Fazoli's Vegetarian Options: Full 2026 Guide

Looking for Fazoli’s vegetarian options? Here’s the full list. Fazoli’s is one of the friendlier fast-casual stops for vegetarians because the menu is built around pasta. You can count on spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne with marinara or Alfredo sauce. Add cheese pizza, salads, minestrone soup, and those free garlic breadsticks. If you’re newer to ordering meat-free, our guide to eating vegetarian at restaurants pairs well with this one. Here’s what to order, what to skip, and how to keep your meal vegan.

Fazoli's vegetarian options — what to order

A Quick Look at Fazoli’s

Fazoli’s has served fast Italian-American food since the late 1980s. It’s still best known for the unlimited garlic breadsticks that come with most orders. Here are the milestones worth knowing:

1988: The first location opens in Lexington, Kentucky, under the name “Gratzi’s,” created as a sister brand of Jerrico, then the parent company of Long John Silver’s.
1989: The chain is renamed “Fazoli’s” after research found “Gratzi’s” sounded too close to hockey star Wayne Gretzky’s name.
1990s–2000s: Fazoli’s expands nationwide as a quick-service Italian concept built around pasta and free breadsticks.
2021: FAT Brands buys Fazoli’s for about $130 million. That added it to a portfolio with Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, and Round Table Pizza.
2025: Fazoli’s opens its first Canadian location in Calgary in June, the start of a planned 25-restaurant push into Canada.
Today: Fazoli’s runs about 147 restaurants, specializing in Italian-American fast-casual food.

Fazoli’s Vegetarian Options: What to Order

Baked Ziti and Garlic Breadsticks at Fazoli's — Baked ziti and garlic breadsticks at fazolis order the pasta without meat sauce for a vegetarian meal Photo by michael rivera cc by sa 4 0 via wikimedia commons

Here’s a quick reference for the vegetarian and vegan options you’ll find at most Fazoli’s locations. Menus change and vary by location, so treat this as a starting point and confirm with the staff before you order.

Fazoli’s Vegetarian and Vegan Options

Menu Item	Vegetarian	Vegan
Spaghetti with Marinara	Yes	Yes*
Fettuccine with Marinara	Yes	Yes*
Penne with Marinara	Yes	Yes*
Fettuccine Alfredo	Yes	No
Baked Spaghetti	Yes	No
Cheese Ravioli	Yes	No
Cheese Pizza	Yes	No
House Side Salad (no cheese)	Yes	Yes
Caesar Salad (no chicken)	Yes**	No
Minestrone Soup	Yes	Yes
Garlic Breadsticks	Yes	Yes*
Italian Lemon Ice	Yes	Yes
Cheesecake	Yes	No

*Vegan when ordered without the parmesan spice blend (pasta) or garlic butter (breadsticks). **Caesar dressing may contain anchovy — ask to confirm.

Vegetarian Pasta at Fazoli’s

Pasta is the heart of the menu, and most of it is vegetarian as long as you skip the meat sauce and meatball add-ons:

Spaghetti, Fettuccine, Penne, or Rotini with Marinara: Your pasta of choice — Fazoli’s even offers gluten-friendly rotini — topped with marinara, a tomato-garlic-herb sauce. Vegetarian, and vegan if you ask them to hold the parmesan spice blend.
Fettuccine Alfredo: Pasta in a creamy Alfredo sauce. Vegetarian, but the dairy in the sauce keeps it off the vegan list.
Baked Spaghetti: Spaghetti with marinara baked under mozzarella and provolone. Order it without the meat sauce for a vegetarian version.
Cheese Ravioli: Cheese-filled ravioli topped with marinara. Vegetarian, but the pasta contains egg, so it’s not vegan.

Vegetarian Pizza, Salads, and Soup at Fazoli’s

Cheese Pizza: Pizza sauce and a mozzarella-provolone blend on a garlic-buttered crust. Vegetarian; the cheese and buttered crust keep it from being vegan.
House Side Salad: A bed of lettuce with tomatoes, red cabbage, and shredded carrots, normally topped with mozzarella and cheddar. It’s vegetarian as served. Skip the cheese and pick a vegan dressing like red wine balsamic or fat-free Italian to make it vegan.
Caesar Salad (no chicken): Romaine, parmesan, and breadstick croutons. Vegetarian if you leave off the meat, but Caesar dressing often contains anchovy — ask the staff to confirm.
Minestrone Soup: A hearty vegetable soup with pasta, beans, and tomatoes. This one is both vegetarian and vegan.

Breadsticks and Dessert at Fazoli’s

Garlic Breadsticks: The signature free breadsticks are brushed with garlic butter, so they’re vegetarian but not vegan as served. Ask for them “dry” without the butter and they’ll make a vegan batch.
Italian Lemon Ice: A semi-frozen, dairy-free lemon dessert that’s both vegetarian and vegan.
Cheesecake: Rich and creamy, so it’s vegetarian but contains dairy.

What’s Vegan at Fazoli’s?

