If you are hoping to find a plethora of vegan options, a steakhouse is not likely going to be the place for you. However, for those vegan dieters who happen to find themselves at a steakhouse, such as Texas Roadhouse, you might be wondering what on earth you can order. Whether you are desperate for food and have nowhere else to go or your friends or family dragged you into a Texas Roadhouse, there are a few options you can reach for.
Currently, Texas Roadhouse has very limited vegan-friendly menu options. Being that it is a steakhouse that caters to consumer’s carnivorous side, their only vegan options available are peanuts, their house salad without cheese, egg, or croutons, their country vegetable plate, fresh vegetables without butter or buttered corn without butter, applesauce, sautéed vegetables, and select beverages.
If you are looking for vegan-friendly, plant-based options, Texas Roadhouse is not the place for you. However, as many of us have carnivorous friends and no one likes to miss out, you may find yourself wondering how to eat vegan at a Texas Roadhouse. Let’s look at some of these vegan options, tips and tricks for ordering vegan at Texas Roadhouse, non-vegan options to avoid, and related questions.
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Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at Texas Roadhouse
If you are vegan and find yourself at a Texas Roadhouse, you will likely have a lot of questions about their menu. Below are some helpful tips and tricks for navigating Texas Roadhouse locations while trying to maintain a vegan diet.
- Baked potatoes or sweet potatoes may seem like the perfect vegan side items. However, Texas Roadhouse bakes their baked potatoes and sweet potatoes in bacon grease so it should be avoided on a vegan diet.
- Texas Roadhouse also cooks their rice and mashed potatoes in chicken broth which removes these options from the vegan-friendly list as well.
- Unfortunately, Texas Roadhouse cooks most of their vegetables and other side items in animal products. Their green beans, for example, are cooked in ham broth and contain bacon and their rolls are brushed with butter.
- Some locations precook all their veggies in butter. Different locations prep their menu items a little differently so it’s important to ask your local Texas roadhouse about their vegan-friendly options
- Texas Roadhouse’s steak fries are technically considered a vegan option. However, they are cooked in a shared fryer with animal products therefore they are contaminated during the cooking process.
- Your best bet for vegan-friendly dressings is oil and vinegar as their other dressings contain animal products. Texas Roadhouse does have an Italian dressing but the allergen list reports it contains fish.
Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at Texas Roadhouse
It may not surprise you to learn that most of Texas Roadhouse’s menu is on the “non-vegan foods to avoid” list. Being that this restaurant caters to all things’ meat, many items are unable to be made without animal products. Below are some important menu items to steer clear as they cannot be adjusted to fit a vegan diet.
Starters
- Cactus blossom
- Fried pickles
- Rattlesnake bites
- Tater skins
- Grilled shrimp appetizer
- Boneless buffalo wings
- Cheese fries
- Killer ribs
- Texas red chili
- Combo appetizer
Salads
- Grilled Chicken salad
- Chicken Caesar salad
- Salmon Caesar salad
- Chicken Critter salad
- Steakhouse Fillet salad
- Caesar salad
Entrées
- USDA Choice Sirloin
- New York Strip
- Dallas Fillet
- Porterhouse T-Bone
- Road Kill
- Steak Kabob
- Fort Worth Ribeye
- Bone-In Ribeye
- Prime Rib
- Fillet Medallions
- 1/2 or full slab of Ribs
- Grilled Barbecue Chicken and Ribs
- Grilled Barbecue Chicken and Sirloin
- Chicken Critters and Ribs
- Chicken Critters and Sirloin 6-ounces
- Sirloin and Ribs
- Sirloin and Grilled Shrimp
- Ribeye 12-ounce and Ribs
- Ribeye 12-ounce and Grilled Shrimp
- Fillet 6-ounce and Ribs
- Fillet 6-ounce and Grilled Shrimp
- Country Fried Chicken
- Grilled Barbecue Chicken
- Chicken Critters
- Portobello Mushroom Chicken
- Smothered Chicken
- Herb Crusted Chicken
- Grilled Pork Chops
- Pulled Pork Dinner
- Country Fried Sirloin
- Beef Tips
- Grilled Salmon
Fried Catfish - Grilled Shrimp
- All-American Cheeseburger
- Bacon Cheeseburger
- Smokehouse Burger
- Pulled Pork Sandwich
- Barbecue Chicken Sandwich
- Mushroom Jack Chicken Sandwich
Sides
- Baked Potato
- Sweet Potato
- Steak Fries
- Mashed Potatoes
- Green Beans
- Seasoned Rice
- Texas Red Chili
- Mac and Cheese
Desserts
- Granny’s Apple Classic Apple Pie
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Big Ol’ Brownie
Top Vegan Options at Texas Roadhouse
Now that we know exactly what not to eat on a vegan diet at Texas Roadhouse, let’s look at some of the few vegan options available. Keep in mind, most of their menu items require some adjustments to fit a vegan diet. If you are bashful when it comes to asking for alterations on menu items, you may find yourself snacking on peanuts and applesauce for the evening.
