Surprisingly, KFC Has Lots Of Vegan Menu Options

If you follow a vegan diet, it's likely that Kentucky Fried Chicken does not come to mind when considering meal options. The chain has come under fire from PETA for killing at least 850 million chickens per year. PETA even accused the American fast food chain of "selling death by the bucket." Nevertheless, the animal rights' organization considered KFC's Beyond Fried Chicken a success. KFC worked with Beyond Meat, a Los Angeles-based company that offers plant-based meat replacements, to launch its plant-based fried chicken in 2019 at a KFC in Smyrna, Georgia. 

In 2020, PETA tweeted "BREAKING: @kfc will serve #vegan Beyond Fried Chicken in #California for a limited time! The Colonel is testing his @BeyondMeat recipe at 50 #SoCal locations starting July 20. This really is a Kentucky fried miracle." The organization added, "We're hopeful that KFC's Beyond Fried Chicken test marks a new era for the company and that when it sees how much consumers value animals' lives, it will work to make changes in its supply chain as well." 

In Smyrna, customers could order Beyond Meat nuggets and "boneless wings." The move made KFC the first fast food restaurant to sell plant-based chicken. The product sold out in less than five hours. "KFC Beyond Fried Chicken is so delicious, our customers will find it difficult to tell that it's plant-based," Kevin Hochman, president and chief concept officer for KFC said in a press release. 

Beyond Meat also weighed in on its partnership with KFC. "KFC is an iconic part of American culture and a brand that I, like so many consumers, grew up with. To be able to bring Beyond Fried Chicken, in all of its KFC-inspired deliciousness to market, speaks to our collective ability to meet the consumer where they are and accompany them on their journey," Ethan Brown, the founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, said in a 2019 press release. "My only regret is not being able to see the legendary Colonel himself enjoy this important moment," he said. The meatless chicken is primarily made with soy and wheat proteins and the breading replicated KFC's popcorn chicken nuggets. According to KFC, the ingredients include "water, enriched wheat flour, soy protein isolate, canola oil, wheat gluten, natural flavorings, and yeast extract." 

In 2022, the chain introduced the Beyond Nuggets to thousands of locations for "a limited time." As of 2023, Beyond Fried Chicken appears to have been discontinued, but select locations still offer the faux chicken on their allergen menu. It should be noted that although the product is considered vegan, it may be in a fryer with animal products. Other locations use a separate fryer, so you may want to ask your local KFC if they still offer the product and how the item is made. 

The good news is that even if your local KFC no longer offers Beyond Fried Chicken, many of the chain's sides are vegan. If you're not a meat eater, you can still enjoy barbecue baked beans, which do not have any meat and are also vegan. In addition, other sides available for vegans are KFC's corn on the cob, green beans, the secret recipe fries, sweet kernel corn, the kids' meal applesauce, and a house side salad (with no croutons). Ask for the Marzetti Light Italian Dressing, which is the only dressing that does not contain animal products. While the fries are vegan, they are made in a shared fryer. If you'd also like to try a vegan dessert, you can purchase the Apple Turnover.  

Sauces such as Honey BBQ, Honey Mustard, Ranch, and KFC's Finger Lickin' Good Sauce (which contains eggs) are not vegan, so vegans' best bets are ketchup, a BBQ Dipping Sauce Cup, grape jelly packet, lemon juice packet, or strawberry jam packet. On the kids' menu, the Capri Sun 100% Juice Fruit Punch is also vegan, as well as nearly 30 other drink selections. At KFC in the UK there is a vegan burger called the Original Recipe Quorn fillet, but currently, the U.S. KFC does not offer any vegan burgers. Other U.S. sides that are not vegan include the biscuits, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, potato salad, and macaroni salad. Unfortunately, KFC's beloved gravy is also not vegan.