It’s difficult to find vegan options in most fast food places, Sonic included. What can vegans eat at Sonic?
Kathy’s Vegan Kitchen is here to help take the guesswork out of vegan dining and let you know exactly our favorite Sonic vegan options.
What is Sonic Drive-In?
Sonic Drive-In is one exciting diner to go to because of the carhops on wheels.
The fast-food restaurant uses this concept as unique leverage to set them apart from everyone else! They even hold an annual competition in most areas to determine the top skating carhop employee.
Sonic’s menu consists of quintessential fast food items such as hamburgers, fries, and hot dogs.
This restaurant also lets the customers’ creativity shine by allowing them to combine various slush flavors to create their desired outcome.
10 Popular Vegan Food on the Menu
So, what vegan options do you have at Sonic Drive-In? We’ll list down this fast-food chain’s most popular offerings and let you know whether or not they’re vegan items.
1. Tater Tots
First on our list is Sonic’s fun Tater Tots, which is completely vegan. These vegan sides are made with mashed potatoes and encased in flour and deep-fried in vegetable oil (no animal lard!) until it’s crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. Sonic also carries Sweet Potato Tater Tots.
However, it’s worth noting the disclaimer that Sonic has on their website: all of their fried food uses shared cooking equipment, so these will be cooked alongside their meats and will always pose a risk for potential cross-contamination. If that’s not your cup of tea, the Tater Tots are a no-go.
2. French Fries
Just like Sonic’s Tater Tots, the French Fries in Sonic are vegan! You also have the option to make some oven-baked fries as an alternative.
3. Pretzel Twist
Sonic’s soft Pretzel Twist is made from vegan bread, but the nacho cheese dip it comes with is not. Swap the cheese sauce with an equally yummy vegan alternative, such as their marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, or the Asian sweet chili sauce, to dip your soft Pretzel Twist into.
Are the Sonic Cinnasnacks vegan, though? Unfortunately, they are not, as well as their French Toast Sticks. These two menu items contain milk and eggs.
4. Onion Rings
We’re not sure how this happened, but yes -- Sonic’s Onion Rings are certified A-okay for your vegan journey. They are the only restaurant in the entire industry to carry a vegan-friendly version of this side dish (even store-bought frozen onion rings have dairy)! According to the Sonic allergen guide, their vegan onion rings are not made with any dairy product.
Also Read:
5. Build Your Own Sandwich
We know that eating just Sonic tater tots, french fries, and onion rings don’t make much of a meal -- that’s why learning to Build Your Own Sandwich is crucial (unfortunately, Sonic has yet to incorporate an Impossible Burger). You’ll be surprised to see how accommodating the staff is in making a special vegan sandwich that’s perfect for you and your vegan lifestyle. We’ll list down everything you can add to your veggie burger.
Also, it’s worth noting that Sonic sources their ingredients in local bakeries, so ingredients will vary in each Sonic’s location. Converse with the staff on how to build your veggie burger with absolutely no animal ingredients.
6. Vegan Breads
- Bagel (Not available at all locations)
- Hamburger Bun (May contain milk or egg at certain locations)
- Hot Dog Buns (May contain milk or egg at certain locations)
- Philly Roll (Not available at all locations)
- Tortilla (May contain milk or egg at certain locations)
Depending on the location, Sonic’s hamburger bun, hot dog bun, or Texas toast may or may not be vegan.
7. Vegan Sauces and Condiments
- Asian Sweet Chili Wing Sauce
- Hickory BBQ (May contain honey in some locations)
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Buffalo Sauce
- BBQ Sauce
- Grape Jelly
- Marinara
- Salsa de Sonic
- Strawberry Jam
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Sweet Relish
Of course, egg-based sauces like tartar sauce, mayonnaise, and the Sonic signature sauce are not vegan.
8. Vegan Toppings
- Avocado
- Dill Pickle Chips
- Dill Pickle Spears
- Hatch Green Chiles
- Jalapenos
- Lettuce
- Diced Onion
- Grilled Onions
- Sauerkraut
- Sport Peppers
- Sweet Pickle Relish
- Tomato
9. Vegan Drinks
Here comes the fun part: Drinks! Sonic allows you to mix and match different flavored syrups to create a slush that’s uniquely yours. And the best part is, most of them are vegan slush flavors!
Frozen
You can start with any of the three in their Frozen Drinks selection, which is all vegan.
- Lemonade Slush
- Limeade Slush
- Plain Slush Base (add flavored syrup for taste)
Flavor Syrups
Sonic carries a wide array of flavored syrups, most of which are vegan. Non-vegan flavors include those derived from any cake, cookie, caramel flavor, or candies like M&M’s (which, we assume, you already know).
- Blackberry
- Blue Coconut
- Blue Raspberry
- Cherry
- Diet Cherry
- French Vanilla
- Grape
- Mango
- Peach
- Raspberry
Other Drinks
And, of course, soft drinks, juices, and tea are almost always vegan-friendly. Here are all the vegan beverages you can order.
- Barq’s Root Beer
- Coca-Cola
- Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
- Diet Coke
- Dr. Pepper
- Diet Dr. Pepper
- Fanta Orange
- Fresh Brewed Sweet Tea
- Fresh Brewed Unsweet Tea
- Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ Hot Coffee
- Green Tea (Diet)
- Green Tea (Sweet)
- Hi-C Fruit Punch
- Lemonade
- Mello Yello
- Minute Maid Apple Juice Box
- Minute Maid Orange Juice
- Powerade
- Sonic Wave Bottled Water
- Sprite
- Sprite Zero
10. Other Vegan Options
Apple Slices
These Apple Slices on the Kids’ Menu are a great vegan option! Make sure to hold off on the caramel sauce, however.
Ice Cream
Sonic does not carry any dairy-free ice cream, but they do have plenty of vegan ice cream toppings. If you want to partake in these, it’s best to bring your own ice cream base. [1]
FAQs
It depends. It’s safe to assume that the buns and bread that Sonic carries are mostly dairy-free. However, Sonic locations get their bun supplies from local bakeries, and, considering this, they will be making this food item with differing ingredients. This is to say that some bakeries may be making bread with dairy.
When in doubt, it’s always best to confirm with the staff.
Unfortunately no, Sonic does not carry vegan salads on their menu. All of their salad choices have chicken as the main ingredient. You may omit this meat ingredient to make the salad vegan-approved.
Key Takeaways
The vegan options at Sonic don’t really fare any differently than other fast-food restaurants, but at least this place has vegan onion rings (when most others don’t!). While they don’t carry specialty vegan menu items, we can confidently say that the carhops at Sonic will be delivering a meal that our vegan diet will find okay and satisfying.
Reference:
- https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-vegan-ice-cream-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-204755
About Author
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
scott
This article says 2024 updated, but there is listed as 'milk' on the allergen information for Onion rings as I saw, and I had seen many other sources, months back in 2023, updating their own pages saying the onion rings were no longer vegan... lol
Kathy Carmichael
Thanks, Scott. I will check it out. I appreciate you letting me know.
HappyMuffin
The Asian Sweet Chili sauce says it contains dairy on their allergen menu.
Kathy Carmichael
Hello, they must have changed the brand they use. Thank you for letting me know. I appreciate it.