Sonic is the operator of an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain owned by Inspire Brands, the same company that owns Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings.
There are more than 3,500 Sonic restaurants located across different states in the U.S and the menu consists of food like hamburgers, french fries, onion rings, corn dogs, chili dogs, and breakfast toaster sandwiches. You can also find soft drinks, slushes, and milkshakes, as well as ice cream and sundaes for dessert.
Obviously, it’s not a haven for vegans.
If you intend to find fast-food restaurants (or simply) restaurants with vegan options, we’d look into ones like Chili’s, PF Chang’s, or even Applebee’s.
Also, because Sonic only provides a drive-in service and you have to put your order through an intercom speaker system, it’s not that easy to ask for elaborate orders. As a result, instead of going for strategies like asking for a burger on the menu and removing its animal ingredients, it’s more doable to actually make your own burger with whatever ingredients they have available.
What Food Can Vegans Order At Sonic?
Sonic is known for its hamburgers, so you’d expect to at least find one veggie burger option.
However, that is not the case. Plus, because Sonic is a drive-in restaurant, I do believe building your sandwich (or burger) from scratch or sticking to snacks is the best option.
Let’s start with the sides.
Vegan Sides
According to the menu displayed on Sonic’s website, these are the vegan-friendly sides:
- Onion Rings
- French Fries
- Tater Tots
- and Sweet Potato Tater Tots.
Other than these, the other foods available include some types of bread, as well as some condiments and sauces they typically use on burgers.
Vegan Bread, Condiment & Sauces
Here are some of the types of bread you can find at Sonic’s:
- Bagel
- Hamburger Bun
- Hot Dog Bun
- Philly Roll
- Tortilla
Keep in mind that some of these options may not be available at all locations, and also may contain different ingredients.
Before ordering, be sure to ask which options they have and whether or not they’re vegan.
Some of the condiments available on Sonic’s menu are:
- Avocado
- Tomato
- Diced Onions
- Lettuce
- Jalapeños
- Hatch Green Chilies
- Dill Pickle Spears
- Dill Pickle Chips
- Sauerkraut
- Sport Peppers
- Sweet Pickle Relish
Again, these ingredients may not all be available at all locations, so ask them for a list of vegan-friendly condiments.
If you wish to add some additional flavor to your custom-made burger or snacks, feel free to order the following sauces:
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Grape Jelly
- Strawberry Jam
- Spicy Mustard
- Hickory BBQ Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Celery Salt
- Salsa de Sonic
- Marinara Sauce
- Salt/Pepper Blend
- Maple Flavored Syrup
Akin to the other ingredients, they may not be available at all locations.
Bottom line: Unfortunately, Sonic has limited options when it comes to building a full meal. While you can definitely find something to put in the bread, you’re still lacking an adequate source of protein. That said, you still can get some pretty good snacks like french fries or onion rings.
What Drinks Can Vegans Order At Sonic
When you can’t get food that suits your taste, you can always go for the drinks! Even if you can’t get a veggie burger, you can always find a refreshment to deal with the heat.
Below we’ll cover some of the drink options Sonic has on the menu.
Slushies
Slushies are essentially a mixture of water and sugar that is brought down to a certain temperature to look like flavored ice. Therefore, at their base, slushies are vegan.
However, besides the actual base, some additional flavors can be used to confer the slush with different flavors. Fortunately, most of the flavors at Sonic’s are vegan, which include:
- French Vanilla
- Grape
- Mango
- Peach
- Raspberry
- Blackberry
- Blue Coconut
- Blue Raspberry
- Cherry
- Diet Cherry
Because this drink contains refined sugar, some vegans may avoid it since not all refined sugar can be considered vegan, especially in the United States. This is not because its extraction harms animals but it’s due to a specific ingredient used when the sugar is being processed.
However, that is also applicable to any product that contains refined sugar. (Feel free to read more about it here.)
List of Soft Drinks
- Coca-Cola
- Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
- Diet Coke
- Diet Dr. Pepper
- Dr. Pepper
- Sprite
- Sprite Zero
- Fanta Orange
- Green Tea (Diet)
- Green Tea (Sweet)
- Hi-C Fruit Punch
- Lemonade
- Mello Yello
- Minute Maid Apple Juice Box
- Minute Maid Orange Juice
- Powerade
- Bottled Water
- Teas
- Hot Coffee
If you don’t fancy slushies, feel free to try some of the beverages above.
But keep in mind that some of these drinks may contain ingredients such as refined sugar, as well as artificial flavors and colors that may not be 100% vegan.
Related Questions
Does Sonic Have an Impossible Burger?
Unfortunately, Sonic doesn’t have the Impossible Burger. It’s true that you can now find many diners (that specialize in burgers) adopting plant-based “meats” like the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat, but Sonic doesn’t have one or the other.
Does Sonic Have a Veggie Burger?
Sonic doesn’t have a veggie burger. In fact, they don’t have many vegetarian (much less vegan) options, apart from the sides and condiments we’ve mentioned.
However, if you’re a vegetarian that eats both eggs and milk, you can request the supersonic breakfast burrito with “no meat” (your options are sausage or bacon, but they can just hold them), and you get a breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, onions, tomatoes, tater tots and jalapenos.
Is Sonic Drive Thru Only?
Sonic Drive-In has more than 3000 locations across the United States and while you can certainly drive through (where you pick up your food and live), most locations have a drive-in stall with a patio seating where you can park your car and remain there.
Some Sonic Drive-In locations now have an indoor eating area, but those are not the majority as that is not the main concept of the brand.
Summary: Sonic Has Some Vegan Options
Like many other fast-food chains, Sonic also has limited food options for vegans. If you’re looking to have a full meal at Sonic, I wouldn’t advise it. However, if you want to grab a snack (like fries or onion rings), then Sonic may be worth the stop.
That being said, there are establishments that provide you with a way better service, as well as food options. If you’ve enjoyed this post, feel free to read this article with some useful tips on eating out as a vegan.