Vegan Appetizers
1. Peanuts
Texas Roadhouse is known for their giant bucket of free peanuts on each table along with their rolls. Since we now know their rolls are brushed in butter, that leaves peanuts as the most suitable vegan table snack at Texas Roadhouse restaurants.
Vegan Salads
1. House Salad
(No Cheese, Eggs, or Croutons) – Like many restaurants, Texas Roadhouse offers a house salad that can be made vegan by removing the cheese, eggs, and croutons. Currently, the only vegan-friendly dressing option available at Texas Roadhouse locations is their oil and vinegar. Some locations also allow you to add on red onions to provide more variety.
Ingredients:
- Fresh greens
- Tomatoes
- Oil and vinegar dressing
- Optional add-on: red onions
Vegan Main Dishes
1. Country Vegetable Plate
The only vegan-friendly dinner option would be Texas Roadhouse’s Country Vegetable Plate. This plate is essentially your choice of four side items but limits only one salad to be included in the sides. For this plate, you can choose some of the vegan-friendly side items listed below. However, most require additional modification, such as asking for it to be cooked without butter.
Vegan Sides
1. Fresh Vegetables (No Butter)
What is more vegan than fresh vegetables? Be careful to ask your server to be sure to make them without butter. This typically includes steamed broccoli and baby carrots. Some locations pre-cook their veggies in butter so this option may not be available at Texas Roadhouse restaurants.
2. Buttered Corn (No Butter)
Another veggie side easily made vegan at Texas Roadhouse is their buttered corn. Simply ask your server to prepare it without butter and it is suitable on a vegan diet.
3. Apple Sauce
Apple sauce is another safe vegan-friendly option at Texas Roadhouse locations and perhaps one of the only ones that do not require modifications. Since Texas Roadhouse does not currently offer any vegan-friendly dessert options, this could be a vegan alternative to dessert or a side with your meal.
4. Sautéed Vegetables
Texas Roadhouse currently offers a few selections of sautéed vegetables on their side options, such as sautéed onions and mushrooms. Be sure to ask your server not to sauté these veggies in butter or animal products if able.
Vegan Beverages
Texas Roadhouse carries Coca-Cola products, all of which are considered vegan-friendly. Texas Roadhouse also offers a variety of Margheritas and various cocktails, most of which are also vegan-friendly. However, their availability depends on location.
- Coca Cola
- Diet Coke
- Sprite
- Pepper
- Hi-C Fruit Punch
- Slow Brewed Iced Tea and Sweet Tea
- Peach Iced Tea and Sweet Tea
- Raspberry Iced Tea and Sweet Tea
- Strawberry Iced Tea and Sweet Tea
- Minute Maid Lemonade
- Wild Strawberry Lemonade
- Blue Crush Lemonade
- Red Raspberry Lemonade
Vegan Cocktails
- Original Margarita
- Hurricane Margarita
- Mango Margarita
- Raspberry Margarita
- Strawberry Margarita
- Jamaican Cowboy Margarita
- Sangria Margarita
- The Legend Margarita
- Patron Margarita Kicker
- 1800 Margarita Kicker
- Texas Peach Fuzz
- Kenny’s Cooler
- Sangria Red
- Armadillo Punch
- Southern Whiskey Long Island Iced Tea
- Long Island Iced Tea
- Top Shelf Long Island Iced Tea
- Island Kicker
- Red Wine
- White Wine
- Blush Wine
Find a Texas Roadhouse near You
You can find a Texas Roadhouse near you by clicking the link here.
Similar Restaurants (or Establishments) to Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse is among many steakhouses of its kind. Currently, the most similar restaurants and top competitors to Texas Roadhouse include Outback Steakhouse, Logan’s Roadhouse, and LongHorn Steakhouse.
Related Questions
Do Texas Roadhouse Rolls Contain Dairy?
Yes, Texas Roadhouse uses dairy in their rolls. It is not clear if these dairy products are included in the recipe for the rolls themselves are if they are limited to the butter brushed on top before cooking. Unfortunately, Texas Roadhouse does not offer any option for adjustments to make these rolls dairy-free regardless. Since their rolls appear to have a cult following, for those vegan or dairy-free individuals, you can try your hand at one of the many copycat recipes available online.
Is The Cactus Blossom at Texas Roadhouse Vegan?
None of the fried appetizers available at Texas Roadhouse are vegan-friendly, including the famous Cactus Blossom. Each fried item is dipped in a batter that contains milk and is then fried in a shared fryer that comes in contact with animal products. At this time, the peanuts provided on your table or a house salad without cheese, eggs, or croutons are your best bet for vegan-friendly appetizers.
Does Texas Roadhouse Have Vegan Dessert?
Texas Roadhouse has a limited dessert menu that consists of Granny’s Apple Classic Apple Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake, and the Big Ol’ Brownie, none of which are vegan-friendly. If you are looking for a sweet vegan treat after your meal, you can ask your server for a side of applesauce sauce instead.