Vegan & Vegetarian Disney World Dining Guide: How to Find Plant-Based Foods
Walt Disney World has unveiled a new plant-based menu icon, as well as 400 vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes, including food at every major counter & table service restaurants. In this guide, we’ll review new items, offer some tips for plant-based dining at WDW, and general thoughts about this trend.
While the “news” of 400 plant-based dishes made a big splash among non-Disney news outlets, there actually hasn’t been a ton of hoopla about this on Walt Disney World fan sites and blogs like this one. In large part, that’s because there are not 400 new dishes–there are a handful of new items, but this is mostly a marketing effort to promote the existing vegetarian and vegan cuisine at Walt Disney World.
This isn’t to downplay the tremendous strides Disney has made on the plant-based dining front. Not too long ago, vegetarian dishes were mostly an afterthought, with salads and a token number of barely-edible bean patty burgers. In the last few years, Walt Disney World has remedied this, making a concerted effort to roll out a wealth of new (and delicious!) plant-based menu items. We’ll cover those here…
From the outset, we should “disclose” that we bring a different perspective to the table here. We are not vegetarians or vegan, but rather, flexitarians. If you’re on an exclusively plant-based diet, you might think that this invalidates our perspective. Obviously, that’s your prerogative.
We’d counter that this simply means we don’t have only plant-based cuisine as our frame of reference, but all cuisine. We know what makes a good or bad meal, not just what’s a serviceable vegetarian meal in a pinch. With the proliferation of plant-based offerings being driven in large part by flexitarians, we think this perspective is valuable.
Surveys find that the burgeoning plant-based food industry is being fueled by flexitarians. The percentage of the population that identifies as flexitarians has exploded, while those with vegetarian or vegan diets exclusively has been stagnant for two decades. In other words, many (if not most) people ordering this new plant-based cuisine at Walt Disney World won’t be vegetarians.
I’ve lost track of the number of times we’ve opted for a vegan or vegetarian restaurant in the real world because it had superlative crowd-sourced reviews. We’re talking a 4.5/5 average or higher. With an explosion in the number of flexitarians, we think this ‘grade inflation’ does a disservice to the bulk of potential guests–and the restaurants. That’s a huge part of the reason why we think Walt Disney World stepping up its game on plant-based dining is so significant.
Suffice to say, our plant-based guide and reviews are grounded in that flexitarian mentality; this is aimed at anyone who wants to make better choices while dining at Walt Disney World, but without making significant compromises on taste or quality. In other words, this is for those vacationeers who have eaten steak 5 meals in a row and want to feel a little less guilty about it by ordering something healthier from time to time. (Not that I’d know from experience or anything!)
With that said, these tips and reviews should be useful to anyone who wants their food to taste good. We’ll start with those recommendations, and then list the current plant-based menu options around Walt Disney World…
Plant-Based Dining Recommendations & Tips
In the last year or so, we’ve made a point of ordering plant-based options at just about every restaurant we’ve reviewed or revisited. In that time, a number of lessons have been learned.
First and perhaps foremost, if you’re going to do a burger, make sure it’s a Beyond or Impossible patty rather than a black bean or generic vegetable patty. The latter is an absolute abomination and is barely edible.
By contrast, Beyon and Impossible burgers are delicious–these brands truly make all the difference in the world. We’re actually a bit surprised that Walt Disney World hasn’t announced a corporate alliance with one of the two companies yet.
The good news is that patties from these two companies, especially Beyond, are becoming increasingly more common throughout Walt Disney World, even at counter service restaurants. Above is the plant-based burger at Restaurantosaurus for dinner, which is also very similar to what’s offered at D-Luxe Burger in Disney Springs. It’s hard to tell this isn’t real meat.
Another “lesson” is that new or reimagined restaurants almost always have superior plant-based options. When Caribbean Beach Resort essentially relaunched all of its restaurants last year, it did so with an ambitious slate of plant-based options, most of which remain available.
This year, Gran Destino debuted at Coronado Springs, and all of its menus have robust vegan and vegetarian options. This includes Chronos Club Level, which is our pick for the best Club Level for plant-based options. The one caveat I’ll add here is that Gran Destino seems to have a lot of plant-based “seafood,” and this leaves a lot to be desired if you’re used to real seafood.
