough to say whether they will ever be back. For now, assume that the onion rings aren’t vegan friendly since we don’t know the process is behind their creation.
No, unfortunately. Cheddar’s croissants are all made with both butter and honey, which means that they aren’t vegan by definition.
Cheddar’s mac & cheese is supposed to be vegetarian, although certain stores may bend the rules for one reason or another. You see, the macaroni & cheese is supposed to be made with vegetable stock, which would make it vegetarian-friendly. But some Cheddar’s locations use chicken stock instead.
For the best results, consider calling your local Cheddar’s eatery ahead of time and asking which type of stock they use for mac & cheese before visiting them for a meal. That way, they’ll be able to warn you if they don’t make vegetarian-friendly mac & cheese.
Of course. Cheddar’s has all kinds of vegetarian and vegan-friendly beverages available, ranging from popular sodas like Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper to other options like Columbian coffee, handcrafted lemonade, or iced tea. All of these beverages are made to order and don’t contain any animal products, so you shouldn’t need to worry whether you are a vegetarian or a vegan.
Is Cheddars a Good Choice for Vegans or Vegetarians?
At the end of the day, Cheddar’s is far from the most vegan or vegetarian-friendly establishment. In fact, it only has a handful of sides, toppings, and appetizers that are suitable for either type of diet. Because of this, you’ll be better off going to the grocery store and making your own meal or looking for a more vegetarian-friendly restaurant in the same area.
Still, if you’re in a hurry and have to get something in your stomach fast, Cheddar’s does have a few options. Remember the above list and don’t hesitate to ask a Cheddar’s employee for recommendations for vegan or vegetarian-friendly choices.
Want to know which places have good vegetarian or vegan menus? We’ve got a growing list of vegan menus for popular restaurants right on Cook Gem – check it out today!
