What’s vegan at Buffalo Wild Wings? Is the vegetarian burger vegan? Are the fries vegan? Here’s everything plant-based eaters can get on the menu!
Originally based in Ohio, this chicken wing chain is known for its popular, party-time appetizers. While this rowdy restaurant is revving up for more locations, they’re letting us down with any real plant-based options. Is there anything vegan at buffalo wild wings?
Although we were surprised to discover any options at all, it’s always a disappointment when the menu items are so measly. With more and more vegan-friendly, fast food updates happening on a weekly basis, it’s incredible that some restaurants are still resistant to real, plant-based offerings.
A question we hear on a regular basis is, “Are the fries vegan?” The answer, in this case, is a firm and final no. Why not? Keep reading and we’ll explain.
How to Navigate the Buffalo Wild Wings Menu:
In order to keep things simple, let’s just start with the basics. If you follow our lead, you can leave this restaurant without being too ravenous. Here’s what we suggest:
- Beverage – Luckily, it’s pretty easy to find something dairy-free to quench your thirst.
- Appetizer – Choose from a boat of everything pretzel knots or carrots and celery sticks with guacamole, salsa, or sauce of your choice.
- Main Meal – Consider the black bean burger or grilled chicken wrap (or order of buffalitos) without the chicken, cheese, and sour cream. You’ll come away with grilled tortillas with pico de gallo and sauce or seasoning. Ask for additional veggies to bulk it up.
- Side Dish – Garden salad or white rice will help to round out your meal with a bit more fiber and fullness.
- Dessert – Mandarin oranges are a sweet, satisfying option.
NOTE: Keep in mind that all fried foods are not vegan-friendly. Make sure to swap out the fries for a different side.
Is Anything at Buffalo Wild Wings Vegan?
That’s a good question. With both “buffalo” and “wings” in the restaurant’s title, you can pretty much guarantee that the menu offerings will be very low or pretty much no. But, before we give up all together, let’s take a good long look to see what might be cruelty-free.
- Carrots
- Celery Sticks
- Everything Pretzel Knots (no beer cheese or honey mustard)
- Garden Side Salad (no cheese or croutons)
- Guacamole
- Mandarin Oranges
- Southwest Black Bean Burger (no cheese or ranch)
- White Rice (only available at some locations)
What About Chips and Salsa?
So sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the tortilla chips are fried in animal fat. Phooey!
Vegan-Friendly Side Sauces and Seasonings:
While the wings might win some people over, we’re more interested in the Buffalo Wild Wings vegan sauces and seasonings. If there’s only a few ways to fill up on food, we need to favor the flavor factor.
- Avocado Smash
- Blazin’ Carolina Reaper Sauce
- Carribean Jerk Sauce
- Hot Sauce
- Ketchup
- Mango Habanero Sauce
- Marinara
- Mustard
- Pico de Gallo
- Salsa
- Seasonings: Buffalo, Chipotle BBQ, Desert Heat, Lemon Pepper, Salt & Vinegar
- Sweet BBQ Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Wild Sauce
- White Wine Vinaigrette
Beverages:
- Aquafina Water, Pepsi Fountain Drinks, Fresh Brewed Ice Tea, Coffee, and Izze Sparkling Juice.
NOTE: Buffalo Wild Wings also serves alcoholic beverages and spirits. Please check our guide to vegan alcohol and barnivore.com to find out which options are vegan-friendly.
NOT Vegan at Buffalo Wild Wings:
We’ll sum in it in five simple words: If it’s fried, forget it. Such a huge bummer (and that’s us being patient and polite about it)! Nothing is spared for our sensitive minds and stomachs.
All fried foods; including fries, tots, chips, wedges, pickles, onion rings, etc. are not vegan-friendly. Not only are they cross-contaminated in shared fryers, but they also use beef fat for frying all of their foods. Ughhhhhhhh.
Yes! Their veggie black bean burger used to contain both dairy and eggs, but now their replacement (Morningstar Black Bean Burger) is vegan-friendly.
This one is debatable. Some locations, but not all, will bake your wings instead of deep frying them, if you ask. Also make sure to request no ranch dressing. Best to call before visiting or ordering to make sure. If they can bake them and skip the dressing, then yes, the cauliflower wings will be vegan! Otherwise they’re a no-go.
No. We’re sorry to say that nothing fried at Buffalo Wild Wings is vegan-friendly because of the animal-based fat used in their deep fryers.
Helpful Hints When Ordering Vegan at Buffalo Wild Wings
- Browse the Buffalo Wild Wings menu before ordering.
- If ordering Buffalo Wild Wings 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 Buffalo Wild Wings), it might be a better idea to go there directly to order.
- Check out their Nutrition Guide and Allergen & Preparation page to make sure that you are purchasing a vegan-friendly item. The menu items offered at Buffalo Wild Wings 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 Buffalo Wild Wings. Double-check the allergens and ingredients to make sure the item is vegan before purchasing.
Historic Vegan Moments in Buffalo Wild Wings History
- 2021 – Buffalo Wild Wings changes their dairy-filled black bean burger to the Morningstar brand, making it accessible for vegans.
Fascinating Facts About Buffalo Wild Wings
- Buffalo Wild Wings has only been open since 1982.
- The original name of the company was Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck (a NY style sandwich made of sliced roast beef and horseradish) or BW3.
- They sell tons of beer and have been labeled as the largest pourer of draft beer in the United States.
- One of the co-founders, Jim Disbrow, was a professional ice skater and the president of the U.S. Figure Skater’s Association from 1998 to 2000.
- This restaurant made it big by adding locations near college campuses.
- They sell almost 2 billion chicken wings per year (so many poor chickens!)
Creating a Kinder and More Accessible Buffalo Wild Wings Vegan Experience
Although we might give a thumbs-down ‘boo’ to Buffalo Wild Wings for their lack of vegan-friendly food, we’ll still keep hoping! While it’s not the healthiest vegan fast food option, people with plant-based preferences might want to visit with their friends sometimes. It would be worthwhile to join in with other restaurants in making cruelty-free menu changes. 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 Buffalo Wild Wings vegan menu? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
How to Order Vegan Party Food at Other Fast Food Chains:
Have you found any other Buffalo Wild Wings options to be veganizable? Did you find something amazing that we missed? Let us know by tagging #worldofvegan and sharing your favorite vegan-at-buffalo-wild-wings creations with all of us!
This article is not sponsored and we are in no way affiliated with Buffalo Wild Wings. 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 Buffalo Wild Wings and not listed or items listed here as vegan, which are no longer vegan. Take care to double-check.
This vegan Buffalo Wild Wings guide was written by Gina House and edited by Michelle Cehn and Amanda Meth. Please note that this article may contain affiliate links which means shopping through them really helps to support World of Vegan!