In fact, we’d consider Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs the best Moderate Resorts for vegan and vegetarian guests. Among Value Resorts, Art of Animation is the best option.
Without question, Animal Kingdom Lodge is the best choice for plant-based dining among the Deluxe Resorts.
Centertown Market at Caribbean Beach has several plant-based options for every meal. Our favorite of these is the Plant-based Spicy Jackfruit-Carnitas Burger: Grilled Plant-based Burger topped Spicy Jackfruit, Barbecue Mushrooms, Cabbage Slaw and Chipotle Mayonnaise served with Plantain and Yuca Chips.
Juicy, lightly spiced, and full of meaty flavor, this burger was good enough to trick me. It’s a Beyond Meat patty, but that only partially explains this burger’s quality–the jackfruit plays a big role, too.
Here’s the ‘Cheese Steak’ Griddled Seitan: “Seitan Cheese, Pickle Chip, Vegan Mayonnaise, Peppers and Onions and Pickle Relish melted between French Bread” at Centertown Market.
As far as vegan dishes go, this is solid. My only complaint is in terms of texture—it’s just a tad on the slimy side, but I think that’s par for the course with seitan. It’s still a good, filling dish that we’d recommend if you’re vegan.
Continuing on the new items note, there are several options in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Our favorite of these is the Felucian Garden Spread: Plant-Based “Kefta”, Herb Hummas, Tomato-Cucumber Relish, Pita.
Sarah has already proclaimed it her new go-to dish in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (It’s not just us–everyone we know loves this.) It’s light but filling, inexpensive, and featuring a range of refreshing flavors. I also really liked it, and didn’t even realize it was plant-based meat at first.
Although not expressly listed on the menus below, buffets are one of the best new go-to options for plant-based dining.
We’ve done a handful of buffets since this new initiative rolled out, and every one of them has introduced new (or at least new-to-us) items. These are about a 50/50 mix of ambitious and phoned-in items, but the upside with buffets is that you can simply go back for more if something you choose is a dud.
Along these lines, anywhere with a “Build Your Own ____” tends to be a decent option for vegetarians or vegans. The plant-based option for these is frequently tofu, which I find to be a far cry from beef, but the fresh, vegetable accompaniments usually help carry these bowls.
This includes Satu’li Canteen in Animal Kingdom, and many of the food courts at Value and Moderate Resorts. (Again, Coronado and Caribbean Beach come to mind here.)
Here’s the Vegetable Quinoa Salad at Electric Umbrella, which is arguably one of the standout items on the menu. It’s healthy, filling, and will leave you feeling energized.
Salads have improved dramatically in the last few years, and are no longer just iceberg lettuce with a small ration of vegetables tossed in for color. Nonetheless, I’m still surprised at just how good some of these salads taste.
Also in Epcot, we enjoy the Vegan Korma with Gardein Meatless Chik’n at Sunshine Seasons. I was incredibly skeptical of this before trying it, but this vegan korma is good.
The spicy curry masks the flavor of the “Chik’n” and that helped fake the flavor of meat. The end result is much better than I anticipated.
Magic Kingdom has good options for plant-based dining at just about every single counter and table service restaurant in the park. We’ll draw your attention to a couple of things that we really enjoy.
First, the Slaw Dog at Casey’s Corner. This can hold its own with any of the hot dogs here, which may not seem like it’s saying much, but this is seriously impressive.
Second, Skipper Canteen has several great plant-based options if you have multiple vegan or vegetarians in your party and want choices.
(In general, we think Skipper Canteen is one of Walt Disney World’s most under-appreciated restaurants.)
Finally, when it comes to the menus below, a lot of great options are omitted because Walt Disney World has only provided plant-based menu information for Disney-owned restaurants. This is why Epcot, which is disproportionately third-party dining, seems like it has so few options. In reality, Epcot is the best park at Walt Disney World for culinary variety, including vegetarian and vegan options.
