Steak ‘n Shake: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Steak ‘n Shake doesn’t have a veggie burger, a Beyond or Impossible patty, or any meatless main. Worse, since late February 2025 the chain fries everything in 100% beef tallow, so the fries, tots, and onion rings that used to be the easy fallback no longer work for vegetarians. Treat this as a salad-and-shake stop, not a full meal.

What to order at Steak ‘n Shake

Build a Garden or Side Salad without meat, and skip the cheese and croutons with a vinaigrette dressing to keep it vegan. The Grilled Cheese, made with American cheese on sourdough, is vegetarian if you confirm the grill butter. You can also order a Frisco Melt with no patties, though the Frisco sauce contains egg. Applesauce is vegan as served, and hand-dipped milkshakes round out the short list, vegetarian only since they use dairy ice cream.

What to watch out for

The beef tallow switch is the single biggest thing to know before you order. French fries, Cajun fries, cheese fries, tots, and onion rings all cook in rendered cow fat now, so none of them are vegetarian anymore, no matter what the potatoes themselves are made of. The onion rings also contain whey. Steakburgers, chicken, chili, and the Frisco Melt with patties are obviously off the table. With the fried sides gone, your options here really do come down to salad, grilled cheese, milk or dairy drinks, and plain fountain drinks.