If you haven’t been to Olive Garden have you even lived? This beautiful eatery is well known for being one of the most popular places to chow down in the United States, and it is no surprise.
Photo Credit To Olive Garden
Their menu is beaming with variety, their drinks are to die for and their desserts could win in a contest against a New York waffle house.
But, there is always a but, how much of their menu is vegan? I was a tad suspicious as to what was actually available. Sure, it’s a great place to grab a bite, but is it a great place to grab a bite, for everyone?
So, what is there to eat at Olive Garden? I tried everything on their menu, and am now here to tell you all about it!
Are There Vegan Options At Olive Garden?
Olive Garden is very proud to be an eatery that offers a very vast menu that covers vegetarianism and veganism. The menu designers have thought quite extensively about how they can cater to every appetite.
They do admit, however, that as they do have a lot of recipes that contain meat, poultry, and fish, their kitchens are not ‘animal product free, however, they do use safe food handling procedures.
There are vegan and vegetarian options in Olive Garden, but if you are very strict in your veganism it might not be the best place to eat.
Best Vegan Options At Olive Garden?
What are the best vegan options at Olive Garden? Olive Garden actually has a very wide range of vegan dishes, more than most restaurants would have. Let’s take delve into some of the vegan options at Olive Garden, and what you can expect from a visit there. These include but are not restricted to:
- Angel Hair Create Your Own Pasta.
- Fettuccine Create Your Own Pasta.
- Marinara Create Your Own Pasta.
- Spaghetti Create Your Own Pasta.
- Spaghetti With Marinara Sauce Entree.
- Minestrone Soup.
- Raspberry Sauce Dessert.
There are more, however, I have to say, they have many more vegetarian options than vegan options, especially when it comes to entrees and desserts. However, they still have many more vegan meals than most other eateries.
Are Olive Garden Breadsticks Vegan?
Olive Garden is known for its gorgeous piping-hot tasty breadsticks. Everyone loves them, and what is better, they are for everyone! Yes, that does mean that these garlic-sprinkled appetizers are totally vegan, you do not need to modify them in the slightest.
To make it even better, the marinara dipping sauce is also vegan as well, with no animal products or by-products included either.
Dairy Free Options At Olive Garden
Olive Garden also has a host of dairy-free items. Here are some of them:
- Spaghetti With Marinara Sauce Entree.
- Raspberry Sauce Dessert.
- Marinara Create Your Own Pasta.
- Tomato Sauce: Create Your Own Pasta.
- Spaghetti Create Your Own Pasta.
- Small Shells Create Your Own Pasta.
- Salad w/ Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar
There are many more, all of the vegan options are dairy free and many of the vegetarian options are also, however, the entrees and desserts have the most susceptibility to containing dairy.
What Desserts Are Vegan At Olive Garden?
Sadly, while much of the rest of the Olive Garden menu is brilliant for vegans, the dessert options are where it is flawed. The only thing that is vegan on their dessert menu is the raspberry sauce, which means that it is very little you can have in terms of dessert.
In fact, you would basically just be ordering a plate of sauce on nothing, which is not very fun.
It is a shame considering how great the rest of their menu is for vegans.
FAQs:
So, you see where most of the vegan options are on the Olive Garden menu, but I know you have many more questions about what is vegan there and what is not. So, I won’t beat around the bush, I will simply answer all your questions and get straight to the point.
What Noodles Are Vegan At Olive Garden?
Once I took a look at their menu I noticed how many of the ‘Create Your Own Pasta’ options were vegan. In terms of noodles/pasta dishes, they have many vegan options. They are as follows:
- Angel Hair pasta.
- Fettuccine pasta.
- Rigatoni pasta.
- Small Shell pasta.
- Spaghetti pasta.
There are 5 vegan options for pasta/noodles, and 4 vegetarian options. Their tomato and marinara sauces are also vegan.
Is Eggplant Parmigiana At Olive Garden Vegan?
At Olive Garden the Eggplant Parmigiana is an entree, and sadly it is not vegan. This dish is vegetarian, it does not contain egg, but it does contain dairy which makes it not friendly to vegans.
What Soup At Olive Garden Is Vegan
Olive Garden has a gorgeous minestrone soup at all their locations and it is vegan in every location. So, you could even order their soup, salad, and breadstick combination and feel comfortably happy that all of these are vegan.
Is Olive Garden’s Salad Dressing Vegan?
Sadly, Olive Garden’s house salad dressing is not vegan. They do sell an olive oil and vinegar dressing to go with the salad, which is vegan, but their in-house dressing itself is not vegan.
Is Olive Garden Pasta Vegan?
A majority of Olive Gardens’ pasta is vegan, this includes their angle hair and rigatoni options. They also offer vegan gluten-free options, it might not be super exciting, but it is there for those who want it!
Is Olive Garden Minestrone Vegan?
Olive Garden’s tasty Minestrone soup is indeed vegan, you can easily order up their minestrone soup, or their breadstick, salad, and soup combo to enjoy a tasty serving of vegan treats.
Summary: Olive Garden Has Vegan Options!
Olive Garden has some epic vegan options. Me and my boyfriend went there recently, and literally ordered every single vegan dish. Their desserts do lack vegan options, but we were too full to have a dessert anyway.
So, next time you are visiting Olive Garden, you will know what to order!
To end this, one of the best ways to ensure that what you are eating is vegan, why not try some of the best vegan Olive Garden recipes?
These are easy Olive Garden copycat recipes I know you will love!
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