Sonic is an American drive-in fast food restaurant that has more than 3,500 locations across the United States. Known for its carnival-like menu items, it is not a place that is expected to have many vegan options. But, it is popular nonetheless. For that reason, a frequently asked question many vegans have about it is: Are there any vegan options at Sonic?
Although Sonic does not have many vegan options, they do have a few items for you to choose from. For the most satisfying meal, your best option would be to create your own veggie sandwich and add a vegan-friendly side such as french fries or apple slices. However, be aware that cross-contamination could be an issue with the french fries.
It can be hard to know which menu items are vegan, especially at a non-vegan restaurant such as Sonic. Read on to learn which menu items are vegan, including their ingredients. We will also highlight which menu items to avoid. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at Sonic
Ordering vegan at a non-vegan restaurant such as Sonic is not an easy task. However, with these tips and tricks, you will be ordering vegan like a pro at Sonic in no time!
- Choose a vegan-friendly bread such as a tortilla or ciabatta bun.
- Fill your bread with vegan-friendly ingredients such as grilled onions, grilled peppers, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and jalapeños.
- Choose a vegan-friendly side such as french fries, tater tots, sweet potato tater tots, or onion rings.
- Choose a vegan-friendly sauce such as ketchup, mustard (regular or spicy), hickory BBQ sauce, sweet and sour sauce, marinara sauce and more.
- Wash down your meal with a vegan-friendly slushy such as the watermelon, blueberry, blackberry, cherry, or lemon slushy.
Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at Sonic
Sometimes it is easier to order vegan at a non-vegan restaurant such as Sonic when you know which items to avoid. Those items are as follows:
- Regular or double patty melt (contains beef, cheese and mayo)
- FRITOS chili cheese wraps (contains chili and cheese)
- SONIC cheeseburger
- SuperSONIC double cheeseburger
- SuperSONIC bacon double cheeseburger
- Chili cheese coney
- All-American hot dog
- Footlong quarter pound coney (contains a hot dog, chili and cheese)
- Jumbo popcorn chicken
- Classic grilled or crispy chicken sandwich
- Honey BBQ sauced jumbo popcorn chicken
- Buffalo sauced jumbo popcorn chicken
- Bacon breakfast burrito
- Sausage breakfast burrito
- Ultimate meat and cheese breakfast burrito
- SuperSONIC breakfast burrito (contains eggs, sausage, and cheese)
- Bacon breakfast toaster
- Sausage breakfast toaster
- French toast sticks (contains milk)
- Cinnabon cinnasnacks (contains milk and eggs)
- Hamburger
- Crispy tenders
- Corn dog
- Any of the Sonic blasts such as the Oreo, Reece’s, M&M, Butterfinger, Snickers and chocolate chip cookie dough Sonic blast (contains milk)
- Any of the master shakes such as the strawberry cheesecake, Oreo cheesecake, Oreo chocolate, and Oreo and Reese’s master shake (contains milk)
- Any of the classic shakes such as the strawberry, chocolate, fresh banana, vanilla, Reece’s peanut butter, hot fudge and caramel shake (contains milk)
- Any of the sundaes such as the hot fudge, caramel or strawberry sundae
Vegan Options at Sonic
After reading all of the menu items you cannot have at Sonic as a vegan, you may be wondering, “Is there anything I can have?” The answer is yes! While you might not have many options, you can still make a satisfying meal out of them. Take a look at the vegan Sonic menu below to see what your options are.
Sides
1. French Fries
Note Sonic may fry their french fries in the same fryer as the meat. Therefore, if cross-contamination is a concern for you, it may be best to avoid them.
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s french fries:
- Potatoes
- Vegetable oil (canola oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil)
- Citric acid (a preservative)
- Dextrose
- Sodium acid pyrophosphate (to maintain color)
- Salt
2. Tater Tots
Note Sonic may fry their tater tots in the same fryer as the meat. Therefore, if cross-contamination is a concern for you, it may be best to avoid them.
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s tater tots:
- Potatoes
- Vegetable oil (sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil and/or canola oil)
- Salt
- Yellow corn flour
- Dextrose
- Disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate (to maintain color)
- Dehydrated onion
- Sodium sulfate
- Natural flavoring
3. Sweet Potato Tater Tots
Note Sonic may fry their sweet potato tater tots in the same fryer as the meat. Therefore, if cross-contamination is a concern for you, it may be best to avoid them.
