Which of the 7 most popular vegan fast-foods tastes best? It’s impossible, we say
The number of vegans is growing rapidly, and big chains are catching on to the trend, offering a range of new options -- which we eagerly put to the taste test
Vegan fast food – free from meat, dairy, egg, or other animal products and by-products – is not easy to come by.
The population of vegans, vegetarians, and people who are simply trying to eat less meat is growing rapidly. Restaurant consultancy group Baum + Whiteman expects plant-based foods to be the top trend of 2018. A study by the Plant Based Foods Association from September 2016 found that the plant-based food industry – which includes meat, dairy, and egg alternatives – generates over US$13 billion in sales annually throughout the US economy.
Currently, Nielsen data shows that nearly 40 per cent of Americans are trying to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets. According to Baum + Whiteman, 58 per cent of adults choose to drink non-dairy milk instead of dairy milk, yet most fast-food chains don’t carry any alternatives to dairy milk. In the past year alone, Google has seen a 90 per cent increase in vegan-related searches.
But many major chains are slowly starting to catch on to the trend. White Castle now serves the Impossible Burger, Costco and Ikea both recently added vegan items to their food-court menus, and Taco Bell makes it easy to make some of its most popular items vegan-friendly.
We tried some of the most popular vegan fast-food meals. Here’s how we ranked them:
7. Taco Bell’s bean burrito: I ordered the burrito fresco, which replaces all dairy with pico de gallo. Very little pico was actually added, so it was basically just beans in a wrap. The texture wasn’t very good, it didn’t taste like much of anything, and it was difficult to eat it because it was falling apart.
6. Chick-fil-A’s market salad: the salad is vegan if ordered without chicken and cheese.
