Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC, has been around for around 69 years. Many people flock there for their delicious, juicy fried chicken. If you follow a vegan diet, however, KFC is probably not your first fast food choice. While the vegan options at KFC are limited, they will not be limited for long. KFC plans on making themselves more vegan-friendly by adding Beyond Chicken to their menu in the near future.
As you can probably tell by the name, Kentucky Fried Chicken is not the most vegan-friendly restaurant around. However, there are a few items on the menu that are vegan-friendly or can be made vegan-friendly with slight modifications. These include a salad, baked beans, corn, green beans, as well as desserts such as apple turnover and applesauce.
It can be hard to know which menu items are vegan, especially at a restaurant that is not the most vegan-friendly such as Kentucky Fried Chicken. Read on to learn more about which menu items are vegan-friendly, including their ingredients.
Contents
- Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at Kentucky Fried Chicken
- Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at Kentucky Fried Chicken
- Vegan Options at Kentucky Fried Chicken
- Find a Kentucky Fried Chicken Near You
- Similar Restaurants to Kentucky Fried Chicken
- Related Questions
Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at Kentucky Fried Chicken
It is not always easy figuring out which items are vegan, especially at a restaurant that is not the most vegan-friendly such as Kentucky Fried Chicken. Follow these tips and tricks to order vegan like a pro at Kentucky Fried Chicken.
- Make sure you choose a vegan-friendly side such as the BBQ baked beans, corn on the cob, green beans, french fries, and sweet kernel corn.
- Omit the croutons on the house side salad
- Make sure you choose a vegan-friendly dressing to go with your salad such as light Italian dressing or a lemon juice packet to keep it fresh.
- Finish off your meal with a vegan-friendly dessert such as applesauce or an apple turnover.
- Make sure you choose a vegan-friendly dipping sauce to go with your french fries such as ketchup, Summertime BBQ sauce or sweet n tangy dipping sauce.
Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at Kentucky Fried Chicken
As you can probably guess from the name, the list of non-vegan foods to avoid at KFC is quite lengthy. There is more than just chicken that is not suitable for a vegan diet. These are the menu items you will want to avoid at KFC:
- Any of the chicken buckets, meals or combos
- Nashville hot chicken tenders
- Popcorn nuggets combo
- Chicken sandwich
- Chicken little
- Famous bowl fill up – regular or spicy (contains chicken, cheese and a chocolate chip cookie made with eggs and milk)
- Pot pie fill up (contains chicken, cheese, milk and a chocolate chip cookie made with eggs and milk)
- Mac and cheese
- Mashed potatoes (contains butter, milk, chicken stock, and chicken crackling)
- Biscuits (contains milk)
- Gravy (contains milk)
- KFC sauce (contains milk)
- Honey mustard
- Honey BBQ sauce
- Classic ranch (contains milk)
- Honey sauce
- Chocolate chip cookie (contains eggs and milk)
- Chocolate chip cake (contains eggs and milk)
Vegan Options at Kentucky Fried Chicken
After looking at the list of all the non-vegan menu items at KFC, you may be wondering, “Is there anything I can eat?” Luckily, yes there is. While the vegan options at KFC are nothing to get too excited about, they are there and would satisfy you in a pinch.
Salads
1. House Side Salad (omit the croutons)
These are the ingredients in the House Side Salad at Kentucky Fried Chicken:
- Mixed greens
- Tomatoes
Sides
1. BBQ Baked Beans
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s BBQ Baked Beans:
- Beans
- Water
- Sugar
- Tomato paste
- Corn syrup
- Salt
- Paprika
- Spice
- Caramel color
- Natural flavoring
- Garlic powder
2. Corn On The Cob (omit the butter)
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Corn On The Cob:
- Corn
3. Green Beans
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Green Beans:
- Green beans
- Onion powder
- Salt
- Monosodium glutamate
- Spice
- Garlic
4. Secret Recipe Fries
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Secret Recipe Fries:
- Sea Salt
- Monosodium Glutamate
- Maltodextrin
- Salt
- Dextrose
- Vegetable Powders (Onion, Carrot, Tomato)
- Tricalcium Phosphate
- Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
- Spices
- Soybean Oil
- Natural Flavors
- Potassium Chloride
- Paprika Extract (color)
- Turmeric Extract (color)
- Potatoes
- Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Canola, Cottonseed, And/Or Sunflower)
- Bleached Wheat Flour
- Contains 2% Or Less Of: Rice Flour, Durum Wheat Semolina, Dextrin, Salt, Degermed Yellow Corn Meal, Cornstarch, Leavening ( Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose, Xanthan Gum, Annatto Extract Color, Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate (To Maintain Natural Color).
