Ruby Tuesday is a staple for those who like to eat classic American comfort food. While most menu items at Ruby Tuesday contain cream, dairy, egg, meat, or a combination of those ingredients, they have an extensive fresh garden bar where you can make a salad to your liking–which makes for a great menu option for vegans. With fantastic happy hours and a casual atmosphere, Ruby Tuesday is the perfect place to celebrate any occasion–whether it be a birthday, corporate event, family dinner, or a walk-in for a feast.
Luckily for those who are vegan, Ruby Tuesday has a couple menu items made to be vegan, as well as other dishes that can be modified to be vegan. Some of these dishes include the vegan “Awesome” burger, the fresh baked potato with no dairy, steamed vegetables, sweet potato fries, or the house-based soft pretzel minus the cheese.
Take one peek at Ruby Tuesday’s menu and you’ll come to find that there is dairy or meat in almost all of the items. If you are vegan, don’t let that discourage you! There are many ways to make your experience at Ruby Tuesday a pleasant one. Come along as we offer up some tips and tricks for ordering vegan, what foods are not vegan-friendly, what vegan options there are for you to try, and what other similar restaurants might catch your eye that also offer vegan options.
Contents
- Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at Ruby Tuesday
- Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at Ruby Tuesday
- Vegan Options at Ruby Tuesday
- Find a Ruby Tuesday Factory near You
- Similar Restaurants (or Establishments) to Ruby Tuesday
- Related Questions
Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at Ruby Tuesday
- Replace Ruby Tuesday’s famous croutons (as they contain milk and eggs) with a vegan substitute, the Seasoned Lavish Crackers.
- Replace the regular or gluten-free burger buns with the brioche bun, as it is the only bun without eggs.
- Customize your salad by removing cheese, meat, croutons, and any dressing that contains honey or is not vegan (the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette and the French Dressing). You can replace the croutons with the Seasoned Lavash Crackers.
- Create your own veggie platter by combining several sides.
- For menu items like the “buttered” corn, request liquid margarine to make it vegan-friendly.
Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at Ruby Tuesday
- Loaded Cheese fries (contains bacon, cheddar cheese queso, and a side of ranch)
- Shrimp Fondue
- Chicken Wings
- Chicken Quesadilla
- Chicken Wing Platter
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Spicy Bangin’ Shrimp
- Ruby’s Signature sampler (contains crispy chicken tenders, spinach artichoke dip, and mozzarella sticks)
- Rib Eye Steak
- 6 oz. or 8 oz. Top Sirloin
- All chicken sandwiches, including: Grilled or Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Honey Crunch Chicken
- All burgers, including: Awesome Burger, Turkey Burger, Bacon Cheeseburger, Classic Burger, Classic Cheeseburger, Smokehouse Burger, Cheeseburger Slider and Soup
- Parmesan Shrimp Pasta (contains shrimp and parmesan)
- Chicken Carbonara (contains bacon, parmesan cheese, breadsticks and alfredo sauce)
- Chicken & Broccoli Pasta (contains chicken and parmesan cream)
- Shrimp Scampi (contains shrimp and lemon butter sauce)
- Blackened Shrimp & Sausage (contains shrimp and creamy tomato and alfredo sauce)
- Asiago Bacon Chicken
- Chicken Fresco
- Crispy Chicken Tenders
- Hickory Bourbon Chicken
- Full or Half-Back Baby-Back Ribs
- Triple Play
- Ribs & Crispy Shrimp
- Crispy Fish & Chips
- New Orleans Seafood
- Blackened Tilapia
- Hickory Bourbon Salmon
- Grilled Salmon
- Crispy Shrimp Platter
- Mac ‘n Cheese
- Loaded Tater Tots
- Loaded Baked Potato
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Corn Chowder Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup
- Buttered Corn
- Ham and Pea Pasta Salad
- Loaded Fries
- Mashed Potatoes
- Rice Pilaf
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Chocolate Lava Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- 2 or 4 Pack Take Home Desserts
- Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
- New York Cheesecake
Vegan Options at Ruby Tuesday
As you can see, Ruby Tuesday has a laundry list of rich dishes that have some form of animal product, namely milk, cheese, egg, meat, fish, or honey. Despite this, it’s not impossible to find vegan friendly options. If you are more of a create-your-own kind of guy or gal, you can dress and top your salad with a variety of diverse options as well as create a vegan pasta with several veggies and a vegan pasta sauce such as olive oil, liquid margarine, or tomato basil marinara sauce. Take a look for yourself below to see what options Ruby Tuesday has that are free of animal products.
Appetizers
1. House Baked Soft Pretzel
- Ingredients: yeast, water, olive oil, sea salt, water, baking soda, liquid margarine, queso dipping sauce, : “butter” which is actually trans-fat-free soybean oil
- Omit: cheddar cheese (queso)
Salads
All salads require customization to be vegan. That being said, at the garden bar, you can make your own salad with a variety of vegan add-ons.
