Looking for Captain D’s vegetarian options? Here’s the full list. Captain D’s is a seafood chain, so vegetarians won’t find a meatless main here, but you can still build a meal from the sides. Think baked potato, broccoli, corn on the cob, and a side salad. The catch is that a few sides you’d expect to be safe aren’t, and the fryer oil changes depending on where you are. This guide walks you through exactly what’s vegetarian at Captain D’s, what’s vegan, which dishes to skip, and what to ask before you order. If Captain D’s comes up short, you can always check what’s vegetarian at other restaurants.
A Quick Look at Captain D’s
Captain D’s has been frying seafood for more than 50 years, and it’s grown from a single Tennessee spot into one of the country’s biggest fast seafood chains. Here’s the short version of how it got here.
- Founded in 1969 in Donelson, Tennessee, by Raymond L. Danner Sr. The first restaurant opened as “Mr. D’s Seafood and Hamburgers.”
- Renamed Captain D’s in 1975, when the company launched national franchising and leaned fully into seafood.
- Folded into Shoney’s in the mid-1970s, where it stayed for decades as the company’s seafood brand.
- Changed hands several times since: Sagittarius Brands bought it for about $150 million in 2005, followed by Sun Capital Partners in 2010 and Centre Partners in 2013.
- Owned today by Centre Partners, which bought the chain back in 2022 after a stretch under Sentinel Capital Partners.
- More than 500 restaurants across the United States, run from the company’s Nashville, Tennessee headquarters.
Captain D’s Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Here’s the short answer: Captain D’s has no vegetarian entree. The mains are all seafood and meat: batter-dipped wild-caught white fish, a grilled white fish fillet, blackened fish, grilled salmon, butterfly shrimp, chicken tenders, and the Giant Fish Sandwich. None of those headline menu items and sandwiches work for you, whether you order them fried or grilled. What you can do is build a plate from the sides, and a handful of them are genuinely good. The table below sorts the most common sides and dishes by whether they’re vegetarian, vegan, or neither. Menus and recipes vary by location, so treat this as your starting point and confirm with the staff before ordering.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Baked Potato (no butter or sour cream) | Yes | Yes |
| Broccoli (no butter) | Yes | Yes |
| Corn on the Cob (no butter) | Yes | Yes |
| Side Salad (no cheese) | Yes | Yes |
| Breadstick | Yes | Likely (ask about butter) |
| French Fries | Varies by location* | Varies by location* |
| Fried Okra | Yes | No (milk and egg) |
| Hush Puppies | Yes | No (milk and egg) |
| Coleslaw | Yes | No (egg) |
| Seasoned Rice | Yes | No (milk) |
| Macaroni and Cheese | Yes | No (dairy) |
| Funnel Cake Stix | Yes | No (milk) |
| Classic Cheesecake | Yes | No (dairy) |
| Green Beans | No (ham) | No |
*Some Captain D’s locations fry in beef tallow, which makes the French fries neither vegetarian nor vegan. Others use soybean oil. Ask your local restaurant before you order them.
Vegetarian Sides at Captain D’s
These are the sides a vegetarian can order, with the details that matter for each one. They give you a fair variety once you know which ones to recommend and which to leave off the tray.
- Baked Potato: The Captain D’s baked potato is your most reliable pick, and one of the healthiest things on the menu. Order it plain or with no butter and no sour cream to keep it vegan, then add salt and pepper. Skip the loaded baked potato, which comes with cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits.
- Broccoli: Steamed florets. Ask for no butter if you want it vegan.
- Corn on the Cob: Comes buttered by default, so request no butter for a vegan version.
- Side Salad: Fresh greens and vegetables. Skip the cheese and pick a fat-free Italian dressing to make it vegan.
- Breadstick: Captain D’s lists its breadstick as dairy-free, which makes it vegetarian and a strong vegan candidate. Ask whether it’s brushed with butter at your location.
- French Fries: Vegetarian on paper, but the fryer oil decides it. Beef tallow at some locations rules them out, and even soybean-oil restaurants share the fryer with seafood.
- Fried Okra: Vegetarian, but the breading has milk and egg, so it’s not vegan. It may also share fryer oil with seafood.
