Everything Vegan at Outback Steakhouse: Sides, Salads, and More

Ordering a vegan meal at a steakhouse is not a simple task. Any hungry vegan visiting Outback Steakhouse is bound to feel disheartened by the lack of plant-based options on the menu. But if you find yourself sitting down for a family dinner at an Outback, there are enough plant-based tricks to order a satisfying meal at the international steakhouse. Here's how to order a vegan meal at Outback Steakhouse.

Outback's menu is defined by steaks, burgers, rubs, and other animal-based dishes, but there are ordering solutions to avoid the heart-clogging meat entrees. Vegan diners can choose from a variety of veggie sides or rely on salad modifications. Or both! There is nothing wrong with ordering a plate of veggies, but make sure to ask the kitchen to prepare the veggie sides without butter.

Next time you find yourself at Outback, peruse the vegan-friendly options below.

Everything That's Vegan at Outback Steakhouse

Similar to other fast-casual restaurants, Outback Steakhouse notes that it cannot promise food without cross-contamination due to the overlap in kitchen appliances.

Vegan Salads at Outback Steakhouse

• Blue Cheese Pecan Side Salad: Shredded carrots, green onions, cinnamon pecans, Aussie Crunch, and red cabbage served on a bed of mixed greens. Make sure to order without blue cheese crumbles and choose one of the vegan dressings.
• House Side Salad: This salad feature cucumbers, red onions, and tomatoes served on a bed of mixed greens with a dressing of your choice. Order this salad without croutons or cheese.

Dairy-Free Dressings at Outback Steakhouse

• Light Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Mustard Vinaigrette
• Oil & Vinegar Salad Dressing
• Tangy Tomato

Plant-Based Sides at Outback Steakhouse

Looking for something more filling than Outback's side salads? Build a full meal from the restaurant's side dishes. Even though most need slight changes to make them prepared to be vegan-friendly, these filling side items provide plant-based customers with enough food items for a full dinner.

• Baked Potato: Order plain without cheese and butter.
• Steamed Broccoli: Order without butter.
• Green Beans: Cooked in oil, not butter.
• House Bread: A basket of house bread is fully vegan.
• Mixed Vegetables: Cooked in oil, no butter.
• Sweet Potato: Order without butter.

Avoiding Red Meat Protects Your Heart

Consumers who eat red and processed meat are at a 13 and 9 percent higher risk of early death, respectively, according to Harvard researchers. Specifically, eating red meat regularly significantly increases the risk of heart disease. A review of 1.4 million meat-eaters found that red meat consumption increased heart disease risks by 18 percent.

Maintaining a plant-based or plant-centered diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease 30 years later. So, even if you are a regular at Outback Steakhouse, consider giving up meat every once and a while to help keep your heart healthier for longer.

Picking Plant-Based for the Environment

Customers can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 61 percent if they just shifted towards plant-based meals. Even eating two plant-based meals twice a week for a year is the equivalent of planting 14 billion trees. Most importantly, beef production is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions within the food sector. Despite only producing 18 percent of the world's calories, meat and dairy products require 83 percent of total farmland.

Even introducing slightly more plant-based foods into your diet can have significant environmental impacts. Instead of supporting environmentally-damaging beef production at Outback, try to order around the meat-dominated menu.