Here’s Every Vegan Option at Qdoba

Qdoba is an interesting place for vegans. Not only do they have menu items with “Vegan” in the name, but they offer Impossible “vegan meat” and even a sort of “vegan discount” (details below). Plus, the “Create Your Own” option makes it easy to keep things vegan.

Vegan options at Qdoba:

• Impossible Fajita Bowl or Burrito
• Fajita Vegan Bowl
• Impossible Taco Salad (Without Cheese)
• Tortilla Soup
• Chips With Salsa or Guac
• Create Your Own Entree
• Apple Sauce
• Beverages

Below, I’ll share a menu option that I was surprised to learn was not vegan. I’ll also answer the most common questions about eating vegan at Qdoba. Then I’ll end with a look at the whole-food plant-based options, in case you’re a health nut like me.

Qdoba Vegan Menu

The following vegan menu was created primarily using official allergen and nutrition information from the Qdoba website. Qdoba is better than most restaurants about providing this information, so I have a high degree of confidence in its accuracy.

That said, restaurant menus often change and vary by location. So for any crucial details, I recommend double-checking the information in this post with staff at your Qdoba location.

1. Impossible Fajita Bowl or Burrito

This is basically a better, much upgraded version of “beans and rice.” It comes with cilantro lime rice, seasoned black beans, seasoned Impossible protein, red and green bell peppers, red onion, corn salsa, and salsa verde.

You have the option of getting it in a bowl or wrapped up in a tortilla as a burrito.

2. Fajita Vegan Bowl

This is a vegan fajita bowl without the Impossible plant-based protein—in case “fake meat” isn’t your thing. You also have the added boost of guacamole in this dish. And it’s a bit cheaper than the Impossible Fajita Bowl.

Here’s everything that comes in the Fajita Vegan Bowl: Sauteed fajita veggies, guacamole, pico de gallo, chile corn salsa, salsa verde, seasoned brown rice, and black beans.

3. Impossible Taco Salad (Without Cheese)

This salad comes vegetarian, but to get it vegan, you need to ask them to hold the cheese.

You’ll get romaine lettuce, pinto beans, Impossible vegan meat, pico de gallo, roasted tomato salsa, and tortilla strips.

Note: If you want a dressing, the Citrus Lime Vinaigrette is confirmed vegan.

4. Tortilla Soup

This vegan-friendly soup can be ordered vegan—it just depends on which protein you select. You can either choose Plant-Based Impossible or just Veggie. (Veggie is cheaper.)

Besides the protein, the soup will include tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, onions, and jalapenos.

5. Chips With Salsa or Guac

Qdoba’s chips are made with soybean oil—not animal lard—so they’re 100% vegan. They’re seasoned with lime and salt.

You can order this side with guacamole or salsa. Both are vegan! The guac just costs a little bit more.

6. Create Your Own Entree

If the pre-designed meals above don’t sound right for you, you can design your own from the following options:

Shells and Tortillas:

• Crispy Taco Shell
• Crunchy Tortilla Shell
• Flour Tortilla (5.5″, 10″, 12.5″)
• Soft Corn Tortillas
• Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

Rice and Potatoes:

• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Seasoned Brown Rice
• Seasoned Potatoes

Beans and Vegan Meat:

• Black Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Impossible Plant-Based Protein (Vegan Ground Beef)

Veggies, Salsa, and Extras:

• Chile Corn Salsa
• Chopped Cilantro
• Fajita Veggies
• Habanero Salsa
• Hand Smashed Guac
• Lettuce
• Pickled Jalapenos
• Pico de Gallo
• Red Onion
• Roasted Tomato Salsa
• Romaine Lettuce
• Salsa Roja
• Salsa Verde

7. Apple Sauce

This is just another little extra option for a vegan side—it might be on the kids menu. At some restaurants I actually get sides like this because they’re some of the only vegan options—but at Qdoba, there’s a lot more to choose from.

