Mediterranean restaurants are pretty good for vegans. As a vegan of 14 years now, I’ll often vote to eat at falafel places with family and friends. And Zoe’s Kitchen holds up as a great example of this vegan-friendliness.
Vegan options at Zoe’s Kitchen:
- Hummus (Classic or Spicy)
- Pita Bread
- Mediterranean Lentil Soup
- Potato Salad
- Braised White Beans
- Roasted Veggies
- Turmeric Rice
- Seasonal Fresh Fruit
- Chips
- Build Your Own Bowl (Custom)
- Salad (Custom)
- Toppings
- Beverages
More details on all these below, including the options for building your own bowl and customizing your salad. I’ll also cover some controversy about Zoe’s falafel, pit chips, and quinoa: Are they vegan?
I’ll also end with a whole-food plant-based guide to Zoe’s Kitchen, in case you’re trying to avoid processed foods and fried food, as well!
To build this vegan menu, first I reached out to Zoe’s and got a full list of vegan options from them. Then I crossed checked it with their website and allergen menu. Then I followed up with them about any conflicting details.
So the following menu is solidly vetted as vegan. That said, it never hurts to ask for confirmation with your server on any details you need help with.
1. Hummus (Classic or Spicy)
Would it really be a trip to a Mediterranean restaurant if you didn’t get hummus? Luckily both the classic and the spicy versions are vegan.
Note: The Basil Pesto Hummus contains milk.
2. Mediterranean Lentil Soup
This soup comes vegan! It contains green lentils, carrots, and tomato. It’s served with Zoe’s pita bread, which is also vegan.
3. Salad (Customized)
You can get a pretty awesome vegan salad at Zoe’s. None of the default options are vegan, however, so you just need to adjust some details.
- Traditional Salad: Spring mix, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, olives, and red onions, with pita bread. Order without feta.
- Classic With Potato Salad: Basically the same as the Traditional Salad above, but with potato salad added. Order without feta.
- Avocado Lentil Salad: Romaine, arugula, black lentils, avocado, chickpeas, cucumbers, and lemon herb tahini. Order without egg and Tzatziki.
- Quinoa Salad? I’m waiting to hear back about the Quinoa Salad. The allergen menu says the quinoa contains milk, for some reason.
Vegan salad dressings:
- Zoe’s Dressing
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- Lemon Herb Tahini
4. Vegan Sides
Zoe’s has a bunch of vegan sides, and these are more substantial than the options at most other chain restaurants, too. Really you could fill up on sides easily:
- Braised White Beans
- Roasted Veggies
- Potato Salad
- Turmeric Rice
- Seasonal Fresh Fruit
- Chips
- Pita Bread
6. Build Your Own Bowl
The “build your own bowl” option is perfect for us vegans. Zoe’s has a ton of vegan options on hand that you can build into a full meal in one bowl.
Here are some of the grain and bean options to build your bowl around:
- Cauliflower Rice
- Power Grains
- Lentils
- Orzo Pasta
A bunch of the pre-made bowls come with cucumber and dill. If you want to focus even more on veggies, you can have them add greens or roasted veggies (or get those as a side). You can also choose any of the toppings and sauces in the next section.
Just make sure your bowl excludes feta and Tzatziki. Those are the common non-vegan bowl components. I’m also waiting to hear back about the quinoa, which supposedly contains milk according to Zoe’s allergen guide.
7. Toppings, Sauces, and Condiments
Add these to your bowls or salads:
- Grilled Mushrooms
- Grilled Onions
- Pepper & Onion Mix
- Harissa
- Salsa Verde
- Skhug
- Spicy Shake
- Tomato Relish
8. Beverages
Big list of vegan drinks to choose from:
- Coca Cola
- Coke Zero
- Diet Coke
- Diet Dr. Pepper
- Dr. Pepper
- Minute Maid Light Lemonade
- Pibb Extra
- Powerade Mountain Blast
- Sprite
- Hi-C Fruit Punch
- Honest Tea – Lemon Grove Maple
- Honest Tea – Moroccan Mint
- Honest Tea – Just Green
- Honest Tea – Peach Oo-La-Long
- Hibiscus Green Tea
- Limeade
- San Pellegrino Aranciata
- San Pellegrino Arancia Fico D’India
But What About…
You may assume the following items would be vegan, but they’re actually not:
- The pita chips are not vegan, as they contain milk.
Is Zoe’s Kitchen Falafel Vegan?
Zoe’s Kitchen falafel is vegan when ordered alone. However, it typically comes with Tzatziki sauce, which is not vegan. So be sure to order it without Tzatziki sauce.
Is Zoe’s Kitchen Rice Vegan?
Zoe’s Kitchen rice is vegan, as confirmed by their allergen menu and an email I received from a Zoe’s rep.
Is Zoe’s Kitchen Hummus Vegan?
Zoe’s Kitchen hummus is vegan, as confirmed by their allergen menu and an email I received from a Zoe’s rep.
Whole-Food Plant-Based Options
What if you’re not just trying to eat vegan at Zoe’s but also whole-food plant-based (WFPB)? Can you fill up as a vegan while avoiding fried and processed foods, too?
Here’s what I’d eat for a WFPB meal at Zoe’s:
- Salad (Customized)
- Seasonal Fresh Fruit
- Cauliflower Rice
- Lentils (ask about oil)
- Braised white beans (ask about oil)
There are a lot of other dishes that may qualify, too. For example:
- You could ask about getting the roasted veggies, grilled mushrooms, or grilled onions without oil.
- The turmeric rice is probably made with white rice rather than brown rice. That said, the anti-inflammatory power of turmeric makes this a decent option, if not fully WFPB.
- The hummus and the Mediterranean Lentil Soup probably both contain some oil—but they’re also generally healthy dishes, so you could consider those if you’re not obsessive about the oil.
Another thing to consider is that, from what I’ve heard, Zoe’s leans toward using olive oil in the kitchen. So it may not mess with you as much as an omega-6 rich vegetable oil or something.
Extra virgin olive oil is probably the healthiest oil, as I cover in my post about the 6 reasons why oil can be bad for you. But I’d still avoid it if trying to reverse heart disease or something.
Two More Recommendations for Your Plant-Based Journey
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