Per Walt Disney World, here are the current plant-based menu options at each of the parks, starting with Animal Kingdom…
Animal Kingdom
Flame Tree Barbecue — Lunch and Dinner
- Hot Link Smokehouse Sandwich
Harambe Market — Lunch and Dinner
- Roasted Vegetable Bowl
Pizzafari — Lunch and Dinner
- Sicilian-style Pizza Slice
Restaurantosaurus — Lunch and Dinner
- Spicy Southwestern Burger
- Onion Jam and “Gouda” Burger
- Non-dairy Frozen Desserts
Satu’li Canteen — Lunch and Dinner
- Create Your Own Bowl with ingredients including Chili-Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu, Black Beans and Rice, Hearty Salad or Potato Hash and Charred Onion Vinaigrette
Tiffins Restaurant — Lunch and Dinner
- North African Spiced Tofu and Seasonal Vegetable and Tomato Chutney
- Tinga Taco
- Passion Fruit Tapioca Creme
Tusker House Restaurant — Breakfast
- Oatmeal
- Plantains
- Trek Salad
- Black Eyed Pea Salad
Tusker House Restaurant — Lunch and Dinner
- Hummus
- Tandoori Vegetables with Tofu
- Black Eyed Pea Salad
- Banana Cake with Raspberry Coconut Cream
- Kushari
Epcot
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall — Breakfast
- Breakfast Platter
- Assorted fruits
- Bagels
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall — Lunch and Dinner
- Scandinavian Potato Dumplings
- A variety of salads, including: Bean Salad, Beet Salad, Tomato Salad and Cucumber Salad
- Raspberry Sorbet
- Non-dairy Frozen Desserts
Biergarten Restaurant — Lunch and Dinner
- Fishless Filets or Beefless Tips available upon request
- A variety of salads, including: Bean Salad, Beet Salad, Tomato Salad and Mushroom Salad
- Potato Pancakes
- Red Cabbage
- Roasted Potatoes
- Sauerkraut
- Berry Compote
- Fresh Pineapple
- Non-dairy Frozen Desserts
Coral Reef Restaurant — Lunch and Dinner
- Mushroom (Lobster-style) Salad
- Grilled Garden Skewer
- Baileys Almande and Jack Daniel’s Mousse
Electric Umbrella — Lunch and Dinner
- Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Garden Grill Restaurant — Breakfast
- Blueberry Muffins
- Seasonal Fruit
- House-made Salsa Fresca
- Potato Barrels
- Waffles
Garden Grill Restaurant — Lunch and Dinner
- Veggie Loaf
- Green Salad
- Garden-fresh Vegetables
- Rice Pilaf
- House-made Berry Shortcake
Le Cellier Steakhouse — Lunch and Dinner
- Watermelon Salad
- Steamed Asian Dumplings
- Maple Whiskey-glazed Brussels Sprouts
- Black Forest Trifle
Rose & Crown Dining Room — Lunch and Dinner
- Coronation Salad
- Savory Hot Pot
- Mushy Peas
- Rice Pudding
Sunshine Seasons — Breakfast
- Overnight Oats with Blueberry, Chia Seeds, Vanilla and Almonds
- Breakfast Power Wrap
Sunshine Seasons — Lunch and Dinner
- Korma with Plant-based Chicken and Cashews
- Cookies and Cream Chocolate Mousse Cup
- Various Grab-n-Go Items
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
50’s Prime Time Café — Lunch and Dinner
- Cousin Amy’s Iceberg Lettuce Wedge
- Cousin Harold’s Vegetable Garden
- Traditional Warm Apple Crisp
ABC Commissary — Lunch
- California Burger
ABC Commissary — Dinner
- California Burger
- Mediterranean Hummus
Backlot Express — Lunch and Dinner
- Two Suns Hummus
Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo — Lunch
- Felucian Garden Spread
Fairfax Fare — Lunch and Dinner
- Southwest Bowl Bowl
Hollywood & Vine — Breakfast
- Zucchini Strata
- Plant-based Eggs
- Breakfast Cereals and Oatmeal
- Roasted Red Potatoes and Onion
Hollywood & Vine — Lunch and Dinner
- Vegetable Soup
- Apple, Kale and Cranberry Salad
- Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Wild Rice Pilaf
- Three Bean Quinoa Cake
- Blueberry Cobbler
The Hollywood Brown Derby — Lunch and Dinner
- Super Salad of the Stars
- Ginger-Lemongrass Pho
- Chocolate Coconut Cake
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano — Lunch and Dinner
- Minestrone Soup
- Baked Arancini
- Polenta Cake, Mushroom and Herbed Cauliflower
- Cappuccino Affogato
- Lemon Sorbet
PizzeRizzo — Lunch and Dinner
- Hot Italian Sausage Sub
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant — Lunch and Dinner
- Island Cake
- Szechuan Lettuce Wraps
- Cookie Shake
Woody’s Lunch Box — Lunch and Dinner
- Plant-based Totchos available
- Potato Barrels (side)
Magic Kingdom
Aloha Isle
- Pineapple Dole Whip
- Dole Whip Pineapple Float
Be Our Guest Restaurant — Breakfast
- Le Fou Festin
- Assorted Pastries
Be Our Guest Restaurant — Lunch
- Cannellini Bean Cassoulet
- Crème Brulee
Be Our Guest Restaurant — Dinner
- Roasted Corn and Spinach Tortellini
- Mixed Field Greens
- Vanilla Cake with Lemon Curd
- Crème Brulee
Casey’s Corner
- Slaw Dog
Cinderella’s Royal Table — Breakfast
- Royal Avocado Toast
Cinderella’s Royal Table — Lunch and Dinner
- Protein Bowl
- Chickpea Panisse
- Castle Salad
- Lemon Sorbet
- Coffee Pots de Crème
Columbia Harbour House — Lunch and Dinner
- Lighthouse Sandwich
- Harvest Chili
- Assorted sides
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café — Lunch and Dinner
- Plant-based Sloppy Joe
The Crystal Palace — Breakfast
- Roasted Breakfast Potatoes
- Oatmeal and Home-style Grits
- Eggless Florentine
- Breakfast Granola Medley
The Crystal Palace — Lunch and Dinner
- Herb-scented Rice
- Oak Fired Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflower Rice
- Garden Patch Cottage Pie
- Spiced Cupcakes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Coconut Panna Cotta
The Diamond Horseshoe — Lunch and Dinner
- Smoked Stuffed Peppers
- Harvest Beans
- Campfire Apple Cake
The Friar’s Nook
- Plant-based Brat and Tots
Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen — Lunch and Dinner
- Shiriki Noodle Salad
- Falls Family Falafel
- Curried Vegetable Crew Stew
- Perkins Thai Noodles
- Panna-Connie’s Congo Lime Delight
Liberty Tree Tavern — Lunch and Dinner
- Revolutionary Meatloaf
- Portobello Pot Roast
- Roasted Vegetable and Tomato Soup
- Johnny Appleseed’s Warm Apple Cake
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe — Lunch and Dinner
- Vegetable Rice Bowl
- Southwest Cheeseburger
- Assorted sides including — Guacamole, Chips and Salsa, Yellow Rice and Black Beans
- Topping Bar with multiple plant-based options
Pinocchio Village Haus — Lunch and Dinner
- Plant-based Pizza Options
- Pasta with Marinara Sauce
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
- Non-dairy Frozen Desserts
The Plaza Restaurant — Breakfast
- Breakfast Plate featuring Plant-based Eggs, Sausage and Breakfast Potatoes
The Plaza Restaurant — Lunch and Dinner
- Wedge Salad
- Plaza Burger (Lunch only)
- Bangers & Mash (Dinner Only)
- Dark Chocolate-Banana Bread Pudding with Soy Milk Frozen Dessert
Sunshine Treats Terrace
- FOMOsa
Tony’s Town Square Restaurant — Lunch and Dinner
- Garden Salad
- Spaghetti and Mushroom Meatballs
- Raspberry Sorbet
- Italian Strawberry Shortcake
In addition to these in-park restaurants, there are a ton of options at the resort hotels, water parks, and Disney Springs. You can find every single thing served at all of these locations here on DisneyWorld.com, or via individual restaurant menus.
