How to Order Vegan at Noodles & Company

It makes sense to associate pasta and noodles with plant-based foods. At restaurants like this, though, it’s more what’s put on the noodles than the noodles themselves. With the new release of Impossible Panko Chicken and a very veganizable menu, Noodles & Company has become a vegan’s pasta paradise.

Ordering from the Noodles and Company menu is easy when you use our handy ordering guide below. We’ve included photos of most of the dishes so you can see exactly what you’ll be getting!

Just weave around the un-eatables and venture far out for the vegetables. Mixing and matching, swapping and substituting is the game for eating grub at this grill. Are you ready for an oodley-noodley adventure? Let’s go!

Vegan Main Meals at Noodles & Company

One of the beauties of the menu at this pasta-centric fast food joint is that most of their star dishes can be made vegan with some simple substitutions! And even more exciting, Noodles & Company introduced Impossible Panko Chicken to the menu in 2022 which can be easily added to any dish!

There is so much on the menu it can be overwhelming, especially if you’re hungry, but just follow our lead and you’ll be devouring your lunch in no time.

Since most of the menu items at this restaurant contain either dairy-rich sauces or animal products, we have clearly outlined how to order each dish vegan. Here are the best noodle dishes you can order with a few tweaks:

• Japanese Pan Noodles – 100% Vegan!
• Impossible Orange Chicken Lo Mein – 100% vegan!
• Spicy Korean Noodles – Swap the marinated meat for tofu of Impossible Chicken.
• Spaghetti & Meatballs – Ask for marinara sauce with no cheese and no meatballs.
• Grilled Orange Chicken Lo Mein – Leave out the chicken and replace with Impossible Chicken or tofu.
• Cauliflower Rigatoni Fresca – Order without cheese and shrimp, and add Impossible Chicken.

If you can only try one dish, we recommend the Spicy Korean Noodles (follow the ordering instructions below). It’s the most flavorful dish of all, and a crowd favorite.

Top 7 Vegan Dishes to Order for a Tasty & Filling Meal

Japanese Pan Noodles (100% Vegan!)

• Add tofu or Impossible Chicken (optional)

Impossible Orange Chicken Lo Mein (100% Vegan)

Spicy Korean Beef Noodles

How to make it vegan:

• No Beef
• Sub Impossible Chicken or Tofu

Zucchini Rosa with Chicken

How to make it vegan:

• No Chicken
• No Cream Sauce
• No Parmesan Cheese
• Sub Marinara Sauce
• Sub Impossible Chicken (or tofu, but it has an Asian-style seasoning)

Cauliflower Rigatoni Fresca with Shrimp

How to make it vegan:

• No Shrimp
• No Parmesan Cheese
• Sub Impossible Chicken

Spaghetti & Meatballs

How to make it vegan:

• No Meatballs
• No Parmesan Cheese
• Sub Impossible Chicken

Penne Rosa

How to make it vegan:

• No Light Cream
• No Parmesan Cheese
• Sub Marinara Sauce
• Add Impossible Chicken

Vegan Salad Options at Noodles & Company

Get your greens in with a vegan salad — you have one easy-to-order option, as well as others that take some adjusting. You can add tofu or Impossible chicken to any salad to make it extra filling and add in a generous dose of protein!

Asian Apple Citrus Salad

How to make it vegan:

• No Chicken
• Sub Tofu or Impossible Chicken

The following salads can be made vegan with significant substitutions. Unfortunately the only vegan salad dressing at Noodles & Company is this Citrus Dressing (used in the salad above).

• Grilled Chicken Caesar – The most difficult of the lot. You can only get the greens and kale lettuce blend with citrus dressing. No caesar dressing, no croutons, no cheese, no chicken.
• Mexican Street Corn Salad – No chicken, no feta cheese, no cheese dressing, and no tortilla strips (they have dairy in them). Select the citrus or balsamic vinaigrette dressing instead and add tofu.
• The Med Salad – No chicken, no feta cheese, and no dressing. Ask for the citrus or balsamic vinaigrette dressing instead and add tofu.

Which Noodles Are Vegan at Noodles and Company?

Except for a few noodles (such as the egg noodle and tortellini), the rest are accidentally vegan. So, my friends, there are oodles of noodles to nosh on. Which one is your favorite?

• Cauliflower Rigatoni
• Cavatappi
• Elbow
• Lo Mein
• Penne
• Pipette
• Spaghetti
• Rice
• Udon
• Zucchini

Note: The Pipette pasta is made with corn, so it’s a good choice for anyone who is gluten-sensitive.

Vegan Sides

This is a surprisingly short list, if you don’t count the veggies and toppings.

• Baguette
• Applesauce
• Apple Slices
• Oyster Crackers (our personal favorite)

Veggie Options

We love that you can choose from so many vegetables, either raw or cooked. Make sure to include all the ones you adore so that your lunch or dinner will be extra appetizing and surely more satisfying.

• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Cilantro
• Corn, roasted
• Cucumber, sliced or diced
• Green Onion
• Kalamata Olives
• Lettuce
• Mushrooms, raw white or roasted
• Red Onion
• Seasoned Tofu
• Spinach
• Snap Peas
• Zucchini, roasted

Tasty Toppings

Add a little pizzaz to your dish with any of these pleasant tasting picks.

