Arby's Vegetarian Options: Full 2026 Guide

Looking for Arbys vegetarian options? There’s no veggie burger, no bean patty, and no plant-based protein of any kind on this fast food menu. A meat-free visit means sides, sauces, and dessert. Arby’s built its whole identity on the “We Have the Meats” slogan. Fair enough. Below you get every meat-free item worth ordering, which ones are also vegan, and the cross-contact issues that matter. We checked each item against Arby’s November 2026 allergen and ingredient guides. For more meat-free dining help, start at What’s Vegetarian.

Arbys vegetarian options guide showing fries, sides, and sauces

A Quick Look at Arbys

Arby’s opened on July 23, 1964, in Boardman Township, Ohio, just outside Youngstown. Brothers Forrest and Leroy Raffel ran a restaurant-equipment business and bet on a fast-food concept built around roast beef instead of hamburgers. The name comes from “R.B.” for Raffel Brothers, not “roast beef” as people often assume.

Today Arby’s belongs to Inspire Brands, the Atlanta company that Arby’s parent became in 2018 when it bought Buffalo Wild Wings. Inspire also owns Sonic, Jimmy John’s, Dunkin’, and Baskin-Robbins. Inspire counts more than 3,200 Arby’s restaurants, so you’ll find one in most towns, even if Arby’s offers little for plant-based eaters.

Arbys Vegetarian Options: What to Order

Your Arbys vegetarian options come down to fried sides, turnovers, applesauce, and sauces. We sorted these meat-free menu items into vegetarian and vegan columns so you can spot the vegan picks at a glance. We marked an item vegan only where Arby’s lists no animal products in its ingredient guide. When in doubt, treat the cell as a no.

Menu Item	Vegetarian	Vegan
Curly Fries	✅	✅ (by recipe, shared fryer)
Crinkle Fries	✅	✅ (by recipe, shared fryer)
Potato Cakes	✅	✅ (by recipe, shared fryer)
French Toast Sticks	✅	✅ (by recipe, shared fryer)
Apple Turnover	✅	✅
Cherry Turnover	✅	✅
Tree Top Applesauce	✅	✅
Mozzarella Sticks	✅	❌
Jalapeño Bites	✅	❌
Arby’s (Original) Sauce	✅	✅
Bronco Berry Sauce	✅	✅
Marinara Sauce	✅	✅
Red Ranch Sauce	✅	✅
BBQ Dipping Sauce	✅	✅
Ranch Dipping Sauce / Spicy Buffalo Dipping Sauce	✅	❌
Ranch Sauce on sandwiches	❌ (contains gelatin)	❌
Mayonnaise / Honey Mustard / Horsey Sauce	⚠️ (contains egg)	❌
Any sandwich, slider, wrap, or gyro	❌	❌

One email a week on eating out vegetarianNew chain guides, new restaurants near you, and menu changes worth knowing. Unsubscribe anytime.

Sandwiches, Wraps, and Entrees

There’s nothing here for you. Every sandwich, slider, wrap, and gyro on the Arby’s menu contains meat. No veggie burger, no bean patty, no tofu or tempeh, and no plant-based protein anywhere on the board. Rob Lynch, then Arby’s president, said in 2019 that a meatless menu item “won’t happen on my watch.” Lynch left that year to run Papa John’s. Arby’s still sells no plant-based meat.

If you really want something sandwich-like, your only move is a do-it-yourself build. On the bread side, Arby’s lists no egg or milk in the marble rye, the sourdough breakfast bread, the sesame seed bun, or the slider bun. You could ask for a bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a vegan sauce. Treat that order as a workaround, not a menu item, and expect some stores to say no.

Sides and Fried Items

Sides are where Arby’s delivers for meat-free eaters. Curly Fries are the classic pick, salty and seasoned, and you can dunk them in Arby’s Sauce. Crinkle Fries and Potato Cakes (Arby’s take on hash browns) are vegan by recipe too, with no animal ingredients on Arby’s list. At breakfast, Arby’s marks only soy and wheat on the French Toast Sticks. Despite the name, the sticks have no egg or milk. You’ll fill up fastest on those four sides.

