Here’s Every Vegan Option at Waffle House

I recently went to Waffle House when I was on vacation with my mom. I wasn’t sure what I’d be able to find as a vegan. But to my surprise, I was actually able to fill up!

Vegan options at Waffle House:

• Hash Browns
• Toast (With Jam or Peanut Butter)
• Garden Salad (No Cheese)
• Beverages

More details on all of these below. I’ll also share two other menu items that might be vegan. Basically, the information online for Waffle House is pretty sparse, but I did the best research I could!

At the end of this post, I’ll also ask the question of what there is Waffle House if you’re eating a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diet… Anything at all?

Waffle House Vegan Menu

To compile the following menu, I consulted the breakfast and dinner menus on the Waffle House website. Their website does not have an allergen guide or ingredients lists, so it was a bit harder to confirm things as vegan compared to other restaurants.

1. Hash Browns

This is the obvious menu item to center your vegan meal around. You can actually fill up on a big plate of shredded potatoes like this. (And you can get a big serving if you go for the Double or Triple size.)

You can order these hash browns 5 different ways as a vegan:

• Plain
• Smothered (Sautéed Onions)
• Diced (Grilled Tomatoes)
• Peppered (Jalapeno Peppers)
• Capped (Grilled Mushrooms)

When I went recently, I got the “Plain” because I’m a picky eater. I was satisfied, even though it was a little on the oily side for me. (I usually try to keep my oil consumption a bit lower, for reasons explained in this blog post.)

Note: It’s possible that the hash browns will get cooked on a griddle that is contaminated from bacon or other animal products. If you’re worried about this, you could ask them to please cook it on a separate, clean surface. But really that should be standard practice anyway.

2. Toast

Gotta love toast. It’s like bread, but crunchy! (Just kidding around here.) I ordered some toast when I went to Waffle House, and it helped round out the meal a bit. Just be sure to specify that you don’t want butter on your toast.

You can ask for peanut butter or jam to spread on instead of butter. Or heck, get both and make a little PB&J sandwich with the toast.

3. Salad (No Cheese)

I’m having trouble confirming if all Waffle House locations actually still have salads or not. I didn’t see it on their menu when I went—and I don’t see it on their website now. But a couple other vegan guides to Waffle House online mention getting the garden salad. So scope it out.

According to an old menu from a few years ago, the Garden Salad comes with romaine and iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and purple cabbage. If you end up getting it, just make sure to say “no cheese” and, if applicable, no croutons or dairy/egg dressings, either.

4. Beverages

Plenty of vegan drink options:

• Coca-Cola
• Diet Coke
• Sprite
• Hi-C
• Lemonade
• Pibb Extra
• Barq’s Root Beer
• Alice’s Iced Tea
• Alice’s Iced Tea-Monade
• Orange Juice
• Coffee
• Hot Tea

Are the Grits or Oatmeal Vegan at Waffle House?

I reached out to Waffle House to ask about these menu items, but I did not receive a response. They also do not have allergen information on their website about them.

I would recommend asking staff in person, as either one of these dishes can be made vegan but they aren’t always. Right now I’d just say they might be vegan.

Is Waffle House Syrup Vegan?

Waffle House syrup is vegan.

Does Waffle House Have Vegan Pancakes or Waffles?

Waffle House does not have vegan pancakes or waffles at this time.

Whole-Food Plant-Based Options

With my vegan guides to restaurants, I like to include a list of whole-food plant-based (WFPB) options. If you’re vegan for health and trying to strictly avoid fried and processed food in addition to animal products, this is the section for you.

Waffle House is pretty horrible on this front. The hash browns are drenched in oil. From what I remember, the toast I received was made from white bread, so very processed. Even the peanut butter they gave me had added sugar.

The only WFPB option would be the garden salad. And, if it’s made with water, you could also have plain oatmeal or grits—but again, I’m not sure if that’s how they’re made.

Some people may count orange juice as WFPB since it is 100% plant-based… But fruit juices are arguably not the healthiest, as they can spike your blood-sugar with the fiber removed from the fruit.

So, there’s not many options to be a healthy vegan at Waffle House!

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).