While theme park restaurants are important because they’re where most guests will dine at Walt Disney World, the options outside the parks are inarguably better. The resorts and Disney Springs are not churning through guests as quickly as possible, and thus can slow down and take time for more ambitious or personalized dishes.
Overall, there’s a large–and growing–number of plant-based options at Walt Disney World, with multiple great options in every single park and something worthwhile at almost every restaurant. This is a sea change as compared to even 5 years ago, when doing vegan or vegetarian dining at Walt Disney World meant significantly compromising on quality. Now, you should give some of these plant-based options a try even if you’re primarily a carnivore!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the plant-based food options at Walt Disney World? Any specific dishes you’d recommend? Anything you would *not* recommend? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
yes but they removed the trees from Epcot France,.. not veggie friendly, in poor taste etc
Thanks so much for this. We are vegan and go there all the time, I really had no idea about some of the options, and I am excited to try your recommends. And really, flexitarians totally welcome in my world, I think it’s a great way to be! 😀
impossible burger has 5x the sodium of a normal burger. FIVE TIMES. No way this is “healthier”.
Well i guess on the bright side there will be no lines for these
I had to look that up. You are correct if you eat just 4 oz. of cooked beef alone (3% of daily sodium intake).
The sodium in 4 oz. of Impossible Burger amounts to 16% of the daily intake. The sodium in a prepared BK Whopper (beef sandwich) is 37% of your daily intake. I suppose they have added salt.
You should look at the cholesterol numbers though if you are concerned about which is “healthier”. I found it interesting that Impossible Burger claims to have 0g cholesterol.
I agree that the traditional veggie burgers were truly awful. I still shudder when I think of my bean burger in abc! We were in WDW in 2016 and my favourite park to dine in was Animal Kingdom and the Lodge. Tuskers had a lovely range on offer for vegetarians and it was my favourite place to eat. I have an aversion to meat so I think I would probably struggle with the meat substitutes but I know that my husband, who is vegetarian for ethical and environmental reasons, will be very happy to know that he can have a convincing “meat” burger whilst visiting in 2020.
Many vegetarians do not like the taste of meat and I am one of them. I do not need my veggie burger to fake bleed. I really hope they do not replace black bean burgers with these things that are designed to satisfy meat eaters anyway.
I’m so excited for all the vegan options! My favorite place on earth has choices for me! What a time in history to be vegan! Can’t wait for my trip next month 🙂
Have you had the impossible burger? I am a long time vegetarian and I am OBSESSED with the impossible burger. The beyond burger is kinda yuck compared to the amazing impossible burger. Veggie patties with vegetables defeat the whole purpose of simulating a burger. I don’t need the vegetables that go with my fake meat put inside of my fake meat. A bit redundant and boring.
Don’t speak for vegetarians because you don’t know all of us. I know tons of vegetarians who live for plant based meat like the impossible burger. Seriously, my eyes roll back in my head when I eat a good one. Depends on who makes it though.
As a vegan family, we are so excited too! I hope you have a wonderful trip 🙂
I actually think YOU are Disney’s target audience with the new plant-based options. Long-time vegetarians often don’t LOVE Beyond Burgers and the like because they’ve gotten used to not eating meat and don’t build their diet around meat substitutes. I find the Beyond Burger slightly disorienting and never minded a good (note the word good) veggie burger containing actual vegetables.
While I appreciate the additional options, there’s still only one entree at most counter service venues, meaning a family of vegetarians must all eat the same thing or cobble together meals from multiple restaurants. That said, vegetarian eating at Disney is easier than most theme parks and even easier than many U.S. cities.
Have you had the impossible burger? I am a long time vegetarian and I am OBSESSED with the impossible burger. The beyond burger is kinda yuck compared to the amazing impossible burger.
Don’t speak for vegetarians because you don’t know all of us. I know tons of vegetarians who live for plant based meat like the impossible burger. Seriously, my eyes roll back in my head when I eat a good one. Depends on who makes it though.
One on special diets should always check ingredients. The “Beyond Burger” has ingredients as a keto Diabetic I choose not to consume.
