Smashburger is Offering 6 Flavors of Vegan Milkshakes at 220 Locations

Smashburger is here to help Americans handle the sizzle of summer. With heat waves sweeping across North America, the fast-food chain just announced that it will add six dairy-free milkshakes at all 220 locations in the United States. Teaming up with food technology company Eclipse Foods, Smashburger will deliver a cruelty-free, sustainable, and vegan alternative to everyone's favorite milkshake flavors.

“As part of Smashburger’s aggressive approach to menu innovation and catering to our guest’s evolving tastes, we have continued to diversify our product portfolio with the launch of new plant-based milkshake offerings,” Smashburger President Carl Bachmann said in a statement.

“As part of our commitment and passion to deliver high caliber products with quality ingredients, we knew Eclipse was the best partner for us to develop the brand’s first dairy-free menu offerings. This felt like a natural next step in Smashburger’s journey to offer more diverse and plant-based options for our guests, while still delivering the premium, top-quality menu items that Smash fans know and love.”

The new selection of vegan milkshakes will feature flavors including Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla, Peanut Butter, Tangerine Dream, and Oreo. Typically, Smashburger’s milkshake offerings are topped with whipped cream, but to keep these summertime refreshments fully animal-free, customers need to request no whipped cream.

“We are so proud to partner with Smashburger to introduce the first-ever plant-based shakes at a national fast-casual chain,” Eclipse CEO and Co-Founder Aylon Steinhart said in a statement. “This partnership marks an incredible milestone in advancing the plant-based movement and signals Smashburger’s confidence in Eclipse as the plant-based dairy brand that mainstream consumers will crave.”

Eclipse’s proprietary technology allows the company to produce molecularly identical dairy products without the need for animals at all. The ice cream base uses a blend of cassava and corn that is manipulated to mirror conventional dairy products. Founded by Steinhart and Thomas Bowman, the San Francisco-based company has developed recipes for ice cream, milk, and milkshakes.

“Our shakes perfectly mimic the delicious taste and texture of traditional dairy milkshakes, and require no flavor sacrifice from consumers,” Steinhart said. “And now that the shakes are available nationwide, even more people will have access to exceptionally delicious plant-based options that are better for the planet, animals, and people.”

In addition to Eclipse’s Smashburger partnership, the food tech company previously partnered with Chef Matthew Kenney in February 2021. Kenney introduced a non-dairy cannoli ice cream at his Italian restaurant in San Francisco, Baia. This partnership showcased the full potential of Eclipse’s innovative technology.

This May, Shake Shack revealed that it would test its first vegan milkshakes and frozen custards with the help of The Not Company (NotCo). Shake Shack tested the plant-based dairy options at 10 locations in South Florida and New York. Developed using NotCo’s groundbreaking AI platform, endearingly named “Guisseppe,” the milkshakes expertly replicate the taste and texture of traditional dairy-based milkshakes.

One year ago, Johnny Rockets unveiled several new vegan items at 80 locations nationwide, including three vegan milkshakes: strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate. The hand-spun milkshakes are made with Craig’s Vegan Ice Cream. The diner chain made this announcement closely after its flagship location was taken over by soon-to-be vegan chain Noomo.

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Fast-food restaurants have finally got the memo that their customer base isn’t just coming through for a burger, fried chicken, or a beef taco. Many now have plant-based foods and are coming up with creative, delicious ways to get more greens on the menu. Here are the 6 best fast-food chains with plant-based options on the menu.

Turns out there’s a lot more to rely on than a salad if you’re eating plant-based. Burger King has the Impossible Whopper featuring a meatless patty as well as a few secretly vegan options such as the French Toast Sticks and Hashbrowns.

Known for its mini square-shaped sliders, this hamburger chain jumped on the plant-based bandwagon at some participating locations. You can find an Impossible Slider on some White Castle menus.

This was the first national Mexican fast-food chain to offer Beyond Meat at the company’s 580 restaurants across the country. Del Taco has the Beyond Avocado Taco on the menu along with the Epic Beyond Original Mex Burrito and Avocado Veggie Bowl.

Another brand synonymous with beef burgers, Carl’s Jr. offers several plant-based options for veggie and plant lover such as Beyond Famous Star Burger and Guacamole Thickburger.

This fast-food restaurant may have been one of the first you frequented while transitioning to plant-based eating. That’s because Taco Bell has eight million vegetarian combinations and sells 350 million vegetarian items a year through menu substitutions or ordering off their vegetarian menu. In fact, they were the first quick-service restaurant to offer American Vegetarian Association (AVA) certified food options.

From the time it started offering breakfast sandwiches in 2006, the coffee conglomerate became a competitor in the fast-food space. You can get your favorite hot and cold beverages made with almond, coconut or oat milk but there are also plant-based food options available such as the Baja Black Bean Veggie Wrap, bagel with vegan cream cheese and Impossible Breakfast Sandwich.