Vegan options take a little customizing, but they’re genuinely good here. Stick to these:

Spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne with marinara — ask for no parmesan spice blend
Garlic breadsticks ordered “dry” without the garlic butter
House side salad with no cheese, plus a vegan dressing (red wine balsamic, house Italian, or fat-free Italian)
Minestrone soup
Italian lemon ice for dessert

One thing to know: the pastas share cooking equipment with the cheese ravioli, which contains egg, so cross-contamination is possible. If that’s a dealbreaker, ask the staff how they prepare your dish.

Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies

Fazoli’s publishes allergen and nutrition information on its website and can provide it in-store, so check there if you have specific needs. A few things to keep in mind:

Parmesan spice blend: Pastas are often topped with a parmesan blend. Ask them to leave it off to keep a marinara dish vegan.
Breadstick butter: The garlic breadsticks are brushed with butter by default. Request them dry for a vegan version.
Caesar dressing: Traditional Caesar dressing can contain anchovy, so confirm the ingredients if you avoid fish.
Shared equipment: Pastas share prep and cooking equipment with egg-based ravioli, so cross-contamination is possible in a fast kitchen.

Tips for Vegetarians at Fazoli’s

Build your own pasta: Pick a pasta shape and a meatless sauce like marinara or Alfredo, and you’ve got a quick vegetarian meal.
Go vegan with marinara: Marinara is your friend — just ask to skip the parmesan blend and the buttered breadsticks.
Watch the salads: The house side salad is the safe pick. Double-check the Caesar dressing for anchovy.
Ask about regional items: Menus and limited-time dishes vary by location, so confirm with staff or the online allergen guide before you order.

That’s the complete rundown of Fazoli’s vegetarian options. Bookmark this guide so you always know what to order. Then check our other restaurant guides for more meatless picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fazoli’s good for vegetarians?

Yes, Fazoli’s is one of the easier fast-casual chains for vegetarians. The menu is built around pasta. You can order spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne with marinara or Alfredo sauce. Add cheese pizza, salads, minestrone soup, and the famous garlic breadsticks. Just steer around the meat sauce and the chicken and meatball add-ons.

Are Fazoli’s breadsticks vegetarian?

Yes, Fazoli’s signature garlic breadsticks are vegetarian. They’re brushed with garlic butter, so they contain dairy and aren’t vegan as served. Want them vegan? Ask for them “dry” without the garlic butter and the staff will make a fresh batch.

What can vegans eat at Fazoli’s?

Vegans have a few solid picks here. Order pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne) with marinara and no parmesan spice blend. Add dry breadsticks without garlic butter, a garden salad without cheese, minestrone soup, and Italian lemon ice for dessert. Ask for the marinara and confirm the pasta hasn’t been topped with the cheese blend.

Is the marinara sauce at Fazoli’s vegan?

Yes, Fazoli’s marinara is made from tomatoes, garlic, and herbs with no meat or dairy, so it’s vegan. The catch is the parmesan spice blend that’s often sprinkled on top. Ask for your pasta without it to keep the dish fully plant-based.

Is Fazoli’s Caesar salad vegetarian?

Order the Caesar salad without the chicken and bacon and it’s mostly vegetarian. But there’s a catch: traditional Caesar dressing often contains anchovy. The salad also comes with parmesan and breadstick croutons. Ask the staff to confirm the dressing’s ingredients if strict vegetarian eating matters to you.

Does Fazoli’s have vegan dessert?

Yes. Fazoli’s Italian lemon ice is a semi-frozen, dairy-free treat that’s vegan-friendly and a nice way to finish a meal. The cheesecake and other creamy desserts contain dairy, so they’re vegetarian but not vegan.

Is the cheese ravioli at Fazoli’s vegetarian?

Yes, the cheese ravioli is vegetarian — it’s filled with cheese and topped with marinara sauce. It’s not vegan, though, since the pasta contains egg and the filling is dairy. Keep in mind the pastas share cooking equipment with the ravioli, so cross-contamination with egg is possible.

Conclusion: What’s Vegetarian at Fazoli’s?

Fazoli’s makes meat-free dining easy, especially if you love pasta. Lean on spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne with marinara or Alfredo. Grab a cheese pizza or minestrone soup, and don’t leave without the garlic breadsticks. For more meat-free dining strategies, see our master guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants, or browse all of our restaurant guides.

Want more Italian and fast-casual options? Check out what’s vegetarian at Olive Garden, Papa Murphy’s, and Villa Italian Kitchen.

What's Vegetarian at Fazoli's? license plate graphic

Eric

Eric Rosenberg is a mostly vegetarian financial writer, speaker, and consultant based in Ventura, California. He is an expert in banking, credit cards, investing, cryptocurrency, insurance, real estate, business finance, and financial fraud and security. His work has appeared in many online publications, including Time, USA Today, Forbes, Business Insider, Nerdwallet, Investopedia, and U.S. News & World Report. Connect with him and learn more at EricRosenberg.com.

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