Are McDonald’s Fries Vegan? (Update in 2024)

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Are McDonald’s Fries Vegan in 2024? McDonald’s Fries are available in almost any place in the world. It’s one of the most famous fast-food snacks since it’s yummy, cheap, and quick to find! But, if you do consider yourself a vegetarian or vegan, you may be thinking, ‘Are McDonald’s Fries Vegan?’

The short answer is that McDonald’s fries are neither vegan nor vegetarian! Continue reading to find out more about this iconic food, its important ingredients, and vegan substitutes for McDonald’s fries!

Whether you’re a new vegan or have been eliminating animal products for years, it might be tough to know which restaurant chains provide plant-based substitutes or cuisine you can consume. So, when it comes to fast food, the line between safe and unsafe is even more confusing. For example, given that they’re comprised of potatoes and don’t appear to include meat or dairy, one may conclude that all French fries are vegan – but this is incorrect.

Sadly, for individuals who forgo animal products, not all fast-food items, including French fries, are vegan. If you make your own French fries, you may be careful to leave out any components you want to eliminate. However, for colossal food corporations such as McDonald’s, this is simply not viable.

Are McDonald’s Fries Vegan or vegetarian?

We hate to break the news, but McDonald’s French fries in the U. S. are not vegan, and they’re not vegetarian, which is unexpected. According to World of Vegan, the scrumptious fries at Mickey D’s contain dairy in the form of milk and meat in the form of beef.

You might be pondering how exactly McDonald’s French fries contain these flavors if they taste and look just like fried potatoes. According to TreeHugger, the old recipe once called for the fries to be cooked in animal lard to give them that distinctive taste. Later, the fast-food chain changed it up and began utilizing vegetable oil. However, I then changed it once more and began giving the fries a beef flavor.

After switching from animal fat to vegetable oil, McDonald’s apparently got criticisms that the signature french fries no longer tasted the same. As a result, they employ a beef taste, rendering the popular food neither vegan nor vegetarian.

On their webpage, you can discover the entire list of ingredients used in McDonald’s french fries and the calorie value for each size. The following is a list of everything necessary to produce their most renowned food, french fries:

List of Ingredients:

Dextrose, Potatoes, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (maintain Color), Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat And Milk Derivatives]*).

*The Natural Beef Flavor Contains Hydrolyzed Milk and Wheat.

Contains Wheat and Milk products.

Surprisingly, McDonald’s fries in the United States are not vegan; in fact, they are not even vegetarian!

McDonald’s now utilizes various ingredients in other countries, so its fries may be vegetarian or vegan-friendly. However, if you’re a vegan, you should avoid this renowned fast food establishment and its French fries!

But why is a food that is so well-known throughout the world and appears to be composed entirely of plant-based components, not vegan?

In this useful article, I will reveal the truth about McDonald’s fries. I’ll explain why they’re not vegan or vegetarian-friendly and look at essential components. But don’t worry, I’m not going to abandon you. Continue reading for healthier or vegan options to McDonald’s fries so that you can still appreciate a globally popular side dish.

What can Vegans get at McDonald’s in the US?

The global popularity of plant-based diets has led to companies, notably fast-food franchises, modifying their menus to match changing client requirements. In reality, American McDonald’s restaurants are falling behind other countries that have more vegan alternatives. Despite signing a relationship with Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat substitute firm, for its MC Plant line, American McDonalds’ does not currently carry any plant-based variety aimed solely at vegans.

While you may order pieces from the McDonald’s menu, a whole vegan dinner is still a distant American fantasy.

MC Plant

After years of demand, McDonald’s has finally announced that they will be introducing vegan choices on its menu. This is a substantial step forward for animal rights and better nutrition.

MC Plant is McDonald’s first plant-based burger, available at select outlets in Denmark and Sweden. Based on the client response, it will most likely be in American retailers in late 2021. MC Plant is a plant-based burger served on a sesame seed bun with tomato slices, lettuce, pickles, onions, mayonnaise-style sauce, ketchup, mustard, and American cheese. I’m not sure if it contains dairy.

Vegan Options Available at McDonald’s

While we anticipate the Mc Plant to open in America, we should stay true to McDonald’s present goods. McDonald’s is recognized for its burgers and fries, but if you’re a vegan seeking to dine there, your options are restricted. Several choices will satisfy you without jeopardizing your ethics or health. Let’s see how you can be creative with McDonald’s restricted Vegan alternatives.

Breakfast

Oatmeal: Fruit & Maple

McDonald’s offers a nutritious fruit and maple oatmeal dish for breakfast. Unfortunately, while you must request no milk or cream, they do not currently provide a plant-based option. Thus, you are limited to water-based oats, which is disappointing.

