First Watch vegetarian options are easier to put together than you might expect at an egg-focused chain. First Watch is a daytime restaurant, so the menu leans on eggs for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Fresh produce shows up just as often, in pancakes, avocado toast, grain bowls, and fresh-pressed juices. Vegetarians can build a full meal from any of those dishes. This guide walks the menu, marks the vegan picks, and flags what to skip or change. It’s part of our wider work helping vegetarians and vegans eat well anywhere.
A Quick Look at First Watch
Ken Pendery and John Sullivan opened the first First Watch in 1983 in Pacific Grove, California, after both left the Le Peep breakfast chain. The name is an old naval term for the first work shift of the day, which fits a restaurant that only serves the morning and midday crowd. Bradenton, Florida became the head office in 1986, and growth never really slowed. Today First Watch is a public company with more than 630 restaurants across 32 states. You can read the company’s full history on its Wikipedia page. Because the kitchen cooks everything to order, it’s an easy place to ask for changes to a dish.
First Watch Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Here’s the quick reference. The table below covers the meat-free picks and shows which ones are already vegan or easy to make vegan. Menu items and prep can change by season and by location, so check the in-store menu or the official First Watch menu if you need to be sure.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Avocado Toast | ✅ | ✅ (no eggs, toast without butter) |
| A.M. Superfoods Bowl | ✅ | ✅ (ask for toast without margarine) |
| Market Hash | ✅ | ❌ (eggs and cheese) |
| Frittata Rustica (vegetable frittata) | ✅ | ❌ (eggs and cheese) |
| Tri-Athlete egg white omelet | ✅ | ❌ (eggs and cheese) |
| Multigrain Pancakes | ✅ | ❌ (egg and dairy batter) |
| Lemon Ricotta Pancakes | ✅ | ❌ (ricotta cheese) |
| Belgian Waffle | ✅ | ❌ (egg and dairy) |
| French Toast | ✅ | ❌ (challah and butter) |
| Steel-Cut Oatmeal | ✅ | ✅ with a non-dairy milk swap |
| Sunrise Granola Bowl | ✅ | ❌ (Greek yogurt) |
| Power Breakfast Quinoa Bowl | ✅ without the sausage | ❌ (eggs and Parmesan) |
| Seasoned potatoes | ✅ | ✅ |
| Fresh seasonal fruit | ✅ | ✅ |
| Whole grain artisan toast | ✅ | ✅ (no butter, add preserves) |
| Fresh juices (Kale Tonic and more) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Market Veggie sandwich (mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, pesto, mozzarella) | ✅ | ❌ (mozzarella and mayo) |
| Tomato Basil Soup (cup or bowl) | ✅ | ❌ (contains milk) |
Vegetarian Breakfast and Brunch Plates
The best First Watch vegetarian options for a savory meal start with the hashes and frittatas. The Market Hash piles cage-free eggs over seasoned potatoes. It adds house-roasted crimini mushrooms, onions, red peppers, baby spinach, melted Mozzarella, and herbed goat cheese, with toast on the side. The Frittata Rustica is an Italian-style baked omelet. It packs kale, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes under Mozzarella and Parmesan, with ciabatta and lemon-dressed greens.
Want eggs without the heavier toppings? The Tri-Athlete is an egg white omelet with crimini mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and green chiles. Since everything is cooked to order, you can also ask for a build-your-own omelet with just vegetables and cheese. The Power Breakfast Quinoa Bowl is built around quinoa, kale, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, Parmesan, and eggs. It comes with Italian sausage, so ask for it without the sausage to keep it vegetarian.
Pancakes, Waffles, and French Toast
Sweet tooth? First Watch delivers. The multigrain pancakes are famously huge, and they come in Plain, Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, Banana Granola Almond Crunch, Carrot Cake, and Pecan. Whipped ricotta goes into the batter for the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, which arrive topped with berries, lemon curd, and cinnamon sugar. The Belgian Waffle keeps it simple with berry compote and cinnamon sugar, and the French Toast uses thick-cut challah with whipped butter and warm berries. All of these dishes are vegetarian, but none are vegan, since the batter and bread each contain egg and dairy.
Lighter Vegetarian Picks and Bowls
First Watch groups a handful of lighter, healthy dishes under its Healthier Side section. The A.M. Superfoods Bowl is the standout, layering coconut-milk chia pudding, banana, fresh berries, mixed-berry compote, almond granola, and toast with almond butter. Non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt anchors the Sunrise Granola Bowl, alongside fruit and granola. Berries, banana, pecans, and brown sugar top the Steel-Cut Oatmeal. Both the oatmeal and the granola bowl come with a freshly baked muffin of the day, and avocado toast rounds out the lighter side with smashed avocado, olive oil, lemon, and sea salt over whole grain toast.
