Looking for Red Robin vegetarian options? You get two meatless patties, a bottomless side list, and a Donatos pizza with a plant-only topping list. Vegans have more checking to do. Red Robin says it may fry items in the same oil it uses for animal ingredients. If you have ever wondered what about the vegetarians, this guide covers what to order, what to skip, and what to ask your server.
A Quick Look at Red Robin
Red Robin started in Seattle in 1940 as a tavern, and owner Samuel Caston reportedly renamed it Sam’s Red Robin Tavern in 1942. Caston sang in a barbershop quartet. Regulars often heard him belt out the song “When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along).” Local restaurateur Gerry Kingen bought the place in 1969 and dropped the “Sam’s.” He ran it as a tavern for a few years before he added hamburgers. Kingen began franchising it a decade later, and the first franchise opened in Yakima, Washington, in 1979.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers now runs its headquarters in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The company reported 475 locations in North America at the end of 2025, and franchisees ran 90 of them, according to its 2025 annual report. It’s a casual-dining chain, so a server can walk a meatless order through the kitchen for you.
Red Robin Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Start with a patty. Red Robin offers an ancient-grain veggie patty and the Impossible patty. You can order the veggie patty on the Keep It Simple Burger, which Red Robin describes as “pickles, onion, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun.” The Veggie burger in the Veggie & More section stacks the veggie patty with Swiss, salsa, sliced avocado, roasted garlic aioli, and lettuce on a brioche bun. The Impossible Cheeseburger comes with your choice of cheese, pickle relish, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo on a brioche bun. All three work for vegetarians. The Veggie and the Impossible aren’t vegan as written, because each one carries cheese plus mayo or aioli. The Keep It Simple has no cheese or sauce. But Red Robin doesn’t say whether the veggie patty or the brioche bun has egg or dairy.
Red Robin Vegetarian and Vegan Options
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Veggie burger (ancient-grain patty, Swiss, salsa, avocado, roasted garlic aioli) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (Swiss, aioli) |
| Impossible Cheeseburger (cheese, mayo, pickle relish) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (cheese, mayo) |
| Keep It Simple Burger with the veggie patty | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (no published egg or dairy status for the patty or bun) |
| Bottomless steak fries | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (shared frying oil) |
| Sweet potato fries and Yukon chips | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (shared frying oil) |
| Garlic fries | ⚠️ Check (parmesan cheese, rennet unconfirmed) | ❌ No (parmesan) |
| Bottomless steamed broccoli | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check how the kitchen prepares it |
| Garlic parmesan broccoli | ⚠️ Check (parmesan cheese, rennet unconfirmed) | ❌ No (parmesan) |
| House salad (tomato, cucumber, cheddar, croutons) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (cheddar) |
| Donatos Very Vegy pizza (tomato, green peppers, onion, mushrooms, spinach, olives) | ⚠️ Check (toppings only on the menu page) | ⚠️ Check (no cheese or crust details) |
Burgers and Patties: Building a Vegetarian Order
The veggie patty is the base for most meatless orders. On the Keep It Simple, Red Robin offers a beef patty, turkey patty, grilled chicken breast, or ancient-grain veggie patty. Tell your server which one you want. You can also order it as a lettuce wrap, which takes the brioche bun out of the question. Ask for the Veggie burger as listed if you want the Swiss, salsa, and avocado stack. Ask for the Keep It Simple Burger if you want something plainer.
The Impossible Cheeseburger works the same way. You pick the cheese, and the kitchen adds pickle relish, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo. Skip the cheese and the mayo for a dairy-free and egg-free build. Then check the patty and the bun on the Allergy-Friendly Menu, because Red Robin doesn’t call either patty vegan.
Bottomless Fries and Sides
Red Robin describes its Steak Fries as slices “slightly sprinkled with our signature seasoned salt,” and it refills them without limit. Red Robin also fries thin-cut sweet potato fries with a dash of salt, and it sells Yukon chips with Red Robin Seasoning. Vegetarians can order all three. Red Robin adds a warning on its menu pages: “Fried items may be prepared in the same frying oil as menu items containing animal ingredients.” The chain also says it can’t guarantee that cross-contact won’t happen. If that matters to you, say so when you order.
