Smashburger is a hamburger restaurant chain that serves, as you may have guessed, smashed burgers. If you are wondering what the difference between a regular burger and a smashed burger is, the smashed burger is pressed down with a burger press as soon as it goes on the heat source. This process causes the meat to become flatter and thinner, with more of the meat touching the heat source than a typical hamburger patty. This gives the hamburger patty crispy edges, a juicy center, and a delicious flavor. If you are vegan and hearing that description, Smashburger may sound like the last place you would want to visit, and I do not blame you. You may have noticed that a lot of meat-based restaurants have really stepped up their game in offering vegan options in recent years. Unfortunately, Smashburger is not one of them.
Smashburger is not exactly vegan-friendly. However, if you are in a pinch, some vegan options at Smashburger include a side salad with no cheese, some vegetable sides such as avocado slices or fresh mushrooms, and a toasted burger bun with no butter. There are plenty of vegan drinks however, such as soda, iced tea, and cold brew coffee.
If you are vegan and plan to visit Smashburger, keep reading to find out tips and tricks for ordering vegan, which items on their menu to avoid and which to order instead, as well as how to modify some menu items to make them vegan-friendly.
Contents
- About Smashburger Food
- Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at Smashburger
- Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at Smashburger
- Vegan Foods to Order at Smashburger
- Salads
- Sides and Add-ons
- 1. Avocado Slices
- 2. Cucumbers
- 3. Fresh Mushrooms (grilled are not vegan)
- 4. Green Leaf Lettuce
- 5. Fresh Red/Yellow Onions (grilled are not vegan)
- 6. Pickles
- 7. Sliced Jalapenos
- 8. Spinach
- 9. Tomato Slices
- 10. Crispy Brussels Sprouts (Confirm with your server if these are cooked in the same cooking oil as the fries. Avoid them if they are.)
- Bread and Buns (Ask for no butter when toasting)
- Dressings and Sauces
- Drinks
- Find a Smashburger Near You
- Similar Restaurants to Smashburger
- Related Questions
About Smashburger Food
Keep in mind that on their website, Smashburger states due to shared cooking and preparation areas, food may come into contact with gluten, meat, and animal byproducts. They provide a nutrition calculator to see nutritional content and potential allergens in their menu items; however, they do not have a vegan option. If you need help ordering vegan at Smashburger when you visit, just ask your server if they can assist you.
Hopefully, Smashburger is not too far along in expanding their menu to include more vegan options in their menu. We will just have to wait and see. In the meantime, let’s take a look at what they offer.
Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at Smashburger
Many restaurants these days offer vegan options at their restaurants, and if not, they are more than happy to accommodate vegan lifestyles with modifications. Unfortunately, Smashburger has not yet followed the footsteps of those restaurants. If you happen to visit a Smashburger, here is a list of tips and tricks for ordering vegan. Let’s hope you’re not too hungry when you go there.
- Try talking your friends or family into going to a different burger place, if possible. One that at least offers more vegan options. If they are set on Smashburger, then keep reading to see what options they offer.
- Ask for no cheese and balsamic vinaigrette dressing with the side salad.
- Ask for the buns not to be toasted with butter.
- Avoid all the fried foods. They are all fried in oil that contains animal byproducts.
- Do not order any of the black bean veggie burgers. This could have been your best and most filling option at this restaurant, but they decided to put egg and cheese in them, thereby making them not vegan-friendly. Sadly, they cannot be modified either.
Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at Smashburger
Smashburger has extremely limited vegan options. You would probably be better off avoiding this restaurant altogether. However, if you do end up going there, here is a list of menu items to avoid, as they cannot be easily modified to make them vegan-friendly.
- All the shakes (made from ice cream)
- All the desserts – triple chocolate brownie and churros
- All the kids’ burgers
- All the black bean veggie burgers (contain egg and cheese)
- All the signature burgers
- All the chicken sandwiches
- All the fried foods – French fries, Smash fries, tater tots, Smash tots, haystack onions, fried pickles (everything is fried in oil that contains animal byproducts)
- BBQ ranch salad
- Classic cobb salad
- Milk and chocolate milk
- Vanilla cold brew latte
- Chipotle mayo
- Truffle mayo
- Smash sauce
- Ranch
- Guacamole (contains milk)
- Grilled mushrooms (contain milk)
- Grilled onions (contain milk)
- Carrots (fried in beef fat)
- Green beans (fried in beef fat)
Vegan Foods to Order at Smashburger
Now that you know what not to order, let’s take a look at some of those limited vegan options on the Smashburger menu that you actually can order. With 370 locations, some menu items may vary at different Smashburger restaurants, so you may see some things at your local Smashburger that are not listed here. If you are unsure about a menu item, make sure to ask your server at your local Smashburger if a menu item is vegan or not.