8. Beverages

Tons of vegan drinks at Qdoba to choose from:

• Barq’s Root Beer
• Cherry Coca-Cola
• Coca-Cola Zero
• Coca-Cola
• Diet Coke
• Fanta Orange
• Hi-C Flashin Fruit Punch
• Mello Yello
• Minute Maid Lemonade
• Minute Maid Light Lemonade
• POWERade Mountain Berry Blast
• Gold Peak Classic Blend Tea
• Gold Peak Southern Tea
• Gold Peak Classic Sweet Tea
• Sprite
• Dasani Water
• Coca Cola
• Diet Coke
• Gold Peak Lemon Ice Tea
• Gold Peak Raspberry Ice Tea
• Honest Tea Organic Peach
• Honest Tea Honey Green Tea
• Honest Tea Half and Half
• Jarritos Soda
• Mexican Coca-Cola or Sprite
• Vitamin Water
• Simply Orange Juice
• Minute Maid Kid’s Apple Juice Box

But What About…

You might assume the following option would be vegan, too, but unfortunately it’s not:

• Mexican Cauliflower Mash contains milk ingredients.

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

Is There a Qdoba Vegan Discount?

A few years ago, Qdoba rolled out something called the Vegetarian Tier Initiative. This allowed customers to save an average of $0.60 on their order if they choose a “veggie” option without meat. (source)

However, now that Qdoba offers plant-based Impossible protein, many vegans choose that, which is not as cheap as the plain “veggie” options. So it’s not really clear if any Qdoba “vegan discount” still exists across the board today.

That said, you can still get plain veggie dishes for cheaper than if you select a protein option. For example, the Fajita Vegan Bowl (no protein option) is cheaper than the Impossible Fajita Bowl (includes Impossible vegan meat).

What Sauces Are Vegan at Qdoba?

The vegan sauce and salsa options at Qdobe include:

• guacamole
• pico de gallo
• corn salsa
• salsa roja
• salsa verde
• fiery habanero salsa
• citrus lime vinaigrette

A Note on BBQ Sauce: If you’re getting BBQ sauce from Qdoba, take note that they do use an “Ancho Chile BBQ Sauce” for some of their dishes. “Ancho” would be short for “anchovies,” which is one of the few common BBQ sauce ingredients that are not vegan. So make sure to check about that.

Does Qdoba Have Vegan Cheese?

Qdoba does not offer vegan cheese at this time. Qdoba Queso is not vegan.

Is Qdoba Rice Vegan?

Both the Cilantro Lime Rice and the Seasoned Brown Rice at Qdoba are confirmed vegan. They contain no animal broth, animal fat, meat, egg, or dairy products.

Are Qdoba Potatoes Vegan?

The Seasoned Potatoes at Qdoba are confirmed vegan.

Is the Citrus Lime Dressing at Qdoba Vegan?

The Citrus Lime Vinaigrette salad dressing at Qdoba is confirmed vegan.

Is Qdoba Guacamole Vegan?

Qdoba guacamole is confirmed vegan on the Qdoba website.

Does Qdoba Have Vegan Meat?

Qdoba now has vegan meat from Impossible Foods. Generally what you’ll find will be a plant-based “ground beef” crumble.

Are Qdoba Beans Vegan?

Both the Qdoba Black Beans and Qdoba Pinto Beans are vegan. There is no lard, meat, animal broth, or other animal ingredients used in their preparation.

Whole-Food Plant-Based Options

What if you’re not just vegan but also trying to avoid all processed foods? Are there any whole-food plant-based options at Qdoba? Let’s take a look.

First off, there are a lot of ingredients at Qdoba that may contain a small amount of oil—but I wasn’t able to get full ingredients lists, so it’s hard to confirm this. Just know that the rice or beans may not be 100% WFPB for that reason.

However, you could get something at least 90% WFPB if you do something like the follow:

1. Create your own entree.
2. Make it a salad, so it’s on a bed of greens, not in a tortilla.
3. Choose the brown rice.
4. Add beans.
5. Add a whole bunch of veggies.

You might get a little oil in the rice or beans, but that’s a filling meal that is pretty darn near WFPB, which is not a small feat for a fast-food chain! Some fast-food chains have literally nothing even close to WFPB.

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).