With menus loaded with burgers, beef burritos, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs, eating out at fast food restaurants as a vegan can be next to impossible. Not many people have plants on their minds when they pull up to a drive-thru for a speedy meal — but in recent years, fast food establishments have been making an effort to add vegan-friendly options to their menu, like Beyond and Impossible patties. Carl’s Jr., known for its charbroiled burgers, also offered the Beyond Burger at one point, but this is no longer the case.
The vegan patty made it onto the menu in 2019, and seems to have lasted until around April 2024, when it was removed from most locations. Now in 2025, the Beyond Burger seems to have completely left the fast food chain’s website and menus. The burger was called the Beyond Famous Star, and it required modifications to be fully vegan (i.e., removing the cheese and mayo).
Looking at the Carl’s Jr. menu now, there are not any items that are obviously vegan. There are, however, vegetarian options, like the Fried Zucchini Star Sandwich and Fried Zucchini Bites. These unfortunately cannot be modified to be vegan because the batter contains egg.
What other vegan options are at Carl’s Jr.?
And now a drum roll for the vegan menu items at Carl’s Jr… Waffle Fries and Natural Cut French Fries. Yes, in 2025 the only options without any animal products are fried potato sides. The Breakfast Hashbrowns are also vegan-friendly, unlike McDonald’s, where the hashbrowns contain beef flavoring. It’s better than nothing, we suppose, but disappointing when compared to other chains like Taco Bell, where most items can be made vegan.
It’s possible to do some heavy modifications and create some type of vegan-friendly sandwich with guacamole. Vegetables like lettuce, onion, tomato, jalapeños, and pickles are obviously all vegan, so these are all options to add to the sandwich. For condiments, definitely select the guacamole, and then choose from other options like BBQ sauce, mustard, ketchup, and hot sauce. Be careful with the bun: The sesame seed bun is the only vegan-friendly option.
Instead of asking for a vegan option while ordering at Carl’s Jr., just go straight for modifying a burger, eliminating the patty, cheese, and non-vegan sauces. Since there are no vegan options on the menu, employees aren’t necessarily aware of what is and isn’t vegan — so it’s up to you to be proactive. Carl’s Jr. isn’t the best place to go if you avoid animal products, so if possible, try making a more vegan-friendly fast food stop at Chipotle, Sweetgreen, Veggie Grill, or Panda Express.
