Here’s Every Vegan Option at Church’s Chicken

Fried chicken restaurants are typically not great for vegans. That said, Church’s is a bit above average. There’s no vegan chicken—but there are at least five good sides to choose from. Five! So, you can definitely eat your fill.

Vegan options at Church’s Chicken:

• French Fries
• Corn on the Cob (Without Butter)
• Dinner Rolls
• Hashrounds
• Grits
• Jalapeño Peppers
• Beverages

Below, I’ll share more about the menu items that are surprisingly not vegan. I’ll also answer some common questions, and I’ll end with a look at the whole-food plant-based options at Church’s!

Church’s Chicken Vegan Menu

The following vegan menu was compiled with the help of the nutrition and allergen information on the Church’s website.

Restaurant menus change and often vary by location. I recommend double checking any important information with staff at your location!

1. French Fries

French fries are the classic fall-back restaurant option for vegans. And they’re a solid choice at Church’s, too. Typically you’ll be getting crinkle-cut fries.

As is typically the case at fast-food restaurants, the fries are likely cooked in a shared fryer with chicken or other animal products. If this concerns you, then ask staff at your local Church’s about the fryer set-up.

2. Corn on the Cob (Without Butter)

The corn at Church’s comes standard with butter, but you can ask to get it dairy-free. Then you’re just munching corn on the cob. Simple and delicious.

3. Dinner Rolls

Yes, Church’s rolls are dairy-free and vegan. Thank goodness.

Note: The Breakfast Biscuits and Honey-Butter Biscuits are NOT vegan.

4. Hashrounds

These hash browns are on the breakfast menu. But you might be able to get them anytime depending on the location.

5. Grits

You might worry that grits would contain butter or dairy—but Church’s grits are confirmed dairy-free on their allergen menu!

6. Jalapeño Peppers

Now this is a simple side. Just some plain jalapeño peppers. Hey, nothing wrong with that.

7. Sauces

Pretty much none of the sauces at Church’s Chicken are vegan. Many of them contain honey (Honey BBQ, Honey Mustard, Honey Sauce, and Smoky Honey-Q Sauce). A few also contain dairy or egg.

But the ketchup is vegan, of course. So, at least we have that.

8. Beverages

There are lots of drinks to choose from:

• Coca-Cola Products
• Church’s Southern Sweet Tea
• Church’s Unsweetened Tea
• Gold Peak Teas
• Fuze Teas
• Minute Main Lemonade
• Barrilitos
• Powerade
• Coffee
• Orange Juice

But What About…

You might think some of the following items would be vegan, too—but unfortunately they’re not:

• The Okra contains dairy.
• The Green Beans contain dairy and bacon.
• The Cole Slaw contains egg.
• The Apple Pie contains dairy.
• The White Gravy contains dairy and egg.
• The Cinnamon Swirl contains dairy.
• The Spicy Rice contains some kind of animal fat. I’m not sure exactly what, but it’s listed as containing 55 mg of cholesterol per serving, and dietary cholesterol only comes from animal fat.

Now let’s answer some common questions about eating vegan at Church’s Chicken.

Is Church’s Fried Okra Vegan?

Church’s fried okra is not vegan, as it contains dairy in the breading. Unfortunately, this is typically the case when you see fried okra, fried pickles, or fried avocado at restaurants—they use a breading that is not vegan.

Are Church’s Chicken Biscuits Vegan?

The biscuits at Church’s Chicken are not vegan, as they contain dairy. However, the dinner rolls are vegan.

It’s strange how biscuits are almost never vegan at chain restaurants, because you can find some vegan biscuit brands at the store.

Is Church’s Chicken Apple Pie Vegan?

Church’s Chicken Apple Pie is not vegan, as it contains dairy. It’s also possible it might contain lard in the crust, as sometimes pie crusts have lard.

Whole-Food Plant-Based Options

What if you’re not just vegan but also trying to avoid processed foods? Can you get a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) meal at Church’s Chicken? Let’s take a look.

WFPB options at Church’s Chicken:

• Corn on the Cob (Without Butter)
• Grits
• Jalapeño Peppers

As you can see, even though Church’s doesn’t have salad, they still do have WFPB options. These three simple sides all count as WFPB.

The corn and grits are just simple whole grains. And the peppers are just plain and simple veggies, too.

More Vegan Guides to Restaurants

Church’s is one of the better restaurants of its type. That said, if you’re curious about other chicken restaurants and what they offer for vegans, I’ve got the scoop for you:

• Popeye’s
• Zaxby’s
• Bojangles
• Wingstop

Two More Recommendations for Your Plant-Based Journey

1. This is the best free video training I’ve found on plant-based nutrition. You’ll learn how to reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and obesity—all with plant-based food. Watch the free “Food for Health Masterclass” here.

2. This is the best vegan multivitamin I’ve found in my 14 years of being vegan. It has vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3—and nothing else. Translation: It only has the nutrients vegans are actually low in. Read my full review of Future Kind’s multivitamin here (with 10% discount).