• Asian Seasoning
• Black Sesame Seeds
• Crispy Jalapeños (yup!)
• Italian Seasoning
• Peanuts
• Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt
• Smoulder From Boulder

Vegan Dressing and Sauces

Although most of the dishes themselves are not vegan, there are a number of savory sauces to choose from that can add more flavor to your meal.

• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• BBQ Sauce
• Buffalo Sauce
• Citrus Dressing
• Fresca Sauce
• Japanese Pan Sauce
• Korean BBQ Sauce
• Marinara Sauce
• Orange Sauce
• Potsticker Sauce
• Soy Sauce
• Sriracha
• Vegetable Broth

Are the Noodles and Company Kids Meals Vegan-Friendly?

The food choices for kids’ meals are pretty sad. Here’s what they can order, but we can almost guarantee they’ll be hungry later. You can always double the order, but another option is to buy a side order of salad or other noodle dish to satisfy.

• Main Meal – Spaghetti & Meatballs with no meatballs or cheese.
• Sides – Choose two sides—either broccoli, apple slices, or applesauce.
• Beverage – Only choices are orange juice or possibly a water bottle.

Beverages

Nothing new here, just the usual.

• Izzy Sparkling Sodas
• Coca-Cola fountain drinks
• Fresh Brewed Iced Tea
• Minute Maid Lemonades
• Orange Juice

NOT Vegan At Noodles & Co.

• All Classic Noodle Dishes (all contain meat and also a milk or cheese-based sauce)
• World Famous Macs (all contain dairy cheese and/or animal products)
• Flatbread (contains milk)
• Garlic Croutons (contains milk additives)
• Pad Thai Sauce (has fish sauce as an ingredient)
• Potstickers (made with chicken, but the potsticker sauce is vegan-friendly)

Tips for Ordering Vegan at Noodles and Company

Here’s what we suggest:

• Know Your Noodles – Noodles are key. Choose from the list below, but they’re all vegan-friendly except the egg noodles and tortellini (which contain egg and/or cheese).
• Designate a Dressing (or Select a Sauce) – Although there are only two dressings for salads, there are many sauces that fit the bill. Go wild and choose a few!
• Say “Yes” to a Salad – If you’re really wanting to be full of food, add one of the veganized salad options to go with your noodles. Or, get a salad and add all the veggies. Oh, yeah!
• Volumize With Veggies – With so many vegetable toppings, you just have to include a huge variety. Are we right?
• Fill Up With Fruit or Satisfy With Starch – For “dessert”, select sliced apples or applesauce. If you want a little starchy snack, buy the baguette.

FAQs About Vegan Options

Helpful Hints When Ordering Vegan at Noodles & Co.

• Browse the Noodles & Company menu before ordering. You can also print out the menu here.
• If ordering Noodles & Co. online or through a delivery service, make sure you clearly specify any substitutions you would like. If you’re worried that your request may not be honored (or seen by the server at Noodles and Company), it might be a better idea to go there directly to order.
• Check out their Nutritional and Allergen and Ingredient Information pages to make sure that you are purchasing a vegan-friendly item. The menu items offered at Noodles & Company don’t seem to change very often, but you may want to double check before you visit.
• Be careful when new and exciting seasonal products are offered at Noodles and Company. Double-check the allergens and ingredients to make sure the item is vegan before purchasing.

Historic Vegan Moments in Noodles and Company History

• None yet! Let’s keep hoping they’ll start to add a plant-based protein other than tofu.

Fascinating Facts About Noodles and Company

• Miso Soup and Spicy Cold Peanut Noodle Salad used to be on the menu, but are sadly no longer offered.
• Founder Aaron Kennedy worked at Pepsi Cola Company and Oscar Meyer before starting this own business.
• There’s no tipping allowed at this restaurant.
• At some of the Canada locations, they have a breakfast menu.
• Aaron Kennedy founded Noodles & Co. in 1995 after being inspired by all of the NYC Thai noodle shops. 

Creating a Kinder and More Accessible Noodles & Company Vegan Experience 

Even though Noodles and Company have not yet added any plant-based protein alternatives to their menu, we can still live and dream. Since there are so few vegan-friendly pasta places to choose from, let’s hope that they get their act together and add some options soon. Imagine all of the appetizing alternatives they could include – like vegan meatballs, dairy-free cheese, or even a plant-based pad thai. In the meantime, we can always write to, call, or contact the managers of any location to make our requests.

What are your favorite items on the Noodles & Company vegan menu? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Have you found any other Noodles & Company options to be veganizable? Did you find something amazing that we missed? Let us know by tagging #worldofvegan and sharing your favorite vegan-at-noodles-and-company creations with all of us!

How To Order Vegan Lunch at Other Restaurant Chains:

• P.F. Chang’s
• Domino’s Pizza
• Chipotle
• KFC
• Panda Express
• Subway
• Taco Bell
• Wendy’s

This article is not sponsored and we are in no way affiliated with Noodles & Company. At the time of this article, the menu items mentioned above are vegan. Since restaurants constantly update their menus and add or take away items, please keep this in mind when ordering your food. There may be new items that are vegan at Noodles & Company and not listed or items listed here as vegan, which are no longer vegan. Take care to double-check.