Is sweetgreen Vegan? Vegan Options at sweetgreen

Sweetgreen is one of the easier mixed chains for vegans: its own menu marks the Shroomami and Hummus + Focaccia as vegan, and its published ingredient lists show the roasted tofu, seasoned chickpeas, hummus, portobello mix, grains, most vegetables and five house dressings contain no animal ingredients. The traps are honey (balsamic vinaigrette, hot honey mustard, honey BBQ sauce and the crispy rice topping), egg yolks in the ranches, garlic aioli, Dill Pickle AYOH! and Caesar, dairy in the ranches and Caesar, and cheese on many signature bowls, so most bowls need a swap or two.

Vegan as served, per sweetgreen's own sources: Shroomami, Roasted Tofu, Warm Portobello Mix, Seasoned Chickpeas, Hummus, Hummus + Focaccia, Siete Sea Salt Potato Chips, Olive Oil Tortilla, and 21 more in the table above. 16 more items are vegan with a change.

Order the Shroomami as listed, or build your own bowl with roasted tofu, warm portobello mix, seasoned chickpeas or hummus over wild rice, white rice or golden quinoa with greens and vegetables. Finish it with pesto vinaigrette, miso sesame ginger, spicy cashew, citrus sesame or lime cilantro jalapeño, and skip the crispy rice, umami rice, all cheeses, and any ranch, aioli, Caesar or honey-based sauce. Add Hummus + Focaccia or Siete Sea Salt Potato Chips on the side, with an organic lemonade, OLIPOP or kombucha.

Yes. Sweetgreen's own menu marks the Shroomami with a Vegan badge: roasted tofu, warm portobello mix, cucumbers, basil, shredded cabbage, roasted almonds, wild rice, organic shredded kale and miso sesame ginger dressing. It is the only bowl, salad or warm plate on the current menu that is vegan as listed.

Yes. Sweetgreen lists its roasted tofu as organic tofu (water, organic soybeans, calcium sulfate), avocado oil and a blackening spice of salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper, coriander and red pepper. It is the plant protein to ask for in place of the chicken, steak or salmon on a signature bowl, or to add when you build your own.

By Sweetgreen's published ingredient lists, the pesto vinaigrette, miso sesame ginger, spicy cashew, lime cilantro jalapeño sauce, citrus sesame vinaigrette and Sweetgreen hot sauce have no animal ingredients (so does the smoky tahini dressing sold at select Boston locations), and plain balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon or lime squeeze are also options. Avoid the balsamic vinaigrette, hot honey mustard and honey BBQ sauce (honey), the green goddess ranch and charred jalapeño ranch (egg yolks and yogurt), the garlic aioli and Dill Pickle AYOH! (egg yolks), and the Caesar (anchovy, egg, yogurt, parmesan).

Yes. Unlike a classic pesto, Sweetgreen's pesto vinaigrette has no cheese: it is sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, water, basil, apple cider vinegar, garlic and an umami seasoning of salt, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion and spices.

No. Sweetgreen's balsamic vinaigrette contains honey, so the Harvest Bowl and Autumn Harvest Bowl are not vegan as listed even without the chicken and goat cheese. Ask for plain balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil instead; both appear on Sweetgreen's dressing list with no animal ingredients.

Yes. Sweetgreen's menu marks Hummus + Focaccia with a Vegan badge, and its ingredient list gives the hummus as cooked chickpeas, tahini, water, canola oil, natural flavors, sea salt, dried roasted garlic, citric acid and spice. The Hummus Crunch salad that uses it comes with feta crumble, so leave the feta off.

Sweetgreen's rosemary focaccia lists enriched wheat flour, malted barley flour, water, olive pomace oil, sea salt, yeast, enzymes, kosher salt and rosemary, and the menu marks Hummus + Focaccia as vegan. The olive oil tortilla is just wheat flour, water, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt, and the garlic breadcrumbs are whole wheat sourdough bread, olive oil, garlic and seasoning, but every wrap on the current menu is filled with meat, cheese or egg-based sauces.

Sweetgreen does not say. Its nutrition guide publishes ingredients for white rice and wild rice but has no entry for the umami rice used in bowls and plates such as Omega Glow, Steak Mezze and Miso Glazed Salmon, so swap it for wild rice or golden quinoa if you want to be sure.

Sweetgreen describes the Siete Sea Salt Potato Chips as made from potatoes, avocado oil and sea salt, so they are vegan. Sweetgreen does not publish an ingredient list for the SG x Siete Green Goddess Ranch Potato Chips, so check the bag before eating them.

No. The crispy rice topping on the Crispy Rice Bowl contains honey along with puffed brown rice, sorghum crisps and coconut milk. Honey is not one of the allergens printed on the menu, so it only shows up in the ingredient list; order the bowl without crispy rice.

Not that Sweetgreen confirms. The Crispy Rice Treat uses a honey date caramel and the menu lists milk, and Sweetgreen does not publish ingredient lists for the Hu chocolate items or the select-location sourdough chocolate chip cookie.

The sweet potatoes are: Sweetgreen lists them as sweet potatoes, extra virgin olive oil and umami seasoning. The side comes with a choice of Hot Honey Mustard (honey) or Green Goddess Ranch (egg yolks and yogurt), so order it with no dip or add the potatoes to a bowl instead.