Here’s What’s Vegan at Carl’s Jr., Including What’s Not on the Menu

Carl’s Jr. is chasing down Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts to become the top fast-food restaurant in the plant-based market. The old-fashioned burger joint teamed up with Beyond Meat to ensure that its customers didn’t have to give up the Star burger if they wanted to give up meat.

Across its 1,500 locations, Carl’s Jr debuted its Beyond Burger and Beyond Sausage options to give its customers the ability to go plant-based, but not give up Carl's Jr.'s fan favorites. The Beyond Famous Star is the chain's newest option, but Carl’s Jr. offers a little more for its plant-based diners. So, next time you want a burger and fries here’s a quick guide for your fast-food experience:

The Beyond Famous Star burger is the classic American burger made completely plant-based. Although you must make sure to order it without cheese and mayo and on a sesame seed bun, the burger consists of every ingredient that you’d want in a fast-food burger. The meatless patty is stacked with lettuce, tomato, sliced onions, dill pickles, and Special Sauce. The Beyond Famous Star brings true rivalry to the new plant-based burger scene, leaving the Impossible Whopper sweating. This is the number one recommendation for the first plant-based trip to Carl’s Jr.

The newest addition to Carl’s Jr.’s range of vegan burgers is the Beyond Fiery Famous Star. This marks the first time that the company has rolled out a new burger with both a meat-based and a meat-free option. The greater focus on the Beyond Burger patties signals that Carl’s Jr. is truly dedicated to fueling its growing plant-based menu. Once again, make sure to order this burger without cheese, but it's packed with enough flavor that it does not need it. The Beyond Fiery Famous Star brings everything that you love about the Famous Star and kicks up the spice level with Fiery Sauce and pickled jalapenos. If you love spice and a filling fast-food burger, this is a top contender.

The Beyond BBQ burger is trickier to order, but worth every bite. The normal Beyond BBQ Cheeseburger comes with cheese and onion rings which are fried in egg batter, making the full sandwich unavailable to plant-based consumers. However, without the onion rings and cheese, the burger is a delicious alternative to Carl’s Jr.’s other options. The burger comes with BBQ sauce and jalapenos, and I would suggest getting a side of fries to replace the onion rings on the burger.

The Veg It. Guacamole Thickburger is another great plant-based option, but ordering it can be a little more complicated. The best option would be to remove the cheese and Sante Fe Sauce and replace it with one of the sauces listed below. After that, add the Beyond Burger patty and you’ll walk away with a deliciously fulfilling burger. The burger will then consist of guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion, a Beyond Burger patty, and the sauce of your choice. If you want a fiery kick, add the jalapenos.

It is impossible to be dissatisfied with guacamole. Carl’s Jr. offers a just-what-you-need chip and guacamole side option. Whether you want a quick snack or to share some guac with everyone in the car, the plant-based appetizer item will be a great choice for any plant-based visitor.

Carl’s Jr. offers a Garden Salad that presents an easy, quick meal. When you order it, make sure to omit the croutons and cheese to make it completely plant-based. The salad consists of red onion, tomato, and lettuce with a Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. Make sure to stick with the Balsamic because Carl’s Jr’s house dressing is not vegan.

The tacos have been a staple on Carl’s Jr.’s menu for countless years and can be made fully vegan by removing the cheese and beef. So you can still get a filling taco, ask to add extra guacamole and lettuce. It is possible to order with jalapenos, and hopefully, in the future, Carl’s Jr will allow the Beyond Sausage to the tacos.

Carl’s Jr. isn’t ignoring breakfast, being one of the first fast-food companies to incorporate the Beyond Sausage. Finding a plant-based fast-food breakfast can be almost impossible, but Carl’s Jr.'s Beyond Sausage Burrito can be made completely plant-based without eggs and cheese. The Beyond Sausage Burrito comes with fresh salsa, tomatoes, hash rounds, a Beyond Sausage patty, and can include guacamole on request. The Beyond Burrito brings one of the best plant-based breakfast options to the table, and will hopefully soon be followed by new options.

The classic American burger joint is changing with its clientele. Inspired by a growing number of vegan diners, Carl’s Jr. solidified a partnership with Beyond Meat and continues to roll out new plant-based alternatives to its fan-favorite menu items. To accompany the above meals, a small number of plant-based sides and sauces are listed for you below. Carl’s Jr will only keep gaining plant-based momentum and we are all excited for the possibilities in the company’s future.