Everything That’s Vegan at Sonic: Fried Favorites and More

Sonic was always the place where you'd drive in and enjoy watching "car hops" bring you tasty fast food while on roller skates. That's still true, these decades later, at most locations. But what's new? Sonic Drive-Ins are slowly adding more vegan options to choose from.

The burger chain spans 46 states with over 3,500 locations so, your chances of finding a Sonic nearby are much higher than most other fast-food restaurants. Sonic is a nostalgic comfort food haven, but until recently Sonic's menu was stuck in the roller skating past. While Sonic's plant-based menu may be somewhat limited, vegan diners can find what they need, if they know what to order!

The main menu consists of beloved fast food items such as burgers, fries, and hotdogs, but unlike its competitors, Sonic is working slowly to introduce plant-based options for its customers. As more and more flexitarian consumers drive up demand for new plant-based offerings, Sonic will have to pivot its menu to cater to vegan or plant-based customers. Currently, one-in-10 Americans are avoiding meat, according to Alliance for Science.

This famous fast food joint is a tricky one, but it's still possible to eat plant-based at Sonic. So, when you pull up to your order screen, there's no need to panic. Here are our tips on how to order a plant-based meal at Sonic when there are no clear options on the menu screen.

It is important to note that Sonic's cooking practices do not prevent cross-contamination, so if you're eager to avoid any animal fat or grease from a burger from touching your vegan food, this may not be the place to go. All their options are fried or grilled on the same appliances used for meat and dairy menu items. They don't claim otherwise.

Here's where you have to get creative. Although Sonic's menu features no fully plant-based sandwiches or hot dogs, vegan customers can order a custom sandwich packed with their favorite veggies and topped with their the usual condiments. The menu items at Sonic vary from region to region, so make sure you check with your location about bread choices that are vegan and which sandwich fillings they offer.

Sonic's vegan bread options differ according to location because the company sources its bread from several distributors. However, when you order your customized sandwich, ask the cashier where the bread is bought from and whether or not it contains dairy products or eggs.

Nearly all of Sonic's delicious slushie flavors are vegan, including the lemon, limeade slush, and plain slushie base. Flavored syrups that are vegan-friendly include:

Sonic also carries a range of soft drinks from Barq's Root Beer to Fanta Orange to Coca-Cola products which are all vegan-friendly.

Vegan meat is appearing on food service menus 1,320 percent more than before 2020, according to a Tastewise report. And a huge contributor to this plant-based shift comes from the fast-food industry. Major fast-food companies including Panda Express and Burger King have introduced new plant-based items to cater to the growing number of vegan customers in the United States. Most recently, McDonald's (the biggest fast food corporation in the world) has started testing its meatless burger, the McPlant, and restaurants nationwide.

However, Americans are hungrier for more vegan fast food than these chains can provide. Several new plant-based burger chains have teamed up with franchising firms to bring vegan Americans fully plant-based menus, including Plant Power Fast Food, HipCityVeg, and Noomo.