Two hot sides are vegetarian but not vegan. Expect milk and wheat in the Mozzarella Sticks and the Jalapeño Bites, which Arby’s stuffs with cream cheese. Arby’s fries both in the shared oil. On the mozzarella label, Arby’s lists only “enzymes,” so a vegetarian who avoids animal rennet can’t confirm the source. If you eat dairy, you get a solid warm option. Vegans should skip both sides.

Desserts and Applesauce

You won’t find a salad or a salad dressing in Arby’s November 2026 guides. Don’t plan on a fresh vegetable plate. Your lighter picks are applesauce and a dessert.

Dessert is a bright spot. Inside the Apple and Cherry Turnovers, you get palm-oil shortening instead of butter, and Arby’s marks only soy and wheat on each turnover. So both turnovers count as a rare fully vegan dessert at a fast-food chain. Count a turnover as a treat, not an everyday pick, if you watch sugar. For kids or a lighter finish, grab Tree Top Applesauce, a vegan fruit side.

What’s Vegan at Arbys?

The best vegan options at Arby’s are Curly Fries with Arby’s Sauce, Potato Cakes, an Apple or Cherry Turnover, and Tree Top Applesauce. We checked every pick against Arby’s ingredient list. Vegan sauces include Arby’s Sauce, Bronco Berry Sauce, ketchup, Marinara Sauce, Red Ranch Sauce, and the BBQ Dipping Sauce. Plain toppings like lettuce, tomato, red onion, and sauerkraut are fine. To drink, you’ve got Coca-Cola fountain drinks, bottled water, brewed unsweet tea, Simply Orange juice, Honest Kids apple juice, Powerade, and lemonade.

Now the part that trips people up. Start with ranch. The Ranch Sauce on Arby’s sandwiches contains gelatin, so that ranch isn’t even vegetarian. You won’t find gelatin in the Ranch Dipping Sauce cup, but that cup still has egg and milk. You’ll also find egg in the Honey Mustard, Horsey Sauce, Mayonnaise, and Thousand Island spread, and milk in the Spicy Buffalo dipping sauce. Honey Mustard also has honey, so vegans have two reasons to skip that sauce. Arby’s marks egg, milk, and wheat on the Crispy Onions. At breakfast, Arby’s lists buttermilk in the biscuit and marks egg and milk on the croissant sandwiches. And none of this matters for the sandwiches, because every sandwich has meat.

Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies

The biggest issue at Arby’s is the shared fryer. In its allergen guide, Arby’s puts a dagger next to fried items and defines that mark as “Menu item is cooked in the same oil as other items.” Arby’s says the Curly Fries, Crinkle Fries, Potato Cakes, and French Toast Sticks “may be cooked in the same oil as menu items that contain” egg, milk, soy, wheat, and fish (where available). So those sides are vegan by recipe, but Arby’s doesn’t cook them apart from meat, fish, or dairy.

Take the fish warning seriously. On each fried side, Arby’s marks fish “where available,” so at a store that sells fish, your fries may share oil with fish. Anyone avoiding fish for allergy or diet reasons should ask the store before ordering a fried side.

On gluten, Arby’s fries every meat-free hot side in oil shared with breaded foods, so a reliably gluten-free hot option is rare. Curly Fries, French Toast Sticks, and both turnovers contain wheat. The Crinkle Fries and Potato Cakes have no wheat ingredient, but Arby’s warns that wheat can reach them through the fryer oil. Tree Top Applesauce is your safest gluten-conscious pick. Check the current PDF before you order, since Arby’s updates these guides.

