Denny’s is your typical, go-to American family-style diner. Quite literally nicknamed “America’s diner,” this chain restaurant earned its place as the second highest grossing family-style restaurant in 2020. With menu item names like “Country-fried Steak and Eggs”, “Plate-lickin’ Chicken fried Chicken”, and the “All-American Slam,” being vegan at Denny’s doesn’t sound promising. But rest assured, you can find something delicious to eat. With our editor’s picks, Vegan Unlocked secret menu and the full vegan menu in hand, you can find something delicious to eat. And it doesn’t have to be a salad!
The Vegan Unlocked Research Team analyzed all 93 items on the Denny’s menu. We came away with four delicious custom creations and a few on-menu options.
Denny’s earns a 3 of 5 stars as a vegan-friendly establishment. It isn’t the place for hemp milk lattes or tofu scrambles. But there are still a few items you can enjoy!
This score is calculated based on the amount of vegan offerings on Denny’s menu “as is” or with an easy substitution, a restaurant vegan customizability score and finally the amount of vegan options vs non-vegan options. Learn more about how Vegan Unlocked Ratings are calculated.
Secret Menu
As seasoned vegans, we know that sometimes you have to get creative at places like Denny’s. It’s important to remember that just because a restaurant has no designated vegan options doesn’t mean you can’t find something to eat. That’s why we sent a team of vegan researchers to Denny’s to customize their own plant-based creations. Sometimes it’s as simple as holding the cheese; sometimes it’s stitching sides together to create a delicious entree. Remember all that craze over the Starbucks “secret menu” a few years back? Us vegans have been experts at that for years!
Looking for something a little simpler? Scroll on to find Denny’s vegan menu items and our editors’ top picks just below this section.
Breakfast veggie scramble:
Order a veggie omelette without the egg or cheese. Add avocado. Order your toast dry. Be warned: this one might earn a few funny looks from servers. But what you’ll get is a flavorful scramble of fire-roasted bell peppers and onions, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, and crispy hashbrowns to go with it. Mix it all together, throw on some salsa and/or hot sauce, and enjoy over toast.
Avocado toast with veggies:
Get a side of slices of toast or english muffin, add avocado, mushrooms and fire-roasted bell peppers and onion. Mash your avocado onto your toast, salt to taste, and top with veggies.
Rice and fire-roasted veggies bowl:
Get a side of whole grain rice, add caramelized onions, fire-roasted bell peppers and onions and a side of fresh sautéed squash and zucchini.
Delicious red potato bowl:
Get a side of red skinned potatoes with a side of sweet petite corn, add avocado, mushrooms and salsa and/or hot sauce.
All Vegan Options on Denny’s Menu
So what else is vegan at Denny’s?
Meals
- “Build your own burger” meal: The Beyond burger patty is completely vegan! Start with this as a base and add your vegan toppings. Carmelized onions, BBQ sauce and Jalapenos is a favorite combo for us!
- Santa Fe Bowl: hold the chorizo, eggs and cheese. You’ll be left with fire-roasted bell peppers & onions, mushrooms and seasoned red-skinned potatoes. Add avocado to bulk things up a bit. Another hack is to add tortillas and make your own tacos with this bowl!
- Crazy Spicy Bowl: hold the chicken, chorizo, cheese and queso. You can use the tortillas hack for this bowl too!
- House Salad: hold the cheese and croutons.
Sides, Appetizers, Add-ons
- Chips and salsa
- Fries
- Red skinned potatoes
- Hashbrowns
- English muffin
- Toast
- Whole grain rice blend
- Sauteed squash and zucchini
- Fire roasted bell peppers and onions
- Carmelized onions
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Sweet petite corn
- Broccoli
- Fresh fruit
Vegan Sauces
- 5-pepper sauce
- Hot pepper sauce
- Salsa
- BBQ sauce
- Italian dressing
- French dressing
- Balsamic Viniagrette
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- *The honey mustard dressing does not contain milk or eggs, but does contain honey.
Editor’s Picks: What are the best vegan meals at Denny’s?
One of the best budget-friendly items is the Build your own burger. Prices vary by location, but this burger is at least $1 cheaper than the menu’s pre-created burgers. This burger costs $15.59, while the menu’s most expensive burger is over $18. In this case, it pays off being vegan!
The best breakfast item is the customized egg-less veggie omelette.
Our healthiest option is the customized rice and veggies bowl. Add some hot sauce and it’s one of the tastiest, too!
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 Denny’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 Denny’s questions:
Are Denny’s 9 grain pancakes vegan?
According to Denny’s allergen menu, the 9-grain pancakes unfortunately do contain egg.
Are Denny’s fries vegan?
Yes, Denny’s fries are vegan! With the exception of fries actually cooked in animal fat, most fries do tend to be vegan. It never hurts to ask!
Does Denny’s have vegan breakfast?
While Denny’s does not have any specifically dedicated vegan breakfast entrees, there are a number of vegan sides and a few custom creations available! See our custom vegan menu hacks “veggie eggless omelette” and avocado toast with veggies above. In addition to these delicious creations, the hashbrowns, fresh fruit, English muffins and toast are all vegan!
You can find out more information on dining at Denny’s by visiting their website here.
Dining at Denny’s Soon?
Be sure to tag Vegan Unlocked and share your vegan meal or custom creation to be entered in our monthly giveaway!
Denny’s vegan menu was brought to you by…
Chelsea Pinkham
Chelsea Pinkham is a long-time animal advocate, rescuer, and humane education writer. Chelsea studied Communications & Journalism with a minor in Environmental Science at Sonoma State University. She has been vegan for thirteen years, since she discovered the treatment of animals on farms in middle school. Outside of Vegan Unlocked, she works for a nonprofit farmed animal sanctuary, authors humane education children’s books, and has personally rescued, fostered and transported over 1,000 animals. She enjoys camping, hiking, learning about animal behavior, and traveling the world on a low budget!
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.