Exactly Jen. The last thing I want as a vegetarian is something that looks, tastes or has the texture of meat. And most true vegans are health concious, making neither fake burger an option. I want real food, not another lazy burger option. Disney has better options than most, but like stated, not really geared toward actual vegans and vegetarians. If one more restaurant says they are adding a veggie option and it’s the Impossible or Beyond meat and not a real entree option…sad cake.
Do you know if guests on special diets,such as diabetics, are allowed to bring in outside food?
Any one can bring in their own food. No glass or alcohol and there is a size limit on coolers. Some say items should be already made such as bring a sandwich but not a loaf of bread and jars of PBJ. We always bring food into Disneyland and they do not care. We’ve seen people carry in a whole pizza or bag of McDs before. Probably wouldn’t see that at WDW though since it is more isolated.
Great article, last time we visited WDW (November 2018), I tried a lot of the plant based options and my favorite was Plant-based Sloppy Joe at cosmic rays. I love to try new things and like meat. The sloppy Joe was flavorful and I did not miss the meat.
My husband and I enjoyed all of the vegan dishes we had on our trip in the spring. We were pleased with the options and knowledge of the considerate staff when we had questions. We especially loved the vegan menu at Jiko. Great dessert!
I am a vegetarian and was super excited to be in WDW in late September when they began to roll out a few of these dishes. I had the Create Your Own Bowl with Chili-Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu at Satu’li Canteen. It. WAS. TERRIBLE. I generally enjoy tofu, however, this was the worst I’ve ever had. The friend I was with also tried it, and 100% agreed. TERRIBLE. Tiny, shrivelled up, dry, super chewy pieces of tofu (faaaaaar from ‘Crispy’ as the menu would suggest), my jaw was tired after trying to choke a few of these down. I’m open to trying other plant based offerings during future visits, but I’ll stay FAR away from this one.
It scores a 0 for me. Did I mention it was terrible? 🙂
Wonder if that was an off day. We ate there in Sept and both my daughter and I enjoyed our bowls. Nice that two veg meals can be so different there.
Nice write-up Tom, thanks for bringing attention to this very important topic 😀
As a side note, Pecos Bills has a Spicy Breaded Cauliflower option for their Taco Trio entree that I thought was delicious. Just double checked the menu to make sure it’s still there. (I had them in September) Turns out, it’s not in their “Plant Based” section of the menu, but hidden as an option in the standard entrees.
Yes! I was going to say that! Plus it’s an enormous portion so if you can convince someone to share it will save you a food coma later…
I sort of have a love hate relationship w it for that reason. To full! Lol
Breaded in what and cooked in what? Just because it’s cauliflower doesn’t mean it wasn’t adulterated with flour,sugar and nasty oils. Ingredient lists please.
Well, considering I’m a vegetarian, the fact that it was meat free was my number one concern. Totally aware that there are other dietary needs and concerns, but it was fine for me. Obviously, everyone’s individual needs may vary.
Well, as a vegetarian, my number one focus is it meat free or not. I understand that others may have more restrictions or things to be concerned with (especially with health related restrictions and allergies,) but I’m only speaking for myself. I didn’t choose the tacos because they were “healthy” necessarily, I chose them as a meatless option for myself. Back when I did eat meat, I also didn’t inquire what breaded my chicken tenders either. Obviously, everyone has different needs. These fit mine.
Great tips! I’m a vegetarian (occasionally eat fish these days so maybe more pescatarian) and have been mostly impressed with WDW offerings, and even more so during festival events at epcot.
We love Skippers Canteen. And of course Sanaa. All restaurants are v accommodating. Even for sharing you could, say, order the pad Thai with the chicken on the side and split it between a veg and a non veg.
I do disagree w about Casey’s, but I loathe those sausage style faux dogs. Especially when a meatless ‘ballpark’ style frank is one of the easiest and tastiest vegetarian fakes. I really wish they’d do a basic faux dog. Maybe they do now and I’m just unaware? (I threw my last attempt from Casey’s in the trash!)
