Everything That’s Vegan at Noodles & Company, Including Vegan Chicken

Nearly half of all Americans consider themselves flexitarians, but despite this, ordering fully vegan at most restaurants remains difficult due to limited plant-based options. Luckily, if you're looking for a hearty and affordable fast-casual meal, Noodles & Company delivers meat and dairy-free options. With 458 locations across 31 states, Noodles & Company's highly customizable menu caters to all diners, regardless of dietary preference.

Noodles & Company's menu features three entirely vegan entrees including the Impossible Orange Chicken Lo Mein, the Japanese Pan Noodles, and the new LEANguini Rosa with Impossible Chicken. But the fast-casual chain's menu has plenty of other secret options for plant-based customers looking for more.

This fast-casual pasta restaurant's most appealing quality is how simple modifications can be, making Noodles & Company one of the most accessible major chains in the United States. Several of the main dishes only need minor changes to become fully vegan, and customers can add the Impossible Chicken or Seasoned Tofu to any noodle dish for a protein boost.

For those concerned about nutritional content, Noodles & Company provides customers with a nutrition calculator to help customers order a meal fit for their personal diet.

This October, Noodles & Company launched a new plant-based protein option made by Impossible Foods. The Impossible Panko Chicken is now available at every Noodles & Company location nationwide, following the company's initial collaboration with Impossible Foods last March when the two companies debuted the Impossible Orange Chicken Lo Mein.

"We're intentional about the quality and freshness of ingredients we serve, which made choosing Impossible for the national launch of our newest plant-based protein the obvious choice for us," Stacey Pool, chief marketing officer at Noodles & Company, said "After testing Impossible Chicken in several markets this past spring, we received overwhelming feedback that Impossible tastes just like chicken. This positive feedback coupled with Impossible's values and commitment to the environment made them a great partner for us and I feel confident guests will love this uncommonly good addition to our menu."

Everything That's Vegan at Noodles & Company

Similar to other fast-casual chains, Noodles & Company notes that cross-contamination is possible as the kitchen appliances are used for menu items with dairy or meat ingredients.

Take note that the only full vegan salad dressing is Noodle & Co's Citrus Dressing.

Plant-based food sales are expected to increase by nearly five times by 2030, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. And as American consumers get hungrier for plant-based foods, more major fast-food and fast-casual chains have adopted plant-based alternatives. This is true, especially among younger consumers with one poll indicating that 87.5 percent of Gen Z is worried about the environment.

Several major chains including Burger King, Au Bon Pain, and Starbucks have all debuted vegan options to cater to the growing number of plant-based Americans looking for sustainable, healthier options. Impossible Foods has partnered with other brands as well, helping Burger King craft the Impossible Whopper and Starbucks roll out its meatless breakfast sandwich.

For more plant-based fare near you, visit The Beet's Find Vegan Near Me articles. 

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.