Carl’s Jr. Vegan Menu + How to Order the Beyond Star Veggie Burger

When you think of juicy burgers and crispy fries, do McDonald’s and Burger King automatically come to mind? If so, you might be missing out on a hugely popular hamburger chain called Carl’s Jr. Ordering vegan at Carl’s Jr. is a little more satisfying and a whole lot less frustrating than the others with not only more options, but also better taste.

On January 2, 2019, Carl’s Jr. became the very first national fast food chain restaurant in the U.S. to offer a vegan burger. For that fact alone, we have to give the company major kudos and a lot of credit for getting the ball rolling in feeding the vegan community. Keep it up, Carl’s Jr.! And now, just a few years later, almost every fast food restaurant (except McDonald’s!) has rolled our their own spin on veggie burgers. Exciting times.

Quick Carl’s Jr. Menu Ordering Tips

Place a vegan-friendly order at Carl’s Jr. should be quick because there aren’t many choices any longer. Everyone misses the Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich and now the rice and beans, tortilla chips, and side salad seem to have disappeared. So sad!

If you’ll be ordering a Famous Star Burger, remember to ask for no mayo, meat, egg, or cheese. Add extra lettuce, tomato, sliced onions, pickles, and/or jalapenos instead. More information about Beyond Burgers can be found on their Beyond Meat FAQ page.

• Beyond Famous Star Burger
• Potatoes (Hash rounds, waffle fries, natural cut fries)
• Beverage

Carl’s Jr. Vegan Menu

What’s Vegan at Carl’s Jr.? Here is everything you can order that’s vegan on the menu. For an extra-satisfying burger, feel free to bring your own dairy-free cheese and vegan mayo!

Carl’s Jr. Burger

• The Beyond Famous Star Burger (ask for no mayo or cheese) is a charbroiled Beyond Burger patty with iceberg lettuce, yellow onion, tomato, dill pickles, and special sauce (which does happen to be vegan), all on a pillowy sesame seed bun.

Vegan Sides

• Crisscut Fries (aka waffle fries)
• Guacamole
• Hash Rounds
• Natural Cut Fries

Note: Availability varies for these items: cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo, and pinto beans.

Vegan Breads and Buns

• Corn Tortilla
• Flour Tortilla
• Plain Burger Bun
• Sesame Seed Burger Bun

Sauces

• Hot Sauce
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Sweet and Bold Barbecue

Carl’s Jr. Breakfast Menu

Unfortunately you won’t find much vegan on the Carl’s Jr. breakfast menu. The hash browns are vegan but that’s about it. Go for the options above instead.

Vegan-Friendly Beverages

• Dasani Bottled Water
• Fountain Drinks
• Hot Coffee (reg and decaf)
• Tea (unsweetened and sweetened)
• Simply Orange Juice

NOT Vegan at Carl’s Jr

All of these options contain milk or an animal-based broth, so they are not vegan-friendly.

• Biscuits
• Cotija
• Crema
• Fried Zucchini
• Green Sauce
• Onion Rings

Make Your Meal More Satisfying

Ordering vegan at Carl’s Jr. is easy because you only have a few options (though you can mix and match them to make many different meals) and the fries are a go. If they start offering vegan cheese, we’ll have even more flavor to add to our burgers and burritos and also be able to nosh on some nachos! If you’re searching to personalize your plant-based meal, here are a few suggestions:

• Pile on the Plant-Based Burgers – Carl’s Jr. offers single, double, and triple decker options, so you can fill your belly with as many Beyond burgers as you wish! Yum!
• Choose Your Own Cheese – If you just can’t bear eating a burger without cheese, bring your favorite vegan cheese along with you. Super simple to slip a slice or two between the buns.
• Power Up With Potatoes –  Because all of the potato products (hash rounds and both kinds of fries) are vegan-friendly, add a few for a topping of your side salad or just order one of everything! An easy and delicious way to add some bulk to your meal when out and about!

FAQs

Helpful Hints When Ordering Vegan at Carl’s Jr.

• Browse the Carl’s Jr. online menu before ordering.
• If ordering Carl’s Jr. through a delivery service, make sure you clearly specify any substitutions you would like. Especially concerning cheese and meats. If you’re worried that your request may not be honored (or seen by the server at Carl’s Jr.), it might be a better idea to go there directly to order. 
• Download the Nutrition and Allergen PDF to make sure that you are purchasing a vegan-friendly item. The products offered at Carl’s Jr. do change and the PDFs seem to be updated regularly.
• From past experience, it seems that most (if not all) seasonal drinks or foods are not vegan because of added dairy milk or milk derivatives. Be careful when new and exciting seasonal products are offered at Carl’s Jr. Double check the allergens and ingredients PDF to make sure that the item is vegan before purchasing.

Creating a Kinder and More Accessible Carl’s Jr.

It’s only a matter of time before more vegan options land on the menu. That’s the direction all the big fast food chains are heading, and Carl’s Jr. knows that they can add a few more items that are vegan-friendly, such as vegan cheese. But meanwhile, we can always write to, call, or contact the managers of any location to make our requests. 

How to Order Vegan at Other Chains

Looking for more ways to order vegan at other fast food chains? Check out our Vegan Wendy’s Guide, Arby’s Vegan Menu options, Del Taco Vegan Menu Guide, and how to order vegan at Wienerschnitzel.

Plus, don’t miss our comprehensive Vegan Fast Food Guide to help you navigate the fast food space as a whole!

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

This article is not sponsored and we are in no way affiliated with Carls Jr. At the time of this article, the foods 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 Carl’s Jr. and not listed or items listed here as vegan, which are no longer vegan. Take care to double-check.