The vegan diet is becoming more popular worldwide due to health, animal welfare, and environmental concerns, with about 6.5 million people in the United States identifying as vegans or vegetarians.
It’s now becoming a trend in the fast-food business to include vegan-friendly options on the menu. So, if you’re wondering whether KFC chips are vegan, here’s what you need to know!
Are KFC Chips Vegan?
Unfortunately, KFC Chips are not vegan. This is because KFC chips are cooked in the same oil as other chicken items, which can cause cross-contamination, making the chips non-vegan. However, KFC is looking into the matter to find ways of including vegan chips on its menu.
Read on to learn more about vegan items at KFC, how vegan chips are made, where else you can get vegan chips and more!
Why Are KFC Chips Not Vegan?
KFC explains it doesn’t “offer the Vegan Burger as a meal because our fries aren’t suitable for vegetarians or vegans. This is due to being cooked in the same oil as our Popcorn Chicken.”
Inevitably, this is disappointing to most customers, but vegan customers still flock to the restaurant for its Original Recipe Vegan Burger.
Are KFC Wedges Vegan?
KFC wedges are not vegan, but the restaurant offers an array of completely vegan sides (see below).
More people are opting for the vegan lifestyle, and restaurants and food brands are trying to keep up with the exponential demand for this type of food.
However, KFC has yet to start offering vegan wedges for its vegan customers.
What KFC Items Are Vegan?
Although KFC does not offer vegan chips, it has several vegan-friendly options. That’s right; it’s possible to enjoy all the flavors of KFC without any animal products.
If you maintain a vegan diet, here are some options at KFC available for you:
- Original Recipe Vegan Burger: This is the burger that started it all for KFC. It features Quorn fillet, Colonel’s Original Recipe, vegan mayo, and iceberg lettuce. Nonetheless, KFC burgers contain allergens like milk, eggs, sulfur, and Gluten.
- Barbeque Baked Beans: KFC’s baked beans contain salt, corn syrup, brown sugar, tomato powder, and other ingredients. Usually, these beans are baked in a casserole dish and later canned.
- Corn on the Cob: The corn cob is cooked using salt, pepper, butter, and MSG. The procedure used to cook corn is boiling it in salty water, adding some milk to make it tender, and then dipping it in butter. However, if you’re strictly vegan, you should order corn without butter.
- Green Beans: KFC’s green beans are tasty and filled with nutrients. The ingredients used to craft the green beans include onions, green beans, bell peppers, and seasonings. At some restaurants, these dishes come with bacon, which vegans should avoid.
Some other vegan options at KFC include:
- House Salad
- Apple Turnover
- Tomato Ketchup
- Pineapple Sticks
- Lemon juice
- Summertime BBQ Sauce
Where Can You Get Vegan Chips Instead?
If you know someone who is vegan or can’t eat meat due to health reasons, then you may have been looking for a list of restaurants that serve vegan chips.
Unfortunately, finding vegan chips can be such a daunting task. Thankfully, there are a few restaurants that offer vegan chips, and the number is fast increasing.
Some of these restaurants include:
- Burger King
- Wendy’s
- Five Guys
You can also check your local grocery stores for more vegan chip options, especially next to the natural foods section. In the natural foods section, you’ll find healthy and delicious vegan chips.
How Do They Make Vegan Chips?
Vegan chips are made of potatoes or dehydrated potatoes, cooking oil (often sunflower or another vegetable), palm oil or rapeseed, and some natural flavoring.
Here are the steps most restaurants use to make vegan chips:
- Making vegan chips starts with boiling potatoes.
- Once the potatoes are boiled, they go through a food dehydrator, which removes water from the potatoes and creates crispy chips with a light crunch.
- Finally, the chips are fried in sunflower or olive oil for a vegan snack that’s delicious and healthy.
The potatoes are soaked overnight in water and vinegar instead of milk, making it a great recipe for someone allergic to dairy products. Then, the mixture is pressed through a sieve before being dried and dehydrated.
Generally, vegan chips are an excellent way to add a healthy (and tasty) snack to your diet.
To know more about KFC, you can also see our posts on whether or not KFC has grilled chicken, if KFC takes EBT, and if KFC takes Apple Pay.