Tips for Vegetarians at Arbys

Lead with the sides. Curly Fries and Potato Cakes are your most reliable meat-free orders, and they’re filling.
Add Tree Top Applesauce when you want a break from fried food.
Stick to the vegan sauces: Arby’s Sauce, Bronco Berry, ketchup, Marinara, Red Ranch, and BBQ. Skip Honey Mustard, Horsey, Mayonnaise, Ranch, and Spicy Buffalo.
Dairy eaters get a hot, savory option from Mozzarella Sticks and Jalapeño Bites.
Save room for a turnover. Both the apple and cherry versions are vegan and easy to grab.
If you need zero animal cross-contact, know that the fries and cakes may share oil with items that contain egg, milk, and fish. Count them as vegan by recipe, not by preparation.
Pull up the current allergen guide on your phone before ordering, since formulations and regional items change.

Arbys vegetarian options: frequently asked questions

Does Arbys have vegetarian options?

Yes, but they’re limited to sides, sauces, and dessert. Every sandwich, burger, wrap, and entree contains meat. Lacto-ovo vegetarians can order Curly Fries, Crinkle Fries, Potato Cakes, Mozzarella Sticks, Jalapeño Bites, applesauce, the turnovers, and several sauces. There’s no veggie burger or plant-based protein on the menu.

What are the best Arbys vegetarian options?

Curly Fries with Arby’s Sauce top the list, since they’re filling and reliably meat-free. Potato Cakes are another strong pick, and vegans can finish with an Apple or Cherry Turnover. If you eat dairy, add Mozzarella Sticks for something hot and savory. Round out the meal with Tree Top Applesauce and a cup of Bronco Berry Sauce for dipping.

Are there vegan options at Arbys?

Yes, several sides and sauces are vegan by recipe. Curly Fries, Crinkle Fries, Potato Cakes, French Toast Sticks, both turnovers, and Tree Top Applesauce all work. Vegan sauces include Arby’s Sauce, Bronco Berry, ketchup, Marinara, Red Ranch, and BBQ. Fried sides may share oil with items that contain egg, milk, and fish, according to Arby’s.

Are the fries at Arbys vegetarian and vegan?

Yes, by recipe. Arby’s lists no meat, milk, or egg in the Curly Fries or Crinkle Fries, though the Curly Fries contain wheat. The catch is the shared fryer. Arby’s warns that both fries may share oil with items that contain egg, milk, soy, wheat, and fish (where available). Most vegetarians order them anyway, but skip the fries if you need zero cross-contact.

Does Arbys have a veggie burger or plant-based meat?

No. You won’t find a veggie burger or plant-based protein at Arby’s. In 2019, Arby’s denied a rumor about an Impossible Foods deal. Rob Lynch, then Arby’s president, said a meatless item ‘won’t happen on my watch.’ Lynch left that year to run Papa John’s. Even in the November 2026 guides, Arby’s lists no meatless main, so order sides, sauces, and dessert.

Which Arbys sauces are vegan?

Six sauces are vegan: Arby’s Sauce, Bronco Berry Sauce, ketchup, Marinara Sauce, Red Ranch Sauce, and the BBQ Dipping Sauce. Skip the Honey Mustard, Horsey Sauce, Mayonnaise, and Thousand Island spread, which contain egg. The Ranch Dipping Sauce has egg and milk, and the Spicy Buffalo dip has milk. Worse, Arby’s puts gelatin in the Ranch Sauce on its sandwiches.

Does Inspire Brands have any vegetarian options on its menus?

Yes, at Arby’s, but only sides, sauces, and dessert. Curly Fries, Potato Cakes, Mozzarella Sticks, and the turnovers are meat-free, and no sandwich qualifies. Inspire Brands also owns Sonic, Jimmy John’s, Dunkin’, Baskin-Robbins, and Buffalo Wild Wings, so check each brand’s own menu. Don’t expect a veggie burger or plant-based meat at Arby’s.

Conclusion

Arby’s is one of the harder fast-food stops for meat-free eaters, but you won’t go hungry. Lean on the Curly Fries, Potato Cakes, applesauce, and a turnover, and you’ve got a workable meal. Keep the shared fryer in mind if you’re strict about cross-contact, and pull up the allergen guide before you order. For a broader strategy on eating out, see our guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants, and browse more chains in our restaurant guides. You might also like our breakdowns of Burger King vegetarian options and Wendy’s vegetarian options.