Looking for A&W vegetarian options? You won’t find a veggie burger here, but you can still build a satisfying meal from crispy fries, Wisconsin cheese curds, golden onion rings, and the chain’s legendary root beer float. A&W is a sides-and-sweets stop for vegetarians, and a good one. This guide covers every meatless item, flags the few catches, and tells you exactly what to order. If you’ve ever wondered what about the vegetarians at America’s oldest fast food chain, here’s your answer.
A Quick Look at A&W
A&W is the oldest fast food franchise chain in America. Roy W. Allen opened his first roadside root beer stand in Lodi, California, in 1919. In 1922 he took on an employee named Frank Wright as a partner, and the first stand to carry the A&W name opened in Sacramento in 1923. The name comes from their initials, Allen and Wright. They helped invent the drive-in restaurant, the carhop, and the frosty mug, and A&W was one of the first food businesses in the country to franchise.
The chain peaked at roughly 2,400 units in 1974. Ownership changed hands many times, passing through United Brands, real estate developer A. Alfred Taubman in 1982, and Yum! Brands in 2002. Since December 2011 A&W has been independent again, owned by A Great American Brand LLC, a group of A&W franchisees. As of late 2025 there were about 413 A&W restaurants in the United States, with more than 900 across 16 countries. Wisconsin has the most U.S. locations, which fits a brand built on cheese curds. The root beer is still made fresh in each restaurant with real cane sugar and poured into that frozen mug.
A&W Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Here are the A&W vegetarian options worth knowing, with our read on what’s vegetarian and what’s vegan. A&W doesn’t sell a meatless main, so your meal comes from the sides and the sweets. We mark an item ❌ when it clearly isn’t suitable and ⚠️ when you should ask before you order.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| French Fries | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (shared fryer) |
| Cheese Curds (Wisconsin white cheddar) | ✅ Yes* | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Onion Rings | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (batter, shared fryer) |
| Slaw (coleslaw) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg in mayo) |
| Vanilla Soft Serve | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Root Beer Float | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Milkshakes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Sundaes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| A&W Root Beer & fountain sodas | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Burgers, Hot Dogs, Chicken | ❌ No (meat) | ❌ No (meat) |
Fried Sides: Fries, Cheese Curds, and Onion Rings
The fried sides are where most vegetarians eat at A&W. The french fries are the easy pick. A&W lists them as gluten-free and dairy-free, with no animal ingredients in the potato or the seasoning. The one catch is the fryer. Fries share oil with chicken and other breaded items at most locations, so they’re vegetarian but not reliably vegan.
The cheese curds are the signature side and the best reason to stop. They’re made with 100% Wisconsin white cheddar, lightly breaded and fried to a golden brown, and they come in a 5-ounce or 10-ounce size. They contain dairy, so they’re vegetarian but not vegan. If you avoid animal rennet, treat them as a ⚠️ and ask the manager, because A&W doesn’t say which kind the cheese uses.
Onion rings round out the trio. White onions get battered and fried, and they come with one of A&W’s signature dipping sauces. They’re vegetarian. Whether they’re vegan depends on the batter and the shared fryer, so vegans should ask first. Add the 4-ounce slaw if you want something cold and crunchy, though the mayo means it isn’t vegan either.
Sizes help you plan. Cheese curds come in a 5-ounce or 10-ounce order, and the fries and onion rings each come in a regular and a large. One large side plus a smaller one is plenty for a meal. If you’re sharing, the 10-ounce curds and a large fry feed two people without anyone touching the meat menu.
The Famous A&W Root Beer Float and Other Sweets
The root beer float is the reason A&W is on the map, and it’s vegetarian. A frosty mug of A&W root beer gets topped with a thick swirl of vanilla soft serve. The soft serve is dairy, so the float is vegetarian but not vegan. It’s still the move. Few fast food desserts beat a real float in a frozen mug.
The rest of the sweets run on the same vanilla soft serve, so they’re all vegetarian and none are vegan. Milkshakes come in classic flavors, blended thick and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Sundaes and plain soft serve cones are here too. If you want the float flavor without the dairy, the plain A&W root beer is the answer, and it counts as both vegetarian and vegan.
The root beer is the part A&W guards most. Each restaurant makes it fresh on site with real cane sugar and pours it over ice into a frozen mug, the same way the chain has done it for a century. That’s why the float tastes the way it does, and why ordering the root beer on its own is no consolation prize. It’s the headline item, and it happens to be vegan.
What’s Vegan at A&W?
Vegan choices at A&W are thin, and it’s honest to say so. The clear win is the drinks. A&W root beer is made with real cane sugar and no animal ingredients, so it’s vegan, and the other fountain sodas are too. The fries are dairy-free and gluten-free by ingredient, which makes them vegan on paper, but the shared fryer means strict vegans may want to skip them or ask. There’s no vegan ice cream or soft serve, so floats, shakes, and sundaes are all out for vegans. A&W doesn’t offer a plant-based burger or meatless main in the U.S., so a vegan visit is mostly a root beer and a side of fries.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
A few catches are worth knowing before you order. Here’s where vegetarian and vegan eaters should slow down.
- Rennet in the cheese curds. A&W doesn’t publish whether the Wisconsin cheddar uses animal or microbial rennet. Most people consider the curds vegetarian, but if you avoid animal rennet, ask the location or skip them.
- Shared fryer. Fries, cheese curds, and onion rings are cooked in the same oil as breaded chicken at most restaurants. The fries have no animal ingredients of their own, but cross-contact makes them a ⚠️ for strict vegans.
- Egg and dairy. The slaw uses mayonnaise, which contains egg. The soft serve, shakes, floats, sundaes, and cheese curds all contain dairy.
- Dipping sauces. Sauces vary by location and some are mayo-based. Check the specific sauce if you’re vegan.
- Ask for the allergen sheet. A&W publishes a nutrition and allergen guide, and recipes can change. Confirm with the manager if a detail matters to you.
How to Build a Vegetarian Meal at A&W
Since there’s no meatless main, the trick is to treat the sides as the meal. A solid order is a large fry, a 5-ounce cheese curd, and a root beer float. That gives you something crispy, something cheesy, and something sweet, and it eats like a full lunch. Want it bigger? Swap in the 10-ounce curds and add onion rings. Want it vegan? Drop the curds and the float, get the fries (ask about the fryer), and order the root beer straight. Neither version asks the kitchen for anything off-menu, which keeps the order simple and fast at the drive-thru.
Tips for Vegetarians at A&W
- Build your meal around the cheese curds and fries, then add onion rings if you want more.
- Get the root beer float. It’s the signature item and it’s vegetarian.
- Going vegan? Order plain A&W root beer and ask whether the fries can come from a clean fryer.
- Skip the slaw if you avoid egg, since the dressing is mayo-based.
- If you avoid animal rennet, ask about the cheese curds before you order or stick to the fries.
- Pair a hot side with a cold float for a full meal that doesn’t need a meatless burger.
- Check the allergen sheet at your location, since menus and suppliers vary.
Conclusion
A&W isn’t a place for a meatless burger, but it’s a fine stop for a vegetarian who wants cheese curds, fries, and the best root beer float in fast food. Order the sides, skip the rennet question only if it matters to you, and finish with a float. For more on eating out without meat, see our guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants and browse all our restaurant guides. If you liked this one, check out what’s vegetarian at Culver’s, Dairy Queen, and Sonic Drive-In.