Red Robin makes its garlic fries with garlic Parmesan butter and Parmesan cheese. It tops garlic parmesan broccoli with garlic butter and grated parmesan. Vegans should skip both. The plain steamed broccoli is the simplest vegetable side. Ask your server how the kitchen prepares it, because Red Robin describes it only as “Fresh broccoli, steamed to perfection.”
Salads, Pizza, and Hidden Catches
The house salad comes with diced tomato, English cucumber, shredded cheddar, and croutons on mixed greens. It’s vegetarian as written, and you can ask your server to hold the cheddar. You pick the dressing, so read the allergen menu before you choose.
Red Robin served Donatos pizza at 260 restaurants at the end of 2025. Red Robin tops the Very Vegy pizza with tomato, green peppers, yellow onion, mushrooms, baby spinach, and green olives. It doesn’t list the cheese or the crust, so check both before you count it as vegetarian or vegan. Strict lacto-vegetarians have one more question. Red Robin doesn’t say what rennet its cheeses use, so ask if that matters to you.
What’s Vegan at Red Robin?
Red Robin doesn’t hand vegans a clean list. Red Robin calls the Impossible burger “plant-based” and says of the Veggie, “No meat here.” It doesn’t label either one vegan, and both come with cheese plus mayo or aioli. Order a build with no cheese and no sauces, or ask for a lettuce wrap on the Keep It Simple. Then confirm every piece on the Allergy-Friendly Menu.
Fries, sweet potato fries, and Yukon chips are plant-based by ingredient, but the shared-oil warning applies to them. Vegans who avoid cross-contact with animal products should skip the fryer and order steamed broccoli or a house salad without cheddar.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Red Robin runs an online Allergy-Friendly Menu. You pick allergens to avoid, including gluten, dairy, nuts, and soy, and you get a custom menu back. Red Robin says it notifies the kitchen when a guest makes an allergen request. Its Certified Master Allergen Trainers keep the program current. Servers mark an allergen-accommodated meal with a purple pick. Check it before you go.
Keep three things in mind. Red Robin says it may fry items in the same oil as animal ingredients. The chain doesn’t publish a rennet source for its cheeses. And Red Robin lists the Donatos toppings but not the crust. Tell your server you eat vegetarian or vegan when you order.
How to Order a Meatless Meal Without Surprises
Start with the patty and name it out loud. Say “veggie patty” or “Impossible patty” so the kitchen doesn’t default to beef on a build like the Keep It Simple Burger. Then walk the toppings. Pickles, onion, lettuce, and tomato rarely cause trouble. Cheese, mayo, and aioli are the add-ons that change the answer for vegans and for anyone avoiding eggs.
Next, pick your side with the fryer in mind. You skip the fryer entirely with steamed broccoli or the house salad, and the steak fries stay vegetarian by ingredient. If you share a table, tell the server early. Red Robin says it notifies the kitchen when a guest flags a request. You can also run your order through the Allergy-Friendly Menu on your phone before you sit down.
Finally, check the current menu on the day you visit. A quick look at the live menu beats relying on a guide that’s months old, ours included.
Tips for Vegetarians at Red Robin
- Order the Veggie burger or swap the veggie patty into the Keep It Simple Burger. Both work for vegetarians.
- Ask for the Impossible Cheeseburger if you want a closer-to-beef bite, and tell your server which cheese you want.
- Hold the cheese and the mayo or aioli if you want to cut dairy and egg.
- Tell your server about the shared frying oil before you order fries.
- Skip the garlic fries and garlic parmesan broccoli if you avoid dairy or rennet.
- Run your order through the Allergy-Friendly Menu on redrobin.com before you leave home.
- Pick steamed broccoli or the house salad as a lighter side.
Red Robin Vegetarian Options: Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Red Robin gives vegetarians two meatless patties, and you can refill the steak fries as often as you like. Vegans have a harder time, because the chain labels no burger vegan and may fry in the same oil as animal ingredients. For more on ordering out, read our guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants, or browse every chain in the restaurants category. If you like burger spots, see what is vegetarian at Five Guys, Shake Shack, and Smashburger.
