Everything That’s Vegan at Subway, Including What’s Not On the Menu

When you find yourself standing in line at Subway, scouring the menu for plant-based options, don't panic, because at first glance it may seem difficult to find Subway’s meat and dairy-free subs, but with a little guidance, you can walk out with a delicious sandwich. Most of Subway’s patented vegan specialties appear at select locations rather than being released nationwide, but the standard Subway menu provides an almost countless number of sandwich combinations. There’s no reason to find yourself confused or overwhelmed, so before your next visit pore over the list below and plan your perfect sandwich.

There might only be one pre-designed plant-based sandwich that Subway prepares, but that doesn’t mean as a customer, you should feel limited. Instead of the number of sandwiches that you should order, it is more important to know what ingredients to choose from. The best part about Subway is the ability to customize your own sandwich, so instead of suggested specific sandwiches it will be easier walking into Subway knowing what you can eat in order to choose from our plant-based menu streamlined menu.

The select locations that do spotlight a meatless protein offer delicious sandwich alternatives for some beloved favorites. From partnerships with Beyond Meat to the in-house creation of falafel products, Subway is inching towards an extremely plant-based-friendly menu. While you wait patiently for the inevitable full-scale release of such rare meatless proteins, here is a guide to which ingredients are vegan at Subway.

Dairy-Free Bread:

Subway’s championing quality is that when building your sandwiches, there’s no limit. It comes as no surprise that the greatest vegetarian sandwich contains a little of everything. Subway deems this sandwich the “Veggie Delite” and it can be ordered at any location. However, if you don’t want every ingredient on the menu, take your pick from the list below.

Vegan Sandwich Toppings:

The final piece of the Subway sandwich is the sauce. Without it, the sandwich lacks the glue that brings it all together. Not all of the options at Subway are plant-based, but the offerings will elevate the final sandwich to the perfectly delicious sub. I would always suggest getting more than one sauce to top any sandwich that you make.

Vegan Sauces:

Falafel: The falafel sandwich filling is often shown accompanied by a dairy tzatziki sauce, but if you’re lucky enough to find a Subway location that offers the sandwich, the falafel is paired nicely with a number of plant-based sauces. The vegan-friendly option can be found at a select amount of stores.  The protein substitute consists of fried chickpeas flavored with a selection of Mediterranean herbs and acts as the perfect protein for either a salad or a sandwich.

Meatless Meatball Marinara: Across the U.S. and Canada, Subways partnered with Beyond Meat to concoct one of the most beloved plant-based subs: The meatball sub. The sandwich can be found at select locations and it contains plant-based meatballs and Subway’s marinara sauce on your bread of choice. The sandwich comes with parmesan cheese, but it can be left off the sandwich to make a delectable vegan meatball sub. If the meatballs are on the menu, it is possible to get a salad that includes the plant-based meatballs, which is a protein-packed substitute for customers avoiding the bread.

Subway stores throughout the UK offer dairy-free cheeses for sandwiches. Beyond just a sandwich filling, the company also features a non-dairy option for its Cheese Toasted Bites. Alongside the completely vegan cheeses, Subway UK released the Vegan Patty that’s made from mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrots, capsicum, black olives, and textured vegetable protein. The US locations feature a similar item named the Veggie Patty that uses most of the same ingredients except it contains a milk-derived ingredient called calcium caseinate. With the UK locations providing these fully vegan options in contrast to the US menu items, plant-based consumers anticipate that the company as a whole will switch over to the fully vegan alternatives.

Although Subway may not be the best for plant-based consumers, there’s definitely a sandwich (or salad) for everyone. The menu is still expanding and the company is making moves (albeit small for now) to reach out to its growing vegan consumer base. For now, look out for the Meatless Meatballs or the Falafel patties and when you can’t find either, customize a version of the Veggie Delite.