Carrabba’s was founded by Johnny Carrabba III and his uncle Damian Mandola in the late 80s. It was born out of their love of their Sicilian family heritage and their relatives’ homemade Italian cooking. Having launched their first location in Houston, Texas, a second restaurant followed shortly after, and now there are 199 company-owned and 21 franchised Carrabba’s restaurants across the US. Known for their Italian American dishes, wood-fired pizzas, and pasta made on the premises, they also offer a delicious range of vegan-friendly plates. At Vegan Unlocked, equipped with our secret menu, full menu and editor’s picks, you’ll be able to enjoy the authentic Italian-American dining experience and slurp on some spaghetti, even if you’re gluten intolerant!
The Vegan Unlocked Research Team analyzed all 52 options on the Carrabba’s menu and came up with four downright delicious on-menu items, and even a couple of scrumptious custom creations, too.
Carrabba’s scores 3.3 out of 5 stars as a vegan-friendly restaurant. So, while you won’t find any plant-based parmesan, or vegan-friendly carbonara, there are still plenty of plant-powered pasta dishes for you to enjoy.
This score is calculated based on the number of vegan offerings on Carrabba’s menu “as is” or with an easy substitution, a restaurant vegan customizability score and finally, the number of vegan options vs non-vegan options. Learn more about how Vegan Unlocked Ratings are calculated.
Secret Menu
When it comes to Italian food, you may think that it will be challenging to veganize your meal. After all, Italian cuisine is famous for its cheese-covered pizza, egg-based sauces and pastas, and meat-based mains, such as veal Milanese. That said, it’s easy to sub out the non-vegan components, and load your dish full of plant-based goodies. Carrabba’s is a great example of how Italian food can simply be made vegan. At Vegan Unlocked, we’ve made eating vegan at Carrabba’s even easier by sending in our team of vegan researchers to come up with some mouth-watering plant-based inventions.
Don’t fancy mixing it up? No problem; scroll on to find Carrabba’s vegan menu items and our editors’ top picks just below this section.
Loaded Veggie Spaghetti
Order up the Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce, then add in a side of grilled asparagus and sautéed spinach. You’ll get all your greens, and bag-loads of flavor in this rich Pomodoro sauce.
Extra Green Salad Supreme
Salads don’t have to be sad when you throw in some of your favorites. Order up the house side salad, which comes with romaine lettuce, shredded red cabbage, carrots, Kalamata olives, and pepperoncini, for a little bit of spice. Then order up a side of asparagus, broccoli, and spinach, sautéed or steamed, depending on your preference. Then drizzle in balsamic vinegar to finish off an already spectacular salad.
All the Vegan Options at Carrabba’s
Meals
- Gluten-Free Casarecce Pasta with Pomodoro Sauce: Casarecce pasta is a short pasta noodle that is gluten-free and comes slathered in a rich, red Pomodoro sauce.
- Linguine Positano: Made with fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic and basil, this pasta dish is loaded with flavor and great for linguine lovers.
- Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce: This pasta dish might be simple, but it’s spectacular and bound to hit the spot if you’ve got a hankering for an Italian.
- Whole Grain Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce: While classic spaghetti is delicious, whole grain pasta is far more nourishing, has lower calories, and is packed full of fiber, manganese, selenium, copper, and phosphorus. Covered in Pomodoro sauce, it’s an absolute winner.
Appetizers
- Bread with oil and herbs
Sides
- House Side Salad with light balsamic dressing, extra virgin olive oil and red wine or balsamic vinegar
- Grilled asparagus
- Penne Pomodoro
- Sautéed broccoli
- Steamed broccoli
- Sautéed spinach
- Steamed spinach
- Italian salad with light balsamic dressing, extra virgin olive oil and red wine or balsamic vinegar
Editor’s Picks: What Are the Top Vegan Meals at Carrabba’s?
If you get giddy at the thought of garlic, you’re going to love this one. The Linguine Positano is our top pick for garlic lovers. This dish is aromatic from the basil, has hints of sweetness from the tomatoes, and is, of course, gloriously garlicky.
Who says things have to be complicated to be delicious? The stripped-back spaghetti with Pomodoro sauce is simple to let its ingredients sing, and is our classic Italian pick.
Sometimes having a gluten intolerance can hold you back when it comes to enjoying Italian food, but not at Carrabba’s. The best gluten-free option at this dining institution is the Whole Grain Spaghetti with Pomodoro Sauce.
Note: Vegan Unlocked is a tool dedicated to helping people find plant-based options. We are not an allergen resource, and want to encourage our friends with allergies to proceed with caution. We cannot control and don’t always know when cross contamination takes place. See the Carrabba’s allergen menu here. As far as cross-contamination of vegan foods with animal products, this is completely up to your comfort level as an individual. Read our stance on cross contamination here.
Frequently Asked Carrabba’s Questions
Is Bread at Carrabba’s Vegan?
The bread at Carrabba’s does not contain any animal products. So, it’s completely vegan-friendly and great for dipping in olive oil or marinara.
Is Carrabba’s Marinara Vegan?
The marinara at Carrabba’s is indeed vegan-friendly, so feel free to slather it over your bread, pasta, or even your salad.
Is Carrabba’s Minestrone Vegetarian?
Unfortunately, Carrabba’s Minestrone is cooked in chicken broth, contains prosciutto and has Pecorino Romano cheese added, so it is not a vegan-friendly option.’
You can find out more information on Carrabba’s by visiting their website here.
Planning on visiting Carrabba’s soon?
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The Carrabba’s Vegan Menu Was Brought to You by…
Madaline Dunn
Madaline is a vegan journalist, writer, and editor specializing in sustainability, current affairs, and social justice and the ways in which they intersect. Her work focuses on innovation and progress, prioritizing rigorous investigation. When she’s not writing, she’s in the kitchen experimenting with new plant-based recipes, reading a good book, or thinking about her next cup of coffee.
Cristina Garrido
Cristina is a vegan cook and recipe developer. She’s worked in several vegan kitchens, as a collaborator for different cooking blogs and now works as a consultant helping restaurants interested in making their menus more vegan-friendly. She’s passionate about cultural foods and culinary innovations. Her non-food related interests include thrifting, sustainability and exploring her new adoptive country, Portugal.
