I grew up in Texas and lived there most of my life and I must say Texas Roadhouse perfectly displays how hard it used to be to eat vegan at restaurants in Texas even as little as 5-10 years ago.
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While the situation in Texas has improved and most places have at least a single vegan option, especially in big cities, Texas Roadhouse has unfortunately held true to the old Texan tradition of ruining every single normally vegan item and making it non-vegan.
Vegan Menu Options at Texas Roadhouse:
- Apple Sauce
- Plain Baked Potato (no butter)
- Sweet Potato (no marshmallows)
- Salad without cheese, croutons, dressing, or eggs (essentially lettuce)
- Peanuts (Free!)
- Green Beans
- Sometimes the “Mixed vegetables” (if steamed) if you order without butter
To be clear about it, the mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, rice, green beans, corn and sauteed vegetables are generally cooked in animal-broth and/or contain milk/eggs and cannot be reasonably veganized due to their preparation and the time it’d take to prepare a vegan version if they were actually willing to.
Texas Roadhouse’s fries aren’t vegan as they’re typically fried in animal fat and are often otherwise “contaminated” regardless, so don’t bother with them either.
Vegan Drinks at Texas Roadhouse:
- All Sodas
- Margaritas
- Most beers (check barnivore)
Ultimately they have nothing special here for us vegans to make up for the low-quality food-options they have. No tasty unique homemade drink or smoothie.
So How’s Texas Roadhouse for a Vegan?
Aside from the peanuts which are like a free appetizer they give out none of the other vegan items are worth the money nor the bother and aren’t going to be satisfying. I’d say just eat afterwards or before and let whoever dragged you there feel slightly guilty about not caring at all if you had anything to eat.
Personally I’d rather have nothing or simply abstain from the family meal and take a walk if they chose to eat here, part out of spite, part because I wouldn’t want to support a business such as Texas Roadhouse. Every chain restaurant like them has a vegan veggie burger or at least some starchy sides to make a botched meal out of. If they don’t care to provide a vegan meal, or at least not ruin every side dish that’d make up a botched vegan meal by adding animal products to it, then screw them. I’d rather starve — making that’s cutting my nose off to spite my face, but so be it.
Are Texas Roadhouse’s Rolls Vegan-Friendly?
Contrary to what many have said online, according to someone I know that works there, their dinner rolls cannot be made vegan by removing the butter topping as they also contain eggs which you cannot simply opt-out of.