One other area where I really wish WDW would nail a veg option is a breakfast sandwich! It’s really hard to find an early morning breakfast sandwich if you just want an egg and cheese. All the ones I’ve stumbled across are wraps with meat. And Starbucks has a terrible veg selection shockingly. (I classify terrible as being that they focus on sweets or bread items for veg OR ‘health’ items as veg.) If you want veg eggs at Starbucks your resigned to egg *whites* with vegetables. No Eggy cheesy sandwich for us. Folks are veg for a variety of reasons but personally I still want a hearty sandwich, just without meat. So it’s a little disappointing that Starbucks (everywhere, not just WDW) has not figure this out.
The sliders at the Tiffins bar are so good! That was a fun surprise to discover.
Looking forward to experimenting with more on this list. I recognize some of my preferred meat substitutes listed here so that’s exciting!
Boardwalk bakery has a good egg & cheese croissant!
The Human Species is Omnivorous, made to consume both animal and plant products………..Why the push for Vegan ? Oh!..”…More Feelings !
People chose veg/vegan/flex for a variety of reasons. Some don’t like the idea of killing animals for food that’s readily available in other ways, some need to reduce animal product consumption for health reasons, some want to reduce their contribution to environmental damage caused by factory farming. It’s very wasteful from a resource perspective to raise animals as food sources. Some eat vegetarian for religious reasons. Honestly it’s no less of a priority than wanting to reduce salt consumption or eliminate carbs etc, etc. Folks have all sorts of dietary needs that link to their own lifestyles. It’s nice of Disney to recognize it. And it’s not limiting the experience of omnivores so not really something to fret over.
@Tom, in your massive (impressive) list of plant-based items, should we assume these are not necessarily vegan (due to other inherent ingredients such as honey, eggs, milk/milk products, etc). Our local vegan does not want “meat” substitutes that taste like meat but will eat a Beyond Burger when necessary. He’s never gone hungry at WDW (preferring Epcot eats) but finds it great that so many easily-turned-vegan items are popping up.
Thanks for paying attention to those of us who choose not to consume the STANDARD American Diet or SAD for short but there are many land mines to avoid at WDW even with the vegetarian or flexitarian choices you highlight. For example, if one is on a diabetic diet or low carb high fat diet there are a lot of substitutions and eliminations to do. These diets substitute healthy fats ( olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil) for processed oils like vegetable oil (canola , soybean , margarine). Few restaurants list which oils they cook with, much less the sugars and artificial sweeteners they add and whether or not the foods are organic or pesticide free. Those on special diets need to know macro counts of their meals and ingredient lists. Fresh and real food is always best. Why pay for a gourmet meal when you have to eliminate the carbs and fruit? I for one will have to be very selective and guess what I am eating by checking my blood glucose meter constantly. Any effort to improve on this dilemma is greatly appreciated.
It would be nice to have identified keto as well for people with diabetes to know how many carbs are in the dishes. Even steaks often have sugars added to rubs, or carby thickeners in cream-based sauces, and these send my sugars high, and fast. Dozing insulin is challenging enough without being blind-sides by unknown ingredients. Can you work on something like that, too? Or subcontract me and I will use my continuous glucose monitor to watch how certain allegedly low carb foods impact blood sugar.
I would love for Disney to pay attention to those struggling with a huge health issue with diabetes. Whether it’s T1, T2, gestational or pre diabetic (roughly 1/3 of adults) it would be nice to have some low carb options labeled as such.
Our family has not made the trip to Walt Disney World in 8 years due to the lack of plant-based dining options. As soon as I found out about Disney’s new plant-based items I booked our trip! I am thankful Disney saw the demand for this. Now plant-based families can visit the parks (and not starve) 🙂
Thank you for covering this topic! Our family chose to stay at Caribbean Beach in part for the plant based food options and we were not disappointed. One of our favorites was the chickpea salad sandwich at center town market. Our 6 yo (a very picky eater) asked for it again and again. We’re thrilled to see so many new plant-based dishes all over DW.
I am not a vegan/vegetarian. Generally, the only meat substitutes I like is falafel. I enjoy the Harvest Chili at Columbia Harbour House. My favorite meat substitute food at WDW was the Spicy Vegan Sausage at Whispering Canyon.