Premium Roast Coffee

Enjoy a cup of McCafé® Premium Roast Coffee now. It is manufactured from 100% Arabica beans and purified water. Every half an hour, it is perfectly roasted and freshly brewed. I suggest a pinch of sugar with your coffee. Regrettably, their creamers include dairy, so steer clear of them.

Americano

I love coffee so much, so when I heard about the powerful taste of americano coffee, I was convinced. It is vegan and has no dairy. It is produced with distinctive McCafé espresso and hot water; those who want a stronger cup of coffee will enjoy this.

Orange Juice

Minute Maid orange juice is vegan and tastes exactly like fresh oranges. It’s also fantastic for making your breakfast tasty!

Baked Apple Pie

McDonald’s has a vegan baked apple pie, which may surprise you. So far, it is the most appealing vegan choice available at American McDonald’s restaurants. The flakey pastry layers are crunchy, and the creamy sweet filling will fulfill your desire for something light and refreshing!

Vegan Bread at McDonald’s

McDonald’s vegan options include flour tortillas and English muffins. Stuff them with your favorite vegetables and dips to make your own vegetarian sandwich.

Vegan Lunches and Dinners at McDonald’s

Salads

Throughout most of the pandemic, McDonald’s announced the removal of some of their less-popular menu items, including salad. As per Insider, the decision was taken as a short-term measure to consolidate and speed up processes.

McDonald’s internet menu and chains continue to exclude salads from its offerings to customers. If they bring back their salad selection, vegans will be able to eat some of their salads as a side or for dinner.

McDonald’s does not provide a large selection of salads for vegan patrons; they can only order a side salad, which is, of course, unsatisfactory. To add some diversity, vegans can prepare McDonald’s Southwest Chicken Salad without the chicken and cheese by using dairy-free dressings from Newman’s Own.

Salad Dressings

You may pick from a variety of vegan and dairy-free salad dressings. These alternatives include

• Citrus Splash Dressing
• Newman’s Own Creamy French Dressing
• Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar
• Newman’s Own Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette White Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette
• Sesame Ginger Dressing
• Zesty Italian Dressing

Make Your Own Vegan Sandwich or Wrap

Because McDonald’s in the United States does not currently provide vegan sandwiches, we must build our own. Preparing a vegan sandwich is considerably more straightforward than you would imagine. Order some soft tortillas, an English muffin, or an artisan bun without any meat and load them with southwest salad (no meat cheese) or side salad with ketchup mustard sauce to taste; voilà!

A full noon meal that isn’t too expensive on the budget.

Doesn’t it sound delicious?

Drinks

McDonald’s has a large assortment of drinks to choose from. But, because they include dairy ingredients, their shakes and smoothies are not vegan-friendly. Vegans may choose from a variety of drink options that do not include animal byproducts, such as slushies, sodas, or juices!

• Americano
• Apple Juice
• Black Filter Coffee
• Black Iced Coffee
• Coca Cola
• Diet Coke
• Pepper
• Fanta Orange
• Hi-C Orange Lavaburst
• Iced Tea (Sweet and Unsweetened)
• Minute Maid Blue Raspberry Slushie
• Minute Maid Pink Lemonade Slushie
• Minute Maid Premium Orange Juice
• Minute Maid Strawberry Watermelon Slushie
• Sprite

Snacks

Sliced apples

Apple slices are essentially from the happy meal menu, although they may also be ordered as a side. They’re healthy, so try incorporating them into salads, DIY sandwiches, and oatmeal bowls!

Baked Apple Pie

Baked Apple Pie is a fantastic food at McDonald’s that is vegan around the globe and delicious. These crunchy flakey layers of dough with gooey apple cinnamon filling are delicious. So far, it is the most appealing vegan choice available at American McDonald’s restaurants.

Sauces for Dipping

Vegan dipping sauces are available at McDonald’s.

• BBQ Sauce
• Ketchup
• Maple Syrup
• Mustard
• Spicy Buffalo Sauce
• Sweet and Sour Sauce

Alternatives to McDonald’s Fries that are healthier

Finally, if you purchase fries from a fast-food place, they may be vegetarian. However, they are not nutritious.

Making your own fries at home and baking or air-frying them to limit the number of calories and fat is the most incredible method to ensure you know precisely what goes into your fries and that they are better for you than McDonald’s fries.

You may cook them with either fresh or sweet potatoes. Alternatively, you may experiment with producing waffle fries or curly fries with your handmade bag of fries.