Smashburger has a few vegan options, but for whatever reason in the USA, where most of their locations are located, they decided to use beef tallow in their frying oil.
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They also make their black bean burgers with both eggs and dairy, and thus they cannot be made vegan even upon request — Due to these decisions there are very few options at their US/Canada based restaurants, although there’s plenty of options in their UK locations.
Vegan Salad Options at Smashburger:
- Side Garden Salad (No Cheese)
- Spinach Cucumber (Specify No Goat Cheese)
- Off-menu “large” Garden Salad (No Cheese)
I’m not a fan of salads generally, but that’s about all Smashburger has for Vegans other than a botched vegetable sandwich so I’ll start off with them. The only dressing that’s vegan that they have is Balsamic Vinaigrette, but if you’re a freak like me you could always ask for some guacamole to stir in as a dressing.
Vegan Breads & Buns at Smashburger:
- Chipotle Bun
- Lettuce Wrap (ha)
- Egg Bun (doesn’t actually contain eggs)
- Multigrain Bread
Since their fries contain beef fat I’m not sure what you’d make a sandwich out of, I suppose maybe just cold vegetables, but hey they have some vegan buns. On their US allergen menu they say all breads are toasted using “real” butter that contains dairy, so specify without it or for it to not be toasted to ensure it’s vegan.
Keep in mind Smashburger does not have a vegan burger currently, they have a black bean veggie burger, but as far as we know you cannot make it vegan-friendly.
Vegan Add-ons/Toppings at Smashburger:
- Avocado Slices
- Cucumbers
- Fresh (uncooked) Mushrooms
- Guacamole
- (Green) Leaf Lettuce
- (Red) Onions
- Pickles
- Sliced Jalapenos
- Spinach
- Tomato Slices
- Yellow Onions
I suppose you could ask for these in a salad, or for your botched sandwich, although they’re not on the menu and it’s up to the restaurant as to what to charge you for them — generally only the avocado slices will cost extra to request.
Vegan Dressing & Sauces at Smashburger:
- BBQ Sauce
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
Smashburger doesn’t really have any unique or special sauces — just the normal everyday stuff you find everywhere.
So how does Smashburger look for a Vegan?
If you’re going to a location in the UK, fantastic. They have tons of options.
But if you’re still reading, that means you’re probably from America and as you now know Smashburger in the USA and Canada isn’t so vegan-friendly.
I’d say it doesn’t look great to be a Vegan at Smashburger. It’s a bit of a hassle putting together even a botched vegan meal, but it can be done. It’s better than some places, such as Texas Roadhouse, but it’s still not vegan-friendly.
Hopefully they begin to realize that if they added even one not so great vegan dish to their menu in the states, especially if they stopped frying in oil that contained animal products, us vegans would be perfectly content with going to their restaurant occasionally.
Till then I figure you, like me, would be better off trying to shill family and friends into going somewhere else, as there’s plenty of places that have at least one or two Vegan options basically everywhere in the western world now. If your family/friends are dead-set on some non-vegan “burger” style place, I’d recommend Carls Jr or Red Robin, as they both have vegan options and meat-eaters have no real excuse to complain either.
