Newk’s doesn’t have a lot of fully vegan options that come standard on their menu. But with custom ordering, you can actually get quite a lot here. And as a vegan with 14 years of dining experience, I’m happy to be your guide.
Vegan options at Newk’s Eatery:
- Veggie Club Sandwich (No Cheese or Pesto)
- Create Your Own Vegan Pizza
- Red, White & Blueberry Salad (No Cheese or Chicken)
- Strawberry & Avocado Spinach Salad (No Cheese or Bacon)
- Greek Salad (No Feta Cheese)
- Garden Salad (No Cheese or Croutons)
- Apple Sauce (Kids Menu)
- Fresh Fruit / Fruit Bowl
- Chips: Baked Lay’s, Sun Chips, Newk’s Kettle Chips
- Beverages
Below, I’ll share more about how to order these items vegan, along with some menu items that are surprisingly NOT vegan. I’ll answer some common questions, and I’ll end with a look at whole-food plant-based options, too!
Newk’s Eatery Vegan Menu
The following vegan menu was compiled with the help of the menu, allergen information, and online ordering features on the Newk’s website.
Restaurant menus change and often vary by location. I recommend double checking any important information with staff at your location!
1. Veggie Club (No Cheese or Pesto)
You can get a veggie club sandwich at Newk’s, but it takes a bit of customization. You want to ask for “No Goat Cheese” and “No Pesto.” That should make it dairy-free and vegan.
After removing the cheese and pesto, you get: 11-Grain Parisian Bread, Portabella Mushrooms, Red Bell Peppers, Yellow Bell Peppers. There’s also an option to add avocado.
If you want other customizations, they should have artichokes, red onions, olives, tomatoes, and Pepperoncini on hand, too (for the pizzas). So you could probably get those added.
2. Create Your Own Vegan Pizza
Newk’s doesn’t have a pre-made vegan pizza. But you can choose the “Create Your Own Pizza” option, and then ask for a pizza without cheese.
The “garlic oil,” tomato sauce, and crust are all dairy-free based on what I’ve heard, although you can always double-check with staff at your location to make sure.
Choose up to 3 veggie toppings:
- Tomatoes
- Pepperoncini
- Yellow Bell Peppers
- Red Bell Peppers
- Artichokes
- Olives
- Red Onions
- Portabella Mushrooms
You could also customize the “Veggie Pizza” to make it vegan. However, you’d need to remove three ingredients: Goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, and basil pesto. (I’m assuming that the pesto is not vegan, as only ~1/3 of pesto recipes are vegan.)
The “Veggie Pizza” comes with these toppings once you remove the cheese and pesto: Artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoes, portabella mushrooms, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, red onion, garlic oil, and basil.
3. Salad (Customized)
As with pizza above, there is no pre-made vegan salad at Newk’s. But again, you can customize. This opens up several salad options, with a surprising array of vegan dressings (below).
Here are four salads that are easy to vegan-ize:
- Red, White & Blueberry Salad (No Feta Cheese or Grilled Chicken). After you remove the cheese and chicken, you get: Spinach, strawberries, blueberries, and watermelon. Comes with raspberry vinaigrette, which is vegan.
- Strawberry and Avocado Spinach Salad (No Feta Cheese or Bacon). After you remove the cheese and bacon, you get: Spinach, strawberries, and avocado. Comes with balsamic vinaigrette, which is vegan.
- Greek Salad (No Feta Cheese) – After you remove the cheese, you get: Romaine lettuce blend, Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, pepperoncini, cucumbers, red onions, and grape tomatoes. Comes with Greek dressing, which is vegan.
- Garden Salad (No Cheddar Cheese or Croutons) – After you remove the cheese and croutons, you get: Mixed greens, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and shredded carrots. Your choice of dressing.
Vegan salad dressings:
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Ginger Wasabi Dressing
- Greek Dressing
- Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Sherry Vinaigrette
Note: The Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is not vegan, as it contains egg.
4. Apple Sauce (Kids Menu)
The kids menu is called the “Little Newk’s” menu. It’s not very vegan-friendly overall, but they do have apple sauce and fruit for the kiddies.
5. Fresh Fruit / Fruit Bowl
Looking at the Newk’s menu, you may see multiple fruit sides. The “fresh fruit” option is listed as 45 calories, and the fruit bowl is 140 calories—so I guess you get more with the Bowl. But either one will likely vary based on the location and season.
6. Chips
The exact selection of chips will vary, but you’ll typically see:
- Baked Lay’s
- Multigrain Sun Chips
- Newk’s Jalapeno Kettle Chips
- Newk’s Mesquite BBQ Kettle Chips
- Newk’s Original Kettle Chips
7. Beverages
Plenty of vegan drinks available at Newk’s:
- Iced Tea (Sweet, Unsweet, or Sweetened with Splenda)
- Mott’s Apple Juice
- San Pellegrino
- Coca-Cola Products
- Dr Pepper Products
- Bottled Water
But What About…
You might think some of the following items would be vegan, too—but unfortunately they’re not:
- The Tomato Basil Soup is not vegan, as it contains milk.
- The Pasta Salad is not vegan, as it contains eggs.
- The Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is not vegan, as it contains egg.
Now let’s answer some common questions about eating vegan at Newk’s.
Does Newk’s Have Any Vegan Desserts?
Newk’s does not have vegan desserts. They basically have rice crispy treats and cake. All of them contain dairy and many contain egg according to the allergen menu. Also, the rice crispy treats likely include gelatin from marshmallows.
Is Newk’s Bread Vegan?
Newk’s bread appears to be vegan. According to the allergen menu on the Newk’s website, both their French Parisian Bread and their 11-Grain Parisian Bread are free of eggs and dairy.
I’ve reviewed a lot of bread ingredients in my 13 years as a vegan, and I can tell you that the only other ingredients you might see in bread beyond dairy would be honey. But that’s only common in whole-wheat bread—not white Parisian bread.
So I would consider Newk’s bread safely vegan.
Does Newk’s Have Vegan Cheese?
Currently, Newk’s does not have vegan cheese for their pizzas or sandwiches. However, you can order pretty much any menu item without cheese.
Is Newk’s Tomato Basil Soup Vegan?
Newk’s Tomato Basil Soup is vegetarian but not vegan. It contains dairy in the form of a goat cheese garnish, croutons, and possibly in the soup itself.
Whole-Food Plant-Based Options
What if you’re not just vegan, but you’re also trying to avoid processed foods? Can you get a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) meal at Newk’s Eatery? That means no refined sugar, flour, or oil. Let’s take a look.
WFPB options at Newk’s Eatery:
- Salad (Without Dressing)
- Apple Sauce
- Fresh Fruit / Fruit Bowl
Why nothing else? The pizza crust and sandwich bread are not WFPB due to flour and refined oil. Chips are obviously not WFPB, due to the oil. And most (if not all) of the salad dressings will contain sugar or oil.
So if you’re strictly WFPB, it’s just those basic salad and fruit options. That said, it’s better than some other chain restaurants where literally the only vegan options are fried potatoes, so there’s nothing WFPB!
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).