I remember how I first found Potbelly. There was a neighborhood I lived in where everyone used the Potbelly bathroom because it was the only free, public restroom. Kind of funny. But I’ve actually come to know their menu quite well. So, what do they have for vegans?
Vegan options at Potbelly:
- PB&J Sandwich
- Mushroom Melt (without cheese)
- Mediterranean (without chicken or cheese)
- Vegetarian Sandwich (without cheese or mayo)
- Garden Side Salad
- Mediterranean Salad (No cheese or chicken)
- Garden Vegetable Soup
- Spicy Black Bean & Tomato Soup
- Diced Onion Soup
- Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Chips
- Apple Sauce
- Beverages
Below, I’ll cover more details on how to order these items vegan—including which kind of bread at Potbelly is not vegan. I’ll also answer common vegan questions about Potbelly. And I’ll end with a look at the whole-food plant-based options!
This vegan menu was compiled with the help of the allergen menu on the Potbelly website, along with supplemental information from posts by vegan bloggers.
Restaurant menus change and often vary by location. I recommend double checking any important information with the staff at your Potbelly location.
Sandwiches
For for the following sandwiches, ask for white bread. The multigrain bread contains honey. Here are vegan sandwich options:
- PB&J Sandwich
- Mushroom Melt (without cheese)
- Mediterranean (without chicken or cheese)
- Vegetarian Sandwich (without cheese or mayo)
Salad
There are a few options for putting together a vegan salad at Potbelly. For something simple, you can just get the Garden Side Salad. It should come vegan in its standard state.
You can also custom order the Mediterranean Salad (No cheese or chicken) and it should be vegan. That will be a bit more filling salad, with beans and more veggies.
Here are the vegan salad dressings you’re likely to see:
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Fat Free Vinaigrette
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- Potbelly Vinaigrette
You can also add these vegan salad toppings:
- Artichoke Hearts
- Avocado
- Celery Salt
- Croutons
- Cucumbers
- Diced Apples
- Diced Red Onions
- Dried Cranberry
- Fresh Strawberries
- Garbanzo Beans
- Glazed Walnuts
- Grape Tomato
- Hummus
- Italian Seasoning
- Red Grapes
- Roasted Red Peppers
Soups
There are a few vegan soup options at Potbelly:
- Garden Vegetable Soup
- Spicy Black Bean & Tomato Soup
You may also see Diced Onion Soup, which also looks to be vegan from what I can tell on the allergen menu.
You may want to specify that you don’t want croutons, as they may contain egg or honey. But luckily, the oyster crackers are vegan.
Steel Cut Oatmeal
I love when restaurants have oatmeal because it’s actually a healthy whole-food vegan option. The only thing you need to worry about is whether they prepare it with milk—that is rare, but it can happen.
Potbelly has steel-cut oatmeal, which is a nice treat, since I’m used to making rolled oats at home. According to Potbelly’s website, their steel-cut oats are dairy-free.
You can also get the following vegan toppings for your oatmeal:
- Bananas
- Brown Sugar
- Diced Apples
- Dried Cranberry
- Raisins
Chips
The selection of chips is likely to vary by location. That said, here are some of the vegan chips you’re likely to see:
- Baked Lay’s
- Good Health Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt Olive Oil Chips
- Lay’s Classic
- Zapp’s Hotter ‘N Hot Jalapeno Chips
- Zapp’s Mesquite Bar-B-Que Chips
- Zapp’s Regular Chips
- Zapp’s VooDoo Heat Chips
Apple Sauce
I actually like getting the apple sauce when it’s offered at restaurants. It’s just a nice little side that’s different from anything else. But you might need to look on the kid’s menu for it at Potbelly.
Toppings and Extras
These are some extra veggies and condiments you can get added to your sandwiches and salads to fill things out:
- Artichoke Hearts
- Avocado
- Balsamic Dressing
- Brown Mustard
- Cucumbers
- Diced Red Onion
- Hot Peppers
- Hummus
- Italian Seasoning
- Lettuce
- Oil
- Pickles
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Sauerkraut
- Sliced Mushrooms
- Sliced Onions
- Spinach
- Tomato
Beverages
Here are some of the vegan beverages you’re likely to see at Potbelly:
- Coke
- Coke Zero Sugar
- Diet Coca Cola
- Dr. Pepper
- Fanta Orange
- Sprite
- IBC Root Beer
- Minute Maid Lemonade
- Sweetened Iced Tea
- Unsweetened Iced Tea
- Arizona Tea
- Fuze Tea
- Honest Organic Tea
- Nantucket Nectars
- Powerade
- San Pellegrino
- Simply Orange
- Vitamin Water
- Water Bottle
But What About…
Now let’s answer some common questions about how to eat vegan at Potbelly.
Does Potbelly Bread Have Dairy?
Potbelly bread does not contain dairy. This is confirmed by the allergen menu on the Potbelly website.
Is Potbelly Bread Vegan?
The common wisdom is that all Potbelly bread is vegan except for the multigrain bread, which contains honey. However, I was unable to track down exact ingredients lists. So I can just confirm that the allergen menu says there are no milk or egg products in any Potbelly bread.
Is Potbelly Vinaigrette Vegan?
Potbelly Vinaigrette appears to be vegan. It contains no milk or egg ingredients according to the Potbelly website. Multiple other blogs also recommend the Potbelly Vinaigrette for vegan Potbelly customers.
Is Potbelly Tomato Soup Vegan?
Potbelly’s Classic Tomato Soup is not vegan, as it contains milk ingredients.
Potbelly cookies are not vegan. All flavors of Potbelly cookies contain milk and egg ingredients.
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 Potbelly? There are some options!
WFPB options at Potbelly:
- Garden Side Salad
- Mediterranean Salad (No cheese or chicken)
- Steel Cut Oatmeal (with fruit)
- Apple Sauce
I’m not able to confirm if any of the soups are strictly WFPB, as the full ingredients are not listed on the Potbelly website. However, as you can see, there are at least some items you can order without processed oil, sugar, or flour added.
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