Vegan Options at Sonic Drive-In

One of the biggest issues anybody following a vegan diet finds themselves having to regularly face is the limited plant-based options offered by fast-food restaurants.

However, as time has progressed and the demand for vegan meals has increased, this is slowly becoming less of a problem.

One of the most popular fast-food restaurants in the country is Sonic Drive-In. Traditionally, this isn’t somewhere that you would expect to find vegan food, but they actually offer quite a wide choice.

Below, we’ll take a look at 7 vegan options at Sonic Drive-In, which you can call upon the next time you fancy treating yourself to some fast food!

Onion Rings

Onion rings offered by most fast-food chains will almost always be made with a batter that contains milk. But this isn’t the case at Sonic Drive-In! That’s right, their onion rings are completely plant-based and 100% vegan. 

It is worth noting, however, that the onion rings are most likely cooked in the same friers as meat-based products. So, if you’re a level 5 vegan or what to ensure your onion rings have never come anywhere near a meat-based product, then it may be best to go for something else. 

Fries

The fries served at Sonic Drive-In are also vegan, and they are fantastic when dipped into any of the vegan sauce options available. We’ll talk about these sauces a little later on, but the main news is that you can still satisfy your fast-food cravings without having to worry about consuming any animal products.

As with the onion rings, the fries may have been cooked in the same fryer as a meat-based product, though. So this is also worth bearing in mind when you’re making your menu choices. 

Tater Tots

You’ll be hard-pressed to find anybody that doesn’t enjoy the crispy, potatoey goodness of a tater tot! And, just like their onion rings and fries, the tater tots at Sonic Drive-In are completely vegan-friendly. 

The same frier-rules do apply to tater tots though, and there is no guarantee that they haven’t been cooked in the same fryer as a meat-based product. But, as far as the ingredients are concerned, they are 100% plant-based.

Soft Pretzel Twist

One of the ways that many fast-food restaurants are coping with the increased demand for vegan meals is to allow ingredient swaps. At Sonic Drive-In, this is the case for their Soft Pretzel Twist. 

The pretzel itself is entirely vegan and does not contain a single animal-based ingredient. However, the cheese sauce that traditionally accompanies it is not vegan. But, thanks to swaps, this can be switched for mustard, marinara sauce, or any of the other vegan dippings sauces on offer. 

Build Your Own Sandwich

The first thing we should point out here is that a ‘build your own sandwich’ option is not strictly on the menu. However, the staff at Sonic Drive-In are usually more than happy to accommodate vegan choices and will allow you to create your own plant-based sandwich. 

Both the hamburger and hot dog buns served at Sonic Drive-In are vegan, so that makes it a little easier. They also serve a range of other breads that are sourced locally, so it’s worth checking with your server whether or not they are vegan. 

Available breads include:

• Bagel (Not available at all locations)
• Hamburger Bun (May contain milk or egg at certain locations)
• Hot Dog Bun (May contain milk or egg at certain locations)
• Philly Roll (Not available at all locations)
• Tortilla (May contain milk or egg at certain locations)

The main star of the sandwich-show is the filling, and there are plenty of vegan sandwich filler options on offer at Sonic Drive-In. You can choose from the following:

• Avocado
• Dill Pickle Chips
• Dill Pickle Spears
• Hatch Green Chilies
• Jalapenos
• Lettuce
• Diced Onion
• Sauerkraut
• Sport Peppers
• Sweet Pickle Relish
• Tomato

Of course, a sandwich without a condiment is an abomination never to be considered! And, luckily, Sonic Drive-In also has a range of vegan-friendly condiments that are ideal for boosting the flavor of your sandwich. These include:

• Asian Sweet Chili Wing Sauce
• Hickory BBQ (May contain honey)
• Ketchup
• Mustard

Sauces

As we’ve mentioned above, there are a few vegan sauces available at Sonic Drive-In that are ideal for pairing with onion rings, fries, and tater tots. So, what are your options? Below, you’ll find Sonic Drive-In’s full list of vegan sauces:

• BBQ Sauce
• Grape Jelly
• Ketchup
• Marinara
• Mustard
• Salsa de Sonic
• Strawberry Jam
• Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Sweet Relish

Drinks

You’ll need a delicious drink to wash your fast-food treat down as well, and there are several vegan drink options available at Sonic Drive-In. However, if you’re really after something indulgent, then one of their slushies would be the choice to go for, and, luckily, there are some vegan options!

In fact, almost all of their slush flavors are vegan-friendly, as are their lemonade and limeade slush bases. And onto these bases, you can choose from the following flavored syrups, all of which are vegan:

• Blackberry
• Blue Coconut
• Blue Raspberry
• Cherry
• Diet Cherry
• French Vanilla
• Grape
• Mango
• Peach
• Raspberry

Summary

As you can see, there are a few vegan options available to choose from that you can make a fairly substantial takeaway meal from. 

As with most fast-food restaurants, these options are perhaps a little more limited than you might expect, however, as the demand for plant-based food increases so will the number of options available. So, in time, everybody following the vegan lifestyle will have a much larger choice. But, until then Sonic Drive-In is one of the best vegan-friendly fast-food restaurants to visit.