Vegan Toppings for Salad and other Dishes
1. Pickled Beets
2. Pepperoncini
3. Sliced Peaches
4. Jalapeno Peppers
5. Green Peas
6. Grapes
7. Garbanzo Beans
8. Black Olives
9. Banana Peppers
10. Artichoke Hearts
11. Edamame
12. Seasoned Lavash Crackers
13. Wasabi Peas
14. Corn
15. Sunflower Seeds
16. Onion
17. Tomato
18. Dried Cranberries
Vegan Salad Dressings
1. Balsamic Vinaigrette
2. Golden Italian Dressing
3. Balsamic Vinegar
4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Vegan Salad Dressings
1. Balsamic Vinaigrette
2. Golden Italian Dressing
3. Balsamic Vinegar
4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Main Dishes
All of the main dishes at Ruby Tuesday must be modified in order for them to be deemed vegan.
1. Penne Pasta with Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce or Liquid Margarine
- Ingredients: Penne, tomato marinara sauce
- Pro tip: you can add other ingredients to your penne to give it more umf. For example you could have liquid margarine as the pasta sauce, add in peas, tomatoes, bella mushrooms, and grilled zucchini
2. The Awesome Burger on Brioche Bun
- Ingredients: Sweet Earth 100% plant-based burger made with veggies, protein and gourmet grains, topped with onion, lettuce, tomato
Sides
1. Grilled Zucchini
- Ingredients: zucchini and seasonings
2. Steamed Broccoli
- Ingredients: broccoli and spices
3. Fresh Grilled Asparagus
- Ingredients: Asparagus and spices
4. Fresh Green Beans
- Ingredients: green beans and spices
5. Roasted Baby Bellas
- Ingredients: mushrooms, seasonings
6. Sweet Potato Fries
- Ingredients: sweet potato
7. French Fries
- Ingredients: potatoes
8. Fresh Baked Potato
- Ingredients: baked potato, cheese, sour cream, soybean oil
- Omit: cheese, sour cream
9. Tater Tots
- Ingredients: potatoes, soybean oil
Desserts
All desserts at Ruby Tuesday require customization in order for them to be considered vegan. All contain ice cream, heavy cream, cheese, butter, or another form of dairy that can’t really be modified for those who are vegan.
Ruby Tuesday does offer a couple different fruit items such as grapes and dried cranberries if you have a sweet tooth craving that needs to be satiated.
Find a Ruby Tuesday Factory near You
If you’re trying to grub at Ruby Tuesday, check out the nearest Ruby Tuesday location here.
Similar Restaurants (or Establishments) to Ruby Tuesday
One thing to keep in mind is that there can be cross-contamination from shared fryers, so always ask your server what menu items might have cross-contamination and consider whether that is a concern for you when ordering food. If you are ordering something that may have potential to be placed in the fryer–such as a baked potato, sweet potato fries, or tater tots–bear that in mind! We hope this in-depth guide to vegan menu options will ease your mind next time you find yourself at Ruby Tuesday for a function or family affair.
Related Questions
Does Ruby Tuesday Have Healthy Food Items?
Truth be told, Ruby Tuesday isn’t known for being the healthy choice for dining in. Most items on the menu are high in calories, and served in large portions, which can be difficult for those to navigate who aren’t great with portion control. Bearing this in mind, there are a few dishes that are considered healthy. Aside from the Fit & Trim menu made for those looking to slim down, the salad or the vegan burger protein style (replace the bun with lettuce) is your best bet.
Are Ruby Tuesday’s Salad Dressings Vegan?
Vegans will be happy to learn that there are several vegan-friendly salad dressings at Ruby Tuesday’s, but they should be cautious for ones that appear vegan by way of title. There are two salad dressings in particular that have honey as a main ingredient, but look vegan on the surface. These dressings are the Cilantro Lime Dressing, and the French Dressing, which are both sweetened with honey. Dressings that are ok for vegans to consume are the Balsamic Vinaigrette and Vinegar, the Golden Italian Dressing, or extra virgin olive oil. You can combine these dressings to add an extra pop of flavor.
Are Ruby Tuesday’s Garlic Breadsticks Vegan?
The breadsticks at Ruby Tuesday’s come with a lot of menu items. While on the surface one might think they contain egg and dairy, vegans will be happy to know that the breadsticks at Ruby Tuesday do not have dairy or egg. In fact, on their own they are completely vegan (and delicious). They do come with a parmesan cream sauce for dipping but if you want to make it vegan-friendly, all you have to do is ask for no side sauce. The savory garlic flavors alone are enough to send your tastebuds to another dimension. You can also get the tomato basil sauce for dipping if you want to douse your garlic breadsticks in something just as tasty as the parmesan sauce.