5. Sweet Kernel Corn (omit the butter)
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Sweet Kernel Corn:
- Corn
Dessert
1. Applesauce
These are the ingredients in the Applesauce from Kentucky Fried Chicken:
- Apples
- Water
- Ascorbic acid
- Sugar
2. Apple Turnover
These are the ingredients in the Apple Turnover from Kentucky Fried Chicken:
- Apples (salt, erythorbic acid, citric acid (preservatives))
- Enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- High fructose corn syrup
- Water
- Vegetable shortening (palm oil, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil, TBHQ and citric acid (preservatives))
- Modified food starch
- Contains 2% or less of: dextrose, salt, cinnamon, sugar, spice, sodium bicarbonate, locust bean gum, hydroxylated soy lecithin, l-cysteine, artificial flavors, citric acid, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, agar, carrageenan
Dipping Sauces and Condiments
1. Grape Jelly Packet
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Grape Jelly:
- Grape juice
- High fructose corn syrup
- Corn syrup
- Fruit pectin
- Citric acid
- Sodium citrate
2. Ketchup
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Ketchup:
- Tomato concentrate
- Distilled vinegar
- High fructose corn syrup
- Corn syrup
- Salt
- Spice
- Onion powder
- Natural flavoring
3. Lemon Juice Packet
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Lemon Juice:
- Water
- Lemon juice concentrate
- Contains less than 2% of: lemon oil, sodium benzoate, and sodium metabisulfite (preservatives)
4. Strawberry Jam Packet
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Strawberry Jam:
- Strawberries
- Sugar
- Lemon juice
5. Summertime BBQ Dipping Sauce
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Summertime BBQ Dipping Sauce:
- Ketchup
- White vinegar
- Molasses
- Hickory flavored liquid smoke
- Salt
- Onion powder
- Water
- Spice
6. Sweet N Tangy Dipping Sauce
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Sweet N Tangy Dipping Sauce:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Water
- Distilled vinegar
- Pineapple juice concentrate
- Food starch modified
- Salt
- Dehydrated red bell peppers
- Sodium benzoate (preservative)
- Potassium sorbate (preservative)
- Dehydrated garlic
- Ginger puree (ginger, water, salt, citric acid)
- Citric acid
- Spice
- Extractives of paprika
- Caramel color
- Red 40
Drinks
1. Pepsi
These are the ingredients found in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Pepsi:
- Carbonated water
- High fructose corn syrup
- Caramel color
- Sugar
- Phosphoric acid
- Caffeine
- Citric acid
- Natural flavor
2. Mountain Dew
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Mountain Dew:
- Carbonated water
- High fructose corn syrup
- Concentrated orange juice
- Citric acid
- Natural flavors
- Sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness)
- Caffeine
- Sodium citrate
- Erythorbic acid (to preserve freshness)
- Gum arabic
- Calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor)
- Brominated vegetable oil
- Yellow 5
3. Dr. Pepper
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Dr. Pepper:
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Colour (caramel E150d)
- Phosphoric acid
- Potassium sorbate (a preservative)
- Caffeine
- Aspartame (flavoring)
- Acesulfame K (flavoring)
4. Lemonade
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Lemonade:
- Sugar
- Water
- Lemon juice
5. Strawberry Lemonade
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Strawberry Lemonade:
- Strawberries
- Water
- Agave
- Lemon juice
6. Sweet Tea
These are the ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Sweet Tea:
- Black tea
- Sugar
Find a Kentucky Fried Chicken Near You
There are over 20,000 KFC locations in more than 125 countries and territories around the world. Click here to find a KFC in your area.
Similar Restaurants to Kentucky Fried Chicken
If you like KFC, you are going to love these similar restaurants. Or if you are not a fan of KFC, you still might like these restaurants. Although they are similar, they are different enough to make them unique. Give one of them a try the next time you are craving fast food.
Related Questions
Does Kentucky Fried Chicken Have a Vegan Sandwich?
KFC has added a vegan chicken sandwich to its permanent menu across Canada. It is prepared in a separate fryer from the real chicken and other non-vegan menu items. While it is currently only available in Canada, the demand is there, so it is only a matter of time before it comes to all KFC locations.
Are Kentucky Fried Chicken Fries Vegan?
They do not contain any animal ingredients, so they are considered to be vegan-friendly. However, be sure to check with your location because some locations fry them in the same fryers as the chicken. So, if cross contamination is a concern for you, make sure to ask your location how they fry their french fries before purchasing and consuming them.
Does Kentucky Fried Chicken Have a Vegan Burger?
In 2019, KFC launched their very first vegan burger. It is made from Quorn and topped with iceberg lettuce and vegan mayonnaise. Ever since it was taken off the menu, vegans were begging for it to be brought back. So, KFC brought it back in early 2021, but took it off again. If you are looking to get your hands on one of these delicious vegan burgers, you better keep a close eye on KFC because they only hang around for a limited time.