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s sweet potato tater tots:
- Sweet potatoes
- Vegetable oil (sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil and/or canola oil)
- Salt
- Yellow corn flour
- Dextrose
- Disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate (to maintain color)
- Dehydrated onion
- Sodium sulfate
- Natural flavoring
4. Apple Slices (omit the caramel dipping sauce)
These are the ingredients in Sonic’s apple slices:
- Apples
5. Frito’s Corn Chips
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s Frito’s corn chips:
- Corn
- Corn oil
- Salt
6. Onion Rings
Note Sonic may fry their onion rings in the same fryer as the meat. Therefore, if cross-contamination is a concern for you, it may be best to avoid them.
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s onion rings:
- Onions
- Water
- All-purpose flour
- Cornmeal
- Vegetable oil
Bread
1. Tortilla
These are the ingredients found in the tortillas at Sonic:
- Enriched bleached wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- Water
- Vegetable shortening (interesterified soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil and/or palm oil)
- Contains 2% or less of: salt, sugar, leavening (sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum sulfate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate and/or sodium acid pyrophosphate, calcium sulfate), distilled monoglycerides, enzymes, wheat starch, calcium carbonate, antioxidants (tocopherols, ascorbic acid, citric acid), cellulose gum, guar gum, dough conditioners (fumaric acid, sodium metabisulfite and/or mono- and diglycerides), calcium propionate and sorbic acid (to preserve freshness)
2. Ciabatta Bun
These are the ingredients found in the ciabatta bun at Sonic:
- Wheat flour
- Water
- Salt
- Yeast
- Olive oil
Sauces & Dips
1. Ketchup
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s ketchup:
- Tomato concentrate
- Distilled vinegar
- High fructose corn syrup
- Corn syrup
- Salt
- Spice
- Onion powder
- Natural flavoring
2. Mustard
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s mustard:
- Dried mustard seeds
- Water
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Turmeric powder
3. Hickory BBQ Sauce
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s hickory bbq sauce:
- Beer
- Red wine vinegar
- Ketchup
- Oil
- Brown sugar
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Red pepper
- Liquid smoke
4. Sweet and Sour Sauce
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s sweet and sour sauce:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Water
- Distilled white vinegar
- Modified corn starch
- Apricot puree concentrate
- Peach puree concentrate (peach puree, ascorbic acid)
- Salt
- Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives)
- Spices
- Natural flavors
- Caramel color
- Citric acid
- Onion powder
- Soybean oil
- Soy lecithin
5. Marinara Sauce
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s marinara sauce:
- Tomato
- Garlic
- Onion
- Basil
- Olive oil
- Tomato paste
- Minced garlic
- Black pepper
- Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives)
Slushies
1. Watermelon Slushy
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s watermelon slushy:
- Watermelon-flavored syrup
- Sugar
- Lemon juice
- Water
- Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives)
2. Blueberry Slushy
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s blueberry slushy:
- Blueberry-flavored syrup
- Sugar
- Water
- Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives)
3. Blackberry Slushy
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s blackberry slushy:
- Blackberry-flavored syrup
- Sugar
- Water
- Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives)
4. Cherry Slushy
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s cherry slushy:
- Cherry-flavored syrup
- Sugar
- Water
- Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives)
5. Lemon Slushy
These are the ingredients found in Sonic’s lemon slushy:
- Lemon-flavored syrup
- Lemon juice
- Water
- Sugar
- Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives)
Find a Sonic Near You
There are over 3,500 Sonic locations across the United States. Click here to find a Sonic in your area.
Similar Restaurants to Sonic
If you like Sonic, you are going to love these similar restaurants. They all feature a similar vibe and menu items. However, they also have their own unique flair. So, if you do not like Sonic, you still may like one of these restaurants.
Related Questions
Does Sonic Have Vegan Burgers?
No, Sonic does not offer vegan burgers at this time. However, the demand for more vegan options at non-vegan restaurants such as Sonic is increasing daily. As a result of that, it is entirely possible that Sonic will add a vegan burger to their menu in the future. In the meantime, however, you can create your own veggie sandwich, as discussed in this article.
Which Drinks At Sonic Are Vegan?
Sonic offers many vegan drink options. Many of their slushies including the watermelon, blueberry, blackberry, cherry, and lemon slushies are vegan-friendly. They also have vegan soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Fanta Orange, Dr. Pepper and Diet Dr. Pepper. Any of those options would be the perfect choice to wash down your vegan Sonic meal.
Is The Ice Cream At Sonic Vegan?
No, it is not. The ice cream at Sonic contains dairy and therefore it is not vegan-friendly. However, they do offer plenty of vegan toppings such as fresh bananas, maraschino cherries, peanut butter, strawberries and pecans. So, if you are craving a sundae, you can bring your own vegan ice cream and simply order a few toppings.