Salads, Sandwiches, and Soup at Lunch
Lunch brings real vegetarian meals too, not just a side plate. First Watch runs two solid sandwiches: the Veggie Burger, a seasoned patty of brown rice, Peppadew peppers, onions, carrots, and mushrooms served with avocado, greens, tomato, and Dijonnaise on a brioche bun, and the Market Veggie, built from house-roasted crimini mushrooms, zucchini, and fresh spinach with basil pesto, mayo, and mozzarella on grilled artisan whole grain bread. The Veggie Burger isn’t at every location, so a quick call ahead is worth it. Both sandwiches come with a choice of side, organic mixed greens or a cup of Tomato Basil Soup, and the soup is vegetarian too. It’s made with milk, wheat, and celery, but it isn’t vegan. First Watch also serves a Power Wrap filled with egg whites and vegetables, an easy vegetarian pick at lunch. When ordering, just say what to leave off.
The salads all come with meat as listed, like the Sweet Honey Pecan Salad, the Kale & Berry Salad, and the Chicken Avocado Chop Salad. Ask the kitchen to leave off the chicken, bacon, or turkey, and any one of them becomes a solid vegetarian plate. The Kale & Berry Salad without chicken is a favorite, with kale, organic mixed greens, carrots, strawberries, blueberries, pecans, and goat cheese. Dressings like the maple lemon vinaigrette and citrus chipotle are on hand, and the greens come lightly dressed.
Kale shows up a lot on this menu. This superfood anchors the Kale Tonic juice, and the Kale & Berry Salad is basically a superfood kale salad. First Watch builds its plates on fresh ingredients, which helps when you’re hunting for vegan options or a lighter, healthy meal. For sides, think seasoned potatoes, fresh fruit, toast, and mixed greens. Many of these menu items are loaded with vegetables, so you can easily put together a full vegetarian meal.
What’s Vegan at First Watch?
Vegan diners have fewer ready-made plates, but a few solid options exist. Avocado toast works if you order it with no eggs and ask for the toast plain, with no butter or margarine. The A.M. Superfoods Bowl is close to vegan already, again with the toast served without margarine. Seasoned potatoes and fresh seasonal fruit are both vegan-friendly sides, and so are plain toast with preserves, black beans, and lemon-dressed mixed greens. The granola is made without dairy or honey per dietary guides, though it’s smart to confirm the ingredients with your server.
Drinks help too. First Watch runs a fresh juice bar alongside coffee. The Kale Tonic blends kale, Fuji apple, English cucumber, and lemon. The Morning Meditation mixes orange, lemon, ginger, beet, turmeric, and agave. Purple Haze and Watermelon Wake-Up round out the juice list, and there is fresh-squeezed orange, grapefruit, cranberry, and apple juice too. The Project Sunrise coffee is bottomless, and there is iced tea and iced coffee as well. Most locations pour almond or oat milk if you want a dairy-free splash. Just ask for tea or coffee without honey to keep it vegan.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
A few things to keep in mind. The eggs are cage-free, and gluten-free toast is available as a swap. The cheeses, ricotta, lemon curd, and Greek yogurt all contain dairy, so vegan diners should steer clear of those. Strict vegetarians who avoid animal rennet may want to ask about the Parmesan. The whole grain toast and English muffin usually come with butter or margarine. Ask for them plain if you want to stay vegan. If you take coffee or oatmeal, ask about non-dairy milk: most locations stock one of two options, oat milk or almond milk. First Watch also runs seasonal items that rotate through the year, so the lineup of menu items can shift. When in doubt, ask the kitchen or check the official allergen details before you order.
Tips for Vegetarians at First Watch
A handful of First Watch vegetarian options become full vegan meals with small tweaks. Because the food is made to order, don’t be shy about changes. Drop the sausage from the Power Breakfast Quinoa Bowl. Skip the bacon on a hash, or build an omelet from just vegetables and cheese. Order the Tomato Basil Soup as your side if you want something warm. Ask for toast without butter to take any one dish vegan. Remember the chain is daytime only, so there’s no dinner service. And if you eat dairy, the pancakes and French toast are some of the most popular plates on the whole menu, vegetarian or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bottom Line
First Watch vegetarian options give you a real breakfast and brunch out, not just a side plate. Between the hashes, frittatas, pancakes, bowls, and juices, vegetarians have plenty to order, and vegans can build a good plate with a couple of simple swaps. For more help eating out, see our guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants and browse the full restaurant guides. If you like a breakfast spot, you might also like what is vegetarian at IHOP, Denny’s, and Cracker Barrel.
