Dairy Queen Vegan Options: How to Enjoy Fast Food Without Animal Products

Dairy Queen has a long history of success, with over 6,500 locations in 27 countries. Their phenomenal story started in 1940 when Sherb Noble started selling soft serve ice cream in his store, produced by a father and son team from Illinois.

However, today Dairy Queen is known for more than its candy-flavored frozen treats like its Classic soft serve sundaes, cones, and Blizzards. Customers worldwide can enjoy a full meal at any time of the day at its various franchise locations. Their most popular foods include Hot Dogs, Chili Cheese, Dog, Bacon Two Cheese De Luxe, Fries, and Chicken Bites Salad Bowl.

In recent years, the number of people opting for a vegan lifestyle has continued to grow, forcing fast-food chains to increase their plant-based options.

With the word “dairy” in its name, you would think that Dairy Queen would not have any plant-based products in its stores. But you’re mistaken. Dairy Queen announced its first vegan ice cream in April 2020, the Non-Dairy Dilly Bar, for those wanting a frozen treat. Vegans can also choose some meals from a small variety of food options.

Dairy Queen Vegan Options

If you want to enjoy fast food without animal products, here are some of the best Dairy Queen vegan options.

1. Dairy Queen Side Salad

A side salad may not seem very filling, but you can always order some fries or Pretzel Sticks without dipping sauce or butter to make up a complete meal. Like at most fast-food restaurants, you can request the standard Side Salad at Dairy Queen, which means it won’t have any chicken or other non-vegan products.

Your side salad will include shredded cabbage, carrots, lettuce, and diced tomatoes. Remember to ask for one of their vegan salad dressing options:

• Marzetti Asian Sesame Dressing
• Marzetti Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
• Marzetti Light Italian Dressing
• Marzetti Fat-Free California French Style Dressing

2.      Dairy Queen Fries

Unlike MacDonald’s fries, those at Dairy Queen are vegan. They contain no animal-based flavorings and get fried in Soybean Oil. Dairy Queen’s Fries make an ideal meal or snack. For a more nutritious meal, accompany the fries with their Side Salad.

If you like to enjoy your fries with sauce, the following are vegan:

• BBQ Dipping Sauce Cup
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Wild Buffalo Dipping Sauce Cup

3.      Dairy Queen Pretzel Sticks (With No Dipping Sauce)

If you’re looking for an appetizer or side dish, the Pretzel Sticks at Dairy Queen is served hot with some coarse salt. The Pretzel Sticks are vegan. However, they are topped with a butter sauce and served alongside the Zesty Queso dipping sauce containing milk.

Tell the store to omit the butter spread and Queso if you want the vegan option. They can also substitute the Queso with one of their vegan sauces. These include the BBQ Dipping Sauce Cup, Wild Buffalo Dipping Sauce Cup, Ketchup, or Mustard.

4.      Applesauce or Banana (Sides on the Kid’s Menu)

If you feel like something sweet, but don’t want a frozen dessert, then you have two options listed as sides on the Dairy Queen’s Kid’s Menu. These are either a Banana or Musselman’s Unsweetened Applesauce.

5.      Dairy Queen Star Kiss Bar

Unfortunately, Dairy Queen does not offer a vegan Blizzard option. Therefore, if you feel like something from their most famous line, there’s nothing to try. However, you may be lucky to find their only frozen vegan treat at your location – the Star Kiss Bar.

Additionally, the fast-food company introduced its Non-Dairy Dilly Bar in 2020. The frozen bar contains coconut milk covered in a crunchy chocolate coating. It is also gluten-free.

You won’t find Dairy Queen’s Star Kiss bars at all locations, but they are a real treat if you have them at a store near you. The red, white, and blue star-shaped frozen bar has a cherry, blue raspberry, and watermelon flavoring.

Even though the wrapper does state that it may contain traces of dairy, the company says it must put the disclaimer because the factory handles other Dairy Queen products. However, PETA has given them the thumbs up, meaning you are free to indulge if you’re looking for a refreshing dessert on a hot day.

You won’t find the Star Kiss Bar listed on Dairy Queen’s website, but they exist at some locations, so check locally for availability.

6.      Dairy Queen Non-Dairy Beverages

Finally, you can find a few vegan-friendly drink options at Dairy Queen. Even though you cannot indulge in their blended beverages, Moolattes, shakes, or malts because they all contain animal-based egg or milk, you can indulge in one of their Misty Slushes.

However, beware of their Misty Freezes because these contain milk. You can also ask them to replace the yogurt with water for a vegan version of their Premium Fruit Smoothies.

Here’s the list of Dairy Queen’s vegan beverages:

• Misty Slush in cherry, mango, lemon-lime, blue raspberry, or strawberry kiwi flavors
• Premium Fruit Smoothies (ask them to replace the yogurt with water or other non-dairy liquid if available in your location because they don’t have them on their main menu).

Of course, you can also order other vegan drinks like:

• Coke
• Diet Coke
• Root Beer Soda (not available everywhere)
• Sprite
• Coffee without cream

Tips for Eating Vegan at Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen offers more vegan options than many other fast-food places. However, you should be careful about hidden dairy ingredients and ask the staff to check the ingredient list of any item before ordering it.

If you like having a burger, avoid their classic ones because they have cheese and mayonnaise toppings. Instead, get their hamburger or cheeseburger without cheese or mayo. Additionally, order the side salad with one of the four vegan dressings mentioned above.

Finally, double-check your orders since Dairy Queen’s employees don’t usually know which items are vegan, so they could mistakenly add something non-vegan to your order.

Be sure to ask them not to add animal products to your meal – like butter or cheese – and you’ll be all set for a vegan treat. Happy eating!

The above are some of the best Dairy Queen vegan options you can enjoy without compromising your dietary preferences. Whether you’re in the mood for a side salad, fries, pretzel sticks, applesauce or banana, Star Kiss Bar, or non-dairy beverages – Dairy Queen has something for everyone! Just remember to double-check your orders before consuming them and you’ll be all set for a delicious vegan experience

Final Take

Even though most fast-food restaurants try to include vegans, their menus remain very limited. Unfortunately, the same applies to Dairy Queen, where you will struggle to create a complete vegan meal to enjoy. Therefore, your options are limited unless you visit a fast-food store specializing in vegan food.

Your choices from their menu are a side salad, fries, the pretzel sticks ordered without butter and the Queso dipping sauce, and a Misty Slush (unless you prefer a Coke, Sprite, or Coffee). They recently added a vegan version of their Dilly Bar, at least providing one frozen treat for those avoiding animal products.

As the vegan population increases, it would be nice to know that established fast-food restaurants are also doing their best to accommodate these dietary preferences by offering a more exciting choice of plant-based options.

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