Everything Vegan at The Cheesecake Factory: Apps, Entrees, and More
The Cheesecake Factory's massive dinner menu offers an impressive selection of plant-based foods, making this fast-casual restaurant a top choice for hungry vegans across the United States. With over 250 menu items, The Cheesecake Factory's iconic menu can be intimidating, but with these easy tips to navigate the menu, vegan diners will want to come back.
From Pasta Pomodoro to Impossible Burgers, The Cheesecake Factory menu is designed to cater to every customer's taste preferences. And even when none of the signature vegan dishes sound appealing, the fast-casual chain makes modifying other menu items simple so you can try your favorite salad without the dairy or meat.
Next time you visit The Cheesecake Factory, enjoy the experience with healthier, more sustainable options. And make sure to order one of their specialty cocktails to accompany your delicious plant-based meal. (Our favorites are the Whiskey Smash or the refreshing Coconut Mojito).
When a menu item looks delicious but contains meat or dairy, ask your waiter if the ingredients can be removed to make the dish plant-based. However, this will not lower the cost of more expensive items such as the Shrimp Angel Hair Pasta. So, check out our guide to eating vegan at The Cheesecake Factory and order wisely!
Everything Vegan at the Cheesecake Factory
Similar to other fast-casual restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory notes on its menu that its plant-based options are subject to potential cross-contamination with meat and dairy ingredients.
Plant-Based Appetizers at The Cheesecake Factory
- Avocado Toast: The Cheesecake Factory's take on the popular dish features fresh avocado topped with arugula, radish, red onion, marinated tomatoes, lemon, and an olive oil drizzle.
- Edamame: The edamame is an excellent shared plate to start dinner. These soybeans are served tossed in sea salt and come hot or cold.
- Guacamole & Chips: This simple, familiar appetizer is an affordable and addicting option.
- Korean Fried Cauliflower: One of the most appetizing appetizers, this Korean Fried Cauliflower is coated in a house-made chili sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds, lime zest, and green onions. Ask for no ranch dressing.
- Thai Lettuce Wraps with Grilled Avocado: These lettuce wraps come with avocado, carrots, bean sprouts, and coconut curry noodles. The plate includes three signature Thai-inspired sauces: Peanut, Sweet Red Chili, and Tamarind-Cashew.
Vegan Entrees at The Cheesecake Factory
- Evelyn's Favorite Pasta: Named after the founder, this pasta includes broccoli, eggplant, tomato, zucchini, kalamata olives, onions, garlic, peppers, and fresh herbs tossed in spaghetti. Ask for no parmesan.
- Cauliflower Soft Tacos: Fried cauliflower tacos with avocado, onions, and toasted pepitas. Order without chipotle sauce and ask for a side of salsa.
- Impossible Cheeseburger: Featuring the signature patty from Impossible Foods, this fully vegan burger is topped with vegan melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and a special sauce between a toasted brioche bun.
- Pasta Pomodoro: This new pasta dish is a comforting classic featuring a housemade marinara with cherry tomatoes and basil. Ask for no parmesan.
- Skinny Impossible Burger: This diet-friendly version of the Impossible Cheeseburger is a smaller and more affordable portion.
- Veggie Burger: Looking for something less "meaty" than an Impossible Burger? Try the vegetable-filled veggie burger, packed with brown rice, farro, mushroom, black beans, and onions.
Vegan-Friendly Salads at The Cheesecake Factory
- Avocado Beet Salad: Order with no yogurt dressing. This small starter salad features glazed beets, avocado, fresh orange, and arugula. We suggest choosing a light vinaigrette.
- French Country Salad: Ask for no candied pecans or cheese. This simple salad only available at select locations features roasted beets and grilled asparagus over a bed of greens. Add grains or more veggies to this salad to bulk it up!
- Greek Salad: Order with no cheese. This salad comes with tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives, and red onions.
- Little House Salad: This tiny starter salad features sliced tomatoes and julienned carrots over mixed greens tossed in the dressing of your choice.
- Sante Fe Salad: When ordered with no chicken or cheese. this salad features fresh corn, tortilla strips, tomato, and black beans over a bed of romaine lettuce. Ask for a vegan dressing.
- Thai Chicken Salad: Order without the chicken and add avocado. This salad comes with lettuce, carrots, rice noodles, cucumbers, bean sprouts, cilantro, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Typically, this salad is tossed in a Thai vinaigrette.
- Tossed Green Salad: Assorted vegetables, tomatoes, and croutons over a bed of mixed greens with your favorite dressing.
- Vegan Cobb Salad: Grilled asparagus, avocado, roasted beets, green beans, tomato, cucumber, carrot, quinoa, farro, almonds, and toasted pepitas served with crisp lettuce. Served typically with the House vinaigrette.
Dairy-Free Dressings at The Cheesecake Factory
- French Mustard
- House Vinaigrette
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Shallot Vinaigrette
- Skinny Mustard Vinaigrette
- Thai Vinaigrette
Plant-Based Sides at The Cheesecake Factory
There's no scarcity of vegan options to accompany your meal. Choose one of these plant-based sides to complete your vegan dinner the next time you visit The Cheesecake Factory. Make sure you order with no butter!
- Green Beans
- Fresh Corn
- French Fries
- Sauteed Asparagus
- Sauteed Broccoli
- Sauteed Spinach
- Sweet Potato Fries
Vegan Dessert at The Cheesecake Factory
Sadly, The Cheesecake Factory does not offer vegan cheesecake yet. But, for vegan customers, you can order a bowl of berries to fulfill the dessert craving. Or another specialty cocktail!
Avoiding Dairy for Health
Even though the legendary cheesecake menu is enticing, avoiding dairy at The Cheesecake Factory can significantly benefit your health. For example, dairy consumption is associated with an 80 percent higher risk of breast cancer and a 60 percent increased risk of prostate cancer. Overall, dairy consumption causes several damages to your general well-being including acne, inflammation, and increase risk of disease.
So, next time you visit this iconic American eatery, check out the tasty plant-based options. Even adopting a partially plant-based diet can help reduce your risk of diseases, strokes, and heart attacks. And soon, The Cheesecake Factory might provide its loyal vegan customers with a dairy-free cheesecake.
For more delicious plant-based fare, visit The Beet's Find Vegan Near Me articles.
More From The Beet
