Everything Vegan at Sonic (2023)

Sonic definitely isn’t where you’d think to have any vegan options at all,t least I wouldn’t with how many restaurants use animal lard in their oil.

Thankfully Sonic doesn’t do that, which means some of their sides are vegan! However, according to Sonic allergen information, all products may have come in contact with a trace amount of animal-derived ingredients. Unfortunately, If you are concerned about cross-contamination, then Sonic is a no-go. 

While Sonic doesn’t have a veggie burger (yet!) you can build your typical botched vegan burger here of just vegetables with bread, but personally, I would just use Sonic as a junk food snack rather than attempt to make a meal out of it.

Vegan Sides Available at Sonic:

  • French Fries
  • Tater Tots
  • Sweet Potato Tater Tots
  • ONION RINGS

Yeah, you read that last one right. Onion Rings. 

Those are virtually never vegan, hell I’ve never even seen frozen ones that are vegan and I can’t think of a non-vegan restaurant off the top of my head that sells vegan onion rings…other than I guess Sonic!

Since some people have mentioned it before, unfortunately their french toast sticks aren’t vegan, as they contain milk according to their allergen statement.

Vegan Breads at Sonic:

  • Bagel (not sold at all locations)
  • Philly Roll (not sold at all locations)
  • Tortilla
  • Ciabatta Bun
  • Poppy Seed Bun
  • Hamburger Bun (depends)
  • Hot Dog Bun (depends)

Their Texas Toast and Hotdog/Hamburger buns may or may not be vegan depending on the location, so ask if you want one of them, but all the above-listed ones are supposed to be vegan at every Sonic they’re sold at.

Things to put in your bread:

  • Grilled Onions
  • Grilled Red & Green Bell Peppers
  • Pickles
  • Jalapeno
  • Onion
  • Tomato
  • Lettuce
  • Hatch Green Chilies

At some locations, they may have some fancy pickle-relish (Sweet Pickle Relish) or other types of a pickle (Dill Pickle Chips, Dill Pickle Spears) if you want, but not all locations have it. Sometimes (rarely) they also have guacamole/avocado so you could ask about that too.

Vegan Sauces & Dips at Sonic:

  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • Spicy Mustard
  • Hickory BBQ Sauce
  • Sweet and Sour Sauce
  • Celery Salt
  • Salsa de Sonic
  • Marinara Sauce
  • Salt/Pepper Blend
  • Maple Flavored Syrup
  • Grape Jelly
  • Strawberry Jam

Asian sweet chili sauce might sound like a plant based one, but unfortunately It isn’t dairy free

Other Vegan Things at Sonic:

  • Apple Slices (no caramel sauce)
  • Apple Sauce Packet
  • Frito’s Corn Chips
  • Soft Pretzel Twist (no butter and cheese dipping)

Vegan Slushies at Sonic:

The only ones that aren’t vegan are the ones that are cake/cookie/caramel related as well as the typical non-vegan candies like M&M’s which contain milk. So according Sonic’s menu all the slush bases are vegan. You could choose between the limeade and the lemonade Slushes or you can add the following syrups to the Plain Slush Base:

  • Blackberry
  • Blue Coconut
  • Blue Raspberry
  • Cherry
  • Diet Cherry
  • French Vanilla
  • Grape
  • Mango
  • Peach
  • Raspberry

Other Vegan Drinks at Sonic:

If you want to stay in a more classical way, you will still have plenty of vegan options at Sonic.

  • Barq’s Root Beer
  • Coca-Cola
  • Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
  • Diet Coke
  • Diet Dr. Pepper
  • Dr. Pepper
  • Fanta Orange
  • Fresh Brewed Sweet Tea
  • Fresh Brewed Unsweet Tea
  • Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ Hot Coffee
  • Green Tea (Diet)
  • Green Tea (Sweet)
  • Hi-C Fruit Punch
  • Lemonade
  • Mello Yello
  • Minute Maid Apple Juice Box
  • Minute Maid Orange Juice
  • Powerade
  • Sonic Wave Bottled Water
  • Sprite
  • Sprite Zero

So how does Sonic look for a vegan?

Not good in the sense that making a meal here would, in my opinion, be a mistake. But in the sense of getting some vegan junk-food that can be pretty tasty, sure, it’s pretty dang good considering they even have vegan onion rings.

If you were going to stop by sonic I’d recommend not getting more than small or medium order of things, because in my experience at Sonic less is more to put it kindly.

Frequently Asked Questions

While Sonic doesn’t have a veggie burger (yet!), they definitely have some tasty vegan options. Just to mention a few, their Fries, Tater Tots, Sweet Potato Tater Tots, and Onion rings are all vegan. For the full list, check out our article!

Yes, thankfully, Sonic does not use animal lard in their oil, so their fries are vegan.

Yes, the Onion Rings at Sonic are vegan, because they do not contain any animal by-products. 

Unfortunately, Sonic french toast sticks aren’t vegan, as they contain milk according to their allergen statement.

Yes, Sonic’s Soft Pretzel Twists are considered vegan, since they do not contain any animal by-products.

Yes, the Watermelon, Blueberry, Blackberry, Cherry, and Lemon Slushies are vegan at Sonic. Just stay away from the ones that are cake, cookie, caramel or M&M’s related (milk danger).

Yes, Sonic’s Tater Tots are vegan, since they do not contain any animal by-products.

Cruelty Free Reviews

Cruelty Free Reviews

CrueltyFreeReviews serves as a digital guide and a handy manual for new vegans and experienced plant-based veterans alike. Founded back in 2018 by a group of plant-based enthusiasts, we are dedicated to a vegan lifestyle and animal rights. With our team having more than 10 years of plant-based guidance experience by now, we want to give back to the vegan community and support anyone on this journey.