Here’s Every Vegan Option at Longhorn Steakhouse

Eating at a “steakhouse” sounds like a bad idea for a vegan, doesn’t it? Well, you might be surprised about Longhorn Steakhouse. Sure, they don’t have any seitan steak or vegan burgers—but they actually have a lot to choose from.

Vegan options at Longhorn Steakhouse:

• Mixed Green Side Salad (without cheese or croutons)
• Plain Idaho Baked Potato
• Plain Sweet Potato
• Freshly Baked Bread
• Seasoned French Fries
• Seasoned Rice Pilaf
• Grilled Mushrooms (No Butter)
• Crispy Brussel Sprouts (No Butter)
• Fresh Steamed Asparagus (No Butter)
• Fresh Steamed Broccoli (No Butter)
• Fried Okra (No Butter)
• Fresh Fruit (Oranges or Grapes)
• Chips
• Beverages

Below, I’ll share more details on how to order these dishes vegan. I’ll also cover some menu items that are surprisingly NOT vegan. Finally, I’ll end with a look at the whole-food plant-based options… in case you’re a health nut like me!

Longhorn Steakhouse Vegan Menu

The following vegan menu was created mainly using the official allergen and nutrition information from the Longhorn Steakhouse website, supplemented by other blogs and my 13 personal years of vegan dining and ingredient-reading experience.

Restaurant menus change and vary by location. So for the fine details, I recommend double-checking information in this post with staff at your Longhorn Steakhouse location.

1. Salad (Custom Order)

The simple vegan salad option you’re looking at is the Mixed Green Side Salad (without cheese or croutons). It’s pretty minimal, but it’ll get you some fresh greens with the basics.

You could also try custom ordering the Strawberry Pecan Salad… You’d want to order it without feta cheese. The pecans are also likely honey-glazed—so if you avoid honey, you may want to ask about that.

What about vegan salad dressings? Well, it’s a little complicated.

Usually, Raspberry Vinaigrette or White Balsamic Vinaigrette would be safe choices. However, Longhorn’s allergen menu says the White Balsamic Vinaigrette contains dairy… and it doesn’t even list Raspberry Vinaigrette. So you may need to ask staff at your location!

2. Plain Idaho Baked Potato

Yes, you can order a plain vegan baked potato at Longhorn Steakhouse! Thank goodness, a nice wholesome, whole-food option. You may still want to emphasize “No Butter or Dairy” to make sure they don’t add any.

Take note that at some other restaurants like Texas Roadhouse, the baked potatoes aren’t vegan because they are slathered with bacon fat or something like that… Yuck. Luckily, that’s not an issue at Longhorn.

3. Plain Sweet Potato

And it’s not just a plain white potato you’re limited to… you can get a baked sweet potato at Longhorn, as well! Extra vitamin A! Again, I’d just recommend emphasizing that you need it with “No Butter or Dairy.”

4. Bread

The main vegan bread to look for at Longhorn Steakhouse is called “Freshly Baked Bread.” Make sure to ask for it without butter.

Longhorn Steakhouse also has “Flatbread” at some locations. This also appears to be vegan based on the allergen menu, although you may want to check with your server.

Beware of the “Honey Wheat Bread,” if you see that, as most vegans do not consider honey vegan. That said, the honey issue is debated, and it’s really up to you.

5. Seasoned French Fries

Some restaurants do a horrible misdeed and cook their french fries in animal fat. I’m thinking specifically of Buffalo Wild Wings… Luckily, this is not the case at Longhorn Steakhouse! We can eat the fries!

They specifically mention on the Longhorn website that their fries are cooked in soybean oil—not animal fat. You may need to look at the kids menu if you’re not seeing fries on the main menu.

Note: Consider that the french fries may likely be fried in the same fryers as stuff like fried chicken. So if that bothers you, you may want to ask.

6. Seasoned Rice Pilaf

This is just some good, seasoned rice that you can add to help fill out your meal!

Note: This dish appears to be vegan by all counts—it has no dairy, and no cholesterol. However, it’s possible the rice is cooked in animal-based broth. Ask the server at your Longhorn Steakhouse if you want to make sure you’re in the clear!

7. Veggies (Without Butter)

Longhorn Steakhouse offers quite a few vegetable sides, actually—but they all come standard with butter. So you need to special order them.

Here’s the typical list of options you’ll see:

• Grilled Mushrooms (No Butter)
• Crispy Brussel Sprouts (No Butter)
• Fresh Steamed Asparagus (No Butter)
• Fresh Steamed Broccoli (No Butter)
• Fried Okra (No Butter—only select locations)

8. Fresh Fruit (Oranges or Grapes)

I love being able to add a simple orange or bowl of fresh fruit to my meal. Did you know that vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron?

So truly, the little bit of fresh fruit can do a lot for your meal from a nutrition perspective! Note that you may need to look at the kids’ menu to find this option.

9. Chips

Last time I checked, chips are not a standard feature on the Longhorn Steakhouse menu, but they are offered as a side at some locations. It doesn’t hurt to ask about them!

10. Beverages

Luckily, there are plenty of vegan beverages to choose from:

• Raspberry Iced Tea
• Peach Iced Tea
• Sweet Tea
• Unsweetened Tea
• Strawberry Lemonade
• Raspberry Lemonade
• Coke
• Diet Coke
• Sprite
• Pibb Xtra
• Dr. Pepper
• Cranberry Juice
• Orange Juice
• Apple Juice
• Minute Maid Lemonade
• Coffee
• Bottled Water

There are also margaritas, beer, wine, bourbon, and more alcoholic drinks. I recommend Barnivore.com for checking which alcoholic drinks are vegan.

But What About…

The following dishes may also appear vegan at first glance—but unfortunately, they’re not:

• The Loaded Potato Soup contains dairy.
• The French Onion Soup contains dairy.
• The Mashed Potatoes contain dairy.
• The White Balsamic Vinaigrette contains dairy.

The follow dishes also come standard with dairy, but you should hopefully be able to order these “without butter” to make them vegan:

• The Grilled Mushrooms come standard with dairy.
• The Crispy Brussel Sprouts come standard with dairy.
• The Fresh Steamed Asparagus comes standard with dairy.
• The Fresh Steamed Broccoli comes standard with dairy.
• The Fried Okra comes standard with dairy.

Whole-Food Plant-Based Options

What if you’re trying to avoid processed foods, too—not just animal ingredients? Can you eat a strictly whole-food plant-based (WFPB) meal at Longhorn Steakhouse? You might be surprised, actually.

WFPB options at Longhorn Steakhouse:

• Mixed Green Side Salad (without cheese or croutons)
• Plain Idaho Baked Potato
• Plain Sweet Potato
• Fresh Steamed Asparagus (No Butter)
• Fresh Steamed Broccoli (No Butter)
• Fresh Fruit (Oranges or Grapes)

I’ve done a lot of these restaurant guides by this point, and let me tell you: This is actually one of the best lists when it comes to WFPB options. That’s funny because it’s a steakhouse!

But yeah, you can get a salad, potatoes, veggies, and fruit! Not bad, really. I’d probably get multiple sweet potatoes and fill up mainly on those, with the veggies and fruit just to round things out.

Two More Recommendations for Your Plant-Based Journey

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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).