Salads
1. Side Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette (Ask for no cheese and ask for balsamic vinaigrette dressing)
Ingredients:
- Mixed greens
- Tomatoes
- Red Onions
- Balsamic vinaigrette
Sides and Add-ons
1. Avocado Slices
2. Cucumbers
3. Fresh Mushrooms (grilled are not vegan)
4. Green Leaf Lettuce
5. Fresh Red/Yellow Onions (grilled are not vegan)
6. Pickles
7. Sliced Jalapenos
8. Spinach
9. Tomato Slices
10. Crispy Brussels Sprouts (Confirm with your server if these are cooked in the same cooking oil as the fries. Avoid them if they are.)
Ingredients:
- Brussels sprouts
- Garlic
- Spices
Bread and Buns (Ask for no butter when toasting)
1. Smash Bun
Ingredients:
- Ingredient list not available, but allergen guide did not list animal products.
2. Multi-Grain Bun
Ingredients:
- Ingredient list not available, but allergen guide did not list animal products.
3. Chipotle Bun
Ingredients:
- Ingredient list not available, but allergen guide did not list animal products.
4. Gluten-free Bun
Ingredients:
- Ingredient list not available, but allergen guide did not list animal products.
Dressings and Sauces
1. BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
- Ingredient list not available, but allergen guide did not list animal products.
2. Ketchup
Ingredients:
- Ingredient list not available, but allergen guide did not list animal products.
3. Mustard
Ingredients:
- Ingredient list not available, but allergen guide did not list animal products.
4. Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
- Ingredient list not available, but allergen guide did not list animal products.
Drinks
1. Dasani Water
Ingredients:
- Water
- Magnesium sulfate
- Potassium chloride
- Salt
2. Coke
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- High fructose corn syrup
- Caramel color
- Phosphoric acid
- Natural flavors
- Caffeine
3. Diet Coke
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- Caramel color
- Phosphoric and citric acid
- Aspartame (contains phenylalanine)
- Flavor
- Sodium benzoate
- Caffeine
- Acesulfame-potassium
4. Coke Zero
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- Color (caramel E150d)
- Acid (phosphoric acid)
- Sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K)
- Natural flavorings
- Acidity regulator (sodium citrates)
5. Sprite
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Citric acid
- Sweeteners (acesulfame K, aspartame)
- Acidity regulator (sodium citrate)
- Natural lemon and lime flavorings
6. Honest Green Tea Bottle
Ingredients:
- Organic brewed tea (filtered water, fair trade organic green tea leaves)
- Fair trade organic cane sugar
- Organic honey
- Organic and natural flavor
- Ascorbic acid (to protect taste)
- Citric acid
7. Honest Half Tea and Half Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Organic brewed tea (filtered water, fair trade organic black tea leaves)
- Fair trade organic cane sugar
- Organic lemon juice from concentrate
- Organic lemon extract
- Citric acid
- Ascorbic acid (to protect taste)
8. Honest Apple Juice
Ingredients:
- Filtered water
- Organic apple juice from concentrate
- Natural flavor
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
- Organic natural flavor
- Citric acid (provides tartness)
9. IBC Root Beer
Ingredients:
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Caramel color
- Sodium Benzoate (preservative)
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Modified corn starch
- Citric acid
- Quillaia extract
10. Cold Brew Coffee
Ingredients:
- Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cold brew coffee
- Ice
Find a Smashburger Near You
There are 370 locations of Smashburger restaurants in 37 states and 9 countries. Click here to find a location near you.
Similar Restaurants to Smashburger
If you do not have a Smashburger in your area or are looking for similar restaurants, check out the following restaurants. They all have limited vegan options, but they do offer vegan burgers, which is a step up from Smashburger.
Related Questions
Does Smashburger offer vegan burgers?
No, Smashburger does not offer vegan burgers in any United States locations. They did however launch a vegan menu in the UK. Hopefully they will expand with this idea in the United States. As of right now, Smashburger only offers six varieties of black bean veggie burgers, but they all contain egg and cheese, so they are not vegan-friendly.
Does Smashburger make any vegan shakes?
No, Smashburger does not offer any shakes that are vegan in any United States locations. All their shakes contain dairy with Haagen-Dazs ice cream. For a vegan alternative, you could order a cold brew coffee on ice and ask them to blend it as an option. If you live in the UK however, they offer dairy-free vegan shakes in vanilla and chocolate flavors.
What does Smashburger cook their fries in?
Smashburger cooks their fries in beef fat, along with their sweet potato fries, tater tots, haystack onions, and fried pickles. Because of this, it is best to avoid all the fried foods at Smashburger if you are vegan.