- Hush Puppies: Captain D’s hush puppies are a Southern fried-cornmeal classic. Vegetarian, with milk and egg in the batter, so the hush puppies are not vegan.
- Coleslaw: Vegetarian but not vegan, since the dressing contains egg.
- Macaroni and Cheese: Creamy and obviously dairy, so vegetarian only.
- Seasoned Rice: Vegetarian, but it contains milk, which keeps it off the vegan list.
Vegetarian Desserts and Drinks at Captain D’s
The sweet end of the menu is friendlier to vegetarians than the mains. Both Captain D’s desserts are meat-free, though they’re dairy desserts that contain dairy, so vegans will have to pass. The nutritional info posted in store can help you compare the two.
- Funnel Cake Stix: Crispy fried funnel cake dusted with powdered sugar. Vegetarian, but it contains milk and is fried, so confirm the oil and ask whether it shares a fryer with seafood.
- Classic Cheesecake: A standard dairy cheesecake. Vegetarian, not vegan.
- Drinks: Fountain sodas, sweet tea, unsweet tea, and lemonade are all vegan-friendly. For condiments, ketchup and malt vinegar are vegan, while tartar sauce and the creamy dipping sauces are not.
What’s Vegan at Captain D’s?
Vegan options are thin, but they exist if you order carefully. These plant-based sides are free of animal products, and they’re naturally low in cholesterol, which is a nice bonus at a fried-seafood spot. Stick to these and ask for the modifications noted:
- Baked Potato with no butter and no sour cream.
- Broccoli with no butter.
- Corn on the Cob with no butter.
- Side Salad with no cheese and a fat-free Italian dressing.
- Breadstick, if your location confirms it isn’t brushed with butter.
The French fries look vegan on paper, but the beef-tallow question makes them a gamble. Don’t count on them unless your location confirms they use vegetable oil.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Captain D’s publishes allergen and nutrition information online and at the restaurant, and it’s worth a look before you order. Recipes and ingredients change, so ask staff about the preparation of anything you’re unsure of. A few things to keep in mind as a vegetarian or vegan diner:
- Shared fryers are the norm. Most locations fry seafood, fish, and sides in the same oil, so fried items like okra, hush puppies, and funnel cake stix can carry traces of fish.
- The fry oil itself varies. Beef tallow at some restaurants means the French fries and other fried sides aren’t vegetarian there. Ask which oil your location uses.
- Green beans contain ham. They’re a meat-seasoned side, not a veggie one, so they’re out for vegetarians.
- Dairy and egg hide in the sides. Okra, hush puppies, coleslaw, mac and cheese, seasoned rice, and both desserts all contain milk or egg.
Tips for Vegetarians at Captain D’s
- Consider building your meal from two or three side menu items, since there’s no vegetarian entree to anchor the plate. Two breadsticks plus a baked potato and broccoli already make a filling meal.
- Lead with the steamed and baked sides (potato, broccoli, corn, salad) if you want to avoid the shared fryers entirely.
- Ask which oil the fryers use before ordering French fries, okra, or funnel cake stix. The answer changes by location.
- Say no to butter on the vegetables and no cheese on the salad if you’re keeping it vegan.
- Skip the green beans and the loaded baked potato, and double-check any seasonal or regional sides that aren’t on this list.
That’s the complete rundown of Captain D’s vegetarian options. Bookmark this guide so you always know what to order, and check our other restaurant guides for more meatless picks.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bottom Line
Captain D’s isn’t built for vegetarians, but you won’t go hungry if you stick to the sides. A baked potato, broccoli, corn, and a side salad make a solid plant-based plate, and you can add a breadstick, hush puppies, okra, mac and cheese, or a funnel cake for dessert if you eat dairy and egg. Just remember the two traps: the green beans have ham, and the French fries may be cooked in beef tallow. When in doubt, ask the staff. For more meat-free dining help, see our guide on eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants or browse the full restaurant guides. If you’re after seafood spots specifically, compare it with Long John Silver’s and Red Lobster, or check the Southern sides at Cracker Barrel.
